Kimber Streams has spent thousands of hours playing games like Deep Rock Galactic, Overwatch, Team Fortress 2, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, and Diablo III with a mouse and keyboard. They have also written or edited nearly all of Wirecutter’s gaming guides since 2014, including those covering laptops, mice, and keyboards.
If you play games on a PC, you should consider a gaming mouse. These models have faster response times than regular wired or wireless mice, more precise sensors, ergonomically placed buttons that you can customize with software, comfortable shapes, and scroll wheels with decisive ratchets. Most gaming mice let you switch between different sensitivity levels with the push of a button, allowing you to, say, lower the sensitivity for a first-person shooter and then turn it up for browsing the web. They often light up with pretty colors, too.
Wired gaming mice are cheaper than their wireless counterparts, and you don’t have to worry about recharging or wireless interference with these models. A good wireless gaming mouse is more expensive, but a wireless model is worth considering if you want to reduce desk clutter, if you play games in multiple locations, or if cable drag annoys you. For years, wireless wasn’t a good option on gaming mice because of latency or lag. Nowadays, good wireless gaming mice can have latency just as low as that of wired gaming mice and even lower than that of Bluetooth or non-gaming wireless mice—even some esports pros use wireless gaming mice now.
If you already have a mouse you like, you don’t need to buy a new one unless it offers a feature you really want, such as more buttons, a different layout, software customization, or multicolor lighting. Newer mice look better on paper because they have wider sensitivity ranges (measured in dots per inch or counts per inch, DPI or CPI), but this feature doesn’t magically improve gameplay. The higher the sensitivity, the less you have to move the mouse to make the cursor move, and vice versa. Most people don’t use a mouse at the highest (or lowest) sensitivity levels because such settings make the cursor harder to control.
In our years of testing mice, we’ve found that a few features matter more than others:
- Comfort: The most important feature of any mouse is whether it feels comfortable in your hand. Comfort is reliant on your hand size and grip style, so what works for one person doesn’t always work for another. We aim to find mice that feel comfortable for the widest range of hand sizes and the most popular grips (fingertip and palm, followed by claw), but no mouse is universally comfortable.
- Buttons: In addition to left- and right-click buttons, a mouse should have at least two extra buttons near the thumb, and maybe one or two on top (including the clickable scroll wheel). All these buttons should be easy to reach for average-size hands. We eliminate mice with buttons that are too easy to click by mistake or too difficult to reach on purpose.
- Scroll wheel: The scroll wheel should be sturdy and easy to grip, with distinctive ratchets that make it clear when you’ve swapped weapons, for example. It should also provide a crisp, satisfying click, and it shouldn’t feel mushy or too difficult to press.
- Build quality: A good gaming mouse shouldn’t feel hollow and cheap or flex under pressure.
- Sensor: All modern gaming mice—even the budget models—have good sensors, so this isn’t a differentiating factor in our evaluation. Manufacturers like to brag about high-DPI sensors, but many people rarely use settings higher than 3,000, and most Overwatch League players keep it between 800 and 1,600.
- Switches: Many gaming mice use mechanical switches, which can fail sooner than expected on a small percentage of gaming mice. (You can read more about the double-click failure below.) Razer has redesigned most of its gaming mice to use optical switches rather than mechanical ones, and several other manufacturers have followed suit—so far, these designs don’t seem to develop the same switch failure, but they can be more expensive and are harder on battery life in wireless models. Asus has taken a different approach with its ROG-branded gaming mice, which don’t use optical switches; instead, the company has opted for a hot-swap socket design that allows people to easily change out the mechanical switches, without needing to desolder them and solder in new ones.
- Software: Most gaming mice come with software suites that allow you to assign keystrokes, macros, and functions to almost any of the mouse’s buttons, to tweak its sensitivity (DPI/CPI) and polling rate (how often the mouse tells your computer where it is), and to customize its lighting. Better software supports multiple profiles for switching the mouse’s sensitivity and button configuration to match the game you’re playing. You should be able to save those settings directly on the mouse so that you can use them without having to run the software constantly, or so that you can take your configurations between computers. Though Windows compatibility and software are the most important for gaming, we look for Mac compatibility, too.
- Price: Most high-quality wired gaming mice with the newest sensors cost between $50 and $80. If you’re willing to sacrifice build quality or use an older sensor, you can get a solid budget wired gaming mouse for closer to $30. Wireless gaming mice cost a lot more—we’ve found that you typically have to pay between $120 and $150 for a great one, but you can find a solid budget model for near $60.
- Extra features: Most gaming mice come with customizable RGB lighting. A few come with weights to tweak the heft of the mouse to your exact liking. These features are nice bonuses but not essential to the function of the mouse.
For wireless gaming mice, we consider all the same criteria we do for wired gaming mice, plus two additional factors:
- Wireless performance: We expect a great wireless gaming mouse to have minimal latency, interference, and lag, which can ruin your game at a crucial moment or just frustrate you constantly. This partially depends on your setup—USB 3.0 ports and devices have been shown to radiate radio-frequency noise (PDF) that can interfere with the performance of devices using the 2.4 GHz wireless band. The noise can radiate from a port on your computer, a port on the connected device, or the cable connecting the two. Some wireless gaming mice come with an extender so that you can move the USB dongle away from sources of interference for a more reliable connection.
