Are you tired of digital eye strain keeping you from participating in a gaming marathons or late-night sessions?
There's nothing worse than encountering the final boss and realizing you haven't blinked once. Now your eyes are watering, causing blurred vision and ruining that last kill.
This is where a good, affordable gaming pair of glasses can save the day. There’s no need to break the bank… not everyone wants to spend a fortune on a pair of glasses to wear indoors.
That’s why we’re here to help. We’ve put together a list of the 10 best affordable gaming glasses, priced between $15 and $70.
Gaming Glasses: The Gamer's Insurance Policy
If you are a serious gamer but struggle with headaches, sleep issues, blurred vision or red, dry eyes, gaming glasses can help .
Whether you're a late-night player or a mid-day speedrun marathoner, you can reduce these adverse effects with the blue light filtration and the anti-reflective technology of gamer glasses.
Choosing quality glasses at an affordable price
A good frame, chosen carefully, will give your eyes the comfort and protection needed to perform all day.
Pay attention to these 5 things:
Style
It might seem superficial, but if you feel good in your glasses, your confidence increases, improving your gameplay. Even if no one’s looking, how you see yourself matters. So don’t compromise on style— affordable glasses are stylish too.
Comfort
Make sure your glasses are designed for long term wear. Especially if you're wearing headphones that add extra pressure.
Your glasses should be equipped with lenses that filter UV light, protect against harmful blue light, and avoid glare. Don’t compromise on this, especially when it comes to blue light protection.
Performance
Your glasses should be equipped with lenses that filter UV light, protect against harmful blue light, and avoid glare. Don’t compromise on this, especially when it comes to blue light protection.
Studies have shown that the most dangerous blue light is between 380 and 450 nanometers, so it is essential that you try to find glasses with lenses that filter more than 85% if you game intensely and/or are more sensitive. If you play casually and/or aren't too sensitive to light, 50% filtration is fine.
Price
That’s why you're here, right? Glasses prices can range from $10 to several hundred. But it’s rare that a product under $20 is truly effective (it might not even protect you), and those above $90 are focused on aesthetics, not performance.
Guarantee
Does the company you buy your glasses offer a guarantee? We'll let you in on a little secret: there's only one pair on this list with a lifetime warranty (see our top pick).
Top 10 Cheap Gaming Glasses
10. Asiv glasses
Average price: $16
Key Feature: The cheapest in the ranking
The Asiv glasses are a bit strange with their "don't eat yellow snow" tint. Nothing sums up these glasses better than the comment of one of the satisfied customers after his purchase:
"Comes in a case that reeks of an ultra-cheap plastic, borderline cancerous smell. Otherwise, the glasses are super yellow, so they probably do their job for screens. Very cheap glasses, not top quality that will last for years, but for the price, that’s expected. So they do the job on the cheap, but don’t expect to keep them for 20 years."
While they claim their glasses reduce harmful blue light, there’s no information on the percentage or the range at which they do it.
A very basic model for those on a tight budget (and we mean really tight).
9. Gimdumasa
Average price: $20
Key Feature: A fun to pronounce name
They’re simple and seem to do what they say, but once again, there’s no information about the precise filtration. There are no extra fancy features offered by many big brands, but that’s reflected in the price. They seem to do the basic job they’re meant to: reducing eye strain with blue light-blocking lenses.
For a simple set with lightweight frames and a rather nice style, this glasses might be worth considering.
8. ATTCL glasses
Average price: $19.99
Key Feature: Price and color selection
A nice variety of colorful models with a claimed 93% blue light filtration, but again, no further details. With such a light tint (their lenses are almost clear), we have serious doubts about that figure.
Overall, ATTCL glasses are not our favorite brand and could benefit from more information about their technology. They're mentioned in this guide because they are one of the most popular models in this price range, but we recommend looking elsewhere.
7. Klim Optics Glasses
Average price : 29.90 euros
Key Feature: 2 lenses for 2 uses
Klim is a company specializing in gaming accessories. They claim their glasses block 92% of blue light (on their yellow lens model) but don’t specify the wavelength. The tint is quite dark and should provide a good level of protection, but it’s hard to say exactly. On the harmful spectrum, we're probably looking at around 75-80%.
They offer two frames that help differentiate between "casual" gamers and those who stay up all night. These glasses are fairly popular, with good reviews, and are made from TR90.
They look a lot like regular glasses with a classic bridge frame. The style feels a bit outdated to us. A pretty basic pair, but they offer good protection.
6. Cyxus Retro Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Average price : $24.99
Key Feature: The retro look & they're cheap
Cyrus has been designing eyewear since 2009, so it's a fairly well-established brand specializing in budget glasses.
These glasses are nice for the retro style gamer. But the lenses are clear, meaning the blue light filtration is not the strongest, and the information about the filtration level is not readily available.
We don't recommend them for intense games and long sessions but they do the job for lighter sessions.
There’s not much else to say about these glasses. The best thing about them is their style and the fact that Cyxus has built a solid name in the eyewear market over the years. Beyond that, they lack the fancy features of more expensive pairs, but if you’re looking for something simple, these glasses will do just fine.
5. Syght Micron Computer Glasses
Average price : $40
Key feature: Stylish enough to wear outside your gaming room.
An interesting thing about Syght glasses is that they all seem to be advertised with the exact same specifications, regardless of model. The standard Syght benefits” section on each product page offers no real explanation of the differences between the pairs or any factual information about the blue light filtration they offer.
