If you’re looking for the best gaming mouse then you may be surprised by just how much choice you have. Good gaming mice don’t come cheap so you want to be sure you’re not making the wrong choice and wasting your money. To help you out here’s my top 10 candidates for the title of best gaming mouse.
2000dpi laser engine with adjustable sensitivity | 6 buttons | Ambidextrous
Starting to show its age a little, the G3 is still a good mouse with the same optical engine as its bigger brother, the G5. If you’re on a budget this is definitely worth considering.
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2000dpi laser with adjustable sensitivity | 7 buttons | Right-handed
Produced in collaboration with Razer, this is Microsoft’s best gaming mouse. Basically a Copperhead with a different suit, this is a good attempt by Microsoft to break back into the gaming peripherals market.
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2000dpi laser engine | 7 buttons | Ambidextrous
Available in 3 colours (red, green or blue) the Copperhead is a long-standing favourite. Compact and light with a 1ms response time to movements, it also features glowing siderails and mouse wheel. It can store up to 5 button profiles in its onboard memory allowing you to customise the mouse for different games and switch at the press of a button.
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1800dpi laser engine with adjustable sensitivity | 8 buttons | Right-handed
With a small and light design, this is a popular mouse for gamers with smaller hands. It also boasts 8 buttons so allows more control to be moved from the keyboard.
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2000dpi laser sensor with adjustable sensitivity | 7 buttons | Adjustable weight cartridge | Right-handed
Recently updated to include a second thumb button and a fetching black/blue lightning pattern on the shell, the G5 was considered, until recently, the best gaming mouse by many gamers, despite its high price. It is comfortable and well built, and the weight cartridge allows up to 36grams to be added to give the mouse a heavier feel according to your taste.
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4000dpi laser sensor with adjustable sensitivity | 9 buttons | 5 button profiles | Ambidextrous
The Razer Lachesis boasts the highest dpi rating available today, with a high-tech 4000dpi laser sensor. It also has nine programmable buttons and five different profiles that can be stored in the onboard memory and swapped on-the-fly. Add to that a very comfortable ambidextrous shape and Razer’s trademark lighting and you have the makings of a great gaming mouse. But is 4000dpi taking things a bit too far?
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3200dpi laser sensor with adjustable sensitivity | Adjustable shape | 4 buttons plus 4-way hat switch | Right-handed
The Saitek Cyborg has a unique party trick – it can adjust it’s size, increasing in length to suit the size of your hand. It also boasts a 3200dpi laser sensor, 2 programmable buttons and a programmable 4-way hat switch. In addition, the strength of the wheel’s click can be adjusted.
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2000dpi sensor adjustable sensitivity | 5 buttons | Variable weights | LCD display | Right-handed
Just pipping the Cyborg to third place, the Sidewinder offers a good list of features. You get a decent laser sensor and programmable buttons, but on top of that you get variable weights and interchangeable feet to alter the gliding characteristics of the mouse. There’s also an LCD display to indicate the current dpi setting, and the Sidewinder allow macros to be recorded and assigned to buttons on-the-fly.
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1800dpi infrared sensor with adjustable sensitivity | 5 buttons | Right-handed
I’ve placed the Deathadder so high up the list because it makes a great all-round gaming mouse. Released to rave reviews, the Deathadder provides you with an excellent 1800dpi infrared sensor, five programmable buttons and an extremely comfortable shape. At 1800dpi it may fall some way behind the likes of the G9 and Lachesis, but it’s enough for most people. This is the mouse that would satisfy most gamers most of the time.
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3200dpi laser sensor with adjustable sensitivity | Variable weights | Interchangeable grips | 5 button profiles | Right-handed
The Logitech G9 may fall behind the Lachesis in the dpi stakes, but it has other features that make it a better gaming mouse. Similar to the Saitek Cyborg, the shape of mouse can be changed by swapping the grips, with further customisation available through the addition of extra weights. The wheel can be switched between smooth and clicky movement and the colour of the LED display can be adjusted. The G9 may be expensive, but you do get a lot of quality for your money, making it my recommendation if you want the best gaming mouse.