- Battery life: Because of their high polling rates and their lighting, wireless gaming mice have awful battery life compared with regular wireless mice, often peaking at around 25 to 30 hours. We look for wireless mice with battery life in this range or higher, favoring those that offer the option to lower polling rates and disable lighting effects.
We start by testing each mouse using each grip style, as well as soliciting the opinions of people with different hand sizes and grips. We eliminate mice with obvious comfort issues, poorly placed buttons, inferior build quality, and subpar buttons and scroll wheels. Then I spend hours using each of the finalists for regular productivity work and sessions of Overwatch 2 and Deep Rock Galactic.
Mouse comfort varies based on hand size, so we researched average hand sizes for adults using data compiled by the Georgia Tech Research Institute and a 1980 study of hand anthropometry commissioned by the US Army. Both studies showed an average of 4 inches from the base of the palm to the base of the middle finger. The Georgia Tech study found an average of 2.95 inches from the base of the middle finger to the tip, and the US Army study found an average of 3.23 inches. Among our four 2019 gaming mouse test panelists with a range of hand sizes and grip styles, the average palm size was 4 inches and the average middle-finger length was 3.2 inches, with an 8-inch spread from pinky to thumb—so our panel was fairly representative of average hands.
We ran another panel with eight testers in November 2022. Three of our testers had smaller-than-average hands, three testers had roughly average-size hands, and two testers had larger-than-average hands. Our smallest-handed tester had a palm size of 3.5 inches, a middle-finger length of 2.75 inches, and a 5.5-inch spread from pinky to thumb. Our largest-handed tester’s measurements were 5 inches, 4 inches, and 9.5 inches, respectively, and all of our panelists together averaged out to 4.1 inches, 3.6 inches, and 7.8 inches, respectively.
To test the mice’s wireless reliability, I used them on my gaming desktop more than 3 feet away from the receiver. We encountered interference when the receiver was plugged in next to a USB 3.0 hard drive that was backing up, but all our finalists performed consistently when the USB drive was disconnected.
(In 2019 we ran all of our gaming mice through MouseTester to evaluate their sensors, but every single model we tested in this regard passed without issue, so we no longer run this test on every mouse.)
Our pick: Razer Basilisk V3
Our pick
Razer Basilisk V3
The best gaming mouse
The Basilisk V3 is comfortable for most hand sizes and grip types, has plenty of buttons, and offers customizable RGB underglow lighting. But Razer’s Synapse 3 software doesn’t work on macOS.
| Dimensions: | 5.11 by 2.36 by 1.67 inches | Sensor: | Razer Focus+, 100 to 26,000 DPI |
| Weight: | 3.6 ounces | Connection type: | wired |
| Buttons: | 10 (plus one on the bottom) | Lighting: | RGB |
The Razer Basilisk V3 is the most comfortable gaming mouse we’ve tested for the widest range of hand sizes and grip preferences. It offers plenty of well-placed, responsive buttons—they’re easy to press on purpose and hard to click by accident—as well as the ability to toggle between ratcheted and smooth scrolling. The Basilisk V3’s optical switches avoid the double-clicking issues that can impact mechanical switches, and we’re fond of its stylish RGB underglow. But the Razer Synapse 3 software required to customize the mouse doesn’t support macOS.
The Basilisk V3’s size and shape make it comfortable for hands of all sizes and most fingertip- and palm-grippers. It’s almost identical in shape to our runner-up pick, the Logitech G502 X, but the Basilisk V3’s better-placed buttons make it easier for larger hands and atypical grips to find a comfortable hold. Some of our larger-handed panel testers loved the Basilisk V3 (and strongly disliked the G502 X) for this reason, and several of our other testers also preferred the Basilisk V3 over the G502 X in terms of comfort.
The Basilisk V3 has a total of 11 customizable buttons, but one of them is located on the underside of the mouse. With the exception of that button (which is fine for its default purpose of swapping profiles between tasks rather than on the fly), all our testers found the Basilisk V3’s buttons mostly easy to reach and much less crowded than those on the G502 X. The Basilisk V3 also has a thumb clutch that’s easy to activate on purpose—unless you favor a palm grip and have very small hands—and hard to hit accidentally. (The clutch isn’t removable, but even our largest-handed testers didn’t find that to be an issue.)
All the Basilisk V3’s buttons felt crisp and satisfying in our tests, and I especially liked the clicky thumb buttons. The mouse uses Razer’s optical switches, which a company representative told us were designed to solve the double-click issue that plagues all gaming mice with mechanical switches. We haven’t yet seen any reports of double-click problems with Razer’s optical switches, but we have seen a few reports of other quality-control concerns. (Should you encounter issues, we recommend exchanging the mouse through your retailer or, if you’re outside the return window, getting it repaired or replaced under Razer’s warranty.)
The Basilisk V3’s scroll wheel has a grippy texture and features crisp left-, right-, and down-clicks. As someone who frequently works in long documents (like this guide), I appreciate the Basilisk V3’s ability to toggle between ratcheted and no-friction scrolling via either the button beneath the scroll wheel or the automatic “smart-reel” mode in the Synapse software.
