Top 10 Best Mice For PC Gaming

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If you are new to PC gaming then one of the first things you will notice is a typical computer mouse just won’t cut it. A good game mouse is the foundation of good gameplay. Not all gaming mice are built the same. Some mice are meant for the first-person shooter (FPS) player, others might be engineered for the MMO or RTS player.

Either way, a serious PC gamer has very different mouse needs than a typical PC user.

Gaming mice typically have more sensitive sensors, the ability to create macros as well as save setting profiles for each game. Gaming mice also look attractive. Many gamers treat their PC’s akin to how a car guy treats their custom ride. Gamers like the ability to customize the look of their battle station.

The Battlestations subreddit has excellent pictures of custom PC setups. There are a lot of attractive looking mice on the market. However, you should want a good mouse that works reliably and looks awesome.

The Top 10 Best Gaming Mice For Each Gamer Type

I have put together a list of mice that I think are the best for each type of gamer. There are plenty of gaming mice out there and in the end, I think it comes up to personal preference.

Do you want an all-around mouse? Look at the Naga. Do you play mostly FPS games, then look at the Razer Viper or the G Pro Hero.

1. The Overall Best Gaming Mouse: Razer Naga Trinity

Choosing the best overall gaming mouse was not easy. There are many choices. But for me, I looked for a mouse that can do everything and do it well. Enter the Razer Naga Trinity. This is your all in one gaming mouse. While there are mice that can do specific a little better, this mouse can do it all.

With the Naga Trinity, you get a comfortable ergonomic grip, a 16,000 DPI 5G optical sensor for precision and speed. Razer Synapse is an easy to use software solution. You can change the side to your gaming preference as well.

The side panels come in 2, 7, and 12 button configurations. This means you can switch your mouse without having to have a new mouse. FPS players don’t need 12 buttons, MMO player needs more than two.

If you play MOBA’s like League of Legends then maybe all you need is 7 quick to access side keys and do not want to fat-finger a command you didn’t need. With the 12 panels attached you have 19 total buttons.

The mouse also looks great. It is chroma RGB compatible and syncs with any other Razer peripherals you may own for over 16.8 million color combinations.

The naga does have its pitfalls. Mainly weight. This is a meaty boy at 4.2 ounces. Many FPS or RTS players will want a mouse that weighs less. If you are a claw gripper this is not the mouse for you either. It is designed to be ergonomic and for the user to lay their hand comfortably on top of it. Once again, claw grippers will want a lighter mouse.

The buttons on the 12 key panel are a little on the small side and can lead to fat fingering, or pressing a key on accident. A dedicated MMO player might want to look at the Logitech G600 or Corsair Scimitar Pro versions of this mouse.

Key Specs

• 16000 DPI
• Chroma RGB
• 3 Panels for Customization
• Up to 19 programmable mouse keys

Pros

• Very comfortable
• Plays any type of game well
• The ultimate customizable mouse
• Chose your own side button panel

Cons

• Heavy for a mouse
• Keys for the 12 button panel are small for thumb use

2. The Premium Pick: Razer Basilisk Ultimate

This is what happens when the Naga grows up, becomes wireless, and turns the rest of the competition to stone. If you are going to spend the money on a wireless gaming mouse then there are few better options then Razer’s Basilisk Ultimate. This mouse is nuts.

Named after a mythical snake that could simply kill in a single glance, the Basilisk lives up to its name. Take the prior mentioned viper, add more ergonomics and more buttons, you have the Basilisk.

With this mouse you have Razer’s 20,000 DPI Focus plus sensor, it boasts 99.6% resolution accuracy. You can also customize your lift-off distance. This thing is a beast.

The battery life of this mouse is equally insane. Up to 100 hours. Even if you run out of juice you can plug the charging cable in and use it as a wired mouse. The Basilisk has 11 programmable buttons which means it can optimally play any type of game.

Shooters, MMOs, RTS, this mouse is good for everything. It looks great as well. you have 14 customizable chroma area’s so you can make this mouse match any setup.

With the ability to store up to 5 profiles in the mouse you can take your Basilisk from system to system and maintain all your settings. Lag-free gaming is easy with this mouse. Razer’s wireless technology is not only fast but adapts its frequencies so that the mouse doesn’t get any interference.

