Top 5 compared
The best gaming mice
Quicker, steadier aim and extra buttons where your thumb rests, in a shape that fits the hand.
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The top 5 at a glance
A gaming mouse is an ordinary mouse built for speed and control: a sharper sensor, switches that click cleanly, and extra buttons for the things pressed most often. Light mice suit fast shooters, where aim is all quick flicks; bigger, heavier ones with more buttons suit strategy games and MMOs.
Wireless used to mean lag, but the wireless mice here use receivers made for games and run on an AA battery or a rechargeable one, while wired mice never need charging. Most are shaped for a right hand, or put their side buttons where a right thumb finds them. Buttons, sensitivity steps and lighting are usually set in the maker’s software.
What matters
- A shape that suits your grip: palm, claw or fingertip.
- Programmable side buttons within easy reach of the thumb.
- A thumb rest, for comfort through long sessions.
- Smooth PTFE feet, which glide with less drag.
#1Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse
$20–$30
Lag-free LIGHTSPEED wireless and a 12,000 DPI HERO sensor in a light, compact mouse that runs up to 250 hours on one AA battery. The receiver stores inside it, so it travels with a laptop without getting lost. Logitech began in 1981 in the Swiss village of Apples.
What owners say: Comfortable in the hand through long sessions, with a weight that feels right, and many have yet to change the battery. Some report lag, though, and a few have had the left button start double-clicking.
A closer look: Switch on Endurance mode in Logitech G HUB and the same AA lasts up to nine months, handy if it doubles as an everyday mouse. The small shell suits a claw or fingertip grip best; anyone who rests the whole palm on a mouse may get on better with something bigger, like the Basilisk.
- Receiver stores inside
- 1ms wireless response
- Suits claw or fingertip grip
- Settings in Logitech G HUB
Best for: Laptop gamers on the move
- Connection
- Wireless (LIGHTSPEED)
- Max DPI
- 12,000
- Power
- 1 AA, up to 250 hrs
- Programmable buttons
- 6
- Weight
- 3.5 oz
- Shape
- Compact
#2Razer Basilisk V3 Wired Gaming Mouse
$30–$50
Eleven programmable buttons, including a trigger under the thumb, and a scroll wheel that free-spins through long pages or clicks notch by notch for switching weapons. The thumb rest keeps long sessions comfortable.
What owners say: The thumb rest and well-placed buttons keep long sessions comfortable. The scroll wheel is the mixed point, with some finding it scrolls by itself, and a few had the mouse break within weeks.
A closer look: Put shortcuts such as push-to-talk or a ping on the thumb buttons; the lighting reacts to over 150 games that support Razer Chroma. Buttons, DPI steps and lighting are set in the Razer Synapse app, and Razer suggests switching off Windows’ Enhance pointer precision setting for steadier aim.
- Free-spinning tilt scroll wheel
- Trigger under the thumb
- Lighting reacts to 150+ games
- Switches rated for 70M clicks
- Set up in Razer Synapse
Best for: Shortcuts on every button
- Connection
- Wired
- Max DPI
- 26,000
- Power
- USB cable
- Programmable buttons
- 11
- Weight
- 3.6 oz (no cable)
- Shape
- Right-handed, thumb rest
#3Redragon M612 Wired RGB Gaming Mouse
$10–$20
A rapid-fire key is one of its eleven programmable buttons. The claw-grip shape has a frosted, fingerprint-free top and rubber on the thumb side for a sure hold.
What owners say: Comfortable to hold and fun to light up, with buttons to spare. Not every one lasts: some still work fine after a year, while others developed random clicks or failed within months.
A closer look: The five DPI steps come set between 500 and 4,000; Redragon’s free software unlocks anything up to 8,000 and remaps every button, side macro buttons included. It’s shaped for right hands and a claw grip, where the fingertips arch over the buttons rather than lying flat.
- Rapid-fire key
- Frosted, fingerprint-free top
- Rubber thumb-side grip
- 5 RGB lighting modes
Best for: Right-handed claw grips
- Connection
- Wired
- Max DPI
- 8,000
- Power
- USB cable
- Programmable buttons
- 11
- Weight
- 4.4 oz
- Shape
- Right-handed, claw grip
#4Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse
$75–$100
Logitech’s G502 shape without the cable: 11 programmable buttons, a hyper-fast scroll wheel for racing through menus and long pages, and six small weights in the box to tune the feel, on the same LIGHTSPEED wireless as the G305.
What owners say: It sits well in the hand, owners say, and the weights in the box are a nice touch for getting the balance right. Battery life and the price divide them, and the button feel suits some better than others.
A closer look: Logitech quotes up to 60 hours with the lighting off and about 48 with it on, and five minutes on the cable gives roughly two and a half hours. Start with no weights fitted and add them a pair at a time until the mouse feels steady; the buttons and DPI steps are set in Logitech G HUB.
- Six tuning weights included
- Hyper-fast scroll wheel
- Charging pad sold separately
- Settings in Logitech G HUB
Best for: Cable-free play with adjustable weight
- Connection
- Wireless (LIGHTSPEED)
- Max DPI
- 25,600
- Power
- Rechargeable, up to 60 hrs
- Programmable buttons
- 11
- Weight
- 4.0 oz (plus 0.6 oz of weights)
- Shape
- Right-handed
#5Glorious Model O Wired Gaming Mouse (matte white)
$30–$50
A honeycomb shell takes the weight down to 2.4 oz for fast flicks in shooters. The flexible paracord-style cable and pure PTFE feet glide with almost no drag, and the Pixart 3360 sensor tracks with no acceleration.
What owners say: Performance gets top marks. Reliability is less certain, with a few owners reporting the scroll wheel giving up.
Heads up: Glorious now sells the even lighter Model O Eternal in its place, so this original may not stay in stock for long.
A closer look: Dust can get in through the open honeycomb shell, so a soft brush and a puff of compressed air every so often keep it clean. Glorious shapes it for medium and large hands; it’s symmetrical, with the side buttons on the left, where a right hand’s thumb finds them.
- Honeycomb shell cuts weight
- Tracks with no acceleration
- Glides with almost no drag
- Flexible paracord-style cable
- Switches rated for 20M clicks
Best for: Flick aiming in shooters
- Connection
- Wired
- Max DPI
- 12,000
- Power
- USB cable
- Programmable buttons
- 6
- Weight
- 2.4 oz
- Shape
- Symmetrical, buttons on left
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Logitech G305 | #2Razer Basilisk V3 | #3Redragon M612 | #4Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED | #5Glorious Model O |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Lightest | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Price | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $10–$20 | $75–$100 | $30–$50 |
| Connection | Wireless (LIGHTSPEED) | Wired | Wired | Wireless (LIGHTSPEED) | Wired |
| Max DPI | 12,000 | 26,000 | 8,000 | 25,600 | 12,000 |
| Power | 1 AA, up to 250 hrs | USB cable | USB cable | Rechargeable, up to 60 hrs | USB cable |
| Programmable buttons | 6 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
| Weight | 3.5 oz | 3.6 oz (no cable) | 4.4 oz | 4.0 oz (plus 0.6 oz of weights) | 2.4 oz |
| Shape | Compact | Right-handed, thumb rest | Right-handed, claw grip | Right-handed | Symmetrical, buttons on left |
| Best for | Laptop gamers on the move | Shortcuts on every button | Right-handed claw grips | Cable-free play with adjustable weight | Flick aiming in shooters |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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