Our list of the best gaming mice includes options for all genres and needs from brands like SteelSeries, Razer, Logitech, and more

Best Gaming Mouse In 2023

Choosing the best gaming mouse for you is one of the most important buying decision you can make when rounding out your PC setup. If you're a strict mouse and keyboard player, your hand will always be glued to your mouse, so you want it to be fast, accurate, reliable, and comfortable to use. In 2023, there are a bunch of stellar choices from popular brands such as Razer, SteelSeries, Logitech, and Corsair. Gaming mice manufacturers have made incremental improvements to mouse designs over the years, so if you haven't upgraded in a few years, you may find the new technologies make an impactful difference. To help you pick the right mouse for you, we've rounded up our picks for the best gaming mice in 2023. As you'll notice, a familiar name still holds the top spot as our pick for the best gaming mouse, but we recommend scoping out the entire list before making your decision.

More PC gaming buying guides

• Best gaming keyboards
• Best PC headsets
• Best PC controllers
• Best computer speakers
• Best capture cards

With so many different things to consider--and options to choose from--we at GameSpot have tested a large number of gaming mice to find the best ones out there. Below, we've listed the best of the best in across a bunch of different categories. This lists covers all the bases: programmable buttons, RGB lighting, wireless, scroll wheels, optical sensors, price considerations, and more. If you've been looking for the best gaming mouse for you, we think you'll find it among these.

---

The Good

• Incredible ergonomics
• Big side buttons are easy to press
• Sturdy, lightweight build
• Long battery life

More than 15 years after the DeathAdder first debuted, it remains the gaming mouse and an easy recommendation to this day. It's an impressive feat considering how much the gaming mouse scene has expanded over the years, but the DeathAdder continues to feel just about perfect to this day.

The DeathAdder V2 Pro has been our top pick since this list was first published. It's not surprising that the mouse that finally knocked it out of that spot is... the DeathAdder V3 Pro, Razer's flagship mouse that makes smart improvements to an already stellar design.

Like its predecessor, the DeathAdder V3 Pro is ideal for those with medium- to large-sized hands. It's for right-handed players only thanks to the subtle curvature that creates a pocket for your thumb. The contour of the case gives it near-perfect ergonomics for your palm, fingers, and wrist.

The pair of side buttons (optical switches) have just the right amount of chunk and are located in ideal spots. The tactile scroll wheel feels great and is very accurate. All of the switches are graded for 90 million clicks, and the main buttons have an ultra-fast 0.2ms actuation. The optical sensor has been improved, offering up to 30K CPI sensitivity, as opposed to 20K in the V2.

If you're upgrading from the V2, you'll probably notice the weight difference first. The V3 Pro only weighs 63 grams, which puts it in the extremely lightweight category, and is significantly lighter than the 88 gram V2 Pro. Despite the reduced weight, the V3 Pro doesn't lose any stability and the build quality is solid with no weak spots or creaks. The matte finish is resistant to finger smudges, whether you opt for the white or black model.

The V3 Pro can run for up to 90 hours on a full charge and connects via Razer's 2.4GHz HyperSpeed wireless tech or via USB-C.

If you need RGB backlighting, you'll want to stick with the V2 Pro. The V3 drops Chroma RGB backlighting, which is somewhat of a surprise considering this is a Razer product. But the V3 Pro is built for competitive gamers who don't want distractions.

If you play a lot of first-person shooters and are right-handed, you can't beat the DeathAdder V3 Pro.

See Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro See Razer DeathAdder V2 (wired)

The Good:

• Excellent ergonomics
• 5 programmable buttons
• Lightweight
• Great for competitive gaming

You can't go wrong with the SteelSeries Prime. SteelSeries' flagship mouse offers consistently impressive performance and a sturdy but lightweight design that's built to last. It's equipped with magnetic optical switches, which can lead to faster response times. Magnetic switches serve another purpose other than performance. Due to the design, they can last longer than regular mouse buttons.

The Prime is aimed at right-handed users, as the side buttons are located on the left side of the mouse. One of the cool things about the Prime is that it's shaped just a tad differently than most other popular gaming mice in its category. It has a more rounded curvature. Regardless of the style of grip you use when gaming, the Prime should prove to be comfy for long gaming sessions. We've been using the Prime for hundreds of hours at this point, and it still feels as good as it did out of the box.