This mouse is great for most hand sizes and is a middleweight mouse at 107 grams. So it is not lightweight, but its also not a brick. This is just a solid mouse that can suit any game and any style. Unfortunately, it is not available for left-handed users.

Key Specs

• 11 Programmable Buttons
• 14 Chroma Zones
• 20,000 DPI with Lift-Off Detection
• 100 hr battery life

Pros

• Amazing customization
• Long battery life
• Lag-free gaming
• Competition grade mouse sensor
• Good for every game type

Cons

• Heavier then some gamers would prefer
• Premium Price, Premium Mouse

3. Best Budget Gaming Mouse: SteelSeries Rival 310

A gaming mouse does not have to break the bank to be great. Enter SteelSeries’ Rival 310. This is an affordable mouse with some impressive features. The Rival 310 boasts one of the most precise sensors in a mouse under 50 US dollars.

The TrueMove3 sensor is designed to virtually eliminate jitter and is designed to be as precise as possible. While the rival only has a 12,000 DPI sensor, that sensor is engineered for true 1-to-1 tracking meaning how you move your mouse is exactly how it will move on the screen.

The Rival achieves this due to the sensor being built with Pixart, an industry leader in smart sensor technology. This is an eSports quality mouse in a price range that almost anyone can afford.

The Rival is comfortable to use and features an ergonomic grip. This mouse works for both palm and claw grip players. At 88.3 grams this mouse is not quite lightweight but it comes close and can easily be used for hours of gaming.

6 customizable buttons mean that you will be able to set this mouse up for most of your gaming applications. However, MOBA and MMO players may find the lack of buttons a burden when compared to other mice.

Speaking of the buttons, the side buttons are nice. They are large and have a nice spacer so you can tell which button your thumb is on easily.

This mouse does not have very many downsides and I would not blame you if you stopped here and picked one up. It’s a damn good mouse for a damn good price.

Key Specs

• True 1 to 1 tracking
• Silicon Grips
• 88.3 grams
• 6 customizable buttons

Pros

• One of the best sensors for a mouse at this price point
• Side buttons feel are large and feel great
• That sensor though

Cons

• 6 buttons might not be enough for some gamers

4. Best Value Mouse: CORSAIR Glaive Pro

When evaluating a value mouse I wanted to select a mouse that I felt gave its user the most bang for their buck. The Corsair Glaive Pro fits the bill. For a little more than the cost of the Rival, you get more DPI, more buttons, onboard memory, onboard surface calibration, and the ability to customize the grip for individual needs.

7 programmable buttons can easily allow a gamer to program the mouse for their needs. The Glaive also has onboard memory and does not require drivers to store these program profiles. This means that a gamer could use this mouse on their home PC, and a gaming laptop and not have to play with settings between systems. It is a true plug and play gaming mouse.

The 18,000 DPI sensor provides precision gameplay and can be adjusted in increments of 1. Typically mouse software allows for incremental DPI adjustment in 10s or 100s. The Glaive is one of the most customizable mice on the market.

The mouse comes with 3 thumb plates to further customize how the Corsair fits in the gamer’s hand. The Glaive is designed for comfort and long duration gaming. This is the mouse that streamer Annemunition uses while she is clicking on foreheads in RainbowSix Seige.

Largely this is a great mouse. However, there are some drawbacks here. This is a heavier mouse designed for comfort, so if you are used to lighter mice then you will be surprised by the 115g weight now in your hand. The software is a downside as well. Calibration of the mouse can be tricky, but once calibrated will quickly become a favorite.

Key Specs

• 18,000 DPI
• On-Board Memory
• Interchangeable Grips
• 7 programmable keys

Pros

• DPI adjustable in increments of 1
• Designed for comfort and long gaming sessions
• Settings are saved in the mouse so it can be used across multiple systems
• Side buttons feel great

Cons

• This is a heavy mouse
• Corsair’s Software needs work

5. Best Mouse for FPS Games: Logitech G PRO Hero Gaming Mouse

Want to know what the human aimbot himself uses? Shroud, one of the best FPS players in the world, uses a G Pro Hero and for good reason. The G Pro features Logitech’s most accurate competition-grade sensor. This is the no-frills consummate FPS mouse.

