If your new game has just arrived in the mail, you're probably dying to play it. You set up your space with multiple monitors, a solid mouse, and, hopefully, a great gaming keyboard.
Some keyboards are simply better than others when it comes to gaming. Our favorite, the Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2, feels great under the fingers for the most prolonged gaming sessions. Others, like the Corsair K63 and Logitech G Pro, boast unique features that are hard to pass up.
All models listed below are "mechanical," meaning they rely on spring-activated switches versus the pressure pads used in "membrane" keyboards. They make for the best and most accurate gaming keyboards, so we'd be at fault to recommend anything else.
We typically don't recommend wireless keyboards for gaming due to latency and battery life concerns. However, if ditching the wires is what's most important to you, we provide our favorite wireless options in a separate list.
The best gaming keyboards
The best
Razer Hunstman Elite
The Razer Huntsman Elite is one of the best mechanical keyboards Razer has ever made. It uses Razer's new optical switches, which have an insanely shallow 1.5mm actuation distance. That's great for elite gamers where every moment counts. The Huntsman Elite also includes a wrist rest, which is a great ergonomic decision for long play sessions.
Aside from that, it has all the bells and whistles of everyday Razer products. Razer's Chroma RGB syncs with games and other services like Philips Hue, with 16.8 million colors to choose from for individual keys. There's also a suite of customizable macro keys, including the multifunctional digital dial.
All of this comes in a sturdy aluminum build backed by Razer's two-year warranty. All of these features come together to make one of the best looking and feeling gaming keyboards you can get.
The rest
Logitech G Pro
Logitech's portable G Pro mechanical keyboard comes without a number pad, making it compact and streamlined. Logitech's primary focus was to improve the duration between touching the keycaps and the parent PC's receipt of the keystroke command. That journey starts with using Logitech's proprietary Romer-G mechanical switches with a shallow 1.5mm actuation point and ends with the data transferring to the host PC at a rate of 1,000 times per second.
Notable features include a detachable USB cable, 26-key rollover (meaning it can identify 26 simultaneously-pressed keys), per-key RGB lighting supporting 16.8 million colors, and profiles for more than 300 games already loaded via the Logitech Gaming Software desktop program. There are no dedicated macro keys, but you can assign macros to the keyboard's function keys (F1 to F12). This keyboard should be ideal for e-sports professionals.
SteelSeries Apex Pro
SteelSeries is best known for making solid budget accessories for gamers and PC enthusiasts. However, they also made the excellent Apex Pro, which is one of the best gaming keyboards you can get.
The Apex Pro uses SteelSeries's OmniPoint switches, which allows users to adjust the actuation distance to their preference. This kind of customization simply isn't available on other gaming keyboards. The customization is compounded by the customizable RGB, which lets users select the backlighting for individual keys.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro has an OLED display that can be used for adjusting settings in-game as well as displaying information from apps like Spotify and Discord while you play. The magnetic wrist rest can be easily attached or removed based on how long you plan on playing, too. The top corner houses media controls, including a wheel for adjusting volume and brightness.
SteelSeries proves with its Apex Pro that it is capable of much more than budget peripherals.
Corsair K63
The Corsair K63 is a small but capable mechanical keyboard that's built for easy transportation. It relies on Cherry MX Red switches complemented by a sole red per-key illumination. There's nothing wrong with having a single color versus a palate of millions: Red illumination is better than no lighting at all. Backing the K63's red lighting are keycaps with large fonts so you're not fighting to locate keys instead of the on-screen opponents.
Because it's a smaller size, there aren't dedicated macro keys. These keys are actually replaced with the company's own software. The free Corsair Utility Engine allows you to create a profile and assign key illuminations, effects, remapping, and more to specific games and applications.
The keyboard is super affordable, and it also lets you lock the Windows key. There's also the option to adjust and set the brightness along with designated media keys.
Asus ROG Strix Flare
Asus' Republic of Gamer (ROG) products are well-known in the gaming space, so it is no surprise that the ROG Strix Flare is one of the best gaming keyboards on the market.
The Strix Flare uses Cherry MX red switches, which are overall pretty speedy and quiet. The Strix Flare also has on-board memory for quick macro recording. The Strix Flare utilizes Aura Sync RGB, which lets the keyboard sync with other AuraSync products.
Like any good keyboard, there are integrated media controls so you can easily adjust audio and other settings on the fly. The included wrist rest is also detachable but is notably shorter than other keyboards that include them. That's great if you don't have a lot of desk space but still want to stay comfortable while you play.
All in all, it's a comfortable and responsive keyboard that comes in at almost half the cost of the competition.