It should be noted that due to the minimalistic design in terms of buttons, the Prime is best suited for first-person shooters when it comes to competitive games. But for what it's aimed to do, the Prime can hang with the best of them, and it's reasonably priced. It just plain works, offering precise improvements thanks to its fine-tuned optical sensor and a crisp connection via 2.4GHz wireless. If there's a knock to be found, it's that the Prime only offers up to 100 hours of battery life between charges, which is good but bested by some other popular options out there--including another SteelSeries mouse you'll find on this list.

See at Best Buy See at Amazon

The Good

• 180-hour battery life
• Sleek RGB lights
• 9 programmable buttons

Don’t quite need an MMO mouse but want something with a few extra buttons? The Aerox 5 is an excellent choice. It follows in the footsteps of the popular Aerox 3, offering long battery life and a lightweight design that makes it easy to control during heated game sessions.

The Aerox 5 clocks in at 74g--making it a bit heavier than the Aerox 3, but still lightweight for a mouse with this many programmable buttons. You can customize the role of every click with the SteelSeries Engine, and the Bluetooth connection ensures a smooth (and fast) translation to on-screen action. It also features a TrueMove Air sensor that delivers 18,000 CPI.

SteelSeries threw a few extras into the mouse, including IP54-waterproofing and fast-charging that’ll get you 40 hours of gameplay after just 15 minutes. Wrap it up in a gorgeous honeycomb design, and it’s easy to see why the Aerox 5 is such a compelling gaming mouse. The only drawback is the $140 price tag. It’s a bit steep, but no doubt you’re getting a premium product. If you don't mind a wire, though, you can get the same great mouse with a cord for only $80.

See at Target See at Amazon

The Good:

• Very affordable price
• Compact form factor
• Easy-to-use controls
• Long battery life provided by AA battery...

The Corsair Katar Pro Wireless gaming mouse is about as streamlined as you can get. Its compact form factor feels good to hold for long sessions, and its limited number of buttons keep things simple for mapping controls and adjusting DPI sensitivity. The 10,000 DPI optical sensor may not match up to higher-end mice, but it still provides plenty of sensitivity for most people.

One thing to note about the Katar Pro Wireless is that it operates on a single AA battery. While this may seem inconvenient, this makes it possible to provide a total charge time of 135 hours, and if you have a pair of rechargeable batteries, you'll be good to use the Katar Pro for as long as you want--mice with internal, non-replaceable batteries will lose charge over extended use.

See at Walmart See at Amazon

The Good

• Ambidextrous design
• Impressive optical sensor
• Razer Chroma support
• 80-hour battery life

The Viper Ultimate might not have the 100+ hour battery life of some products on this list, but it has the next best thing--a dedicated, fast-charging dock. Each charge will get you around 70 hours of game time, although the inclusion of a charging dock gives you a sleek way to display the Viper Ultimate while not in use and get its batteries juiced up for your next match. It also supports Razer Chroma so you can personalize its RGB lights.

Aside from the unique dock, the Viper Ultimate is a well-rounded mouse. It’s lightweight (74g), designed around a 20,000 DPI sensor, includes durable optical mouse switches that are rated for up to 70 million clicks, and an ambidextrous design that makes it ideal for all gamers.

Despite its wireless connection, the Viper Ultimate is just as fast as most wired mice due to its underlying Razer HyperSpeed Wireless Technology. This results in low latency and a response time that’ll make it seem like you’re playing via a wired connection.

For right-handed players who like the Viper design...

Razer has released the Viper V2 Pro, an updated version of the Viper. It is better in just about every way. It has the same 30K optical sensor as the DeathAdder V3 Pro, weighs just 58 grams, lasts for up to 80 hours on a full charge, and has a stellar build quality and premium matte finish. You can use the Viper V2 Pro wirelessly via 2.4GHz HyperSpeed or wired with USB-C.

But despite its ambidextrous shape, the Viper V2 Pro drops the pair of side buttons on the right side. You only get the pair of buttons on the left.

So, with that said, we recommend the Viper Ultimate to left-handed players and the Viper V2 Pro to right-handed players. The Viper V2 Pro is definitely one of the best in Razer's catalog, but it's unfortunate that it doesn't have a true ambidextrous design like its predecessors.