That being said, if you're looking for a standard pair of gaming glasses, these will do the trick.
They are more stylish than the average gaming glasses, come in a variety of colors, and you can go from gaming to real life without having to change pairs.
Like all gaming glasses, their main selling point is the blue light and UV protection, (although Syght isn't very clear on the filtration levels).
They also seem particularly proud of how lightweight the glasses are, boasting that they're "nearly weightless", which could be a big plus if you've ever thought about going into space.
4. PlayStation Glasses
Average price: $23.99
Key feature: A good price for a well-known brand.
For their low price, these PlayStation glasses seem like a good deal, even if their style leaves something to be desired.
These are the only glasses that can say they are an official PlayStation product, which for some may be reason enough to buy them.
Additionally, they feature PlayStation’s blue and black colors and are adorned with small X and square symbols on the arms—in other words, they're probably not for Xbox fans.
In addition to offering the usual UV and blue light protection, they claim to increase contrast perception and sharpen the details on digital screens.
The tinted lenses alter the color spectrum,which they say promotes visual efficiency, something that can be useful for your sore eyes when playing a game with tons of colors like Breath of The Wild.
They also market themselves as the perfect glasses for marathon gaming sessions, claiming that the natural arch and nose pads help eliminate fatigue and reduce nasal pressure. For the price, they are one of the best and cheapest gaming glasses available.
3. Horus X Gaming Glasses | Urban
Price: $64
Key Feature: Casual style with 100% protection against blue light at 400nm and 50% at [380-450] nanometers, with UV filtration with a lifetime warranty.
Well, look, we couldn’t resist adding another pair of Horus X glasses, but we have a very good reason for doing so.
These glasses are best suited for gamers who don't spend as much time staring at a screen and who have need a more casual style for going out while still being protected from UV rays or blue light from artificial lighting.
If you're less sensitive, only play an hour or two a day, or are a streamer or digital nomad, you might prefer these frames because they're a little lighter and sleeker, while still offering optimal protection (50% on the broadest spectrum).
We won’t brag too much here (we’ve already done that), but if you're looking for a clearer and lighter lens, our Urban glasses are your best bet.
Like our The One gaming glasses, they will reduce glare and headaches, while improving your sleep by filtering harmful blue light. They're both anti-reflective and anti-scratch, so the lifetime warranty will really last, well... a lifetime.
And don't forget that by choosing Horus X, you can outdo all your friends by telling them that your purchase of glasses also helped the planet.
2 - Gunnar Optiks | Vertex
Average price : $70
Key Feature: Focus technology and prescription glasses option.
It's probably the most famous brand on the market (although this doesn't always mean the best quality).
Whether that makes them better or not is definitely up for debate, but they make solid quality products and deserve to be in this top 10.
These are the only glasses on this list, aside from the Horus X, that advertise the actual amount of blue light they filter, with different lens options for varying levels of 35%, 65%, 90%, and 98% protection at 450 nanometers.
Oddly enough, they highlight this frequency instead of the high-energy blue light spectrum (from 380 to 450) but at least they are a little more specific than other brands.
One unique feature Gunnar boasts is its “focus power,” offering a range of “focus” options. The degree of effectiveness of this technology is unclear, but they claim it provides sharper, clearer vision (although personally, this just gives us more headaches).
Without meaning to discredit Gunnar, we’re not sure this is a big enough "plus," especially since these glasses are much pricier than regular gaming glasses. Additionally, some people experience extra eye strain with this somewhat unnatural zoomed in focus, so you'll have to see for yourself.
Another feature Horus X doesn’t yet have (but will soon) is prescription glasses. If you already wear glasses, this will be helpful for additional protection. Prescription gaming glasses are essential if you need specific eye correction.
1 - Horus X | The Gaming One
Price : $64
Key Feature: The best blue light blocking gaming glasses with 100% blue light protection at 400nm and 86% at [380-450] and UV light filtration with a lifetime warranty.
We obviously think that the Horus X are the best for their price, as that’s what we aimed for when designing them. But we don't need convincing (the whole team is already equipped and more than 100,000 gamers have already chosen these glasses ). So, here are some more objective reasons why you might choose our glasses:
We offer glasses that provide 100% blue light filtration at 400nm and 86% on the widest dangerous spectrum from 380 to 450 nanometers (look closely at other brands on this list and the market; we’re the only brand doing this).
The days of closing your eyes and watching your game play in an infinite loop are over (well, almost). The Horus X glasses will help you preserve your sleep and reduce headaches - and they come with a lifetime warranty, so we’re happy to put our money where our mouth is.
Our glasses are specially designed for gamers, and we know how much gamers love long sessions. That's why we used polycarbonate arms and lenses, a lightweight, flexible, and ultra-durable material for maximum comfort.
In addition, they are designed to fit comfortably under your headset and are suitable for both men and women.
Finally, Horus X is committed to improving its environmental impact year after year. We’re members of the 1% for the Planet association, meaning we donate 1% of our sales to nonprofit environmental organizations that have a direct impact on our future (in 2021, that was over $20,000 donated!)
Best Cheap Gaming Glasses | Final Thoughts
verall, if you're looking for the best budget gaming glasses, it's hard not to choose Horus X. And if you don’t pick them, no hard feelings—we hope you've gotten all the info you need to find the right pair. Ultimately, all of these glasses will protect you (to some extent) from artificial blue light.
Less eye strain, less blurry vision, less long-term impact, and more satisfaction in your gaming.