I. Introduction: Why Audio Latency Matters in Gaming
If you’ve ever found yourself reacting perfectly and on-time to everything, only to miss certain cues that ended up making you lose that Street Fighter or Smash Bros fight, or even, completely miss that timing and fall off that cliff in Celeste, you’re very familiar with one of the higher-level ender bosses in gaming: Latency.
Latency is the delay, or that time between an action and the intended result, and these are often measured in milliseconds (ms). In gaming, latency comes in many forms: audio, network, input, etc. In short, excuses by bad players.
But out of all the excuses one can claim, audio latency is the one that is the least valid because there’s not much you can do if your network connection is slow, or if your reflexes can only go so fast. But audio latency is where you can really invest some points to give you the advantage you need, because it’s all in the equipment.
And your reaction time too, but unlike input latency, audio latency only requires you to react and readjust your bearings. Input latency requires you to do all that, and then make the physical adjustments first, and then input it to your KBM or controller, from which another layer of latency is introduced. We’re not gonna get into that in this post because we’re only talking about audio latency—but what is it?
Audio latency refers to the slight delay between…
- B) an action occurring in your game (like a gunshot, footstep, scary monster growl, or a door creaking) and,
- B) you, actually hearing its corresponding sound through your audio device: desktop or TV speakers, headphones, or earbuds.
While a few milliseconds might seem insignificant in the grander scale of the universe, in the fast-paced world of gaming, even tiny delays can impact your reaction time, break you out of immersion, and lead to missed opportunities or if you heed our, and everyone else’s warnings about audio latency, some well deserved deaths by someone sniping you from a corner..
This guide will discuss the three primary ways gaming audio connects to your device: traditional wired connections, ultra-fast 2.4GHz wireless, and versatile Bluetooth. We’ll compare their latency performance, demystify the myths, and help you understand which connection type is best suited for your gaming style and competitive needs.
Because even though no latency is best, some latency, in some cases, can actually be fine. And if you want to know which ones are okay to have a bit of latency, make sure you read through to the end.
II. The Basics of Gaming Audio Connectivity
To understand latency, let’s look at how each connection type works:
A. Wired (3.5mm Jack or USB: USB-A, USB-C, etc)
- What it is and How it Works: This is the most straightforward. Your earbuds plug directly into your device’s audio port: either the ol’ reliable analog 3.5mm jack, or a modern USB port; usually USB-A for desktop or laptop devices, or USB-C for more modern computers and consoles, and mobile devices.
The sound signal travels instantly as an electrical current, and as a result…
- Typical Latency: Near-zero, for legal reasons. But practically speaking, there is none. Wired is the gold-standard in reducing latency, which is also why e-sports, especially at the highest level, require wired headphones and earbuds.
- Pros: The most reliable connection:
- Requires no charging,
- Completely free from wireless interference, and
- Offers the highest potential for audio quality due to lacking any kind of compression; wireless headphones need some way to compress and package that data across a wireless protocol.
- Cons: Sadly, these things aren’t perfect:
- Limits your movement due to the physical cable,
- Wires can sometimes get tangled or in the way, and
- Wires and/or connections will degrade over time, usually through physical wear-and-tear.
B. Bluetooth (Standard Wireless)
- What it is and How it Works: Bluetooth is a widely adopted wireless standard for short-range data exchange, and the most widely-used in wireless audio; think of it like a wireless version of the concept of the USB, or a universal connection in general. Almost every smartphone, tablet, laptop, and console have Bluetooth, and many newer PCs are starting to come with Bluetooth chips built-in as well.
- Typical Latency: This is where Bluetooth’s performance varies widely. Standard Bluetooth (using codecs like SBC or AAC) can have noticeable latency, often ranging from 100-300ms. However, newer versions and specific codecs like aptX Low Latency (aptX LL) or LC3 can reduce this significantly, sometimes down to 40-80ms.
Many gaming earbuds also feature a “gaming mode” to optimize the hardware further to give the lowest latency possible—not unlike a phone or laptop’s “performance mode” that overclocks some components while underclocking others.
- Pros: Extremely versatile with widespread compatibility across a huge range of devices, not just in audio equipment—this includes other peripherals such as game controllers, mice, keyboards, and even remote controllers! No dongles needed for most modern devices, and it’s highly portable and can receive software upgrades for further optimizations.
- Cons: Generally higher latency than wired or 2.4GHz, can be susceptible to interference from other wireless signals, requires regular, and separate charging of devices, and the hardware can become outdated in a few years—which puts a hard cap in a device or peripheral’s lifespan, at least from an audio latency standpoint.