See at Amazon (Viper Ultimate) See at Amazon (Viper V2 Pro)

The Good:

• Budget-friendly
• Durable design
• Programmable buttons

Looking for a Razer mouse that's easy on the budget and provides an optimal gaming experience? The DeathAdder Essential should suit your needs then, as it bundles durable mechanical switches with five programmable buttons, and a competent 6,400 DPI optical sensor. Ergonomically shaped and built from rugged materials, this budget-friendly mouse can go the distance and then some.

See at Best Buy See at Amazon

The Good:

• Sturdy build
• Attractive look
• Excellent mouse buttons
• 50 hours of battery life
• Great RGB lighting...

The Roccat Kain 200 Aimo is a sturdy-feeling mouse, made of a mostly plastic shell that's accented with a touch of metal to give it a sharp look. It's buttons are satisfying to press. Two thumb buttons feel comfortable and are perfect for remapping, while the DPI button right below the scroll wheel allows you to adjust the 16K DPI optical sensor's sensitivity on the fly. Using the Kain 200 is an excellent experience, gliding nicely across mouse pads and feeling accurate in the thick of action.

It features a battery life of up to 50 hours, more than enough for several days of play before charging is required. One downside, however, is that if you use the RGB lighting, there's a noticeable drop in battery performance--Roccat's site says it drops to 35 hours with illumination on. The Kain 200 is an excellent mouse, and if you can live without the RGB lighting, then it's definitely worth picking up.

See at Amazon

The Good

• Usable in both wired and wireless modes
• Adjustable scroll-wheel tension
• 100-hour battery life
• 11 programmable buttons
• Comes with charging dock

With a sharp shape and comfortable ergonomics, the Razer Basilisk is another one of the best gaming mice we’ve tested. It's slightly smaller than the DeathAdder, but it still felt good in my large hands. And like most of Razer's gaming mice, it shined in our tests. The Basilisk comes in three different variations, which all share the exact same shape but offer different options. The first is the Basilisk X HyperSpeed, which allows for both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless connectivity. It comes with six programmable buttons and is powered by one AA battery. It's the most basic of the three variations, containing only one on-board memory profile and no RGB lighting. The wired Basilisk V2, on the other hand, boasts five onboard profiles, 11 programmable buttons, and 2 RGB lighting zones as well as customizable scroll-wheel resistance--the latter makes it so you can move the scroll wheel with no clicking or all the clicking in the world. However, the Basilisk V2 can't be used wirelessly.

The third variation is the Basilisk Ultimate, a mouse you can use both wirelessly and wired. It uses the 2.4GHz standard for its wireless connectivity, and I didn't experience any latency in my use of it. Plugging it in with the included soft cable turns it into a wired mouse. This also charges the mouse to prepare it for your next wireless session--there's also an included dock you can place the mouse on between sessions. I was impressed by the number of programmable buttons and how natural they felt on the mouse's chassis. As someone with large hands, I normally prefer a slightly larger mouse, but the Basilisk's comfortable ergonomics superseded its smaller size, making a strong case for itself as a great gaming mouse.

See Razer Basilisk Ultimate See Razer Basilisk V2 See Razer Basilisk X

The Good

• Fantastic ambidextrous shape
• Strong click action
• Incredibly high-resolution sensor

The SteelSeries Sensei Ten is a budget-friendly ambidextrous gaming mouse with a solid design. The matte polymer shell coating feels a lot nicer and sturdier than the original shiny metallic Sensei, and way better than its rubberized RAW editions. There's also a noticeably stronger and nicer action to the button clicks, too--the Ten uses dual-spring mechanisms instead of singles, and they are graded for 60 million clicks.

The Sensei Ten sadly ditches the onboard customization of the original in favor of a software-only solution for its programmable buttons, and it lacks the more extensive RGB customization of some of SteelSeries' other mice. But it does feature SteelSeries' current TrueMove Pro sensor, a high-resolution 50–18,000 DPI optical sensor that will supposedly maintain 1:1 tracking, even at high speeds or if you lift your mouse. It's probably overkill if you're not a top-level competitive player who needs to crank their sensitivity to ridiculous heights, but it helps make the Sensei Ten feel smooth, precise, and good to play games with on a variety of different surfaces. It's nice to have the cutting-edge tech, but it's the form factor, build, and feel of the Sensei that makes this line so good.