In the Windows-only Synapse 3 software, you can customize the Basilisk V3’s lighting, assign actions to all the buttons, set the sensitivity level, and adjust the polling rate. Razer’s software even allows you to have separate sensitivities for horizontal and vertical movement.
Synapse 3 also lets you set up separate profiles tied to specific applications. For example, you can tie different DPI to different games, which is handy if you bounce between genres and don’t want to cycle through sensitivities when you switch from PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds to XCOM 2, for example. You can also set a thumb button to a macro in Starcraft, say, but make it a melee attack in Overwatch 2. In addition, Synapse 3 offers a guest mode, so you don’t need to make a Razer account to customize your mouse unless you want to save those settings to the cloud.
The Basilisk V3 offers fun customizable RGB lighting underneath the mouse, on the scroll wheel, and on the Razer logo (which is blocked entirely by your palm when you’re holding the mouse). The Basilisk V3 weighs 3.56 ounces; it’s a bit heavier than the G502 X at 3.14 ounces, but we didn’t notice much of a difference.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Several of our 2019 testers noted that the textured plastic on top of the Basilisk V3 felt cheap compared with the smoother plastic on some other models. But this texture makes the mouse easier to grip—especially for those who get sweaty fingers while gaming—and the Basilisk V3 doesn’t otherwise feel hollow, cheap, or creaky like the Razer DeathAdder V2 or Viper. It’s a solid mouse, one that we expect to hold up well over years of gaming.
Synapse 3 is not available for macOS, so you need a Windows computer to customize the buttons, sensitivity, and lighting on the Basilisk V3.
Runner-up: Logitech G502 X
Runner-up
Logitech G502 X
The next-best option
The G502 X is similar in size and shape to the Basilisk V3, but some testers found it awkward to hold because it has so many buttons, and it lacks RGB lights.
| Dimensions: | 5.17 by 3.12 by 1.62 inches | Sensor: | Logitech Hero 25K, 100 to 25,600 DPI |
| Weight: | 3.1 ounces | Connection type: | wired |
| Buttons: | 12 | Lighting: | none |
If the Razer Basilisk V3 is unavailable, the next-best option is the Logitech G502 X, the successor to the widely loved Logitech G502 Hero. Similar to the Basilisk V3 in size and shape, the G502 X is comfortable for most hand sizes and grips. It also has plenty of responsive buttons and a removable thumb clutch, and you can get it in black or white. But some of our testers found the G502 X awkward to hold because it has so many buttons, and it lacks fun RGB lights.
The G502 X is almost identical in size and shape to our top pick, but its button layout leaves less room for you to place your fingers compared with the Basilisk V3—if your fingers don’t naturally sit where the G502 X is designed for them to sit, it’s impossible to hold the mouse comfortably. Our panel testers either loved or hated the G502 X (and its identically shaped predecessor, the G502 Hero) for this reason. But as of this writing, the G502 Hero has a 4.7-star rating (out of five) across more than 50,000 reviews on Amazon. Although Amazon ratings have their flaws, the vast majority of G502 Hero owners in the detailed customer reviews we read said they found the G502 Hero comfortable, and the G502 X has the exact same shape and identical button placement (except for its removable thumb clutch).
is the g502 good for fortnite
The G502 X has 12 buttons, 11 of which are customizable—more than on any of our other picks. Having more buttons can be handy for gaming, but this many can also get in the way of normal use. Several of our panel testers found the two buttons next to the left mouse button hard to reach. Others pointed out that those buttons (G7 and G8), which cycle between DPI settings by default, left less space for their index finger on the left-click button. Several of our smaller-handed testers had difficulty reaching the forward-most thumb clutch, an issue these testers also had with the Basilisk V3. The G502 X’s thumb clutch is removable, for those with longer thumbs who don’t want to press it accidentally. The Basilisk V3 has a similar number of buttons, but their placement leaves more room for grip variations compared with the G502 X.
All the buttons on the G502 X offer crisp, clicky feedback and feel satisfying and responsive to use. The G502 X employs Logitech’s new Lightforce hybrid switches, which the company claims “combine the performance and durability benefits of optical switches with the important actuation feel of mechanical switches.” We expect that these switches won’t fall prey to the double-click issue of mechanical switches, but we plan to speak to a product designer at Logitech to learn exactly how these hybrid switches work, and we will update this guide with what we learn.
The G502 X’s scroll wheel has distinct ratchets, and like the Basilisk V3’s, it allows you to toggle between ratcheted and no-friction scrolling using a button beneath the scroll wheel. In our tests, the G502 X’s rubber scroll wheel felt smooth and less grippy compared with the Basilisk V3’s aggressively textured rubber wheel. Even so, I had no issues with my finger slipping around while scrolling or using the tilt-click function on the G502 X.
Although the G502 X is much lighter than its tank-like predecessor, the G502 Hero, it doesn’t feel cheap, hollow, or creaky like some light gaming mice do. At 3.1 ounces, it’s half an ounce lighter than the Basilisk V3, but I didn’t feel much difference between the two while gaming.
