Best Gaming Mice for 2020

When it comes to gaming, nothing beats having the right mouse for both your grip and your game.When it comes to gaming, nothing beats having the right mouse for both your grip and your game. Getting a mouse that fits just perfect to your hand, includes the right feature set for you, and a super strong sensor, will inevitably improve the flow of your gameplay, the hits you land and the satisfaction you get from nailing that win

Quick Shopping Tips

Optical or Laser? : Both sensor types offer a great experience, but optical mice have slightly better accuracy while laser mice work on more surfaces. If you’re really picky, go for an optical sensor, preferably one either designed or developed with PixArt.

Wireless or Wired? : Wireless mice have come a long way in the last few years, but they still have downsides which include limited battery life (particularly with RGB) and possible latency. If you do opt for a wireless, aim for one with 30 hours or more battery life. You’ll also need to decide if you want Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz or both. Bluetooth is handy for switching among multiple devices, but comes with a latency cost, but 2.4 GHz will requires a USB dongle that’s easy to lose.

Palm, Claw or Fingertip Grip? : It’s a good idea to figure out just how you hold your mouse. There are three types of common mouse grip.

Palm Grip - Where the base of your palm rests on the back of the mouse, with your fingers laying on top.
Claw Grip - Where your wrist rests on the mouse mat, the palm doesn’t touch the mouse, and your fingertips grip the edges of it and the buttons.
Fingertip Grip - Where your wrist and palm are both elevated off the mouse mat and the mouse, and it’s again gripped with just the finger tips at its edges and on the buttons.

Knowing your grip style will help you find a mouse that’s right for you, as each grip typically occurs due to the size of your hands, and therefore a mouse designed for a fingertip grip will likely be larger than one designed for a palm grip.

DPI, CPI, IPS and Acceleration? : DPI and CPI are effectively the same marketing terms. Traditionally we used DPI in print to declare how many dots per inch something would be printed in, in regards to image clarity. CPI however stands for counts per inch, and that’s how many counts your mouse takes per inch it travels.

A higher CPI doesn’t necessarily mean a better mouse sensor either. It’s a combination of both CPI, and IPS. IPS or Inches Per Second, is the max velocity at which your sensor can still track those counts. The higher the IPS combined with the CPI, the better the sensor.
And then there’s acceleration, that’s how many G’s your mouse can handle and still track effectively, if you’re dashing the thing back and forth left and right in short sharp movements, some mice may flake once they reach a certain G rating.
Best gaming mice at a glance:
1. Razer DeathAdder V2
2. Razer Basilisk Ultimate
3. SteelSeries Rival 3
4. Razer DeathAdder Elite
5. Razer Naga Trinity
6. Corsair Ironclaw RGB
7. Logitech MX Master 3

1. Razer DeathAdder V2

Best Gaming Mouse

Great performance

Excellent USB cable

Easy customization

Textured design can be uncomfortable during long gaming sessions

Middling side buttons

Somewhat unwiedly size

The Razer DeathAdder V2 is the best gaming mouse for most PC gamers. Its optical sensor gets the job done, and the clicker offers everything a gamer needs without piling on unnecessary features, like a lot of programmable buttons.
Razer designed its Focus+ optical sensor with PixArt, and it offers a massive CPI range that goes up to 20,000 CPI. No matter what game we played, motion felt smooth.
Razer also included gamer-friendly features,like a “Speedflex” braided cable that proved to avoid drag or any other type of distraction during gaming and two RGB zones. You may have to get used to its shape, but for most gamers this is an ideal companion.

2. Razer Basilisk Ultimate

Best Wireless Gaming Mouse

Incredible sensor

Intuitive software suite

Long battery life and fast charging

Pricey

Optical switches lack mechanical feel

The Logitech G502 has been unseated from its perch, and Razer is the new king of the mantle. The Basilisk Ultimate is a fantastically adept wireless mouse featuring Razer’s latest sensor the Focus+ Optical. This semi-intelligent sensor, packs in some incredible stats, with a max CPI rating of 20,000, an IPS rating of 650, and it’s also capable of withstanding upwards of 50Gs worth of acceleration before losing tracking.
Combine that with an impressive ergonomic design, and the latest in Razer’s optical switch technology, and it makes it a killer wireless pointer. It’s not just some G502 clone with a few tweaks either. Although the similarities are obvious the Basilisk Ultimate provides a myriad of improvements over the competition. You can control the scroll wheel resistance for example, the sensor is arguably more accurate, the materials used are substantially better, it’s 7g lighter, and Razer’s synapse software suite runs rings around Logitech’s G-Hub
It’s not without flaws, the sensitivity clutch button is a little far forward for smaller hands, and the optical buttons feel less tactile than their mechanical brethren, and of course it is $20 more than the G502 as well, however it truly is a class leader when it comes to wireless mice.

3. SteelSeries Rival 3

Best Budget Gaming Mouse

Low price

Solid performance

Distinctive RGB lighting

Non-braided USB cables can be frustrating

The SteelSeries Rival 3 is the best budget gaming mouse, available for just $30 at the time of writing. Its optical sensor only goes up to 8,500 CPI, which is low compared to other mice on this page, such as the 20000-CPI Razer DeathAdder V2 above. But for casual gamers, this’ll do. Unfortunately, CPI adjustments are difficult due to a small CPI button, but response was great during our testing.
You’ll also want to note that its 300ms IPS is only with SteelSeries’ QcK-series of gaming mouse pads, but luckily those represent some of the best RGB mouse pads around, according to our testing.
The hardest part about gaming with the Rival 3 was its 6-foot-long rubber USB cable that was a noticeable drag compared to braided cables (or a wireless connection). But at least you get three customizable RGB zones and a comfortable grip.