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Worth considering
Logitech fans will have spotted that the G7 is missing, the cordless version of the G5. I generally prefer corded mice as they tend to be lighter (no batteries tucked away inside the shell) and don’t suffer from the lag that you can experience with cordless mice. Having said that, the G7 is no slouch. If you really want a cordless mouse, the G7 is the one to go for.
Another notable omission is the Razer Diamondback, which was recently re-released with the 3G infrared engine from the Deathadder. The Diamondback is an old but popular design, and this update should help it to sell a few more units.
Left Handed Gaming Mice
Sorry, but if you’re a left-handed gamer then your choices of an ergonomically designed mouse are limited. Probably the only left-handed mouse worth considering is the Logitech MX610, other than that you can choose from the various ambidextrous mice on offer, such as the Razer Copperhead.
Coming Soon
The Roccat Kone will be hitting the shops soon and should give the top three something to worry about. Expect a review soon followed by an update to this list to see if the Roccat Kone can claim the title of best gaming mouse.
Think I’ve got it wrong? Do you want to recommend your favourite mouse? Then leave a comment!
The deathadder dies if you use the wrong firmware with the wrong driver.
Although, I used the right drivers my second deathadder died today so in my opinion it sucks, and so does Razer support.
I have heard of some problems with the Deathadder, and it is very fussy about the firmware.
However, they’re not all duds. My Deathadder is still working fine after regular daily use.
logitech rocks, g7 is the best gaming mouse, not deathadder
Lol Ur brainless moron, G7 is cordless means it can never be better and Deathadder>all but Lachesis>deathadder
so what if its cordless? the new mice dont lag anymore
I can’t say G7 is any bargain. On my 2nd and it’s going into the trash. 1st double clicked on it’s own. 2nd run for 2 months and started freezing up.
Why is the Lachesis mentioned in a top 10 of gaming mice? If it was a top 10 of most flawed gaming mice I might understand, but it’s not. I’ve had nothing but trouble with my Razer Lachesis, ranging from the shitty drivers (skips at random intervals) to the uncontrollability of a 4000 DPI mouse. It detects so much movement that any tiny deviation that 2000 DPI mice wouldn’t catch translates into your aim being thrown off completely. Coincidentally two of my friends also bought Razer Lachesis mice, both of them had the same problems and complaints about these issues are commonplace amongst Lachesis users on the internet. On an interesting side note: it died after an official Razer firmware update that was supposed to stop it from skipping, I guess it worked!
Meanwhile I’ve resorted to using my old Logitech G5. It’s a decent enough mouse, in spite of the flawed sensor and useless weights (who needs weights when the mouse is already heavier than 4 Razer mice combined?).
anything above 2000 dpi is flippin useless, i know accuracy is important, but when the movement of breathing moves thecursor halfway across the screen its a bit silly
@mokey – you’re not the only person to think that high dpi is not a good thing, but there are a lot of gamers who crave the extra sensitivity. Personally I find the Lachesis to be too sensitive, but 3,200dpi seems to me about right for FPS gaming, whereas 2,000dpi is better for most other stuff. It’s really a question of personal preference.
@Droniac – the Lachesis has definitely had a bad start with some shocking driver/firmware problems and bad support from Razer. However, things are looking much better with v1.64 of the firmware, now that Razer’s customers have done the testing for them. They really dropped the ball on this one and their reputation has been damaged as a result, but the Lachesis is a good mouse that now deserves a second chance.
I don’t know about you lot, but I’ll never use a laser or an optical mouse until they’ve ironed out the kinks. Too many times using my brothers machine to play TF2 only to have my view point suddenly shot up and spinning when the laser has skipped or miss-read.
As Far as I’m concerned, the top four mice are all gimmicks. The sidewinder is especially awful. Completely unnatural to hold. G9 and cyborg have pretty much the same problem, but to a lesser extent. Lachesis is just an experiment in getting as much dpi as possible out of a mouse. Anybody who thinks they need that resolution has just been sucked in by the marketing. John Wendel used a 400dpi setting during his peak so what does that tell you about the need for high resolution?
The G5 and Deathadder should be at the top and even then its all down to personal taste. Their capabilities are essentially equal so it just comes down to what is most comfortable.
