Best gaming mouse in 2022

Picking the best gaming mouse isn’t as easy as it used to be, with more gaming PC brands to choose from than ever before. To make matters more complicated, advancements in low latency technologies mean even the best wireless gaming mouse is just as capable of securing frags as its wired brethren.

Nailing down what the best gaming mouse for your needs can be tricky, as it’s a delicate balance of finding the right mix of features and design. You have to juggle comfort, ergonomics, performance, reliability, specs, and, as always, aesthetics. Figure out which of these attributes are most important to you, and then take a dive into the comparisons below.

While it used to be as simple as buying Logitech or Razer, competition is hot with digital rodents from SteelSeries, Corsair, HyperX, and more in 2022. We’ve tested a wide variety of gaming mice and have narrowed down our favourites based on the genres of games, grip styles, and hand sizes they’re most suited to. You’ll also find more affordable options too for those of you that don’t mind sacrificing a few features.

Here are your options for the best gaming mouse:

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SteelSeries Rival 5

The best gaming mouse is the SteelSeries Rival 5.

The SteelSeries Rival 5 does just about everything, and does it well. You’ll likely recognise the precision aim button from the Logitech G502, but SteelSeries’ rodent is significantly lighter at 85g, brighter with ten zones of RGB lighting, and has deeper-sounding clicks so it doesn’t pick up through the best gaming microphone.

Aside from the fair $60 USD / £60 GBP MSRP, our favourite thing about the Rival 5 is its optical sensor. It features unique tilt tracking technology that recognises when the device is more than 0.5mm away from the best mouse pad for gaming. This stops your cursor in its tracks and helps you more easily readjust to hit your shots that much easier in FPS games.

What we like…
 Lightweight
 Tilt tracking optical sensor
 Gorgeous lighting

Read the PCGamesN SteelSeries Rival 5 review for our full verdict and score.

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Razer Naga Trinity

The best MMO mouse is the Razer Naga Trinity.

Razer’s Naga has long been known as the best gaming mouse for MMO, but, if we’re being honest, it was incredibly annoying to use for any other game type. All those extra buttons, arrayed in a grid of 12 around your thumb, were constantly responsible for errant thumb strikes.

But the Naga Trinity has removed that problem, while still retaining the ability to use the classic 12-button grid for the best MMOs or MOBA games. The special sauce is a magnetic attachment mechanism that allows you to remove the whole side panel of the mouse without doing anything more than levering it off. It’s completely hot-swappable so you can add or remove any of the three interchangeable panels at will without having to dig into the settings or unplug it. There’s the 12-button panel, a seven-button version arranged in a wheel, and a simple two-button design for basic use.

What we like…
Versatile
Interchangeable layout
Comfortable

Read the PCGamesN Razer Naga Trinity review for our full verdict and score.

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Razer Basilisk V3

The best FPS mouse is the Razer Basilisk V3.

How a rodent handles games is by far the main priority when it comes to choosing a gaming mouse, but being the primary way we control our PC, the fact is we do a lot with our mice. The Razer Basilisk V3 strikes a perfect balance of both productivity and play, with up to 13 customisable buttons and a unique scroll wheel that can automatically unlock depending on how fast you spin it.

It looks like it belongs in the Fast & Furious franchise, with 11 individual RGB LEDs bouncing off the mouse pad underneath, giving it an almost ethereal glide. It’s supremely comfortable if you’re right-handed, with wonderful thumb button placements. All in all, it’s a touch heavier than the SteelSeries Rival 5, our top pick, but it’s noticeably lighter than the Logitech G502 it takes after – and with a bit more functionality.

What we like…
Comfortable with good button placement
Unlockable scroll wheel
RGB lighting akin to a suped-up street racer

Read the PCGamesN Razer Basilisk V3 review for our full verdict and score.

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SteelSeries Rival 3

The best cheap gaming mouse is the SteelSeries Rival 3.

The Corsair Harpoon Pro RGB is a great value gaming mouse. The 8,5000 DPI optical sensor at its heart is a SteelSeries TrueMove Core, offering the 1:1 tracking we’ve come to love their sensors for, but without the extreme sensitivity that makes them perfect for high-res displays. It’s also incredibly lightweight at 79g and will fly across your desktop. Great for 1080p gaming, not so much for the best gaming monitor with a 4K resolution. It’s also mighty comfortable and should accomodate all grip styles.

