Dolby Atmos is good for movies, but it’s even better for games

• Atmos makes a big difference for gaming
• It’s well worth the money

Dolby Atmos is arguably the best audio format available today, and it’s the be-all-end-all for many home theater enthusiasts. If you’re looking to take advantage of your 4K Blu-ray discs or even the highest paid tier of Netflix, you’ll want something that can use Dolby Atmos.

Ever since I upgraded to Dolby Atmos, I’ve been enjoying movies a lot more than I used to. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered an even better use of Dolby Atmos — gaming. Video games have taken advantage of surround sound for many generations, but as somebody who didn’t have an actual surround sound setup until the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S generation, I didn’t know how much I was missing out. I was also surprised to see just how many games use Dolby Atmos.

If you haven’t already made the leap to a Dolby Atmos setup, I think gaming is the biggest reason to do so. Of course, movies and TV benefit, but that’s just a cherry on top if you’re primarily a gamer. It’s well worth the investment if you ask me.

Atmos makes a big difference for gaming

A truly game-changing experience

Many movies can give your surround sound setup a workout, but what you might not know is that there are just as many, if not more, games that do the same thing. For some reason, games don’t really boast Dolby Atmos as movies do, but many of them support it. I just played Avowed, and it’s a good example of how transformative Atmos can be for gaming. Avowed is a party-based RPG, and that means you’ll often have somebody traveling with your character that’s behind you. When they started to talk, I could hear the dialogue coming from behind me. If I rotated the camera as they were talking, their voice would come out of a different speaker as I spun around.

Even games like Halo: Infinite benefit from this, and it’s actually shocking to see how many games use Atmos itself over regular 5.1 surround sound. Aside from actually playing the games, I’ve been excited to load up some old favorites to see what they sound like with Atmos. It’s a very underrated feature and something that I feel developers should be pushing more. Older generations like the Xbox 360 and PS3 don’t have Atmos, but they still benefit from surround sound, even if the games won’t be using all the speakers you have.

Some people think Atmos might just be a gimmick, and admittedly, it can feel like that sometimes in movies. However, the Atmos functionality absolutely shines through in gaming and proves that it’s far more than a gimmick. I don’t use an Atmos soundbar, so I can’t speak to how it sounds there, but I can confirm that a proper surround sound setup is great.

It’s well worth the money

Just don’t cut corners

Dolby Atmos branding can be found everywhere, and it’s easy to think it doesn’t bring much to the table thanks to its inclusion with soundbars. I’m not saying that soundbars can’t be good because they certainly blow regular TV speakers out of the water, but they don’t compare to a true surround sound build.

I just don’t understand how you’d be able to properly experience things like hearing an NPC behind your character actually talking from behind without having speakers back there. I understand that soundbars are a much more affordable option, and it’s a lot easier to make space for one than it is for several speakers.

My best advice to anybody on the fence is to visit a friend or family member who has a game console hooked up to a true Atmos setup. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be blown away by how good it sounds, and even a good pair of headphones doesn’t really compare — although it’s quite close. At the end of the day, it’s your money, and you should spend it how you see fit. If I were in your shoes, however, I’d be opening your wallet and finding out how to get Dolby Atmos into your living room.