Using Logitech’s G Hub software (available for Windows and macOS), you can remap buttons and record macros, customize the DPI sensitivity levels and polling rate, and create profiles for individual games. Toggling the on-board memory mode allows you to store your settings on the G502 X to take it between computers, though unlike Razer’s Synapse software, G Hub doesn’t offer a cloud storage option.
The G502 X has no RGB lights. It’s not an essential feature, but it is a fun one. If you want customizable RGB lighting, consider any of our other picks instead—the Basilisk V3 has fancy underglow, a light-up scroll wheel, and an RGB logo on the palm rest.
A repairable gaming mouse: Asus ROG Gladius III
Also great
Asus ROG Gladius III
A repairable mouse
The Gladius III is easy to repair, and it’s still comfortable enough for a wide range of hand sizes and grip styles. But it has fewer buttons than our top picks.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $67.
| Dimensions: | 4.96 by 2.64 by 1.77 inches | Sensor: | Pixart 3370, 100 to 19,000 DPI* |
| Weight: | 2.79 ounces | Connection type: | wired |
| Buttons: | six (plus one on the bottom) | Lighting: | RGB |
*This sensor maxes out at 19,000 DPI, but Asus developed custom firmware that allows owners to adjust the DPI up to 26,000 in the Armoury Crate software. We did not test this feature since a DPI that high is largely unnecessary.
If you want a mouse that you can repair yourself, we recommend the Asus ROG Gladius III. Unlike our other picks, it’s easy to open up if you want to swap out your switches for extra customization or need to repair them when they wear out. Our testers found the Gladius III comfortable enough for a range of hand sizes and grip types, though not quite as comfortable as the Razer Basilisk V3 or the Logitech G502 X. It has only six buttons—plus one on the underside—but they all feel satisfying to click and are easy to reach, and the Gladius III is light without feeling cheap.
The Gladius III’s most interesting feature is its hot-swap switches, which allow you to repair your mouse easily if it develops a double-click problem. This model comes with one spare set of Omron replacement switches—or you can find other switches, such as this $10 set of four—and a small tweezer tool to help remove the switches. The entire process is simple: It takes only a couple of minutes to open the Gladius III using a common Phillips-head screwdriver, pull out an old switch, and pop in a new one. You don’t have to wrestle with glued-down mouse feet or uncommon screwdriver heads, or desolder the old switches. iFixit explains in more detail how much easier the Gladius III is to repair compared with traditional gaming mice, adding that, hopefully, the design “can motivate more companies to improve the upgradeability and repairability” of their mice.
Our testers found that the Gladius III’s shape wasn’t quite as comfortable as that of the Basilisk V3 or the G502 X, but our fingertip- and palm-grip testers still found it comfortable enough for long gaming sessions. We asked two sweaty-handed testers if the Gladius III’s smooth surface would be a problem compared with the Basilisk V3’s textured plastic, but neither person had any issues with grip.
The Gladius III has fewer buttons than our top picks: left- and right-click, two thumb buttons, one button beneath the scroll wheel, the scroll-wheel click, and a profile-switch button on its underside. None of our testers lamented a lack of buttons, but if you need more, consider our top pick instead. All the buttons (aside from the one on the underside of the mouse) are well placed and easy to reach, and the thumb buttons have a small divot that makes them easy to differentiate by feel.
Unlike the scroll wheels of the Basilisk V3 and the G502 X, the Gladius III’s scroll wheel lacks the convenient toggle between ratcheted and smooth scrolling, but its ratchets are satisfying and defined. The wheel’s surface has a soft, almost gummy-bear-esque texture, but our testers didn’t note any grip or scrolling issues.
At 2.79 ounces, the Gladius III is lighter than our other picks, which some people prefer in a gaming mouse. But despite its light weight, the Gladius doesn’t feel cheap, and it doesn’t creak or flex under pressure like some of the other mice we’ve tested.
Asus’s Armoury Crate software is available for Windows 10 and 11, but there isn’t a macOS version. The software allows you to customize the Gladius III’s buttons, sensitivity, polling rate, and lighting, and you can save up to five custom profiles to the mouse’s onboard memory. We found the software just as intuitive as other gaming mouse software—which is to say, it isn’t especially intuitive, but it does the job.
The Gladius III sports customizable RGB lighting on the scroll wheel, on the ROG logo on the palm rest, and on some inconspicuous vertical text on the mouse’s left side. The effect is not as fancy as the Basilisk V3’s RGB underlighting, and the ROG logo and thumb-rest text are largely blocked when you’re holding the mouse.
Budget pick: Logitech G203 Lightsync
Budget pick
| Dimensions: | 4.59 by 2.45 by 1.5 inches | Sensor: | Logitech Mercury, 200 to 8,000 DPI |
| Weight: | 2.1 ounces | Connection type: | wired |
| Buttons: | six | Lighting: | RGB |
If you want the cheapest decent gaming mouse, get the Logitech G203 Lightsync. Compared with our top picks, the G203 is smaller and less comfortable, and it offers fewer inputs, but it has a decent sensor and responsive, satisfying buttons, and it’s customizable. It also doesn’t feel as cheap as its price tag suggests. It’s by far the best gaming mouse in this price range. It’s available in a few fun colors—blue and purple in addition to the usual white and black—and the Lightsync model has customizable RGB lighting zones.
