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If you're not a fan of gaming headsets and want to fill your room with the sounds of gunfire and engine roars, you've come to the right place.

We've been testing out PC speakers of all shapes and sizes in order to compile this useful guide to the best ones you can buy to enhance your gaming experience.

Some of these speakers are multi-source capable and they all deliver excellent sound, with fantastic quality that will make an awesome addition to any desk.

Razer Leviathan V2 Pro
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro
1. Best PC speaker overall

Powerful room-filling audio

The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro is an epic PC soundbar with room-filling sound and AI head tracking too.

Pros
  • Fantastic quality sound
  • Punchy bass
  • Intriguing AI-head tracking
Cons
  • Lighting is underwhelming
  • Hefty pricetag

If desk space is a premium, the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro is a sensible choice for your PC speaker needs.

This is a multi-driver gaming soundbar and subwoofer combo that's designed to fit nicely in your space and tuck under your gaming monitor.

It's designed to deliver impressive high-fidelity sound backed up with THX Spatial audio for an immersive gaming experience. It sports five two-inch full-range drivers, capable of 40hz to 20KHz frequency response. What's interesting though is the addition of AI head-tracking technology, which adjusts the sound according to how and where you're sitting in the room. So if you adjust your seating position, the sound adjusts too.

We found this soundbar to be impressively punchy in terms of bass delivery, but also impressive in terms of positional audio and creating convincing sound across a range of games. It's bigger than the previous model but still has a sound that belies its small stature. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth capabilities as well, so plenty of bang for your buck.

Harman Kardon SoundSticks image 1
Harman Kardon SoundSticks
2. Best PC speaker for design

Unique and stylish form-factor

These are some seriously snazzy speaker, both in terms of sound and looks too.

Pros
  • Quirky design that really stands out
  • Dual-connectivity
Cons
  • Very expensive

If you're after something unusual that makes your desk stand out from the norm, while delivering some spiffing sound, then look no further than the Harman Kardon SoundSticks.

There are several iterations of these SoundSticks and they are seriously nice looking speakers.

At a glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that these speakers are made of glass, but rather they're a well-constructed plastic. The setup is made up of two satellites and a beautifully crafted subwoofer. Each of these has some hefty rubber feet to reduce vibration and ensure the sound remains sublime.

This 2.1 system connects to your PC via a simple 3.5mm connection and delivers an impressive, loud and rich sound that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Another highlight is the dual connectivity with Harman True Stream wireless technology providing an easy Bluetooth connection to other devices. This means you can, for example, easily connect your phone to the speakers at the same time and get audio from both as well. Playing Spotify or YouTube on your phone, while gaming on your PC is a breeze.

Fantastic audio, convenient controls and great looks round off an epic package we'd heartily recommend.

best speakers for pc gamers all the sound and rgb lighting you could ever need photo 4
Hecate G5000
3. Best PC speakers for hi-res

Real surround-sound

These speakers tick a lot of boxes. They're not only imposing, solidly built and ooze quality but also offer bucket loads of features.

Pros
  • Large and imposing sound
  • High-quality hefty finish
  • Hi-Res sound
  • Multi-device compatible
Cons
  • Price

If you prefer a more traditional-looking speaker setup but still want something with plenty of punch and RGB lighting then this might be a good option.

The Hecate GS5000 are crafted by Edifier and offers 88 watts of power with Hi-Res (24bits/192kHz) audio sound and a host of connection options.

You can connect to a PC via USB but also have the option of aux 3.5mm, optical connection for console and Bluetooth 5 too.

We found these speakers have some nice punch and a great range of sound, highlighting wonderful detail in your favourite sounds and games. It has various modes too, with EQ presets for music, movies and games.

These speakers also have 11 different RGB lighting modes, so they add eye-catching lighting as well as sound to your gaming space. All this is rounded off by an impressively solid build design and high-quality finish.

Creative katana
Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2X soundbar
4. Best PC speaker for Dolby

Dolby dominates

$250 $280 Save $30


The is a great sounding speaker that both looks and sounds great and has plenty to offer for the money.

