New to gaming and wondering what to buy beyond the console or PC itself? The accessories that genuinely improve the experience are not the ones marketed hardest. Most of the essentials are unsexy, inexpensive, and rarely featured in influencer videos. Here is what actually makes a difference early on.
A headset before anything else
Built-in TV speakers are fine for a film. For gaming, especially multiplayer, they are a significant disadvantage. A headset gives you positional audio (hearing where sounds are coming from), voice communication with teammates, and immersion that flat TV audio cannot provide. It also means you can game at night without disturbing anyone.
You do not need to spend much to get dramatically better audio than built-in speakers. The HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 ($40 to $50), HyperX Cloud III ($60 to $80), and SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 ($50 to $70) are all excellent entry points. Comfortable, clear audio, decent microphone. Nothing flashy, nothing unnecessary. Do not start with a $150 headset when you can spend $60 and get 90 percent of the experience. The gaming headset guide covers what to prioritize if you want to go deeper before buying.
A mouse and mousepad if you are on PC
The mouse that came with your PC (if any) is probably serviceable. A dedicated gaming mouse with a proper optical sensor and lighter weight costs $30 to $50 and makes movement noticeably more precise. The Logitech G203 ($30) and Logitech G305 wireless ($40) are the most consistently recommended entry-level picks. Both use quality sensors, both are comfortable, both will last years.
A mousepad is the one accessory most new PC players skip and then wonder why their mouse tracking feels inconsistent. Bare desk surfaces create inconsistent tracking. A large cloth mousepad (Corsair MM300, Logitech G240, or similar at $15 to $25) solves this immediately. Get a larger one than you think you need. Your mouse movement range expands as you improve.
Ethernet over Wi-Fi if at all possible
This is the least glamorous accessory recommendation and one of the highest-impact ones for online gaming. Wi-Fi ping fluctuates. Ethernet ping is stable. That stability is what determines whether online multiplayer feels responsive or laggy, and it matters far more than connection speed. If your router is in the same room as your gaming setup, plug in. If not, a powerline adapter ($30 to $50) sends internet through your home’s electrical wiring and is a significant improvement over Wi-Fi for gaming.
Controller if you are on PC and play single-player games
Many PC games are designed around controller input. Action games, racing games, platformers, RPGs: a controller is often the better input method than keyboard and mouse for these genres. The Xbox Wireless Controller is the default recommendation: excellent build quality, plug-and-play on Windows without drivers, 40-hour battery life on AA batteries, and widely available at $60. The PS5 DualSense ($70) works well on PC with some additional setup and has superior haptic feedback for games that support it.
What to skip early on
A gaming chair: start with a decent office chair. Gaming chairs are designed to look a certain way, not to support prolonged sitting better than quality office chairs. Spend $100 to $200 on a used or entry-level office chair before spending $300 on a racing-seat gaming chair. Your back in hour four of a session will thank you.
An expensive mechanical keyboard: a mid-range membrane keyboard is fine for casual and early competitive gaming. A mechanical keyboard is a meaningful quality-of-life improvement, but it is a “nice to have” early on rather than an “essential”. Add one when you have covered the higher-priority items above.
RGB everything: RGB lighting makes nothing perform better. It makes money leave your wallet faster. Buy peripherals that perform first; let aesthetic preferences guide later purchases when you know what you actually use and value.
For building out your setup over time on a sensible budget, the guide on budget gaming setups under $1,000 covers the full picture when you are ready to invest more deliberately.
