Image: Rob Schultz/IDG
You can play PC video games on any keyboard– that dirty old Logitech from 2003 you took out of your closet will work. To play them in convenience, and maybe more notably, with a suite of modification choices, you desire one purpose-built for video gaming. The boards listed below are constructed from the ground up for players to play much faster, smarter, and with a collection of tools to make the most of input alternatives for each video game.
New video gaming keyboards, with increasingly more fancy functions, are being launched nearly continuously. Like the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKLwhich stopped working to wow thanks to bad worth and an unneeded screen, or the Keychron Lemokey L3which didn’t make this list since of an absence of gaming-focused software application functions. Below are the very best on the marketplace at the minute, and we’ll be keeping this roundup existing as typically as we can to ensure you can discover the very best boards in this large and competitive field.
Upgraded 2/8/2024: Check out our newest evaluations of the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro and the Corsair K70 CoreThe Razer board is focused completely on making the most out of its user-adjustable switches, while the Corsair provides a rock-solid typing and video gaming feel at a remarkably low rate.
Razer BlackWidow V4 75%– Best video gaming keyboard general
Pros
-
Outstanding switches
-
Hot-swap sockets
-
Comfortable wrist rest
-
“Thocky” typing feel
Cons
-
ABS keycaps
-
Synapse software application just
-
Guarantee space if opened
Rate When Reviewed:
$189.99
Razer has a long history of video gaming keyboards, however this is the very first one it’s made to interest both players and mechanical keyboard nuts. With its hot-swap switches, gasket install, and interior foam, integrated with the brand new Orange V3 changes, it has a typing feel that beats almost any video gaming keyboard out there, and the 75% kind aspect and soft wrist rest are super-comfy. It does not injure that the price is listed below Razer’s normal top-of-the-line.
Those who choose a complete size can bypass the expensive bonus in favor of the BlackWidow V4 Prowhich is more extensive however less rewarding, and cordless fans can go back one generation with the V3 ProPlayers who desire to dip a toe into the extensive (and frequently pricey) world of customized keyboards will discover no much better middle ground.
Read our complete
Razer BlackWidow V4 75% keyboard evaluation
G.Skill KM250 RGB Keyboard– Best worth
Pros
-
Extraordinary worth
-
PBT “pudding” caps
-
Excellent design
-
Hot-swap switch sockets
Cons
-
No shows alternatives
Rate When Reviewed:
$39.99
The G.Skill KM250 isn’t simply the very best budget plan video gaming keyboard we’ve seen. With its long list of high-end functions and a rock-bottom cost, it’s the very best worth for a mechanical keyboard, duration. With elegant PBT “pudding” keycaps, a rotary dial, hot-swap switches for deep personalization, and even vibration-damping foam beneath the plate, it’s stunning just how much G.Skill handled to pack into a keyboard in the $50 variety. Even the default Kailh Red switches are fantastic for video gaming.
The board does not have cordless, and there’s no chance to reprogram either its design or its lighting. These are small quibbles for such a wonderful budget plan style, particularly when most players will personalize their designs within the settings of private video games. Utilize the cost savings to purchase some elegant switches or keycaps and personalize the KM250 to your heart’s material.
Read our complete
G.Skill KM250 RGB Keyboard evaluation
Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air Keyboard– Best for travel
Pros
-
Extraordinary battery life
-
Spectacular RGB lighting
-
Lightweight
Cons
-
Pricey
-
Slippery keycaps
-
No wrist rest
Cost When Reviewed:
$179.99
Roccat’s Vulcan series is everything about providing users a stunning RGB light program. Integrating that function with a cordless board provided it an unexpected benefit: definitely amazing battery life. With a light-weight develop and stunning durability, plus some intriguing additionals like existence detection, the Vulcan II Mini Air makes a wonderful fellow traveler. This thing will last for days and days with the lights on at complete brightness, or months with them shut off.
The “drifting” keycaps aren’t for everybody (though they’re simple to change), and it has a high cost, however players searching for on-the-go keyboard quality will not discover anything much better. And it does not harm that this little keyboard is so darned quite.
Read our complete
Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air keyboard evaluation
Razer Huntsman V3 Pro keyboard– Best low-profile video gaming keyboard
Pros
-
Outstanding software application modification
-
Terrific controls for analog input
-
Easy design switching
Cons
-
Pricey
-
Typing is loud and shaky
-
Difficult wrist rest
Rate When Reviewed:
$219.99
Analog video gaming keyboards are extremely specific niche, however likewise possibly the most intricate and flexible for players particularly. The switches in the Razer Hunstman are triggered by an optical sensing unit, which enables the actuation to be changed. In layperson’s terms: you can choose how tough or soft each private essential requirements to be pushed in order to sign up. Not just that, however you can make sure secrets like WASD imitate a controller’s trigger or analog stick, triggering the button “more difficult” the more force you utilize. It’s even possible to set a secret for 2 different functions simultaneously, one for light and one for tough.
The Huntsman V3 Pro (readily available completely size, TKL, and “mini” 60% variations) isn’t the only analog keyboard out there, nor the least expensive or most comfy. With its immediate change choices and deep software application modification, it’s the one most laser-focused on players who desire to make the most out of its sophisticated abilities.
Read our complete
Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL keyboard evaluation
Keychron Q5 keyboard– Best alternate video gaming keyboard
Pros
-
Super-heavy body
-
Terrific keycaps
-
Outstanding modification
-
Remarkably competitive cost
Cons
-
Unneeded Mac/Windows change
-
Setting layer limitations
-
No adjustable feet
Cost When Reviewed:
$205
Technically, Keychron’s premium, super-customizable Q keyboards aren’t implied for video gaming. With a choice of switches (consisting of rapid Linears) and a 1000Hz ballot rate by means of the USB-C wired connection, it can keep up with quite much any board on this list in terms of video gaming expertise. Which’s before you tailor it with QMK or VIA programs, the go-to options for mechanical keyboard fans.