Unlike the Basilisk V3 and the G502 X, the G203 is not ergonomically sculpted; it’s also smaller and flatter. One of our larger-handed testers said, “I wish it were taller,” though they still preferred it over the larger, more sculpted Razer DeathAdder Essential. The G203 isn’t ideal for palm-grippers, but in our tests it worked well for those who favored a fingertip grip, and even better than our top picks for claw-grippers.
The G203 has six buttons: two programmable buttons on the left side, left- and right-click, scroll-click, and a button below the scroll wheel that cycles through DPI settings. That’s far fewer buttons than on the Basilisk V3 and G502 X, but it’s fine for most games. All the buttons are easy to reach and feel clicky and satisfying, but like any mouse with mechanical switches, the G203 can succumb to double-click failure.
Compared with the excellent scroll wheels on the Basilisk V3 and G502 X, the G203’s scroll wheel feels less defined and mushier in its ratcheting. But this scroll wheel is textured and easy to grip, and its click feels easier to activate and more responsive than that of the wheel on the similarly priced DeathAdder Essential.
Our budget pick is made from cheap-feeling textured plastic that creaks under heavy grip pressure. But it costs around $30, and it doesn’t feel flimsy or uncomfortable to use compared with many cheap mice. We expect it’ll hold up just fine to years of gaming.
Like the G502 X, the G203 works with Logitech’s G Hub software, where you can customize the button behaviors, DPI, and lighting. It has only one onboard memory slot, so you can bring only one profile with you between computers. That said, the Razer DeathAdder Essential, the G203’s closest competitor, has no onboard memory and requires you to log in to Razer’s Synapse software to save settings.
The G203 Lightsync has customizable RGB lighting zones on both the logo (which is blocked by your palm) and a cool light strip around the outside of the mouse. Many cheap gaming mice lack lighting entirely or, like the DeathAdder Essential, offer just one color.
Wireless upgrade pick: Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
Upgrade pick
| Dimensions: | 5.11 by 2.96 by 1.67 inches | Sensor: | Razer Focus Pro 30K, 100 to 30,000 DPI |
| Weight: | 3.95 ounces | Connection type: | 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired |
| Buttons: | 10 (plus one on the bottom) | Lighting: | RGB |
If you want a wireless gaming mouse and don’t mind paying a lot more, get the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro. It’s the most comfortable of all the wireless gaming mice we tested—it’s virtually identical to the wired Razer Basilisk V3 in size, shape, and build quality, and its buttons and scroll wheel are the same, too. The Basilisk V3 Pro also uses Razer’s optical switches and Synapse 3 software for customizing its performance, buttons, and RGB lighting. Our upgrade pick can connect via Bluetooth or a 2.4 GHz USB dongle; this dongle connection makes it just as fast and responsive as a wired gaming mouse, and we didn’t experience any connection issues in our tests. It has decent battery life, as well, and it can charge wirelessly via an optional dock.
The Basilisk V3 Pro uses Razer’s HyperSpeed wireless protocol, which, like Logitech’s Lightspeed protocol, is designed to create a faster, more stable wireless connection. During our testing, with the dongle plugged into a desktop computer about 3 feet away, we didn’t experience any lag, latency, or connection issues. If you do encounter hiccups—because all USB 3.0 devices can emit wireless interference—the Basilisk V3 Pro includes an extender for its USB dongle so that you can place it closer to the mouse and farther from the source of interference.1 You can also connect the V3 Pro via Bluetooth, which can be more convenient for productivity tasks but isn’t always as responsive or reliable for gaming.
By default, the Basilisk V3 Pro’s polling rate is 1,000 Hz (once every millisecond), the same rate as that of wired gaming mice. In our tests, we didn’t experience any lag or delayed inputs, and according to Rtings.com’s latency tests, the Basilisk V3 Pro is a little faster than even some wired mice. We also appreciate the small cavity on the underside for storing the 2.4 GHz USB dongle when you need to take your mouse with you.
Razer claims 90 hours of battery life for the Basilisk V3 Pro when it’s connected via the USB dongle and set to the default 1,000 Hz with the lights on at the default 33% brightness. We weren’t able to test the full battery life, but you can extend it by forgoing the lighting and lowering the polling rate to 500 Hz or 125 Hz when you’re not gaming. You can check the Basilisk V3 Pro’s remaining battery percentage in Razer’s Synapse software and tweak how long the mouse takes to enter sleep or low-power mode. The Basilisk V3 Pro comes with a braided USB-C cable for charging, and the mouse works in wired mode while it’s plugged in. But because the Basilisk V3 Pro’s charging port is recessed, most third-party cables don’t fit. We’d prefer a design that allows for any replacement cable rather than relying on Razer’s specially shaped plastic housing.
