The Best Gaming Mice of 2018

Razer Mamba Tournament Edition

I make it a rule to avoid checking prices on the products I test in a roundup, and my time with the Mamba Tournament Edition had me expecting it would fetch a much higher price. But for the $90 asking price (and a street price around $60–$75), this Mamba is an excellent choice.

Not only is the baseline quality a step above the average gaming mouse, the Mamba Tournament Edition delivers the one thing most of the mice in this list were missing: weight. It isn't a button-heavy product, featuring only two additional customizable keys, but the quality of the materials stood out from the pack. The Mamba Tournament Edition mitigates a high price tag by avoiding extraneous features and honing in on providing a quality experience.

I tested/used a bunch of mice for this roundup, and this one was far and away my favorite, and the one I'd buy. It feels sturdier than even some more expensive gaming mice, and the added weight gives it a feeling of heightened precision. As an added bonus, the Mamba Tournament Edition also includes a very nice transport/storage case, and its strobing RGB LED lights are of subtler stuff than some of the more aggressive-looking mice in this roundup. For the money, this is the best mouse for the most gamers.

Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum

Somewhat ridiculous name aside, we've got to hand our Best Value pick to Logitech's affordable, midrange 'Proteus Spectrum' gaming mouse. My first impressions of this mouse were very positive: despite how many buttons it has, it's quite intuitive. While you won't get the versatility of a wired/wireless combo here, the G502 delivers a lot of value for the very reasonable starting price of $80. What's more, it's widely available for $60 online, and as low as $40 in some instances. What a steal!

Even if you're not familiar with Logitech's standard gaming mouse filigree, the G502 is very intuitive. It features two center/top buttons, one for toggling the mouse wheel between "loose" and "granular" settings, and one for adjusting DPI presets on the fly. This is the case for most Logitech mice, but it's nice to get both options on such an affordable product, and one that also features multiple tunable buttons. The G502 also uses a handy LED-based DPI indicator for various settings—normal, fast, super-fast, and slow—so it's especially good for shooter scenarios where different weapons call for different optimal speeds.

But what seals the "best value" award for the G502 is that it includes a series of 3.6-gram weights to be added or removed from the body of the mouse, allowing users to increase/decrease the weight to find an optimal fit. While I love that the Mamba Tournament Edition is already weighted from the get-go, the option to add weight to the Proteus Spectrum—combined with its multiple buttons and adjustable wheel/DPI settings—grant it a very desirable amount of flexibility.

SteelSeries Rival 500

The SteelSeries Rival is a very solid mouse, but it's also very specialized: I have a feeling if you need this mouse, you know about it already. The key feature of the Rival 500 is the sheer amount of programmable buttons this thing has. With 15 different buttons in tow, it's basically a keyboard replacement! This is a setup that's ideal for games with lots of macros of cooldown skills—think MMOs or even MOBAs.

However, I found that that the Rival 500's generous controls may also contribute to its biggest problem: a lack of weight. As with other mice with 10+ buttons, there's just not much heft to the body of the mouse itself. With no option to add more weights, the mouse feels feather-light, and not in a good way. This isn't a huge issue, especially if you like lightweight mice, but it's the cost of essentially having a keyboard in your right hand.

Logitech G403 (Wireless)

The Logitech G403 Prodigy (Wireless) is based on one of the company's more affordable wired mice, and it comes with most of the standard, game-facing Logitech features. You'll get variable RGB LEDs of course, as well as Logitech's adjustable loose/granular mouse wheel. There are two left-side mounted buttons, and Logitech even includes a 10g weight that can be inserted into the bottom of the mouse for added precision and control.

You're essentially paying $30 more here for the wireless ability compared to the wired version of the G403 Prodigy, and that's the most important aspect to consider. While the $70 G403 stands out as one of Logitech's more affordable feature-focused mice, the wireless edition packages that same functionality with the added flexibility of using a USB dongle and ditching the wire. Rudimentary testing revealed very impressive response for a wireless mouse, so we think the added flexibility is worth it.

HyperX Pulsefire FPS

HyperX's Pulsefire FPS wants to be the go-to gaming mouse for FPS titles, as you might have guessed from the name. For $50, you're getting a razor-focused gaming mouse that boasts a Pixart 3310 sensor and the standard—but very welcome—four DPI settings, switchable via a central button. The Pulsefire FPS naturally pairs with the HyperX Alloy FPS gaming keyboard, with both featuring handsome, red-and-black wrapped cables.

While the Pulsefire FPS's lightweight design is probably great for FPS titles specifically, I prefer a little more weight with my mice, and it felt a bit loose/jittery during a title like StarCraft. Then again, if you're primarily looking for an FPS-focused mouse, the Pulsefire is one of the best options I tested. Just don't expect it to be as good for games across multiple genres.

Razer DeathAdder Chroma V2

Razer's tagline for the DeathAdder Chroma V2 is "More Power. More Control. More Color." I really couldn't say it any better myself.

This "entry-level" option from Razer delivers the company's standard gaming mouse performance in an affordable package, featuring an ergonomic design, good quality materials, two additional mouse buttons, and the 16.8-million RGB LED variety featured in all of Razer's "Chroma" products.

The high point here is obviously the price. The DeathAdder doesn't have any weaknesses, but it also doesn't do much to stand out from the crowd. That isn't necessarily a drawback, either. The minimalist approach means it's a good fit for games and budgets of all walks.

SteelSeries Rival 700

The $99 Rival 700 is an altogether different product from the 15-button Rival 500. It's weightier and feels much more durable, while trimming down the amount of buttons to two. The Rival 700 is a high-end product, featuring a PixArt PMW3360 optical sensor, customizable tactile alerts, an OLED display (super cool), and a grip-friendly finish.

The OLED screen has to be the coolest feature here. On the mouse's left side, it features various informational and function-related popups, including game statistics. But even without it, the Rival 700 stands out as a very well-made and minimalist gaming mouse that checks off a lot of boxes in both the form and function categories.

Logitech Pro

Like the Logitech gaming keyboard of the same name, the Logitech Pro mouse is a simple and intuitive product. Despite its feature-heavy nature, it's very newcomer friendly: the lower central button adjusts DPI presets, while the standard center button toggles the mouse wheel between loose and granular. A handsome, detachable braided cable is a nice touch, making it easy to bundle this mouse up for traveling, if you're so inclined.

Unfortunately, like a lot of gaming mouse out there, the Pro is a great starter pick, but doesn't have any overt strengths. It won't let you down, but it isn't specialized for a particular genre of game, nor is it particularly reliable-feeling or weighty and durable. Even still, if you just want something simple to get started, this is a good choice.