C. 2.4GHz Wireless (Dedicated Dongle)
- What it is and How it Works: Unlike universal Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless comes with a dedicated USB dongle that plugs into your PC or console. This dongle creates a private, optimized wireless connection directly between your device and the earbuds—and nothing else. As a result…
- Typical Latency: Is very low, often in the range of 15-30 milliseconds (ms). This is often comparable to, or very, very close to, wired performance.
- Pros: There are many:
- Offers near-wired performance without the hassle of cables,
- Provides a strong and stable wireless connection,
- Usually has a good operating range that gives you complete freedom of movement.
- Extremely plug-and-play: it’s basically wired connection, except wireless. No need to fumble around in your device’s settings to get it working.
- Cons: Requires a free USB port for the dongle, meaning it’s less universally compatible with some devices. However, this can be remedied by using a USB hub, which doesn’t need to be the latest and fastest USB 3.1 version to not have any kind of latency—seriously, USB 2.0 works fine for this, actually.
However, however, some devices also lack the necessary USB ports that are able to host said dongles (e.g., such as some phones and tablets), regardless of whether you use a USB hub or not. And like all wireless devices, your headset or earbuds need to be charged separately, which adds another layer of maintenance not present in wired devices.
- Additional Notes: This might get a bit tricky since technically, both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless dongles operate on the same frequency band. However, the main difference between these two is that Bluetooth is a universal communication protocol, while 2.4GHz dongles use a proprietary protocol optimized for speed.
Think of it this way: Bluetooth is more like a public highway that everyone is familiar with and that anyone can use. Dongles, on the other hand, are like toll roads that are highly optimized to travel on with less traffic and its own speed for that specific user, using their own lanes. It’s the same 2.4GHz highway, but one is a lot more tailor-fitted to the user (or in our case, the information being relayed) than the other. This is where the higher latency issues in Bluetooth comes in.
III. Latency Deep Dive: Factors and Codecs
Now that we’ve had an overview, what exactly causes these kinds of microsecond delays?
Several factors contribute to audio latency:
- Signal Processing: The time it takes for your device to encode the audio and for your earbuds to decode it.
- Transmission Time: The actual travel time of the wireless signal through the air.
- Wireless Protocols: Different wireless standards have inherent delays built into how they transmit data.
- Hardware Limitations: The quality and speed of the wireless chips and digital-to-analog converters (DACs) within your earbuds and device, as well as if you’re using external DACs, also play a role.
Now what’s unique for Bluetooth is that codecs, rather than having the newest versions, are actually more crucial. These codecs are the algorithms that compress and decompress audio data for wireless transmission. Here’s a very brief overview to help you understand:
- SBC (Subband Coding): The universal, default Bluetooth codec, which generally has the highest latency.
- AAC (Advanced Audio Coding): Common, and proprietary, on Apple devices (as with everything Apple does). AAC offers better sound quality than SBC but there’s still noticeable latency when it comes to gaming.
- aptX Low Latency (aptX LL): A specific Qualcomm codec designed expressly to reduce latency for audio-visual synchronization, making it highly relevant for gaming. Here’s the fineprint: both your device and earbuds/headset must support aptX LL.
- LC3 (Low Complexity Communications Codec): An emerging codec with Bluetooth LE Audio, promising lower latency and improved efficiency.
A note on “Gaming Modes”: Many wireless gaming earbuds (especially Bluetooth) include a dedicated “gaming mode”, especially through their companion apps. The way these work is that they prioritize a lower latency output by sacrificing some audio quality or wireless range, making the delay less noticeable. Couple of notes:
You probably won’t want to keep these on all the time, especially if you plan on listening to music. And at the end of the day, it’s still just a software tweak. It’s basically just changing the octane rating of your gasoline (or petrol, if you come from “Grea-h Bri-ehn”), while your engine remains the same. It can help make the latency faster, but you’ll still be limited by the hardware, and codecs, that you’ve got.
IV. Real-World Latency: The Gaming Impact
With all this talk on latency, how much does latency truly affect your gaming experience? As with everything, it depends…
Here’s our take on where latency can affect your experience the most, from most to least.
A. Competitive Multiplayer (FPS, RTS, Fighting Games)
- Impact: In games where every millisecond counts like a tactical FPS where hearing footsteps is life or death, or a fighting game requiring frame-perfect inputs; every little and tiny delay can be absolutely catastrophic. Every tiny delay you get in hearing gunshots or sound cues like footsteps or someone digging through someone else’s loot, can put you at a significant disadvantage.
We’ve all evolved to rely on our senses to detect predators and prey using our senses of sight, scent, and sound. While sight tends to take center-stage because, duh! Our ears are actually fine tuned to hear threats and noises from far away, and with accurate precision.
