Our pick of the best gaming mice

Invest in your game with a new mouse, from the basic to the feature-heavy...

By Caroline Preece | July 18, 2019 | | 0

When you’re looking to upgrade your PC gaming skills, one of the worst things you could do is to play with below-par equipment. The first things you need to get right is your mouse, but you wouldn’t be blamed for feeling overwhelmed with the amount of choice out there. That’s what we’re here for – we’ve taken a lot of the decision-making out of it, allowing you to choose the best gaming mouse for you and your style based on key features and design aspects.

Then again, you might already know what you’re after, and just need some good examples of the best gaming mice on the market. We’ve listed everything from the budget to more advanced devices, from those suited to beginners to the more expert-friendly mice perfect for pro-gamers. Take a look below.

1. SteelSeries Rival 310 and Sensei 310

Price: £45 | Buy Rival 310 or Sensei 310 from Amazon

Two gaming mice that are both so good we couldn’t choose between them. The SteelSeries Rival 310 and SteelSeries Sensei 310 both contain the TrueMove3 sensor that ensures jitter-free gaming no matter the DPI level, and the RGB lighting comes through both the scroll wheel and the logo. You can also customise the buttons via the SteelSeries Engine software. The two products differ in weight (88.3g/92.1g) as well as grip and the placement of buttons. While the Sensei 310 is flatter and contains eight buttons, the Rival 310 adds a little height and has six.

Handy stuff to know (Rival 310) – Grip: Claw, palm, fingertip; Weight: 88.3g; Sensor: SteelSeries TrueMove3; Maximum DPI: 12,000; Buttons: 6; RGB: Yes; Dimensions: 127.6 x 62.07 x 41.98mm

2. Logitech G Pro

Price: £129 | Buy now from Amazon

A jump in price but also in quality, the Logitech G Pro is a brilliant, lightweight option that excels in accuracy as well as with its impressive Logitech Hero sensor. It has eight programmable buttons, ambidextrous design and a maximum DPI of 16,000. As a bonus, it’s compatible with Logitech’s Powerplay charging mouse mat and has a battery life of 48-60 hours. However, despite all the pros to this mouse it, unfortunately, lacks the number of programmable buttons and Hyperscroll wheel of the G903.

Handy stuff to know – Grip: Palm, fingertip, claw; Weight: 80g; Sensor: Logitech Hero sensor; Maximum DPI: 16,000; Buttons: 8; RGB: Yes; Dimensions: 125 x 63.5 x 40mm

3. Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum

Price: £60 | Buy now from Amazon

There’s a reason the Logitech G502 has become such a popular mouse for gamers, with its 11 programmable buttons, RGB illumination, brilliant Hyperscroll Wheel and, not least, the near-perfect PixArt 3366 sensor. With this, the mouse has a maximum DPI of 12,000, and the device’s weight is another big selling point. Though it comes with five additional weights of 3.6g each, the mouse on its own measures in at 121g so whether you need them is down to personal preference. For the price, you won’t get much better than this.

Handy stuff to know – Grip: Palm, fingertip; Weight: 121g; Sensor: PixArt PMW3366; Maximum DPI: 12,000; Buttons: 11; RGB: Yes; Dimensions: 132 x 75 x 40mm

4. Creative Sound BlasterX Siege M04

Price: £38 | Buy now from Amazon

Customisation is the name of the game for the Creative Sound BlasterX Siege M04, with seven buttons including the ‘Sniper’ which allows you to change the DPI immediately for greater precision during gameplay. The M04 also has a PixArt PMW3360 sensor, RGB lighting and a maximum DPI of 12,000. One thing to keep a note of, however, is the weight. The mouse weighs in at 110g, which could be a dealbreaker for some but didn’t impact performance enough to diminish other positives.

Handy stuff to know – Grip: Palm, fingertip; Weight: 110g; Sensor: PixArt PMW3360; Maximum DPI: 12,000; Buttons: 7; RGB: Yes; Dimensions: 135.6 x 67.65 x 43mm

5. Logitech G203

Price: £23 | Buy now from Amazon

The cheapest mouse on this list, the Logitech G203 is our top choice for anyone on a budget. Despite costing under £25, the device has pretty much everything you’d want from six programmable buttons to customisable RGB lights and much more besides. It uses the brand’s own Mercury sensor with a maximum DPI of 8,000, and the shape and size of its simple design make it ideal for anyone with hands on the smaller side. It doesn’t beat a lot of the other mice on this list, but it’s a great alternative if you’re pinching pennies.

Handy stuff to know – Grip: Claw, palm, fingertip; Weight: 85g; Sensor: Logitech Mercury; Maximum DPI: 8,000; Buttons: 6; RGB: Yes; Dimensions: 116.6 x 62.15 x 38.2mm

6. SteelSeries Rival 500

Price: £80 | Buy now from Amazon

Even without an additional claw glip, the SteelSeries Rival 500 has managed to incorporate up to 15 buttons across the mouse. These include two on the left, though they can always be disabled using the mechanical switch situation on the base. And that’s not all that’s impressive about the Rival 500 – it also had RBG lighting, a PixArt PMW3360 sensor and tactile feedback for both maximum movement tracking and key alerts during gameplay via immersive vibration.

Handy stuff to know – Grip: Claw, palm, fingertip; Weight: 129g; Sensor: PixArt PMW3360; Maximum DPI: 16,000; Buttons: 15; RGB: Yes; Dimensions: 118.75 x 78.34 x 43.34mm

7. Roccat Kone Aimo

Price: £40 | Buy now from Amazon

The Roccat Kone Aimo is the perfect mouse for multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) gamers, with its sleek ergonomic design and button layout including a useful right-thumb button. The mouse also boasts a custom PixArt 3361 ‘Owl-Eye’ sensor with zero-acceleration built-in and customizable RGB lighting strips with independent zones. In fact, despite this seemingly being made for MOBA games, we rate the Kone Aimo so highly that we’d recommend for pretty much any type of gamer.

Handy stuff to know – Grip: Claw, palm, fingertip; Weight: 130g; Sensor: PixArt 3361; Maximum DPI: 12,000; Buttons: 10; RGB: Yes; Dimensions: 105 x 75 x 45mm

8. BenQ Zowie FK1/FK1+/FK2

Price: £50 | Buy now from Amazon

Widely considered one of the best first-person shooter mice around, the BenQ Zowie FK1 and its counterparts the FK1+ and FK2 are three sizes of the same excellent device. All models have seven buttons placed on the left, right, centre and on either side. Despite having no customisable buttons or RGB lighting, the upside is that the mouse works perfectly without software and can be adjusted using a button on its underside. Here you can switch between DPI modes, of which there are four.

Handy stuff to know – Grip: Claw, palm, fingertip; Weight: 90g; Sensor: Avago 3310; Maximum DPI: 3,200; Buttons: 7; Dimensions: 128 x 97 x 37mm

9. Corsair Gaming M65 Pro

Price: £40 | Buy now from Amazon

Alert claw or finger-grip fans – the Corsair Gaming M65 Pro is the gaming mouse you’ve been looking for. The mouse features the always-great PixArt PMW3366 sensor with a maximum DPI of 12,000, three-zone RGB lighting, and eight fully-programmable buttons. It weighs a fair amount at 115g, and you can adjust this with the additional weights supplied, making the control you have over distribution one of the best on this list.