A gaming mouse is one of the most critical components of a PC gaming setup. Gaming keyboards have an important place, but their effect on your gaming is minor compared to a gaming mouse. The difference between using a mediocre keyboard and a great one isn’t going to be as significant as the difference between a mediocre mouse and a great mouse.When you’re playing a PC game where quick and accurate aiming is essential (which is a lot of games!), having a great mouse that’s comfortable in your hand is the best way to ensure you’re playing at your peak. A lesser mouse can introduce latency, add acceleration, or even track poorly. That’ll be a distraction in non-competitive games, but when it comes to serious battles online, that extra time spent aiming can be the difference between winning and losing.The best gaming mouse can ensure each of your hand movements are accurately and consistently tracked. In this way, you can build up muscle memory in each of your games so that you always know just how far to move your mouse to land on your target. There are many gaming mice that can deliver this solid tracking alongside a whole host of extra features, but these are the ones we think offer the very best experience. If you’re browsing in the UK, click here to find out where you can to find the best gaming mouse.
TL;DR These are the best gaming mice:
1. SteelSeries Rival 600
Best Gaming Mouse
Sensor: TrueMove 3 Optical, Depth Sensing Linear Optical Detection Sensitivity: 12,000 CPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 7 Connection: Wired Weight: 96g
There are a few things you need from a gaming mouse: accuracy, consistency, and comfort. The SteelSeries Rival 600 (read our review) offers each in abundance. The SteelSeries Rival 600 delivers an incredibly accurate sensor in the form of the TrueMove 3 sensor, which can not only keep track of your movements along your mouse pad but also detect the height of the mouse above the mouse pad, letting you tune the lift-off distance.The Rival 600 offers split triggers for consistency on the primary mouse buttons, and includes three thumb buttons you can map extra game controls onto. The grips on the side of the mouse help keep it easily in your hand, while customizable weights let you change the weight and center of gravity to your liking. There’s a healthy dose of RGB lighting as well. And, if you like the sound of this mouse but just wish it was wireless, then you can always grab the virtually identical SteelSeries Rival 650.
2. SteelSeries Rival 3
Best Budget Gaming Mouse
Sensor: TrueMove Core Optical Sensitivity: 8,500 CPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 6 Connection: Wired Weight: 77g
You may want a cheap mouse, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a mouse short on performance and features. The SteelSeries Rival 3 (read our review) offers a basic design, but still throws in customizable RGB lighting and a high-performance sensor to ensure you don’t lose a game on account of poor tracking.The Rival 3 can track up to 8,500 CPI, which should be more than enough for gaming in any situation. It also has high tolerances, maintaining its tracking even if it’s moving 300 inches per second or accelerating at 35G. All that and three-zone RGB for under $30 is a steal.
3. Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless
Best Budget Wireless Gaming Mouse
Sensor: Optical Sensitivity: 10,000 DPI Shape: Ambidextrous Buttons: 6 Connection: 2.4GHz Slipstream Wireless, Bluetooth Battery Life: 30-60 hours Weight: 99g
If you’d rather stay cord-free on a budget, the Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless (read our review) is your best bet. For $20 more than the SteelSeries Rival 3, you’re getting a wireless gaming mouse that feels even more responsive. It also feels better thanks to the rubber padding on the sides and a slightly more ergonomic designfor right-handed gamers at least.The Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless also packs an impressive 10,000 DPI sensor that feels responsive and accurate whether you’re using this mouse in wireless mode or not. Aside from connecting to your gaming PC with a 2.4GHz dongle, the Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless can also pair with any of your devices using Bluetooth, making it a great travel mouse as well.
4. SteelSeries Sensei 310
Best Wired Gaming Mouse
Sensor: SteelSeries TrueMove3 Optical Sensitivity: 12,000 CPI Shape: Ambidextrous Buttons: 8 Connection: Wired Weight: 92.1g
The SteelSeries Sensei 310 (read our review) is one of the finest gaming mice I’ve tested. It’s one of the most comfortable gaming mice I’ve had the pleasure of holding thanks to a coat of soft-touch rubber covering a majority of the peripheral. The sides of the mouse also feature two large silicon pads, which aid in keeping a firm hold of the Sensei 310.Although this gaming mouse boasts a 12,000 DPI Optical sensor, keeping your sensitivity capped to 3,500 will enable the 1:1 trackingwhich is to say the on-screen cursor will follow your exact hand movements. For those who are right-handed, the SteelSeries Rival 310 is the same mouse but in an ergonomic shape.
5. Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Best Wireless Gaming Mouse
Sensor: Hero (High-Efficiency Rated Optical) Sensitivity: 16,000 DPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 8 Connection: Lightspeed Wireless Battery Life: 48-60 hours Weight: 114g Optional Weights: 16g
The Logitech G502 Lightspeed (read our review) is a little on the expensive side at $150, but you won’t find a better ergonomically designed wireless gaming mouse. Based on the already fantastic G502 Proteus Spectrum, this gaming mouse throws in every single wireless technology Logitech has developed including its “Lightspeed” wireless connection and Powerplay wireless charging.The G502 is a beautifully angular mouse with enough geometric shapes incorporated into its design to make it look straight out of CyberPunk 2077. While it might look too sharp to hold, it has wonderfully sculpted curves that almost wrap around your thumb while supporting the rest of your whole hand. The Logitech G502 Lightspeed also has customizable weight that lets you shift the center of gravity of this mouse and make it 16 grams heavier, so you can really customize this peripheral to your liking.
6. Razer Basilisk Ultimate
Best FPS Gaming Mouse
Sensor: Focus+ Optical Sensor Sensitivity: 20,000 DPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 11 Connection: Wireless, Wired Battery Life: 100 hours (without lighting) Weight: 107g
The Razer Basilisk has been our favorite gaming mouse for first-person shooters since it hit the scene in 2017 and now it’s finally seen a big update with the Razer Basilisk Ultimate (read our review). This gaming mouse takes the great shape and handy DPI clutch of the original and adds wireless technology along with Razer’s fastest sensor and adds optical switches for the fastest gaming mouse you’ve ever used. Of course, a fully loaded gaming mouse such as this has a boatload of RGB lighting too and you get 14 fully customizable lighting zones to play with.Beyond the specs, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate feels and plays great. It has the perfect shape to be cupped in your hand and hitting the DPI clutch to pull off a precise shot feels as good as pulling the e-brake on a hairpin turn in a rally car. You can also program the side paddle to toggle your second ability bar in MMOs or trigger your class ability in a MOBA game. The only thing that gives us pause is the Basilisk Ultimate’s high $169 price. If that’s too rich for your blood you might want to check out the Basilisk X Hyperspeed, which comes with a slower sensor and mechanical switches, but adds Bluetooth connectivity for over $100 less.
7. Corsair NightSword RGB
Best MOBA Gaming Mouse
Sensor: Optical Sensitivity: 18,000 DPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 10 Connection: Wired Weight: 119g (141g with all weights)
The Corsair NightSword RGB (read our review)is a highly customizable weapon designed specifically for right-handed, claw-grip gamers who play battle arena (and first-person shooter) games. This gaming mouse has all the usual programmable buttons and sensor, and then you can add six underside weights to adjust this peripherals center of gravity.Corsair could have just left things there, but in the iCUE software, you can track how shifting the Corsair NightSword RGB center of gravity is affecting the way you play.
Its key features, the Corsair NightSword RGB is slightly bigger than your average gaming mouse, so it should fit like a glove for users with larger than average mitts. The gaming mouse also offers gamers a completely rubber covered finish, sizable thumb rest, and 10 easily reachable mouse buttons.
8. Swiftpoint Z Gaming Mouse
Most customizable gaming mouse
Sensor: PixArt PMW3360 optical sensor Sensitivity: 12,000 DPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 13 Connection: Wired Weight: 117g
While a few gaming mice let you change up the side grips and add weights, the Swiftpoint Z Gaming Mouse (read our review) takes customization to the next level. For starters, you can tune when and how the mouse recognizes left and right clicks based on height and pressure. The Swiftpoint Z also gives you secondary left and right mouse buttons positioned behind the main ones that can be either pressed or pulled, so they act like triggers.Aside from the usual 2D tracking mouse sensors give you, the Swiftpoint Z has also been designed to recognize mouse tilting and pivoting as specific commands. Users can tilt the mouse to lean in tactical shooters like Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG. Pivoting, meanwhile, is useful for turning your field of view while running in a straight line. All these handy tricks make the Swiftpoint Z phenomenal for first-person shooter games and one of the best overall gaming mice, period.
