Best gaming mouse: Our favourite wired and wireless pointers

To compete with the very best gamers out there, you’ll need to equip yourself with the best gaming mouse you can afford. That’s where we come in: we’ve spent hundreds of hours playing games and running tests to sort the winners from the wannabes. Read on and we’ll help you pick the best mouse for your games and playing style.

If you already know what you’re looking for, you’ll find bite-size reviews of all our current favourites further down the page. With prices that range from budget-friendly to wallet-bruising, there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re a beginner looking to gain an edge in your favourite games, a seasoned expert who wants to maintain their elite kill-to-death ratio or even a left-hander hoping to find a suitable pointer, we can recommend something that fits the bill.

If, on the other hand, you don’t know your palm grip from your claw grip, keep reading. We’ll explain everything you need to know in our handy buying guide.

Best gaming mouse: At a glance

How to choose the best gaming mouse for you

When it comes to choosing a gaming mouse, it’s easy to get sidetracked by marketing fluff. An incredibly high DPI and the latest sensor might sound like they will elevate your game to the next level, but in reality, there are more important things to consider.

You should be most concerned by the overall shape and weight of the mouse. Then, in order of relevance, comes the buttons, the DPI, the sensor and everything else. We’ll explain ourselves below.

Why are shape and weight so important?

The shape and weight of your mouse – that is, the overall build of it – are directly related to how well you will perform in your favourite FPS/MMORPG/MOBA. The wrong build will feel unnatural and uncomfortable and may exacerbate mouse-related injuries.

The shape that suits you will depend largely on your mouse grip. Here’s how to work out which grip you use:

1. Place your hand on your mouse.
2. If your entire hand (palm and fingers) is resting on the surface of the mouse, you have a palm grip.
3. If your palm is elevated, and only your fingertips touch the mouse, you have a fingertip grip.
4. If the rear of your palm touches the mouse surface, and your fingers are visibly arched rather than flat against the mouse, you have a claw grip.

Palm grippers will appreciate a taller mouse (“high profile”) with a more rounded palm rest – in other words, a mouse that slots comfortably into the natural curve of your palm. You may also find that ambidextrous mice are noticeably less comfortable.

Fingertip or claw grippers, meanwhile, can get away with flatter mice (“low profile”); claw grippers in particular will prefer mice that have a flatter or less rounded palm rest.

Unfortunately, choosing a weight that suits you is a little less formulaic. We’ve tried mice that range in weight from 74g to 136g and found that we prefer mice in the middle of that range. Heavy mice are often large mice, and large mice are often unwieldy – even for those with larger hands.

Some mice offer removable weights, so you can adjust the heft of the thing on the fly, but this is uncommon. As a rule of thumb, lighter mice are preferable where rapid mousing action is required (ie. in shooters).

How many buttons do I need?

If you’re a Call of Duty/Battlefield/CounterStrike player, you’ll be happy with the standard two additional buttons mounted on the side of the mouse, plus a third dedicated DPI adjuster button (usually found below the scroll wheel).

Avid League of Legends or World of Warcraft players, however, will benefit from additional side-mounted buttons. Almost all modern mice come with PC-based software, so you can bind item slots or abilities to those extra buttons and keep your keyboard hand free for the important task of moving.

What is DPI, and how much do I need?

DPI, or dots per inch (also known as counts per inch, or Mickeys per second) is a measure of how far your mouse cursor moves on the screen when you move your mouse one inch. The higher the DPI, the more sensitive the mouse.

Most gaming mouse manufacturers flaunt their mouse’s extraordinarily high DPI as a killer feature, but the truth is, most gamers won’t ever even use a sensitivity higher than about 1,600DPI. Beyond that, in-game movement becomes very hard to control – and to think, some mice can reach a whopping 26,000dpi.

Why is the sensor not important?

For the simple reason that, unless you’re using a mouse from several decades ago (the kind with a little plastic ball inside) you’ll struggle to tell one sensor from another. None of the mice on our list have sensors so terrible as to put you off buying them.

What other things should I watch out for?

Cable: Is it braided? Cables with a fabric exterior don’t tangle and won’t catch on the edge of your desk like plastic ones.

RGB: If lighting is the most important thing for you, don’t worry: we understand. Most of the mice on this list have customisable RGB lighting, though not all gaming mice can produce multiple colours. Check before you buy.