This mouse is by far the best mouse we’ve tried at this price range. While it’s not the best all-round mouse, being the best budget gaming mouse is no mean feat, either, and the SteelSeries Rival 3 is worthy of a spot on our list for that reason.

What we like…
 Great value
 High quality
 Solid sensor

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HyperX Pulsefire Haste

The best lightweight gaming mouse is the HyperX Pulsefire Haste.

HyperX are best known for their Cloud gaming headsets, but that same level of quality and value have found their way into the company’s Pulsefire Haste gaming mouse. It’s one of the lightest clickers we’ve got to gripsw with, weighing just 59g, but it doesn’t skimp on important features.

It has a DPI ceiling of 16,000, six programmable buttons, and costs just $50 but you can often find it on sale for even cheaper. It comes in several flavours of colour too, including matte black and snow white.

What we like…
Lightest mouse on this list
Simple but robust build
Comes in several colours

Read the PCGamesN HyperX Pulsefire Haste review for our full verdict and score.

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Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless

The best gaming mouse for big hands is the Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless.

Since us humans all come in different shapes and sizes, so too should the gaming mice we wield. Those of you with bigger hands should turn your attention to the Corsair Ironclaw RGB gaming mouse, as its wider grips will help you avoid contorting your fingers to the array of smaller options out there.

You can connect it to your device via Corsair’s proprietary Slipstream technology for an almost unrivalled response or through Bluetooth for better battery life. And if you don’t fancy ditching the cord, you can always opt for the wired version for a little less.

What we like…
Big mouse for big hands
Wireless
Three RGB zones

Read the PCGamesN Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless review for our full verdict and score.

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Logitech G903

The best left-handed mouse is the Logitech G903.

The Logitech G903 is a magnificently versatile gaming mouse that, unlike the G900 Chaos Spectrum, includes compatibility for the Logitech G PowerPlay charging mouse pad so you can manage cables and never have to plug your rodent in again.

It’s rocking an ambidextrous design, with only a slight compromise in comfort for either left or right-handed users, and its ergonomic layout is equally adept at catering for either claw or palm grip gamers. The G903 can also be used either as a wired or wireless gaming mouse, and we detect no compromises in performance should you decide to game without the cable.

What we like…
 Wireless
 Supports Logitech G PowerPlay
 Ambidextrous

Read the PCGamesN Logitech G903 review for our full verdict and score.

Is any mouse OK for gaming?

The computer mouse is now a staple part of any PC setup, but standard options are built with regular clicks in mind. As a result, they can feel unresponsive and clunky when playing games, especially if you’re relying on rapid inputs and frantic mouse pad movements.

Opting for the best gaming mouse ensures reliability and accuracy, something that’s achieved with a higher DPI, high-quality micro switches, and ergonomics that are better suited to long gaming sessions.

Wired vs wireless gaming mouse

This is a debate that’s raged on since the first wireless gaming mice arrived on the scene, with wired previously offering a competitive advantage with their superior connection. Fortunately, grabbing a wireless gaming mouse no longer comes with the latency it used to, as 2.4GHz connections are so quick that you’ll barely notice a difference.

Switching to a Bluetooth connection makes your battery last significantly longer, but it comes with a noticeable amount of lag. This isn’t so bad while you’re working, but can make all the difference in FPS games.

What are palm, claw, and fingertip mouse grips?

Gaming mice are much like the shoes you wear in that there’s no real one-size-fits-all. You’ll want to pay attention to how you move your rodent around your mouse pad before you choose the right one for you. Here are the three main grip styles:

• Palm grip: your palm sits on the back of the mouse. This is the least fatiguing but it’s not quite as versatile as other grips, relying more on full arm movements for precision.
• Fingertip grip: you use your fingers to control the movements of the mouse without the aid of your palm. Your wrist can touch the surface below, but might hover above. This is the most fatiguing because it relies on lots of wrist movements, but also more precise than the palm grip.
• Claw grip: a combination of the aforementioned two, this style is where you control the mouse with your fingertips but your wrist rests on the best gaming desk below.

Which mouse do pro gamers use?

Pro gamers play for teams that are often sponsored by companies like Logitech, Razer, and SteelSeries. Breaking away from sponsorships, however, the mantra is the lighter a mouse is, the better, as it allows for swifter arm movements with minimal fatigue.

The Logitech G Pro Superlight is still the weapon of choice for many, while other brands like Zowie, Xtrfy, and Cooler Master are coming for the crown with their own ultralight rodents.

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