Pros
  • Compact enough to fit under your monitor
  • High-quality brushed aluminium finish
  • Dolby compatible
Cons
  • Pricey

If you're looking for a speaker upgrade for your gaming area, but don't have much room or don't want to fill up your desk with hefty speakers, then a soundbar might be the way to go. But a soundbar doesn't have to be a compromise, because good things do come in small packages. That is certainly true of Creative's Sound Blaster Katana V2X.

This is a stylish-looking, slimline soundbar that packs some serious presence. It's also all-singing and all-dancing in a number of different ways.

It's cleverly designed to fire sound up towards your ears while you game and it also features Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and various inputs including 3.5mm and optical that make it multi-device compatible.

There are various customisation options that allow you to tweak the audio, EQ settings, lighting, Dolby Dynamic Range Control and more.

It's rich-sounding, vibrant and has an excellent range too. The accompanying subwoofer gives you a nice dose of bass without upsetting the neighbours and the RGB lighting makes the Katana a real eye-pleaser too.

arena 7
SteelSeries Arena 7
5. Best compact PC speakers

Compact and colourful

The SteelSeries Arena 7 speakers are punchy, capable and feature-rich. With loads of connectivity options and great sound to boot. The lighting is a bonus.

Pros
  • Decent sound for the size
  • Interesting RGB lighting
Cons
  • Not as premium-looking as the others
  • Expensive

SteelSeries Arena 7 speakers are a 2.1 speaker system with a powerful sub and plenty of capabilities. These speakers not only offer a great boost in audio to your gaming area but also nifty RGB lighting.

That lighting can be controlled via SteelSeries GG and is also set to synchronise with your game. It's not as impressive as something like Phillips Hue light sync but it still adds an immersive ambience to your desk.

These speakers also have multiple connection options with USB, Bluetooth, optical or 3.5mm Aux connectivity. So you can easily connect all sorts of devices and plug in headphones to them when you need quieter time.

We found these speakers delivered good punch without taking up loads of space on your desk, so a good balance of all the things you need.

The bottom line: What is the best PC speaker for gaming?

Every set of PC speakers we've selected here will make a superb choice for anyone looking to beef up their PC sound - whether it's a soundbar or a more traditional twin-speaker setup with an under-desk sub.

Harman Kardon's stick-like speakers sound amazing and are totally unique when it comes to design, while the Hecate G5000 speakers are so powerful and premium that they're hard to overlook. However, it's Razer's Pro version of the Leviathan V2 that takes our top spot thanks to its superb sound and easy setup.

Razer Leviathan V2 Pro
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro
Editor's Choice

This brilliant soundbar is our top recommendation when it comes to speakers for your PC.

How I chose the best PC speakers

These speakers are all ones that the Pocket-lint team has tested extensively - using them for a variety of gaming and regular uses over a period of weeks to ensure that they meet the highest standards in terms of performance and quality. Value is also a very important factor, of course, although we'll always prioritise the best possible quality over a shorter-term deal. I've included soundbars as well as more typical speakers to give you a range of options depending on what your desk setup is, and how you're looking to arrange things.

How to choose the right PC speaker

PC speakers come in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of features and specs that make them stand apart. So how do you know which one is right for you?

Desk space

If you're a PC gamer then you know the value of having lots of space on your desk - room for your keyboard and mouse and whatever else you see fit. If space is limited then you don't want to fill it up unnecessarily with huge bulky speakers.

This is where soundbars can be useful. PC soundbars are generally smaller than your average TV soundbar but still pack in enough power to fill your gaming space with audio. You'll be sitting a lot closer to your PC to game than you will your TV anyway.

Surround sound options

Do you need "real" surround sound? PC speakers are a good way to get full immersion with a proper 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound setup. To do so though, you'll need a lot of speakers and a lot of cables. Often you'll find that stereo speakers and even soundbars have a virtual surround sound option - whether DTS or Dolby Digital. You'd be surprised how good this virtual surround sound is.

RGB lighting

A lot of modern PC speakers have RGB lighting included. Sometimes this is just to give a little extra glow, But some speakers also have immersive settings that allow you to sync the RGB lighting with the in-game environment. This can really add to the experience in more ways than just impressive sound.