It may not be to the level of a bat or a dog, but especially when compared to sight? We’re able to accurately pinpoint and locate objects through a 3D space, especially behind cover and foliage. So with that kind of mechanism already built into us, simply adding near-zero latency features in your audio device can give you a significant timing advantage when it comes to getting the drop early.
And back in the caveman days, that sneak attack critical was what decided whether your tribe got to eat and live, or not.
- Recommendation: Wired is mandatory for peak competitive performance. But since 99.9% of us out there will never competitively perform at our highest peak anyways, believe it or not a good 2.4GHz wireless connection is pretty solid, even for competitive online gaming. Because let’s get real for a second: your bigger latency enemy is going to be network anyways, not audio.
B. Precision Games (Platformers, Rhythm Games, Fighting Games, Bullet Hell Roguelikes)
- Impact: While reaction time isn’t as critical as online multiplayer, it’s still fairly a life-or-death situation. Noticeable delays can be the one and only reason why you’re able to reach that high score (if they’re not there), or end up missing a jump or dodge, and then DYING. This is especially egregious when it comes to fighting or rhythm games, where timing and your reaction time matters the most.
- Recommendation: Lower latency Bluetooth might be acceptable for casual play, but wired or 2.4GHz still offer the most seamless and immersive experience.
B. Immersive Single-Player (Action RPGs, Adventure Games)
- Impact: Noticeable delays wreak havoc in your overall immersion—which is really the point in why you’d even want to play these games. You want to have that immersive escape to help you relax after a long day of work or uni, and any dialogue that’s out of sync with character animations or sound effects that lag behind on-screen actions can really pull you out of the experience you’re looking for. Plus, a lot of these action games require you to block or dodge attacks in real-time anyways, so the requirement for reaction times is still present in these games.
- Recommendation: Lower latency Bluetooth can actually be acceptable for casual play, especially if you’ve got a pair of earbuds or headsets with aptX LL. But wired or 2.4GHz still offer the most seamless and immersive experience. Wired for ease-of-use, however you’ll be limited by the length of the cable, while 2.4GHz can actually be your best bet if your goal is to relax and have fun.
C. Ultra Casual & Mobile Gaming
- Impact: When we say “mobile gaming” these do not include Genshin Impact, COD: Mobile, PUBG, or Wuthering Waves, These are “real games” that happen to be on Android and iOS, and what we’re talking about are your standard puzzle games, Angry Birds, Subway Surfers, and Candy Crushes (…if that last one is still a thing).
Minor audio delays are often the least disruptive, and inconsequential to the overall gaming experience. However, rhythm games or fast-paced mobile action titles can still be negatively affected by the latency..
Recommendation: Standard Bluetooth is often sufficient here, but earbuds with a dedicated “gaming mode” or aptX LL support are huge pluses that offer a much smoother experience.
To simplify, here’s a quick overview of how the connection types stack up in terms of latency:
V. Conclusion: Making an Informed Choice
Understanding audio latency is key to optimizing your overall gaming experience and setup. It’s what James Clear would consider (at least we like to think so) as these small, tiny, changes you can make that add up to the bigger picture that can help you improve your gaming performance as a whole.
While wired connections remain the KING of zero-latency audio, 2.4GHz wireless solutions are exceptional contenders these days, offering almost imperceptible latency with the convenience of wireless freedom. After all, most gamers DO trust 2.4GHz connection when it comes to peripherals like controllers, keyboards, and mice. Except now we have the codecs to make 2.4GHz near zero in latency if you’re looking for wireless options.
However, the devil is still in the details, or rather, protocols: Bluetooth, though incredibly versatile, generally introduces more delay. Despite advancements like aptX LL and dedicated gaming modes to close the gap, they’re still perceptively slower when compared to 2.4GHz wireless and the Big Daddy of it all, wired.
But for casual gaming where audio latency matters less, modern Bluetooth versions and codecs, as of 2025, are solid options as well. Just be mindful of any latencies you may experience from time to time.
If you absolutely have to test for latency, there are excellent latency testers in YouTube, and we recommend using the following:
Ultimately, the “best” choice depends entirely on your gaming setup, and your goals.
The key takeaways are these:
- Wired and 2.4GHz have the least latency, and are your best bets if you’re looking for the least audio latency available.
- Bluetooth is actually decent, but don’t expect to compete with these.
Looking for earbuds that are actually built for gaming? Check out our Top 8 Best Gaming Earbuds list (RANKED) of 2025 here.
What do you think you’re gonna get for your setup? Drop some comments below 👇👇👇