Razer also sells a version of the Basilisk V3 Pro that comes with a charging puck and the Razer Mouse Dock Pro, but they cost a lot more on top of an already expensive mouse, and you can’t use the mouse when it’s docked. The Qi charger puck and dock are also available separately (or as a bundle) if you want to buy them later, or if you want to use the cheaper charging puck with another Qi charger. In our testing, the puck was easy to install, and the magnetic dock stayed put on the desk and effectively charged the Basilisk V3 Pro overnight. We also enjoyed the extra synced RGB lights on the underside of the Mouse Dock Pro.
Wireless budget pick: Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed
Also great
| Dimensions: | 5.11 by 2.36 by 1.65 inches | Sensor: | Razer 5G Advanced Optical Sensor, 100 to 16,000 DPI |
| Weight: | 3.84 ounces (with included AA battery) | Connection type: | 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth |
| Buttons: | six | Lighting: | none |
If you want a less expensive wireless gaming mouse, you have to accept some sacrifices. Your best option in this category is the Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed, which forfeits some buttons and features but still offers a comfortable grip and great performance. It’s identical in shape and surface texture to the wired Basilisk V3, but it’s a stripped-down version, with quite a few notable differences. This model doesn’t have a thumb clutch, its scroll wheel can’t toggle between ratcheted and smooth scrolling, and it has no lighting. It has only six buttons: left-click, right-click, two buttons on the left side, scroll-click, and one button below the scroll wheel. The Basilisk X HyperSpeed also uses mechanical switches instead of Razer’s new optical switches—Razer told us that this design decision was intended to extend the battery life, since optical switches use more power—which means it’s susceptible to the double-click problem.
After seven months of daily use for work and gaming, our Basilisk X HyperSpeed’s left button developed double-click issues and became unable to hold continuous clicks properly. All wireless mice that use mechanical switches—basically all of them in this price range—are susceptible to this failure. We returned the unit to Razer to examine, and we confirmed that anyone experiencing this issue is covered under the included two-year warranty.
The Basilisk X HyperSpeed can connect via a 2.4 GHz USB dongle, and like the Basilisk V3 Pro, it uses Razer’s HyperSpeed wireless protocol. We didn’t experience any connection issues with the dongle plugged into a desktop computer about 3 feet away. You can also connect via Bluetooth if you prefer; according to Rtings.com latency tests, this connection has 12 ms of latency compared with the USB dongle’s 10 ms, so it’s probably better for productivity work rather than gaming. The Basilisk X HyperSpeed does not come with an extender, but they’re cheap if you need one to solve connection issues.
The top of the Basilisk X HyperSpeed pops off to reveal one AA battery and a cavity to store the USB dongle. Razer claims up to 285 hours of battery life for the Basilisk X HyperSpeed when it’s connected via USB and up to 450 hours when it’s connected via Bluetooth, provided that it’s set to 1,000 Hz. Because the Basilisk X HyperSpeed runs on an AA battery instead of an internal battery, Razer’s Synapse software can’t provide an exact battery-life percentage estimate, and we were unable to test the mouse’s full battery life ourselves. The Basilisk X HyperSpeed cannot work in wired mode or charge via a wire; when it dies, you need to replace the AA battery inside.
Should you worry about mechanical switches and the double-click failure?
If your gaming mouse dies earlier than you expect, it’s most likely because the mechanical switches under the buttons have failed. The contact point inside these mechanical switches can degrade and cause the mouse to register a double-click when you click only once. This failure can happen for a variety of reasons, including worn or corroded switch contacts—caused by humidity, how hard you click, and even regular use—or the way gaming mouse software interprets the resulting click signal. (An ordinary mouse can fail this way, too, but you’re probably not clicking as hard or as quickly on a spreadsheet or on Facebook as you are in Dota 2.)
One gaming mouse product designer told us that wireless mice are more susceptible to this problem because their lower voltage, which conserves battery life, can accelerate corrosion in the switch. iFixit’s Arthur Shi explains that “in a low-voltage switch, with possibly worn or corroded contacts, the amount of signal noise from the switch mechanism can overwhelm the mouse’s filters and let through phantom clicks.”
After reading thousands of gaming mouse reviews, we’ve discovered that this issue affects gaming mice with mechanical switches from every brand but impacts a relatively small percentage of owners. Companies also seem to cover this issue in their warranties and will swap out mice that develop this problem. So we don’t dismiss every gaming mouse that uses mechanical switches, but we do note the ones that do. We’ve also tried to get a sense of which gaming mice have a disproportionate number of early switch failures as documented in owner reviews.
While many companies continue to use mechanical switches, some have moved to optical switches. We haven’t seen any reports of double-click issues on optical switches yet, but we have found reports of other quality-control issues affecting these switches.
Asus has taken a different approach to the problem by making the switches in some of its gaming mice easier for owners to repair. Many ROG mice—including our repairable pick, the Gladius III—have hot-swap sockets that allow owners to simply pull out the old switch and snap in a new one. (Replacing mechanical switches in other gaming mice is an ordeal that can involve removing glued-down mouse feet and uncommon screwdriver heads, and then desoldering the old switch and soldering the new one in.) We’d love to see more companies make their accessories easier to access and repair.
