The list in brief
1. Best overall
2. Best for multiplayer
3. Best for audio
4. Essential pick
5. Best budget
6. Best for multimedia
7. Also consider
FAQs
The best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories will help to enhance your experience on Microsoft's current-gen systems, whether that's through better audio with a top-quality headset, or increasing your storage capacity so you can keep expanding your game library. There's no shortage of excellent options, and this guide has been written with the intent of showing you exactly where to get started.
Both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S have been on the market for a good few years now. Crucially, this means that getting your hands on the best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories is easier and, in many cases, more affordably than ever.
If you're wanting to get the most enjoyable experience from some of the best Xbox Series X games then you'll want to turn your attention to the best monitors for Xbox Series X in addition to the accessories we have listed below. And in terms of software, we consider an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription to go hand-in-hand with the storage options we're featuring, too.
The Quick List
Best overall
With fast speeds and larger storage options, Seagate's card is still king of the hill. It's also frequently on sale, meaning there's plenty of opportunity to grab one at a discounted price.
Best for multiplayer
A solid all-rounder and affordable, the Xbox Wireless Controller is perfect if you need a spare pad for multiplayer. Multiple colorways are available for the controller, too.
Best for audio
Great price, great performance. The official Xbox Wireless Headset is a fantastic starting point for those looking for a new pair of cans for their console.
Essential pick
Every Xbox owner should pick one of these up to save from having to constantly buy AA batteries for your wireless controller.
Best budget
PowerA is a reliable and quality budget brand, and that's also true of its superb Enhanced Wired Controller, allowing you to pick up a solid extra gamepad on the cheap.
Best for multimedia
If you regularly use your Xbox console for Netflix and other streamers, then the PDP Game Remote Control is a fantastic and affordable addition to your setup.
Also consider
Also consider buying the WD Black C50 if you're looking for more storage on your console. Much like Seagate's card, it provides fast storage that can run games natively.
Best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories in 2024
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The best overall Xbox Series X and Series S accessory
✅ You want a hassle-free storage option: This expansion card plugs right into the back of your console and, after a quick formatting, is ready to go in no time at all.
❌ You’re after something cheaper: There’s no denying that the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is a pretty huge investment, potentially turning off buyers on a budget.
The Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is our number-one pick for the best Xbox Series X and Series S accessory. While it's a little on the pricey side, especially in higher configurations, the officially-licensed drive uses NVMe technology to keep up with the internal storage as found in your Xbox Series X|S console. If you're someone who wants to download as many Xbox Game Pass Ultimate titles as you can, then this is the best way to do just that.
Do expect to be paying a princely sum for the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card, however. At $219.99 / £254.99 for the 1TB model, it's by far the priciest accessory on our list. However, it does tend to go on sale often, being a few years old at this point. And that's when we'd most recommend shopping for it.
We found in our testing that the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card fell just shy of what the internal storage from the Xbox Series X was capable of, but not by much. As a frame of reference, we found that there was a few extra seconds between booting games up from the dashboard and into the action. Where this model does shine the brightest, though, is in the transfer speeds as the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card holds its own when moving huge game files from the system onto it.
- Read more: Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card review
The best Xbox Series X and Series S accessory for multiplayer
✅ You want a premium controller feel without the price tag: With the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 priced at a whopping £159.99 / $179.99 / AU$249.95, Microsoft is offering the average player a slice of its premium pie for a more digestible price.
❌ You want lots of extra features: The Xbox Wireless Controller does what it says on the tin and nothing more. It's an excellent pad, but one that's also very straightforward.
The Xbox Wireless Controller is as close to an essential purchase as they come for anyone looking to play with friends and family on their Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console. Fortunately, the official Microsoft gamepad, though fundamentally unchanged from the previous iteration, remains one of the most bulletproof designs for a reason.
Xbox Wireless Controllers are readily available, and quite affordable at $59.99 / £54.99 for the standard Carbon Black and Robot White colorways. Several more hues are also available if you’d prefer something flashier, but most of these do cost slightly more. Alternatively, you can even make your own custom Xbox Wireless Controller over at the Xbox Design Lab.
You aren't getting the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback as seen on the PS5's DualSense, however, what you're losing in features, you're gaining in stellar battery life. The Xbox Wireless Controller has a premium feel to it and can last for around 40 hours with a standard pair of AA batteries inside.
- Read more: Xbox Wireless Controller review
The best Xbox Series X and Series S accessory for audio
✅ You’re ready to go wireless: The Xbox Wireless Headset means you can finally cut the cord and game without wires getting in the way.
❌ You want better mic monitoring: Overall, the Xbox Wireless Headset's mic monitoring is its biggest weakness.
If you're wanting to make the most out of the best Dolby Atmos games available on Xbox Series X then the Xbox Wireless Headset has you covered. We found in our testing that this headset has a wide variety of customization, with several different EQ settings so you can find the right balance between modes ideal for gaming and media consumption, too.
The Xbox Wireless Headset is excellent value for money coming in at just $99.99 / £89.99. Considering the price point, which is somewhere between budget and premium, this model is hard to beat when compared to the competition. It's not quite our top spot for the best Xbox Series X headset, but it's certainly close. That's because you're getting booming bass and a balanced audio profile that rivals far more expensive options from other manufacturers.
The only real weak point of this model is the less-than-stellar microphone monitoring, but we think that's a fair trade-off given that it's coming in under the $100 / £100 mark. Considering that the Xbox Wireless Headset is this well-built and sounds this good is nothing short of a triumph in the audio world.