4. Razer DeathAdder Elite

Best FPS / RTS Gaming Mouse

Simple consistent design

Exceptional sensor

Impressive Omron switches

No weight customization

The Razer Deathadder has long been renowned as one of the world’s most famed eSports mice. Its simple, yet ergonomic design has seen little change since its conception back in 2006, and although some may gawk at the flared left and right click buttons, it’s hard to deny just how comfortable that non abrasive, sand-blasted black finish is when you finally rest your palm on the plucky pixel pointer.
That said, the showpiece of the Deathadder Elite is its sensor, which is a bespoke optical PixArt PMW 3389. Originally designed by PixArt in conjunction with Logitech, it’s also been followed up with some firmware tweaks by Razer itself. Thanks to that, it makes this mouse incredibly precise and direct in game. There’s zero lag, or jitter, and with a 16,000 CPI maximum, thanks to Razer’s Synapse software suite it’s impossible not to set this mouse up correctly for any and all of your gaming scenarios.
And then there’s the switches. Designed with Omron, these beauties feature a mechanical keyboard-esque clicky feel thanks to Razer incorporating a tactile notch in the switch itself. It’s not enough to slow you down, and doesn’t harm durability either, with up to 50 million clicks expected before failure.
Couple all of that with an epic price point, and a 2 year warranty, and the Deathadder Elite is our mouse of choice for anyone dabbling in today’s hyper-competitive world of multiplayer FPS or RTS gaming.

5. Razer Naga Trinity

Best MMO Mouse

Strong sensor

Hot-swappable button compliments

Ergonomic styling

Pricey

Quite heavy

In an MMO mouse versatility is key; The more buttons you have, the more you can allocate to macros, to push-to-talk keys for Discord and for other key actions.
The problem with big MMO mice, is that they often feature one very specific way of gripping, with a grid of keys littered on the left hand side and that’s about it. Razer looks to change that with its latest addition of its Naga, the Trinity, which gives you three separate left hand grips to choose from. A simple numpad, complete with 12 switches, a circular button pad, complete with 7 switches dotted around it, and your standard two button affair, as found on most gaming mice today.
On top of that you also get the same PixArt sensor as found in the Deathadder Elite, a nice helping of RGB, and an ergonomic pinky rest too. Sure it’s the heaviest of our mice on this list, even outing the wireless Logitech G502 Wireless Spectrum, but for MMOs and all those keybindings, it’s a great choice.

6. Corsair Ironclaw RGB

Best Gaming Mouse for Wide Grips

Insanely comfortable for palm grips

Strong sensor performance

Impressive price point

Intuitive button layout

Heavy

Not as proficient for claw/fingertip grips

The Corsair Ironclaw RGB wireless gaming mouse (also available in wired form) is the best gaming mouse for those with wide grips. It’s the thickest mouse here, measuring 3 inches (77mm) at its widest point. It’s so incredibly comfortable for right-handed palm grips that we’ve nicknamed it Palmhugger.
This mouse’s optical Pixart PMW3391 sensor boasts a high CPI of 18,00 and also has one of the highest IPS ratings around at 450.These are high-end specs, but unless you’re a competitive gamer you may not notice a great improvement over rivals, unless you have a multi-monitor gaming set-up.
At 4.59 ounces, this isn’t a lightweight clicker, and FPS gamers may struggle with other design choices here, like the button layout. Still, when gaming with the Ironclaw RGB Wireless, action was smooth, and despite its wireless configuration, we didn’t notice any latency.

7. Logitech MX Master 3

Best Productivity Mouse

Sensor: Darkfield | DPI: 4,000 | IPS: ?? | Acceleration: ?? | Interface: USB/Wireless | Ergonomics: Right handed, palm and claw grip | Programmable Buttons: 6 | Weight: 141 g | Dimensions: 124.9 x 84.3 x 51 mm (LxWxH)

$89.99

View at Office Depot

Recommended Retailer

$99.99

View at HP (US)

$99.99

View at BHPhoto

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Fast, smooth, quiet scroll wheel

Comfortable

Control up to three PCs

Share files, text and images up to three PCs

Pre-made and customizable app-specific profiles

2.4 GHz or Bluetooth

Thumb rest button could be more convenient

DPI customization isn't precise

No USB receiver storage

Expensive
Gamers need to get work done too. If you’re looking for a mouse that can handle work time as well as playtime, the Logitech MX Master 3 impresses with an innovative electromagnetic wheel and the power to control up to 3 PCs simultaneously, including transferring files, text and images.
While not designed for gaming explicitly, it offers per-app programmability for its 6 buttons, as well as a comfortable thumb rest and heightened design that lets your thumb and fingers rest comfortably during long gaming sessions. Plus, it works on almost any surface, so you can game on your desk, on the couch and anywhere in between. Just don't expect the competitive performance of a true gaming mouse, which you'll prefer if you're a hardcore gamer.

Best Gaming Mice for 2020