How we test gaming mice

Every gaming mouse we recommend goes through the same testing procedure. We use the mouse for at least a week, testing the buttons and scroll wheel in various gaming scenarios (primarily shooters) to judge how easy they are to access and use. Using the mouse regularly also allows us to gauge how well it glides and whether it’s prone to collecting fingerprints or making hand sweaty (gross, but important). We use a web-based mouse accuracy test to gather supplementary data on how well we performed with each mouse set to the same DPI.

If the mouse has companion software, we’ll explore it fully, creating macros and adjusting DPI or RGB lighting. We stress-test the mouse to judge build quality, noting the materials used in the body of the mouse and its cable (if applicable). If the mouse is wireless, we can gauge battery life by using the mouse from full charge and noting drain speed, although most wireless mice last several months on a single charge.

READ NEXT: Best gaming keyboards

The best gaming mice you can buy in 2023

1. SteelSeries Rival 3: Best budget gaming mouse

Price when reviewed: £35 | Check price at Amazon SteelSeries’ cheapest gaming mouse is a minimalistic affair. At just 22mm high, and weighing only 77g, this is a low profile pointer best suited to the tip or claw grippers out there. In testing, however, this palm gripper soon adjusted to the low weight and slim frame and wielded the Rival 3 with more accuracy than any other mouse on test.

This mouse has two side-mounted buttons – standard fare for such a no-fuss model – plus a DPI toggle below the scroll wheel, all of which can be programmed using SteelSeries’ excellent Engine desktop application. Every button actuates with a very satisfying mechanical click.

The only claim to extravagance here is a slim LED strip that outlines the rear and sides of the mouse; it’s a touch of very tasteful RGB flair that is also fully customisable via the Engine app.

If you’re an FPS fanatic on a budget, the Rival 3 is a lightweight, low-cost mouse from an esteemed family of SteelSeries gaming mice. It will serve you very well indeed.

Key specs – Dimensions: 120 x 58 x 22mm; Weight: 77g; Sensor: SteelSeries TrueMove Core; Maximum DPI: 8,500; Buttons: 6; RGB: Yes

2. Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Wireless: Best wireless gaming mouse

Price when reviewed: £53 | Check price at Amazon The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Wireless is a supremely comfortable gaming mouse that connects to your PC/laptop via either Bluetooth or a Corsair Slipstream wireless dongle. It has a tall, round profile with a splayed front that best suits gamers who cling to their pointer for dear life. At 79g it’s surprisingly light but the bulky frame helps prevent it from feeling insubstantial. With seven customisable buttons and a slot to store the wireless dongle, the Sabre RGB Pro wireless isn’t exactly overflowing with extra features, but from a technical perspective, this mouse is up there with the very best. A maximum resolution of 26,000 DPI plus 2,000Hz hyper-polling make this a supremely responsive mouse that should appeal to any self-confessed pro gamers out there. C

Corsair’s iCUE technology is available to those who want to toy with the discreet RGB lighting, remap buttons or adjust DPI intervals. The battery life is rated at 60 hours via Slipstream and 90 hours via Bluetooth, which is very good indeed. Truthfully there’s very little wrong with the Sabre RGB Pro Wireless: provided you have the cash, this is one of the best gaming mice around at the moment.

Key specs – Dimensions: 129 x 70 x 43mm; Weight: 79g; Sensor: Corsair Marksman 26K; Maximum DPI: 26,000; Buttons: 7; RGB: Yes

3. Razer Basilisk V3: Best gaming mouse

Price when reviewed: £70 | Check price at Razer Razer’s latest Basilisk gaming mouse has more than a few tricks up its sleeves. To begin with, the third-gen Basilisk is yet another Razer mouse that’s supremely customisable, with the usual array of DPI sensitivity adjustments (up to a max 26,000), polling rate tweaks (up to 1,000Hz), lift-off/landing distance customisation and RGB tuning via Razer’s Synapse 3 software.

Where the wired Basilisk V3 really comes into its own, however, is with the new scroll wheel. The Basilisk V3 is the first gaming mouse outside of Logitech’s own factories with a free-wheeling scroller and what this means is that you not only get a normal “notched” scrolling mode, but there’s also a “free-spin” mode – enabled with a simple button press – which lets loose the scroll wheel for high-speed scrolling. It also increases momentum the faster you spin the wheel.