See at Best Buy See at Amazon

The Good

• At 68 grams, it's one of the lightest options available
• Stylish design
• Great, tactile buttons
• Long battery life
• Boasts Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless

If you're in the market for a lightweight gaming mouse, the SteelSeries Aerox 3 is an excellent choice. Available in both wireless and wired models, the Aerox 3 comes in at only 68g. A lightweight mouse can help you make quicker movements. It has RGB lighting effects and a grated design that lets you see inside the mouse when it's on. Pretty neat! More importantly, the Aerox 3 offers stellar performance.

It uses a custom tracking sensor that produces pinpoint, accurate performance. The wireless version is equipped with advanced tech that makes it a fast, input-lag performer that makes it rival the stable performance of wired mice. Plus, the sensor is extremely energy efficient, allowing it to run for up to 200 hours on a full charge. The pair of side buttons are well-placed and have a satisfying click to them. That said, even though it has an ambidextrous form, the side buttons are set up for right-handed users.

The Aerox 3 is also a versatile pick, as it offers a wireless connection via a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle or Bluetooth. You can save some cash by opting for the wired version of the Aerox 3, too.

See at Amazon

The Good

• Multiple RGB lighting zones
• Granular DPI settings
• Excellent Value

The Bad

• N/A

As far as RGB lighting goes, mice tend not to get as flashy as keyboards. Among configurable RGB-lit mice from leading manufacturers, the Ironclaw's two-zone RGB lighting--the Corsair logo and the inner section of the scroll wheel--makes it one of the most colorful options. The accent lights on the side provide a little additional illumination, indicating your current profile and DPI settings.

Speaking of, the range maxes out at 18,000 DPI, and can be configured by increments of 1, giving you extreme control over the sensor, which complements the tight latency of a wired gaming mouse. Seven buttons round out the configurability of the Ironclaw, providing a little bit of everything for the player who likes to personalize the look and functionality of their RGB mouse.

The key features that make the Ironclaw worth a look can also be found on more expensive mice, but at this price, it has all of the qualities of a gaming mouse corsair fans have come to expect for a good price. It's an all-around feature-rich offering that won't break the bank.

See at Amazon

The Good:

• Wireless
• Multiple interchangeable side plates
• 20K DPI optical sensor

Mastering an MMO-genre game means having a dozen skills at your beck and call at any given time, and with the Razer Naga Pro, you'll be firing off spells and special attacks in rapid succession.

Razer's gaming mice have a reputation for being smooth, fast, and reliable, and the Naga Pro does the brand proud while also offering three interchangeable side plates with two, six, and 12-button configurations.

Even better, this mouse has a wireless mode that can keep up with its wired brethren, up to 100 hours of battery life, and a silky-smooth 20K DPI optical sensor.

See at Amazon

The Good

• Premium optical sensor
• Impressive battery life
• 18 programmable buttons

If you loved everything about the Aerox 3 and Aerox 5 but need a full suite of buttons, the Aerox 9 is the mouse for you. It looks almost identical to the others in the family, although you’ll notice a panel of 12 programmable buttons on its left side--along with six more on its face.

Despite all the buttons, SteelSeries managed to keep the mouse to just 89g, making this a surprisingly lightweight option for MMO and MOBA players. It’ll also net you around 180 hours of game time before needing a recharge and is IP54-rated for dust and water resistance.

Inside you’ll find the same TrueMove Air sensor as the Aerox 3, offering precise tracking and smooth movements regardless of what you’re playing. The mouse connects through Bluetooth for a no-fuss setup and can be charged using its detachable USB-C mesh cable. The Aerox 9 is the pinnacle of the Aerox lineup and carries a premium $150 price tag--although you can often find it on sale for much less.

See at Amazon

The Good:

• Optional wireless charging accessory
• Precise 25K sensor
• Customizable buttons

One of the very best gaming peripherals of all time, the Logitech G502 got even better when it added a wireless option. With a design that still looks wonderfully futuristic, a 25K optical sensor for impressive precision, and a scrolling wheel that lets you rotate it with reckless abandon, the G502 is a proven and durable gaming mouse. This model packs an extra punch in the longevity department, as it can be wirelessly charged with the power play wireless charging system, virtually eliminating any cables from your desktop in the process.

See at Best Buy See at Amazon

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email [email protected]

PC Gaming Tech

This story originally appeared on: GameSpot - Author:Steven Petite,Darryn Bonthuys