Gaming mice have changed a lot in the past few years, and we're at the point where wireless gaming mice have the same or even lower latency than some wired models. You might still prefer the reliability of a wired connection, but the difference isn't noticeable in most cases. When looking for the right gaming mouse, you'll want to find one that fits your hand size and feels comfortable for your preferred grip type. It should also have a high polling rate and low click latency. Mice aren't one size fits all, and you'll want to choose a mouse that complements the games you like. For example, you may prefer a lightweight option for FPS games or a more versatile mouse with many side buttons if you play MOBAs, MMOs, or Battle Royales.
Should you trust us? Our team of experts evaluates every mouse using the same standardized tests to ensure fair, unbiased comparisons—and we purchase each one ourselves to stay completely independent. See how we test mice and judge for yourself.
We've tested over 350 mice, most of which are gaming mice, so if you're looking for the best wireless or the best wired gaming mouse, we've listed our top picks below. If you're only interested in wireless options, see our picks for the best wireless gaming mice, or if you're looking for a mouse not entirely dedicated to gaming, see our recommendations for the best mice or the best wireless mice.
The Razer Viper V3 Pro is the best gaming mouse we've tested. It's the successor to the Razer Viper V2 Pro, our previous top pick, improving on it in several ways. It features a new, more subdued design and a familiar shape that's ideal for a wide variety of hand sizes and grip types. It's now even lighter and sports Razer's updated Focus Pro 35K sensor, one of the most accurate and consistent sensors we've ever tested. It supports a maximum wireless polling rate of 8000Hz out of the box and delivers some of the lowest click and sensor latency figures available, providing an incredibly responsive gaming experience.
If you don't mind missing out on absolutely bleeding-edge performance, Razer's previous generation Viper V2 Pro is still an outstanding choice, and it's currently available for cheaper than ever. Lastly, we couldn't forgive ourselves for not mentioning the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro as a possible alternative. It delivers outstanding raw performance similar to our top pick, but it's designed exclusively for right-handed users and is a better option for larger-sized hands, especially if you prefer using a palm grip.
At a mid-range price point, we recommend the Hitscan Hyperlight. This ultra-lightweight wireless mouse is lighter and slightly smaller than our top pick, the Razer Viper V3 Pro, and features a symmetrical shape with a medium-sized hump. The light weight makes it easy to move around quickly and accurately, and its design comfortably accommodates palm, claw, and fingertip grips alike for most hand sizes. Despite its low weight, coming in just above 40 g, it has excellent build quality, with no creaking or rattling; that said, its weight-saving open bottom plate design also leaves the inside prone to collecting dust and debris.
As far as performance goes, while our top pick, the Razer Viper V3 Pro, has marginally better overall performance and supports a higher 8000Hz polling rate out of the box, the Hitscan still delivers an incredibly responsive-feeling gaming experience thanks to its outstanding click and sensor latency. Out of the box, the version we tested has a maximum polling rate of 1000Hz but supports a higher 8000Hz polling rate if you purchase a separate dongle from Hitscan. As a final note, this mouse is released in batches, so you can get it directly from Hitscan's website.
The Razer Basilisk V3 is the best mouse for gaming that we've tested at a lower mid-range price point. This mouse is similar to the Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED, our pick below for the best mouse for work and play, in many ways. The biggest difference is that this is a wired-only model. Otherwise, they share nearly identical ergonomic shapes, an impressive array of customizable controls, and outstanding sensor performance and click latency. The scroll wheel also has left and right tilt inputs and can switch between regular notched mode and a much faster free-scrolling mode. Because it doesn't need to hold a rechargeable battery, it's significantly lighter than the G502 LIGHTSPEED. This is a notable advantage, making it easier to move quickly and accurately, which is handy for playing faster-paced games. Altogether, this is a standout pick if you're interested in a high-performance, versatile gaming mouse but don't need the flexibility of a wireless connection.
If you'd prefer a wireless alternative at this price point, check out the Keychron M3 Mini. It has a smaller, symmetrical shape, is significantly lighter, and offers outstanding wireless performance considering its price point. It also has fewer programmable buttons, its feet aren't as high-quality, and its scroll wheel lacks tilt inputs and free scrolling.
The Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED is the best gaming mouse we've tested at a budget price point. Depending on the region of the world you live in, this mouse may be called the Logitech G304 LIGHTSPEED, but they're the same mouse. The G305's symmetrical, egg-shaped body is very comfortable and accommodating for nearly all hand sizes using a claw or fingertip grip. The build quality is also impressive. There's no creaking or flexibility in the body, and despite being significantly more affordable, it feels nearly as premium as the more expensive Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED below. It connects wirelessly with Logitech's LIGHTSPEED USB receiver and gets an impressive advertised battery life of up to 250 hours from a single AA battery.
Last but not least, this mouse has excellent click latency and consistent sensor performance. Its major downside is its weight, making it harder to make snappy, responsive mouse movements for faster-paced games. Alternatively, if you're looking for the best wired mouse at this price point, we recommend checking out the Razer Cobra. While you're giving up wireless flexibility, it delivers better pure gaming performance and is significantly more lightweight, making it much better suited for playing fast-paced or competitive games. It also has more extensive RGB lighting.
If you're a claw gripper and curious about more options, check out our best claw grip mouse article for more recommendations.