Every single one of the Basilisk V3’s 11 buttons are fully customisable and it even has a side-mounted sensitivity clutch which, when pressed, slows down your mouse movements for fine-tuned aiming. In terms of performance, the Basilisk V3 sits among the best in the business: it’s ridiculously light with a low profile, a lovely, frictionless glide and a comfortable concave thumb grip.

Well-priced with customisation options galore, the Basilisk V3 is a sensational choice for just about any gamer.

Key specs – Dimensions: 129 x 62 x 43mm; Weight: 101g; Sensor: Razer Focus Plus; Maximum DPI: 26,000; Buttons: 11; RGB: Yes

4. HyperX Pulsefire Haste: Best lightweight gaming mouse

Price when reviewed: £40 | Check price at Game HyperX’s attempt at a honeycomb gaming mouse is a good one. The Pulsefire Haste weighs just 59g, making it easily the lightest mouse we’ve ever tested. This ridiculous weight is supposed to help where rapid mouse movements are required and for our part, it doesn’t disappoint. Small, narrow and not particularly tall, the Pulsefire Haste is made for claw grippers. But like many of the mice on this list, these characteristics make it a fine choice for anyone who needs as much control and dexterity as a gaming mouse can offer. In fact, the Pulsefire Haste sailed through our accuracy test: we produced a perfect 100% score, hitting every target we aimed at over the course of a 30-second period.

With a total of six programmable buttons, the Pulsefire Haste isn’t overladen with features, but this sort of feels like the point. Even the RGB lighting is limited to just a small strip that outlines the scroll wheel. The Pulsefire Haste can however be customised to your heart’s content (as much as this minimalist mouse can be) using HyperX’s Ngenuity software, so in this respect the essentials are covered and covered well. It even comes with grip tape to prevent accidental slippage, and the cable is braided, too. If you want a barebones gaming mouse to give you that competitive edge in a reaction-based game, and don’t want to spend a fortune to get one, the HyperX Pulsefire Haste is a fantastic choice.

Key specs – Dimensions: 119 x 41 x 64mm; Weight: 59g; Sensor: Pixart PAW3335; Maximum DPI: 6,200; Buttons: 6; RGB: Yes

5. Fnatic Bolt Wireless: Best lightweight wireless gaming mouse

Price when reviewed: £61 | Check price at Overclockers The Fnatic Bolt is a simple looking thing, eschewing the garish RGB lighting and overdose of buttons that many manufacturers default to, in favour of a plain white or black colour scheme punctuated only by an LED – backlit scroll wheel and the barest minimum of controls.

Don’t let that put you off, though, because when it comes to features and feel, the Bolt really does have it where it counts. We’d always prefer wired when it comes to pure gaming performance, and the Bolt absolutely delivers that, with a flexible paracord USB-C to USB-A cable supplied in the box.

However, if you prefer the convenience of wireless, the Bolt can do that, too, a switch on its base allowing you to toggle between Bluetooth and low-latency (1ms) RF connections, and an RF USB-A dongle included in the box. The 470mAh battery stretches to 210 hours in Bluetooth mode and 110 hours in RF, too, so you’ll be able to get plenty of use out of it before having to charge it again. You can customise the scroll-wheel lighting and profiles with the Fnatic software and store up to four profiles on the mouse itself, as well.

It isn’t 100% ambidextrous due to the two side buttons being mounted on the left and we don’t like that there’s no slot to stow the RF dongle in. It’s the feel of the Bolt while gaming, however, that seals the deal. Its Pixart 3370 sensor delivers sensitivity of up to 19,000dpi, its Kailh GM 8.0 button switches deliver sharp, responsive clicks and it’s incredibly light for a wireless mouse, too, weighing a mere 67g for the black model pictured here and 69g for the white one.