What, no Trackballs? I personally swear by the Logitech Corded Trackman, but they’re disappearing, I have to buy from eBay to replace the one that I lost in moving. The damn things last forever, and you need no space on your desk because you don’t need to move it; A quick flick and I’m looking 180. They’re also perfect for strategy games where large scrolling is necessary; I absolutely detest normal mice now.
@ Xsjado – in some ways you explain our differences – personal taste. You may not like them but there are a lot of gamers who really enjoy the higher dpi mice. I’m sure a lot are getting sucked in by the hype, and yes the Lachesis is probably a step too far, but from my own point of view I appreciate the responsiveness of a good 3200dpi mouse.
There is another good reason I like higher dpi – it reduces the amount of wrist movement you need to move the cursor, lessening the strain on hands that suffer a little from RSI. After prolonged gaming sessions with my G9 I no longer get the same level of discomfort in my hand that I used to get with my old Intellimouse. I’m not saying it’s a miracle cure, but it helps.
As for John Wendel, he is a gaming god – some of us lesser mortals need better tools to make up for our lack of talent!
@pedersencato – sorry, but you answer your own question, Trackballs are dying out.
I actually have the MX518. It’s an excellent mouse, the best I’ve ever used. It hasn’t broken in a month or two (all too common with regular mice), and it looks fucking awesome.
I don’t really know if it’s for smaller hands or not, but it’s comfortable at 13 years of age.
I personally have a Logitech MX Revolution, and the thing is fantastic for gaming. I previously owned a Razer Diamondback Plasma, and I cannot tell the difference in my new Logitech. Zero lag, rechargable, and cordless. What more could you ask for besides weights?
The mouse doesn’t matter. It’s all up to skill. 2 buttons works just fine. Perhaps a wheel, you know, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Hey you have forgotten X7 series of A4tech. 2500 DPI Lazer with 6 adjustable levels 5 buttons 1ms reaction time, etc… nice one to add… plus the price is so cheap..
Quit bashing the high DPI mice. I have both a Lachesis and G9 and think they’re both great, even at full DPI. Sure, the Lachesis was utter crap on release and Razer have been slow to fix the problems, but I’ve got my Lachesis working brilliantly now. Word of advice for Lachesis users – get a solid mouse mat, it does make a difference at 4000dpi.
The best gaming mouse is a console controller.
I’ll take my steelseries Ikari over any of these, though it was preceeded by mx518, mx510, mx500.
I feel like the top4 are “too innovative” and i’d say the G5 is the best, although the G7 is pretty sweet even though its wireless. the new wireless mice aren’t nearly as bad anymore but i’d still go with the G5.
The review is great if you are a right handed player. If you are not, then it’s hardly the best gaming mouse!
I have the MX518 and I love it! A good cheap high grade gaming mouse. Honestly why woudl you want to spend more than $50 on a mouse anyways? Sure razer mice are cool but there expensive as crap >.<
@sPOON – how much is a bag of crap these days? Seriously though, you’re right, Razer are expensive and don’t seem keen on discounts or offers.
@mark – is innovation bad? I don’t think so, and while some of the innovative features could be classed as gimmicks it does show that the hardware companies are developing new stuff.
@seraphrevan – while I agree two buttons is enough for FPS, in more complex games a long macro on a programmable mouse button really can make a difference in heated situations. It saves all of the fumbling on the keyboard and you know you’ll be able to pull off that cool spell combo every single time.
The first time I tried the G7 was the first time I got number 1 in a round of BF2. I consistently got high rankings ever since. I always used logitech corded mice before this one and I can’t feel any lag at all nor do I ever suffer any interference. I love that mouse but I’m moving on to the G9 within the week. I’d like to also note that I haven’t had a logitech mouse die on me in the 15 years I’ve been using them and after working at EB for 3+ years I can’t remember ever getting one returned defective.
FTLOG… EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN BEST MOUSE… so is useless to discuss it.. it will never end lol
MX Revolution is the best wireless gaming mouse.
And on this list it should be #2 after the G9.
I have a MX Revolution. My friend has a G9.
Everytime we play on the same server he’s #1 & I’m #2 (sometimes I’m #1) and I’m assuming that most of the other players are also using wired mice. (so much for the theory that wireless mice are slower the wired mice)