If you prefer the classic Razer DeathAdder design over the Logitech G203: The Razer DeathAdder Essential is a great budget option if you prefer the classic DeathAdder shape to that of the smaller G203. We decided not to make the DeathAdder Essential our budget pick because it’s a bit large for average-size hands, its scroll-wheel click requires more pressure to activate, and it lacks onboard memory (you have to use the Synapse software to tweak your settings or to share them across computers). It also lacks RGB lighting. But it’s a solid gaming mouse, especially for the price.
If you want a great wireless mouse that costs less: If you want a wireless gaming mouse but don’t want to pay as much as the Basilisk V3 Pro commands, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate is nearly as good for about half the price (at this writing). The Basilisk Ultimate is identical to the Basilisk V3 Pro in size, shape, and button placement, but the Ultimate lacks a few features that may or may not matter to you. Instead of the Basilisk V3 Pro’s ability to toggle between ratcheted and smooth scrolling, the Basilisk Ultimate allows you to customize the wheel’s resistance using a dial on the underside of the mouse. The Basilisk Ultimate also lacks the Basilisk V3 Pro’s RGB underglow and Bluetooth connection, and its smooth surface texture can be harder to grip for those with sweaty hands. Razer sells a version of the Basilisk Ultimate that comes with a charging dock, but we experienced occasional difficulties establishing a proper connection between the dock and the Basilisk Ultimate’s charging contacts, a problem that left us with an uncharged mouse in the morning. Aside from these quirks, the Basilisk Ultimate is a comfortable, responsive, and reliable wireless mouse.
If you favor the Logitech G203’s shape over the Basilisk design and need wireless: The Logitech G305 Lightspeed is very similar in size, shape, button placement, and quality to the Logitech G203, so it’s a better option than the Basilisk X HyperSpeed if you want a wireless mouse and favor the claw grip, or if you prefer a smaller model. The Basilisk X HyperSpeed is more comfortable for a wider variety of hand sizes and more popular grips, and it can connect via Bluetooth for productivity work, whereas the G305 Lightspeed connects only through a USB dongle.
The Razer Basilisk V2 was our previous top pick, and it’s very similar to the Basilisk V3. The two mice are identical in size and shape, and both use optical switches. The V2 lacks the V3’s fancy-looking RGB underglow, its ability to toggle between ratcheted and smooth scrolling, and its superfluously high DPI sensor. The V2 is also 0.3 ounce lighter than the V3, and its thumb paddle is removable. The Basilisk V2 has since been discontinued, but if you find a good deal on this model, it’s still a great mouse.
The Logitech G502 Hero was our previous runner-up pick, but we no longer recommend it over the newer G502 X because it’s very heavy and its mechanical switches can wear out, causing the mouse to register single clicks as multiple inputs. Our newer picks offer the same comfortable shape with more durable optical switches.
In our tests, the Roccat Kone XP was comfortable—but not quite as comfortable as our top picks—and its satisfyingly clicky buttons were easy for us to differentiate. It’s a decent option, but it’s expensive compared with our picks, and one of our testers accidentally clicked the thumb-rest button every time they touched or moved the mouse.
Our testers found the shape of the SteelSeries Rival 5 to be comfortable enough and its side buttons easy to differentiate. But these thumb buttons took considerably more pressure to activate than those of our picks, and my wrist and forearm began to hurt after just 15 minutes of Deep Rock Galactic. One other tester noted similar wrist pain.
Despite having the classic DeathAdder shape that many people love, the Razer DeathAdder V2 felt cheap and hollow. Even the cheaper DeathAdder Essential seemed sturdier to our testers.
The side buttons on the Corsair Nightsword RGB were mushy and difficult to click, and its thumb rest got in the way of those buttons. The HyperX Pulsefire Raid has too many thumb buttons that are difficult to differentiate.
The Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air, the Cooler Master MM711, and the SteelSeries Aerox 3 are just a few of the gaming mice designed with honeycomb-style cutouts in an effort to be as small and light as possible. In an email interview, Arthur Shi, technical writing team lead at iFixit, shared our concerns about “grime and sweat dripping onto the PCB and eventually causing issues.” iFixit writer and repair advocate Kevin Purdy detailed some of these issues, saying that “sweat and grime (and, if you’re unlucky, soda/beer/tea/coffee) could cause corrosion and short-circuits in the board inside” and that “liquid damage and corrosion are just about the worst kinds of repairs.” Considering these durability concerns, we cannot recommend this style of mouse with an exposed circuit board inside. Some mouse makers have started designing around this flaw by better protecting the circuit board from liquids and dust, and we plan to look into some of those new options for our next update.
The Roccat Kone Pro had an unpleasantly slick surface that felt to us like trying to grip a bar of wet soap. Our sweatiest-handed tester strongly objected to it.
Although the Roccat Burst Core is 17 grams lighter than the G203, our testers found it less comfortable. They also disliked the flat-sounding left- and right-clicks and thought it looked and felt cheap.
The SteelSeries Rival 3 is a comfortable size, but since it’s an ambidextrous mouse, it’s not sculpted for a right-handed grip as our picks are. We found the side buttons mushy and the scroll wheel too easy to click.
To our testers, the Razer DeathAdder V2 Mini felt as cheap as the DeathAdder V2, and it’s too compact. (For my just-smaller-than-average hands, the classic DeathAdder was a little too big, and the Mini was too small.)