Key specs – Dimensions: 121 x 55 x 39mm; Weight: 69g; Sensor: Pixart 3370; Maximum DPI: 19,000; Buttons: 6; RGB: Yes

6. AOC AGM700: Best value gaming mouse

Price when reviewed: £40 | Check price at Amazon AOC’s first attempt at a gaming mouse is a good one. The AGM700 packs an awful lot of mouse into a low price tag, with eight mappable buttons, a dedicated sniper button for instantly reducing the DPI and even a compartment on the bottom of the mouse that holds additional weights. These weights increase the overall weight from 90g to 115g; although neither of these are particularly light for a mouse with FPS aspirations, gamers who don’t much care for ultra-light gaming mice will appreciate the heft. This isn’t a particularly large mouse, and the steeply angled palm rest suits claw grippers more than anyone else. The sides are textured and concave to help your pinkie and thumb grip the mouse more easily. We had no difficulty using the AGM700 in Battlefield 2042: the feet glide smoothly and the mouse is suitably responsive – plus we quite like the additional weight. Your mileage may of course vary.

The only real downside here is the datedness of both the mouse design and the AOC G-Tools application. The latter is the place to customise your DPI adjuster, map controls to buttons and change the fairly uninspiring LED lighting. It functions perfectly well, but it definitely needs dragging into the current year. The same is true of the mouse, which looks several years out of date thanks to the metallic left/right click and mismatched sniper button. Look beyond the slightly tacky exterior, however, and you’ll find a great-value mouse with plenty to offer any casual gamer.

Key specs – Dimensions: 123.8 x 63.4 x 37.9mm; Weight: 90-115g; Sensor: PixArt PMW3389; Maximum DPI: 16,000; Buttons: 8; RGB: Yes

7. Razer Viper Ultimate: Best gaming mouse for battery life

Price when reviewed: £105 | Check price at Amazon

Choosing the right award for the Razer Viper Ultimate was tough. For one thing, it’s one of the lightest, thinnest mice we’ve tested; but it’s also ambidextrous, and it boasts the best battery life of any wireless mouse I’ve tested. However, that ridiculous 74g weight paired with a slight build and some rather unique specifications mean that the Viper Ultimate stands out as a mouse for anyone looking to capitalise on their lightning-fast reflexes.

The Viper Ultimate can handle mousing speeds of up to 650IPS (inches per second), which in layman’s terms means it can keep up with exceptionally rapid movements without losing the ability to track said movement. Great for general accuracy, but especially so if you lower your DPI for added precision – low sensitivities require faster mouse movements.

To add to this growing pile of positives, the Viper Ultimate will last 70 hours on a single charge and includes a nifty magnetic charging dock with braided cable. You can customise lighting and button functions within Razer Synapse, where you’ll also find the option to switch between right- and left-handed modes. Put simply, this mouse does it all – which explains the high price.

Key specs – Dimensions: 127 x 58 x 38mm; Weight: 74g; Sensor: Razer Focus Plus; Maximum DPI: 20,000; Buttons: 7; RGB: Yes

8. SteelSeries Prime Wireless: Best wireless gaming mouse for work

Price when reviewed: £62 | Check price at Amazon This lightweight and comfortable mouse delivers the best of both worlds to help players reach optimum speed and precision. The SteelSeries Prime Wireless ditches the cable for a fluid mousing experience, with an immensely satisfying button actuation (or click, to you and me) and a shape that slots neatly into the palm. Despite its subtle design and minimalist approach to LED lighting (just a single strip lining the scroll wheel), this is a mouse created with the gamer in mind. It’s got a ‘tactile microtexture’ finish to give you a solid grip, and underneath you’ll find a button that lets you switch between different DPI settings, up to a maximum of 18,000 and all customizable in the SteelSeries Engine software.

It’s even got a purported battery life of 100 hours on one charge, which means you can spend both a full day at work and a whole evening of gaming and not have to worry about running out of juice. It connects to your PC via a 2.4GHz wireless adapter – it’s USB-C, but SteelSeries includes a USB-A adapter cable in the box. There’s no Bluetooth support here, but for a mouse that manages to feel good, look great and play excellently, we don’t think that matters.

Read our full SteelSeries Prime Wireless review for more details

Key specs – Dimensions: 125 x 59 x 23mm; Weight: 80g; Sensor: TrueMove Air; Maximum DPI: 18,000; Buttons: 5; RGB: Yes

9. Corsair M65 Elite: Best gaming mouse for FPS

Price when reviewed: £60 | Check price at Corsiar

Light, comfortable and reasonably small, the Corsair M65 Elite is a good choice for first-person shooter or battle royale fanatics. The standout feature here is a dedicated “sniper button”, placed on the left-hand side where your thumb naturally rests; this button instantly lowers the sensitivity when held, to help you make those critical cross-map shots.