If you want a gaming mouse but don't want to sacrifice useful work and productivity features, look no further than the Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED. This mouse has an ergonomic, right-handed shape with a thumb rest, and it's bristling with 12 programmable buttons. It delivers excellent click latency and outstanding sensor performance. It has a versatile scroll wheel with left and right tilt inputs, a regular notched scrolling mode, and a much faster free-scrolling mode. All these features make this mouse significantly heavier than most gaming mice designed for fast-paced experiences like FPS games. However, it's a terrific choice if you play various games in different genres and prefer a heavier mouse. This mouse even has a set of optional weights you can add to customize the weight distribution.
Logitech has recently released new versions of this mouse called the Logitech G502 X LIGHTSPEED and the Logitech G502 X PLUS (the PLUS features RGB lighting). These new entries have a softer visual design and are lighter. They also feature adjusted button placement, including quieter, more durable left- and right-click buttons. When these new entries launched, they were considerably more expensive, but they've started to come down in price and can sometimes be had for around the $100 mark, at which point we'd recommend them over the older G502 LIGHTSPEED.
The Razer Viper Mini Signature Edition performs slightly better than the Razer Viper V3 Pro. Its magnesium alloy exoskeleton makes it even lighter but just as sturdy. It also supports a maximum wireless polling rate of 8000Hz to match our top pick. However, we aren't recommending it as our top pick because it's only being released in tiny batches and is much more expensive than just about everything else on the market.
See our reviewThe Pwnage StormBreaker performs almost as well as the Razer Viper V3 Pro and has a somewhat larger, right-handed shape. It features a magnesium alloy body, making it slightly lighter. Its major downside is that its magnesium alloy body has cutouts that make it less comfortable without adding grip tape, and it's slightly more expensive than the Razer.
See our reviewThe Ninjutso Sora V2 is an excellent alternative to the Hitscan Hyperlight. It offers even better performance and is lighter, but it's not as consistently available from major retailers.
See our reviewThe Razer Viper V3 HyperSpeed is a great alternative to the Hitscan Hyperlight. It offers very similar performance at a slightly lower price but is noticeably heavier, so it won't be as easy to move around quickly and accurately. It's powered by a single AA battery, which won't necessarily be an advantage if you only use your mouse at home.
See our reviewThe Fantech Aria XD7 is a great mid-range option that's slightly cheaper than the Hitscan Hyperlight. Its egg-shaped body is comfortable for most hand sizes and grip types, but it's not quite as sturdy and doesn't perform quite as well as the Hitscan.
See our reviewWe've replaced the LAMZU MAYA with the Hitscan Hyperlight as our 'Best Mid-Range Gaming Mouse' due to availability, and made edits throughout for clarity.
We've reviewed this article and ensured all our picks are readily available and remain the best options. We've also added a link to another retailer in the 'Best Mid-Range' category and made minor text changes throughout the article to ensure clarity and correctness.
We've made minor changes to the text for clarity and conciseness.
Sep 20, 2024 : We've moved our previous mid-range pick, the Fantech Aria XD7, to the Notable Mentions section and replaced it with the LAMZU MAYA. We've also removed the upper mid-range category altogether.
Jul 30, 2024 : We've reviewed our picks, verified their relevance and availability, and haven't made any changes.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best gaming mice for most people, whether you're looking for the best wired gaming mouse or the best wireless gaming mouse. We factor in the price (a cheaper mouse wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no mice that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of our gaming mice reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no mouse is perfect for every use, most mice are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.
What do you think of our picks? Let us know below.
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Update: We’ve replaced the LAMZU MAYA with the Hitscan Hyperlight as our ‘Best Mid-Range Gaming Mouse’ due to availability, and made edits throughout for clarity.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know
The Razer Taipan was, without a doubt, the ultimate mouse for both gaming and work. Its perfectly balanced design and 11 programmable buttons (including scroll wheel functions) made it a versatile powerhouse. Every feature was customizable, including macro programming, making it adaptable to any user’s needs. Designed for both left- and right-handed users, the Taipan was truly inclusive.
Paired with Razer Synapse 2.0, this mouse automatically adjusted settings to match whatever program or game you were using. Whether working in 3DS Max, Maya, ZBrush, or Unreal Engine, the Taipan streamlined workflows by simplifying repetitive keystrokes and combinations. It significantly boosted productivity across applications and enhanced my gaming experience beyond what any other mouse has ever achieved.
Sadly, Razer has discontinued this legendary mouse—a decision that’s hard to understand. Why do companies abandon such successful products? Unfortunately, nothing in Razer’s current lineup appeals to me. Their newer mice feel overpriced and cheaply made, with less responsive buttons despite their marketing claims.
I’ve reached out to Razer about bringing the Taipan back but haven’t received a response. If they reintroduced it, they wouldn’t need to manufacture so many different models. The Taipan truly lived up to its potential as “One Mouse to Rule Them All!”
Update: We’ve reviewed this article and ensured all our picks are readily available and remain the best options. We’ve also added a link to another retailer in the ‘Best Mid-Range’ category and made minor text changes throughout the article to ensure clarity and correctness.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know
Hello everyone, Thanks for this comprehensive review of the best gaming mice is always a trusted resource for gamers looking for top-notch peripherals. While these mice are all fantastic for competitive gaming, I would love to add a point for gamers who are more into Gaming MMOs, Strategy Games, Sandbox Games. For these genres, some things to consider might be mention specific features relevant to extra programmable buttons for grips for long session. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_mouse#Gaming_mice
Hi Elvise,
We actually have an article that covers the best MMO gaming mice here. The “Video Games (MMO)” usage score also rates how good each mouse is for MMOs and similar genres.
Thanks for reaching out! Don’t hesitate to leave another comment if you have any other questions.