It was designed from the ground up with competitive shooters in mind and is used by some of the world’s best FPS players. The G Pro comes both wired and wireless. This mouse has some of the most responsive keys on the market and allows a competitive edge in reaction time.

Now, if you are still bad at FPS, this mouse won’t make you better, but if you are good this mouse can help you be great. The G Pro comes with 6 programmable buttons and the side buttons feel nice and are spaced far enough apart so you do not fat finger them.

There are not many negatives when talking about this mouse. It is not to heavy and not to light. It feels great in the hand. I wish it had textured grips on the sides and as a palm grip player, it feels a little small in my hand.

If you play games that demand lots of buttons and you want those buttons on your mouse, the G Pro is not for you. This is a competitor’s mouse and is purpose-built for clicking on foreheads and not spamming different kinds of heals in WoW.

Key Specs

• Best in class Hero Sensor
• 16,000 DPI
• Available wired and wireless
• 48H battery for the wireless version
• 6 programmable buttons
• Fully mechanical switches for fast response to clicks

Pros

• Clicks lots of faces faster than other mice
• Used by eSports teams like TSM and human aimbots like Shroud
• Game profiles stored on the mouse
• Hero Sensor is one of the best to ever grace a mouse

Cons

• Only 6 buttons limit the games it can be optimized for
• Doesn’t download FPS skills directly into your brain
• Wireless version is very expensive

6. The Best MMORPG and RTS Mouse: CORSAIR Scimitar Pro RGB

Do you like MMORPGs? If you have put a ton of ours in WoW, Elder Scrolls Online, or any other MMO then you know that you have a lot of skills and those skills need buttons. The Corsair Scimitar Pro is the perfect MMO Mouse. Much like the Naga, it features a 12 button side panel. However, unlike the Naga, these buttons are large and mechanical.

The side panel buttons provide tactile feedback and are large and textured enough that they reduce misclicks. Not only that! The Scimitar panel slides back and forth so that the buttons can be adjusted to meet any hand size and provide the best possible MMO experience.

This mouse is great for RTS as well. Often you want to group your armies and assign them different hotkeys. Guess what, you can assign 12 armies and control than with your thumb. Couple this with a great 16,000 dpi sensor and you gain the precision to click your armies to victory.

Playing a MOBA? Assign all your character’s abilities to any of these buttons for lightning-quick combos and reaction speed against enemy champions. This mouse is also great for applications that require hotkeys like photo editing. Simply assign the commands to the keypad and off you go.

I love this mouse, and it almost made the top spot, but the Naga’s ability to switch out button configurations I felt appealed to a wider gaming audience.

This entry from Corsair is the heaviest mouse on this list. It is a brick at 147g however if you want maximum comfort and mouse configurability then this is the mouse you want. Its 17 programmable keys will ensure this mouse will be useful no matter what game you play.

However, its weight can be an issue if you are trying to keep up with more hardcore FPS players that have purpose-designed FPS mice.

Key Specs

• 17 programmable keys
• 16,000 DPI
• Slidable side panel
• Onboard memory

Pros

• Large side panel keys lead to fewer misclicks
• Side panel slides to best fit the user
• Self adjusts to surfaces
• Great for large hands
• Designed for the MMO/MOBA/RTS player in mind

Cons

• A very functional brick of a mouse.
• Sensor not as accurate as mice designed for FPS play

7. Best Wireless Gaming Mouse: Razer Viper Ultimate

This is one of the best wireless gaming mice for the gamer that wants the best possible gaming performance, second only to perhaps Razer’s Basilisk. The Razer Viper Ultimate is a lightweight wireless mouse that boasts some pretty amazing specs. The Viper is simply the best mouse that money can buy.

With the viper, you will enjoy 70 hours of battery life. It’s 8 programmable buttons will allow you to dominate the battlefield or arena. At 74G this is a mouse that will feel effortless to move, especially if you incorporate a hard surface mouse pad like the Razer Firefly.

Right-handed? Left-Handed? Ambidextrous? With the Razer Viper, it does not matter. It is designed to be used in either hand. This is the mouse designed with the esports athlete in mind.