9. HyperX Pulsefire Surge RGB
Best RGB Gaming Mouse
Sensor: Pixart PMW-3360 optical sensor Sensitivity: 16,000 DPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 6 Connection: Wired Weight: 100g
The HyperX Pulsefire Surge is a comfortable, attractive mouse with a 16,000 DPI sensor. As great as it is to use, it looks amazing, too, thanks to a crazy 32 zones of RGB lighting. That’s in addition to the customizable HyperX logo.Aside from looking good, the HyperX Plusefire Surge also a beast when it comes to gaming. Thanks to its Pixart 3389 sensor, this mouse has a native 16,000 DPI and it has Omron switches. It’s smooth, contoured outer shell also feels extremely comfortable to hold no matter which type of grip you use.
10. MadCatz R.A.T. 8+
Best “Palm Grip” Gaming Mouse
Sensor: Pixart PMW3389 Sensitivity: 16,000 CPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 11 Connection: Wired Weight: 145g
Why conform your hand to a mouse when you can get a mouse that conforms to your hand? The MadCatz R.A.T. 8+ is designed to let you dial in the perfect palm grip. It does with with moveable rests that you can shift into just the right position for a comfortable grip. You also get adjustable weights to really make this mouse a perfect dance partner for your hand.Beyond the adjustments, you’re getting a proper gaming mouse with RGB lighting, 11 customizable buttons (including a side scroll wheel), on-board memory for up to four profiles, and long-lasting Omron switches. A Pixart sensor will keep you sharp in games, and it supports sensitivies up to 16,000 CPI.
11. PC Gaming Race Glorious Model O
Best Lightweight Gaming Mouse
Sensor: Optical Sensitivity: 12,000 DPI Shape: Right-Handed Buttons: 6 Connection: Wired Weight: 67g
If you’re looking for the lightest weight mouse possible you’ll want to check out the PC Gaming Race Glorious Model O. Weighing in at just 67g (or 58g on the smaller model), you’ll feel like you’re not holding anything at all while you play with this mouse. The secret (or really non-secret) of why this mouse so light is it’s almost completely hollow and its all body is full of holes.It’s definitely one of the more interesting looking mice out there with its hexagonal grid of holes. Of course, this gaming mouse from the PC Gaming Race incorporates RGB lighting and you can see the effect both outside and inside the peripheral.
12. Razer Viper Mini
Best Small Gaming Mouse
Sensor: Optical Sensitivity: 8,500 CPI Shape: Ambi-dextrous Buttons: 6 Connection: Wired Weight: 61g
If you don’t have the biggest hands or just don’t like the extra bulk of some gaming mice, Razer has the solution. The Razer Viper Mini (read our review) takes the design of stylish Viper and shrinks it down a bit while also cutting the weight. This model is actually slightly taller, but it trims the length and width to give smaller hands an easier grip and access to the main buttons without needing to awkwardly slide forward.The Razer Viper Mini still has the perks of a gaming mouse, with a high-DPI sensor, extra thumb buttons, and a healthy dose of RGB lighting. You get to customize that lighting to your liking as well by using Razer’s fairly simple Synapse software. Even though this is a corded mouse, Razer has aimed to make it perform smoother with a specially designed cable that resists dragging on surfaces. As a bonus, this mouse is also a good deal cheaper than the full-sized Viper.
Where to Get the Best Gaming Mouse in the UK
You want to get it right when choosing the perfect gaming mouse. Thankfully, every single one of the mice we mentioned in this article is also available to pick up in the UK, so take your pick.What to look for in a Gaming Mouse
The decision making process when it comes to a good gaming mouse really boils down to how it feels in your hand, and whether you want it to be wired or wireless.Some people grip the mouse with their fingertips, while others use a claw or palm grip, so the shape of the mouse is easily the biggest factor you should consider.
If you’re right-handed you’re going to find a large number of ergonomic options to choose from. If you’re left-handed…well you’re pretty much going to probably have to go with something that’s shaped symmetrically or designed for ambidextrous usage as there are very few gaming mice out there designed for left-handed users.
As far as wired versus wireless goes, the wireless technology is so good these days that I can’t tell the difference either way, so that should not be a factor if you’re worried about losing some performance. However, wireless mice are usually more expensive than their wired counterparts, so expect to pay for your freedom from cables.
Also, some mice are rechargeable while others just use replaceable batteries, so pay attention to how long each wireless gaming mouse can last on a charge if that’s important. Lastly, the addition of the battery can also make some wireless mice heavier than a wired version, but this isn’t the case for all wireless mice.
For more guides to the best tech, check out the best gaming headset, best desk for gaming, and the best graphics card round-up.
Kevin Lee is IGN’s Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspamMark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