The essential Xbox Series X and Series S accessory
✅ You’re sick of swapping expensive batteries: The Xbox Rechargeable battery is a permanent solution to your low battery woes.
❌ You're not keen on extra wires: The battery will need charging via USB-C cable when it's running low.
If you would rather not mess around with a drawer full of AA batteries then the Microsoft Rechargeable Battery and USB-C cable for the latest Xbox controllers is a tough act to beat. That's because you wouldn't have to keep swapping out batteries, and could instead utilize the play and charge kit to juice your remotes up.
It does take around four hours for the battery to fully charge up, so the best bet is to have them in progress overnight. You're looking at around 30 hours of average use before needing to plug your pad back in, though. That's a similar time frame to how long disposable batteries last out. Considering the relatively inexpensive cost, $24.99 / £19.99, you can kiss goodbye to keeping a roll of batteries near the console which will last a lot longer.
The best cheap Xbox Series X and Series S accessory
✅ You’re on a tight budget: PowerA's budget controllers won't break the bank, while providing a remarkably quality product for its low asking price.
❌ You want more extra features: Given the price, PowerA's budget pads are quite basic and lacking in ancillary features.
For as much as we love the official Xbox Wireless Controller, it can be a bit pricey when purchased on its own. That's where the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller comes in. If you're okay with being plugged in then there's little we can fault this particular model on. We've used them ourselves and found that the build quality, while not quite as good as Microsoft's offering, is certainly durable enough for rigorous gaming sessions.
Prices range from around $29.99 to $39.99 depending on colorways, as the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is available in many styles. We've counted over 28 in fact, some of which even have RGB lighting and other aesthetic choices. That means you've got quite a bit of choice if you've got a color in mind. There's a 3m (10ft) cable which should be long enough to sit at the sofa or the desk, too.
The best Xbox Series X and Series S accessory for media
✅ Your Xbox is a multimedia machine: If you watch plenty of streaming services through your Xbox, the media remote is a game changer.
❌ You don't want a separate device: Most services can be accessed just fine via Xbox controller and your TV's media remote.
If you're someone who spends a lot of time watching media on your Xbox Series X and Series S then the PDP Game Remote Control could be for you. This officially licensed media remote features all the buttons that you would find on the Wireless Controller, including the home button alongside the X, Y, A, and B buttons as well as the D-pad, too.
For $19.99 / £19.99, this remote means that you're not having to reach for your gamepad when you just want to binge TV shows or movies on Netflix and Disney Plus, and other streaming services. Over in the UK, you can pick it the PDP Game Remote Control from Game for this price.
An Xbox Series X and Series S storage option worth buying
✅ You want an official drive but are on a budget: The C50 is a cheaper storage solution than Seagate’s Xbox Expansion Card; ideal if you only need an extra terabyte for less.
❌ You prefer internal storage’s quicker boot times: The C50 performs slightly slower when booting up a game compared to your Xbox’s internal storage solution.
The WD Black C50 enters a sector previously dominated by the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card. Largely because it was, quite literally, the only option in town. Now, WD Black's solution offers a cheaper alternative that's well worth considering if you're looking to add more storage on Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.
The WD Black C50 comes in two configurations. The 512GB model will run you an attractive $79.99 / £89.99. However, we'd say it's worth stumping up for the 1TB variant. It's a lot pricier at $149.99 / £149.99, but certainly worth it if you regularly make use of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service to download new titles. Unfortunately, unlike Seagate's model, there's no 2TB configuration available for the WD Black C50 right now, which is a shame.
To give you an idea of transfer speeds when moving files over from the Xbox Series X’s internal storage to the WD Black C50, Fortnite (45GB) moved over in just 1 minute and 18 seconds. Meanwhile, larger titles like Wild Hearts (80GB) took about 2 minutes and 4 seconds to transfer, so expect mileage to vary based on the size of the game.
Best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories - FAQs
Are official Xbox Series X and Series S accessories better?
Official Xbox accessories, or those carrying the Designed for Xbox seal of approval, are typically of a very high quality and should be considered first. But third-party options from the likes of Nacon, Turtle Beach and others also provide a high-quality experience at lower price points. Ultimately, there's excellent options across all budgets.
Do I need a headset for Xbox Series X and Series X?
Headsets aren’t a required accessory for the Xbox Series X or Series S, but they can massively benefit any player looking to create a more immersive experience while they game. The headsets featured in our list offer a heightened gaming experience and encourage more immersive gameplay, featuring things like 3D audio and noise-cancelling to ensure nothing can tear you away from your screen. Again, they aren’t necessary by any stretch, but they are undoubtedly beneficial additions.
Can my Xbox One Controller connect to my Xbox Series X?
If you’ve recently upgraded from an Xbox One to an Xbox Series X, you can connect your Xbox One controllers to your Xbox Series X and S, alongside several other Xbox accessories like headsets. This is great for anyone looking to test what they like about Xbox One accessories to see what they’d need to make the most of your Xbox Series X and Series S.
There's a variety of products on show in our best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories guide. As such, each is tested under a different set of criteria. Controllers, for example, are tested for comfort, responsiveness, battery life and more. Whilst headsets, battery packs and the like are tested for how they can enhance your gaming experience on Xbox Series X|S.
Above all, we endeavor to test the best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories based on how useful they will be to you, the player. We believe that our choices collectively form a greatly enhanced experience on Xbox Series X|S. Whether that be the boosted storage capacity offered by Seagate's excellent expansion card, or the ease of multimedia access provided by PDP's Game Remote Control, each item on our list offers conveniences in several different forms.