20,000 DPI and precision lift-off sensors ensure that your shots and movement will be accurate. While there is a wired version of this mouse, the high-speed transmission and its ability to change frequencies on the fly mean that this mouse boasts a lag-free gaming experience. The wired version has a 16,000 DPI sensor instead of the ultimates 20,000 DPI. However, it is half the price.

The Viper is also built to last. Razer’s switches are durable for up to 70 million clicks.

Not every mouse is perfect. This one comes close. It’s lightweight, wireless, highly precise, and has a long enough battery life where you would only have to charge it once a week if you gamed 10 hours a day. However, there are some drawbacks.

This is not a good mouse for MMORPG’s or games that would want you to have a lot of buttons. There is also a lack of buttons behind the scroll wheel. Usually, I put my grenade or melee attacks there. You are also going to pay for this mouse. The Razer Viper Ultimate is the most expensive mouse on this list.

Aside from these small grievances, this is an amazing mouse for shooters, RTS, and MOBAs. This would have been the choice for the best gaming mouse, but I feel it’s premium price tag and lower button count keeps it out of the typical gamers range.

Key Specs

• 20,000 DPI
• Lightweight at 74G
• Zero Latency Highspeed wireless gaming

Pros

• One of the most precise mice on the market
• Made for eSports athletes
• Perfect for FPS and RTS games
• 70-hour battery life it needs charging maybe once a week

Cons

• Not good for MMORPG players
• No buttons behind the mouse wheel
• Premium mouse, premium pricetag

8. The Southpaw- Best Left-Handed Mouse: SteelSeries Sensei Ten Gaming Mouse

Everything great about the Rival 310 is everything great about the Sensei Ten. This is a solid mouse that can be used in either hand. This is an 18,000 DPI mouse that uses Steel Series’s Trumove Pro sensor.

This sensor will grant you true 1 to 1 tracking. So how you move your mouse is how the cursor moves on screen. This sensor was designed by Pixart to meet the needs of the competitive gamer.

The Sensei fits nicely in either hand and is perfect for you southpaw shooters. It is lightweight at 92 grams to help reduce hand fatigue. This mouse also features 8 programmable buttons. Granted, 6 of them are usable and the other 2 will need to be utilized with your ring finger.

The buttons are large and spaced nice, like the Rival. This is a good mouse in the same class as the Rival 310 and one that you should seriously consider.

Key Specs

• True 1 to 1 tracking
• Silicon Grips
• 18,000 DPI
• 82 grams
• 8 customizable buttons

Pros

• One of the best sensors on the market
• Side buttons feel are large and feel great on either side of the mouse
• Feels great in either hand

Cons

• 8 buttons, 6 really useful unless you use your ring finger for the other side of the mouse

9. Best Lightweight Mouse: Cooler Master MM710 53G Gaming Mouse

Looking for a lightweight mouse? Cooler Master’s MM710 might be the gaming mouse for you. This is a stripped-down, no-nonsense, no extras head clicker. This mouse features a competition-grade 16,000 DPI sensor from Pixart. The same company that makes the sensor for the Rival 310 on this list.

53 grams. That’s it, 53 grams. You will be hard-pressed to find a lighter mouse. Cooler Master’s featherweight achieves this through its honeycomb shell and this shell is designed to be lightweight and durable. Lightweight means less fatigue and this mouse will go the distance with you.

With the MM710 you get 6 buttons which are enough to play most shooters and other low button games. You might struggle with MMO or RTS games. But if mouse weight is your main sticking point these are minor issues.

This mouse is not flashy, however, there is the slightly heavier (60 grams) MM711 that has RGB that looks awesome through the honeycomb shell. Not much else to talk about here. Barebones effective gameplay with less wrist fatigue. That’s what the MM710 will give you.

Key Specs

• 16,000 DPI
• 53 Grams
• 6 programmable buttons

Pros

• Lightweight competitive gaming
• Less wrist fatigue
• Durable construction

Cons

• Not feature-rich

10. Best Ergonomic Gaming Mouse: Delux Ergonomic RGB Vertical Mouse

Wrist problems can make a fun pass time no longer enjoyable. Many mice try to be truly ergonomic and they come close. However, some gamers just can’t maintain the wrist position needed for some gaming mice.

