The Best Gaming Mice of 2021

At the expensive end of Razer’s mouse range, with an off-putting $169.99 price, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate sits proudly atop its angled charging cradle. As the name implies, this wireless gaming mouse has everything. It looks fantastic with no fewer than 14 customizable lighting zones, an elongated left mouse button, hard angles, and textured sides for enhanced grip. It will suit large hands and a palm grip best, but it’s light enough for claw or fingertip grips, with a textured thumb rest on the left that means it’s only suitable for right handers.

There are 11 programmable buttons and a large scroll wheel that you can finetune for the perfect tension level. Movement is silky smooth and lightning fast, and the Basilisk offers laser accuracy with an exceptionally reliable wireless connection and zero perceptible delay. Every element of this mouse can be tweaked to your liking. Dig into Razer’s Synapse software and you can customize everything, taking DPI up to a maximum of 20,000, calibrating for different surfaces, and choosing preset lighting effects or creating your own.

The Razer Basilisk Ultimate is an absolute pleasure to use throughout the workday and then long into the night for gaming, which is possible thanks to the long battery life. The option to switch to a wired connection if the battery runs out on you is handy, but rarely needed. When you’re done, it slots onto the charging cradle like a small desktop sculpture. We also appreciate the optional sniper paddle, which you can hold down with your left thumb for a temporary DPI switch that makes precise aiming much easier.

The only thing that gives us pause in recommending the Razer Basilisk Ultimate is the price, which will be impossible to justify for most people. Otherwise, it’s an absolute dream mouse.

Building on the popular G502 range, the Lightspeed improves on its predecessors by cutting the cable, shedding some weight, and improving the sensor. The tweaks are all on the inside, as the G502 Lightspeed has the same angular exterior as the old Proteus Spectrum, which will be good news for gamers used to that design. It’s a right-handed mouse in matte black with a rubberized thumb rest and side panel for enhanced grip. Compartments make space for a set of small weights, so you can tune the feel of this mouse.

Performance is fast, accurate, and completely lag free. The sensor goes up to 16,000 DPI and features 1,000 Hz polling rates. There are 11 programmable buttons within easy reach, and you can use Logitech’s G hub software to map them, set up macros, and create shortcuts. This mouse also features fully customizable RGB lighting with various effects and the option to create your own.

As a wireless gaming mouse battery life is a potential issue, particularly if you like lighting effects. Logitech supplies a USB-C charging cable and you can always plug in and continue to play when the battery runs low. There’s also an optional Powerplay wireless charging mouse mat, though it’s pricey and slightly reduces your weight customization options as you have to insert the wireless charging puck.

With a sharp, angular style, three RGB lighting zones, ten programmable buttons, and slick wireless connectivity the Corsair Ironclaw RGB is a versatile gaming mouse. It boasts an attractive design with excellent build quality. It’s big and tall with a pronounced peak, textured grip on the sides, and it’s a right-handed mouse. It will suit palm grips best, though fingertip or claw grips are possible for those with larger hands. At 130 grams, it is quite heavy, so it might not suit FPS fanatics.

The Corsair Ironclaw RGB is a wireless mouse and can connect using Corsair’s “Slipstream” technology which jumps channels on the 2.4GHz frequency automatically to keep you seamlessly connected. It feels very responsive and we didn’t encounter any lag. There’s also Bluetooth support as a backup and you also have the option of plugging in via the charging cable for a wired connection. A customizable DPI goes up to 18,000 for extreme accuracy, and your current level is displayed on the side via three LEDs.

To get the best from the Corsair Ironclaw RGB, you’ll want to install the iCue software. This allows you to set up lighting effects; map keys, shortcuts, and macros to buttons; choose your DPI presets; and a host of other specifics to get the right feel for you. We didn’t like the defaults, but after fiddling around with iCue, we really began to appreciate the Ironclaw. You can set up profiles for different games and there’s onboard storage for three profiles.

The rechargeable battery can go for 16 hours connected via Slipstream with the lighting on and it takes around two hours to recharge. Considering the versatility, top notch wireless connectivity, and long list of features on offer here, the price tag feels reasonable.

Easily one of the best gaming mice available, Razer’s Deathadder V2 is a popular pick for gamers of all kinds. The Deathadder V2 Mini takes most of what’s great about the design and shrinks it down a little for smaller hands. Razer has managed to shave a fraction of an inch from the width and height and shed one of the buttons next to the mouse wheel, but the Mini retains the same shape. This is the lightest gaming mouse we’ve used, at just 62 grams, and it’s effortless to move, with a braided power cable that never gets in the way.

The Razer Deathadder V2 Mini comes with optional grips that you can affix if you feel the need. The response time is 0.2 milliseconds, there are six programmable buttons, and the DPI sensor goes up to 8,500. That’s a long way short of the regular Deathadder V2 which tops out at 20,000 DPI. Still, the Deathadder V2 Mini is very responsive and accurate for first-person shooting and third-person action. It’s perhaps too small and light for adults, but perfect for kids.

Like most of Razer’s wares, the Deathadder V2 Mini can be customized via the Synapse software. It also supports Razer Chroma RGB, so you can pick from various lighting effects or create your own if you have the patience to work through the complicated editor. Some of the scaled down elements of the Deathadder V2 Mini are more pleasing than others, but the best is the lower price;at $49.99, this mouse costs $20 less than the regular Deathadder V2.

Most gaming mice have sharp, angular designs with countless programmable buttons on them, but the Roccat Kain 120 AIMO is relatively subtle and minimalist. It’s gently shaped for right handers, with two buttons where your thumb rests, and a good gap between the left and right mouse buttons where you’ll find a DPI button and a wide, clickable, notched mouse wheel. It’s a wired mouse that weighs in at 89 grams, with a permanently attached braided cable that’s 5.9 feet long. Although there are no textured grips, the soft touch coating feels grippy and durable.

It feels very responsive in everyday use and it never let us down during gaming sessions. The DPI goes up to 16,000, way beyond what most people will need. You can remap buttons, set up macros, and tweak a few other settings using Roccat’s Swarm software, but note that it doesn’t work with macOS. We particularly like the option to set up different profiles for different games, and you can save up to five of them on the mouse itself.

The AIMO RGB lighting is also fairly subdued, with just the Roccat logo and mouse wheel lighting up. You can choose various preset lighting effects or set up your own using Swarm. While we found the Roccat Kain 120 AIMO comfortable to use throughout the day, and appreciated the handy DPI button and the feel of the mouse wheel, it doesn’t set your pulse racing and we were a little surprised by the relatively high price for the package.

Ambidextrous designs are in short supply, so the SteelSeries Sensei Ten is sure to pique the interest of left-handed gamers. This is a low-profile, lightweight mouse at 92 grams, and it has a lovely, soft-touch finish that makes it extremely comfortable to use for long periods, but also enhances your grip. The thin 6.75-foot cable won’t get in your way and there’s a symmetrical button design, so you can use this mouse whether you’re right or left-handed.

We have no complaints about the performance of this mouse. The sensor goes up to 18,000 DPI and has a 1,000 Hz polling rate. You can use the SteelSeries Engine 3 software to map the eight buttons, but there are only two RGB lighting zones, comprising the logo, which tends to be under your hand, and the mouse wheel.

Unfortunately, the design was a deal-breaker because we kept accidentally pressing the right-side buttons. The features are also somewhat lacking for the asking price, but if you prefer an understated style that focuses on performance, particularly if you’re left-handed, the SteelSeries Sensei Ten might be your ideal gaming mouse.