If you want to take even more control of the mouse, the M65 Elite also features removable weights, which when removed lighten the mouse by some 18g. The customisation options extend to software, too: the M65 Elite can store any macros and lighting profiles you create in Corsair’s iCUE software thanks to a small amount of built-in memory.

We recommend purchasing the black model, as the white one picks up grime incredibly quickly. This is, however, our only complaint: if you’re hoping to get a competitive edge in your next round of Warzone, this might be the mouse for you.

Key specs – Dimensions: 118 x 72 x 39mm; Weight: 97g; Sensor: Pixart PMW3391; Maximum DPI: 18,000; Buttons: 8; RGB: Yes

10. Logitech G903: Best ambidextrous wireless gaming mouse

Price when reviewed: £113 | Check price at Amazon Like its fellow Logitech option the G502 Hero, the G903’s sleek exterior is decidedly deceptive, as it hides a grand total of 12 buttons. One of these is locked to switching the resistance on the scroll wheel, but the other 11 can be fully customised, allowing you to set the mouse up for either right- or left-handed play. Whichever hand you decide to use, you’re getting a comfortable and responsive gaming mouse with enough functionality to suit a wide range of game genres. Removable plates give you the choice to have side-mounted buttons on either or both sides of the mouse, with the latter in particular being perfect for MMO players who can never have enough buttons. Though the mouse is fairly solid by default, anyone who prefers a bit more heft from will be pleased to know that there’s an optional 10g weight that can be slotted into the base for greater accuracy.

Flair is fairly light on the G903, with just the logo on the palm rest lighting up, but you can apply a wide variety of colours and patterns using the Logitech G Hub software to really make it your own. For the best performance out of the G903, consider pairing it with Logitech’s PowerPlay mousepad, which wirelessly charges your mouse while you use it. Together, they’re not cheap, but the expense is well worth it to never have to worry about charging your mouse again.

Key specs – Dimensions: 130 x 67 x 40mm; Weight: 110g; Sensor: Logitech Hero; Maximum DPI: 25,600; Buttons: 11; RGB: Yes

11. Roccat Kone XP: Best gaming mouse for customization

Price when reviewed: £70 | Check price at Amazon

Despite the fact you can see through to the hardware inside, the Roccat Kone XP is a solid, well-built mouse with plenty of functions for all kinds of gaming.

The first thing you’ll notice when comparing it to other mice is the button below the thumb grip with a little [+] on it. This may be familiar to you if you’ve already got other Roccat products, and indicates their trademark EasyShift technology. Hold down the + button and it changes the normal function of your buttons into whatever you like. For instance, by default, holding down the EasyShift button and flicking the mousewheel to the right lets you skip tracks on Spotify. With four more thumb buttons, including two at the front for changing DPI and one on top for switching profiles, this mouse can do a lot.

The mouse sits nicely in the hand and is just heavy enough to feel precise. The see-through top cover has a texture I can only describe as smooth without being slippy. The resistance of the left and right mouse buttons is minimal thanks to Roccat’s own Titan optical switches, which makes clicking feel uniquely fast and responsive. It’s also surprisingly quiet, so you won’t have to worry about plaguing your roommates with your clicking around on a sleepy Sunday morning.

With enough bulk to suit the palm gripper, the sides of the mouse provide ample grip for the fingertip and claw players too. Meanwhile, the braided cable prevents any tangling with other wires or wrapping around the feet of your monitor.

The Krystal 4D mousewheel is prominent and lets you assign a function to its right and left ‘click’ function. Something to be aware of if you’re planning on using the mouse for work as well as play is that the scroll wheel offers quite a tactile feel. Good for choosing weapons in-game, but perhaps not ideal for scrolling through PDFs.

Nevertheless, this is an extremely nice-looking mouse that feels good to rest your hand on, with precise movement and accurate clicks that contribute to an ideal gaming experience. With plenty of customization options in the Swarm software, this is a versatile tool for any gaming job, whether it’s defeating hordes of enemies or amassing tons of loot.

Key specs – Dimensions: 126 x 76 x 40mm; Weight: 104g; Sensor: Owl-Eye; Maximum DPI: 19,000; Buttons: 15; RGB: Yes