Unfortunately, this is a market that not many premium mice makers have tapped. So I tried to locate the best possible ergonomic mouse that would fit the sensor accuracy needs while still allowing those that suffer from wrist issues a good gaming experience.

The Delux Ergonomic Vertical mouse fits this space. It is by far the highest DPI vertical mouse I could find. This mouse is designed for maximum wrist support and ease of access to its buttons.

With this mouse, you get 5 functional buttons to program for your gaming needs. The mouse also has a 4000 DPI sensor. Now, this sensor is not the best for FPS games but it will allow you to still make precision shots. Just don’t expect to be flicking them anytime soon.

If you need this mouse you should not be trying to flick headshots anyway. Stick with slower methods of gameplay or games that allow you to play more passive and this is a good mouse.

This is the heaviest mouse on the list but is it designed for people that cant use normal mice. It weighs 210 grams, but you can game all day and not have wrist pain.

This mouse forces the hand and wrist to maintain an anatomically neutral position. Perhaps one day a premium mouse for disabled gamers will come out on the market that has the crazy options and sensors that competitive gamers prefer. Until then this is the ergonomic mouse that a gamer should consider.

Key Specs

• 4000 DPI
• 5 programmable buttons
• RGB lighting to look good

Pros

• Ergonomics to the max
• Vertical design
• Highest DPI in a vertical mouse I could find

Cons

• Passes for a gaming mouse, but is not a dedicated gaming mouse
• a Litteral but comfortable brick

Gaming Mouse Buying Guide

Gaming mice have changed over the years. They used to be the same as regular mice just with better parts or sensors. Now there are so many specialized features and terminology to try and understand it can be a daunting task, especially for a new mouse buyer.

Choosing the best mouse for your game type can be a task. Not every mouse is good for first-person shooters, and many mice are not made for the button requirement if you are a hardcore MMO player.

The cost of gaming mice is also a concern. Some are maybe 30 dollars or so, yet others can cost well over 100 bucks. You have to ask yourself, do you really need that ultra-premium mouse or will the best mouse for under 50 dollars appeal to you better?

The purpose of this guide is to help you pick the right mouse for you. I want to help guide you into finding the perfect mouse for your hand, playstyle, and game type.

I hope that by the end of this guide you will be a fully armed and operation mouse consumer that knows exactly what kind of forehead clicker they need.

What Technical Specs to Look For

When someone wants a gaming mouse it is either because they like the way the mouse looks, they want to be competitive, or they want an optimized gaming experience.

Key specifications to look for when looking for a gaming mouse. These range from durability to extra keys, or how good the sensor is. Ultimately the choice of a mouse is up to the user. Not every gamer is the same, and neither is every gaming mouse.

Durability

When considering a mouse it is important to question how durable that mouse will be. Some key questions to ask are: what’s it made of, and how resistant is that material to wear and damage?

A majority of gaming mice are constructed from one kind of hard plastic or another, some higher-end mice incorporate light metals like aluminum. These materials are sufficient to withstand the wear and tear damage that a mouse is going to be exposed to.

When I talk about durability, I am talking about how well the components that make up the mouse are constructed. Every mouse contained fragile switches that have to withstand being used 1000s of times a day. Many of the top mice brands will provide a click rating on these switches. The industry standard is around 50 million clicks.

A PC gamer clicks their mouse over 5000 times a day, even with higher actions games like DOTA or League of Legends a mouse with switches rated for 50million clicks will last 10 years or more before you need to worry about replacing it.

The most common mouse failure problems are either the sensor or the mouse cord. So when evaluating the durability of a mouse, go with brands that have reputations for quality sensors and mice that have wrapped cords.

Sensor

When you’re shopping for a good mouse, you’ll see a lot of acronyms—DPI, CPI, LOD, and IPS, are some potentially confusing terms so let’s go over what these are.

DPI: This stands for “dots per inch” and this measures how accurate a sensor is and how much detail it can pick up on different surfaces. You will also come across CPI which stands for “counts per inch”. This is the more accurate term and is used interchangeably with DPI. The higher your DPI the further you can move your mouse on the screen with smaller effort.