The Logitech G502 X Plus and G502 X Lightspeed are wireless versions of our wired runner-up, the Logitech G 502 X. Most of our panel testers preferred Razer’s Basilisk V3 Pro and Basilisk Ultimate over Logitech’s G502 X line for their less crowded button placement and more robust RGB lighting.
The Asus ROG Gladius III Wireless is identical to our repairable pick, the wired Gladius III, in size and shape, and it shares that model’s easily replaceable switches. But it’s not as comfortable as the Basilisk V3 Pro or the Basilisk Ultimate and has roughly half those models’ estimated battery life. Asus told us that the battery cannot be replaced without the customer sending the mouse in for repair, so when it degrades over time and ceases to hold a charge, you’ll be stuck using the mouse only in wired mode or buying a new mouse. We wish this model had a user-replaceable battery to go with its user-replaceable switches.
The Razer Viper V2 Pro feels unbelievably light at just 2 ounces, but our panel testers didn’t like its flat, wide shape as much as they appreciated the Basilisk V3 Pro’s sculpted form. The scroll wheel on this model also felt mushy compared with that of the V3 Pro, and several testers noted that this mouse felt and sounded cheap due to its lightweight construction. But if your priority is an especially lightweight mouse, it’s not a bad option.
Similarly lightweight at 2.2 ounces, the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro offers the classic DeathAdder shape. Our panelists didn’t like this shape as much as they liked the Basilisk design—our testers with small and average hands commented that it felt a bit too large—but they largely preferred this DeathAdder model over the flat, unsculpted Viper V2 Pro. The DeathAdder V3 Pro’s scroll wheel also felt mushier than the Basilisk V3 Pro’s, and several panelists noted that it felt cheap and made an unpleasant sound when moved across a desk surface. One panelist called it “a cool little budget mouse”—but it typically costs $150.
The Logitech G502 Lightspeed is the wireless version of the Logitech G502 Hero. But because this model’s mechanical switches can develop a double-click problem, we no longer recommend it over wireless options with optical switches.
If you prefer more thumb buttons, you might consider the Razer Naga Pro, which is comfortable and has three customizable thumb grips with different button layouts. Still, our upgrade pick is more comfortable, and its thumb buttons are easier to differentiate and press.
The Logitech G705 is a gaming mouse designed for people with smaller hands, but of our three smallest-handed panel testers, the first said “I hate this,” the second said “it feels too small and uncomfortable,” and the third said “it feels really, really small” and “I kind of hate it.”
And if that mouse is too small, then the Razer Atheris is a mouse for ants.
Compared with our upgrade pick, the SteelSeries Rival 650 Wireless feels less comfortable, has some inconveniently placed buttons, suffers from much shorter battery life, and lacks dongle storage.
Only our largest-handed panelist found the Logitech G703 Lightspeed comfortable in a fingertip grip. Palm-grippers and our average- and smaller-handed panelists found this mouse uncomfortable. It also has no dongle storage, and in our tests the buttons weren’t as crisp and responsive as those of our upgrade pick.
Our testers found the Logitech G Pro Wireless less comfortable than our upgrade pick, and its mechanical switches make it susceptible to double-click problems. The Logitech G Pro X Superlight is a lighter version of the G Pro, but it has the same shape that our previous testers found less comfortable, and it still uses mechanical switches. Logitech told us that it made improvements to this model to fix the double-click issues, but the company didn’t respond when we asked for more details.
The leatherette grips on the HyperX Pulsefire Dart get gross and are difficult to clean, and it lacks dongle storage.
The Mad Catz R.A.T. DWS was uncomfortable in all grips, and we found its dongle storage to be unreliable. On top of that, it has so many crevices liable to collect hand gunk that it comes with a small brush for cleaning them out.
The Razer DeathAdder V2 X HyperSpeed isn’t as comfortable as the Basilisk X HyperSpeed and typically costs nearly twice as much, but it’s a solid option if it drops in price and you prefer the DeathAdder shape.
The Asus TUF M4 Wireless isn’t as comfortable as our pick, and its thumb buttons and scroll-wheel ratchets felt comparatively mushy to our testers.
The Razer Orochi V2 is similar in shape to the Logitech G305 but a little more compact. It’s a fine mouse, but we don’t recommend it over the cheaper G305 or the more comfortable Basilisk X HyperSpeed.
This article was edited by Arthur Gies and Caitlin McGarry.
Chris Hoffman, Mouse DPI and Polling Rates Explained: Do They Matter for Gaming?, How-To Geek, July 3, 2017
Gregory Vodden, Our Mouse Control Tests: Click Latency, Rtings.com, June 3, 2022
Hand Anthropometry, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Robert M. White, Comparative Anthropometry of the Hand (PDF), US Army Natick Research and Development Laboratories, December 1, 1980
Overwatch 2 Pro Settings and Gear List, ProSettings.net
Mouse Switch Guide, Mouse Club
Kevin Purdy, More PC Gaming Mice Should Follow ROG’s Repairable Switches, iFixit, February 16, 2022
USB 3.0 Radio Frequency Interference Impact on 2.4 GHz Wireless Devices (PDF), USB.org, April 1, 2012