The Q series comes in a broad range of design options, with top quality aluminum bodies, hot-swappable switches, PBT keycaps, double-gasket installing for that “thocky” sensation, and even case foam for decreased sound and vibration. They’re likewise mod-friendly and easy to open if you wish to actually go into personalization. For a keyboard that can deal with video gaming, composing, and anything else you can toss at it, any member of the Q series is a fantastic option. The brand-new Q Pro variations include cordless alternatives, too.
The Lemokey L3 is a TKL board from Keychron that provides a number of the very same functions, plus “video gaming” cordless (USB rather of Bluetooth), however sadly does not have game-specific shows choices.
Read our complete
Keychron Q5 keyboard evaluation
Dygma Raise– Best split video gaming keyboard
Pros
-
Extremely comfy typing experience
-
Extremely customisable
-
Excellent software application
-
Takes pressure off of hands, wrists and shoulders
Cons
-
Pricey
-
Sharp likely positions are not comfy
-
Requires time to relearn typing positions
Rate When Reviewed:
$349
If you require the supreme in ergonomics with a video gaming focus, this super-niche keyboard is for you. The Dygma Raise physically divides its design into 2 different halves and likewise raises them to a custom-made cant angle, raising your hands and wrists to alleviate pressure. This type of style is vital if you fight with repeated tension injuries, and it’s extremely tough to discover in a video gaming style.
That likewise suggests that this specific niche item isn’t inexpensive. You’re taking a look at $350 for the base style, which’s with relatively basic switches. It’s an advantage they’re hot-swappable, and the exceptional programs software application is simply as adjustable, which is excellent for the high knowing curve of the custom-made split design. It’s a huge financial investment, however for users who require ergonomics and do not wish to compromise video gaming ability, it’s worth the rate.
Read our complete
Dygma Raise evaluation
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
1.
What’s the distinction in between a video gaming keyboard and a routine keyboard?
Obviously you can play PC video games on any keyboard, presuming they were developed for it and not a controller. What separates a routine keyboard from a “video gaming” keyboard is its intent– video gaming keyboards are developed for speed and convenience throughout long play sessions. While “convenience” is subjective, and rather restricted in making a device that complies with basic typing, speed is easily measurable.
There are a number of particular methods of determining speed. One is the latency, the time it considers an essential press to equate into an action on your screen. Typically this is the appropriate character appearing in a text window, however for a video game it’s a sword swing, a foot motion, a grenade toss, an unique capability triggered. Video gaming keyboards have unique hardware that can decrease this latency: gold-plated connections on a USB port.
The simplest method to minimize latency is to increase the quantity of times the keyboard’s circuit board look for essential presses. This is called the ballot rate, revealed in hertz. A basic keyboard has a ballot rate of 100 to 200Hz, inspecting every tenth of a 2nd approximately. A video gaming keyboard may have a ballot rate of 1,000 Hz or more– generally so quick that even the fastest human reflexes will not have the ability to find any space in between a secret being pushed and its appropriate action on screen.
2.
Are mechanical keyboards helpful for video gaming?
Yes– if it’s the ideal mechanical keyboard. While any mechanical keyboard can be utilized for PC video gaming, much like any basic keyboard, a lot of players choose a particular sort of switch. Direct switches, with a smooth action from no pressure to the point where the switch “bottoms out” and can’t be pushed down even more, enable each secret to be depressed much faster and go back to its resting position quicker, too. Tactile or Clicky switches, while outstanding for typing, are a bit slower and not chosen for video gaming.
Cherry MX Red switches are the go-to option for mechanical keyboards developed for video gaming. There are lots of ranges, in a lots of colors that may not represent the real homes of the switch itself. Some have a greater actuation point (the point in the essential travel at which the keyboard signs up a press), or lighter springs for a softer touch, or perhaps less crucial travel to reduce the range in between pushing the secret and bottoming out by a couple of millimeters. Some elegant “quiet” switches are much quieter than typical ones.
The crucial part for many players is that Linear switch type for smooth, quick presses. Unless your tastes are extremely non-traditional, you desire Linear switches for video gaming, not Tactile or Clicky.
3.
Are cordless keyboards great for video gaming?
Yes! Even before modern-day cordless video gaming keyboards got here on the scene about 10 years earlier, most keyboards utilizing basic dongles and RF connections were quickly sufficient to beat player reflexes. More specific designs make this cordless connection even quicker, as fast as one-thousandth of a 2nd– once again, far faster than any human can inform, and basically similar to the speed of any wired connection.
There is an exception. Numerous cordless keyboards utilize Bluetooth, which’s not perfect for video gaming. Bluetooth is simply sluggish enough that a space in between the crucial press and the action on screen is visible, even if you do not have super-human reflexes. And it’s likewise on an extremely congested cordless spectrum, so Bluetooth devices are more susceptible to disturbance.
Even if your cordless video gaming keyboard uses Bluetooth as a multi-device pairing alternative, you must choose the RF USB connection whenever you have the choice.
4.
Do video gaming keyboards require RGB lights?
No. They’re enjoyable, aren’t they?
RGB lights can be configured to show particular crucial bindings, and some motorist programs even consist of custom-made ornamental patterns for particular video games. Considering that you’ll be looking at your screen and not your keyboard many of the time, the lights are generally simply for program, no matter what they take place to be doing. And if you’re not a fan, you can constantly turn them off (which can conserve a big quantity of battery life on cordless keyboards).