The amusing thing here is, when playing shooters you do not want these insane DPI numbers. They are nice to have and will be an overall more accurate mouse, but most pros and good players use low DPI settings. I will explore this in an article on how to get good at First Person Shooters.

IPS: This stands for “inches per second” and is a measure of how fast the mouse can track its own position. This is a more important factor then DPI. If you move the mouse faster then it can track then it will lose its spot and gamer performance will suffer.

The best sensors on the market have high IPS counts to allow for those amazing flick shots.

LOD: Liftoff Distance. This describes how accurate the mouse is at detecting if it on the pad or not. This one is tricky, you want a mouse that knows when you are lifting it off the pad. But you do not want a mouse that is overly sensitive so you do not accidentally miss shots if you lift too high. This goes with low DPI settings.

If you play with lower settings, chances are you will have to lift your mouse off the pad and reset it to keep moving across the screen.

Adjustability

A good gaming mouse is all about customization and adjustability. Some mice actually allow you to put weights inside it if you prefer a heavier mouse. Adjustability also means how well can you control that DPI rate.

Does the software allow for increments of 1 like the corsair brand, or are you stuck using increments of 10 or even 100? A smart consumer would read about the driver software and be sure that it allows for the type of customization they require.

Ergonomics

Gaming is an hours-long hobby. Some gaming sessions can last all day. It is very important to select a mouse that feels good in the hand. And this comes down to how you grip your mouse.

Are you a palm gripper? You might want to consider a fuller sized mouse that you can easily rest your hand on. Claw grip? You can get away with the lighter and smaller mouse options.

When deciding on a mouse to by it is important to purchase one that fits your grip style.

Macro Ability

A macro is a series of commands that are stored in a sequence and can be assigned to a key. A copy-paste is a good simple example of this. Press a key and you produce multiple keystrokes would of input.

In gaming mice terms this is the ability to store complex commands and have access to them at the push of a button. This is useful for gamers, graphic designers, and any application where the user needs to hotkey a series of actions.

Many gaming mice feature internal storage that allows the user to store these macros and assign them to a key. For example, when I used to play LoL I had a champion where I would want to combo there abilities in a certain order. So I made a macro to do just that. Press one button and I would be able to perform the moves assigned to e,w,q, and r with one key and in that order.

Extra Mouse Keys

Right-click, left click and mouse wheel do not cut it for high-level gameplay. Look for mice that have the buttons you need to dominate. MMO mice, for example, have lots of buttons. The Razer Naga and Corsair Scimitar have full 12 button thumb panels for quick access to commands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Best Gaming Mouse for Big Hands?

Simple! Big hands, Big mouse. You are going to want to look for a full-size mouse. Most likely you are a palm grip so a mouse like a Razer Naga or Logitech G 502.

Q: What is the Best Gaming Mouse for Small Hands?

This will depend on your grip style. For small hands, you want to look for a lighter mouse. The Logitech G Pro and the Steel Series Sensei are both good options for smaller hands.

Q: What is the Best Gaming Mouse for Mac?

All of the major brands have drivers for Mac. So any mouse on this list should also work on Mac with little or no difference.

Q: Who Makes the Best Gaming Mice?

I am a bit of a Razer fanboy. I have been using their products since they released the first Death Adder. However, Logitech, Corsair, and Steel Series are all good brands that make great products. I would avoid off-brand mice as they might be cheaper but there is a reason for that. I have not seen enough evidence that they make products of the quality that the brands I mention do. This might change, but I am skeptical.

Wrap Up

Picking a good mouse is ultimately your decision. Many guides, such as this, can point you int he right direction. But, in the end, a good mouse for you might not be good for someone else.

The best advice I can give is to stick with strong brands with proven internals and find the mouse that fits you.

References:

1. What is the average number of mouse clicks a person does daily? – Quora, 2017
2. Why an Ordinary Mouse Won’t Work for Gamers? -What’s my IP
3. Gaming Mouse vs Normal Mouse -Skytech Lasers, June 28, 2019
4. CPI vs DPI: What is the Difference? -Beebom, July 2, 2018