What is the best gaming keyboard? Whether you’re into first-person shooters, epic RPG adventures, or just need a reliable typing tool, equipping yourself with a good keyboard can transform your setup. With options such as ultra-fast switches for the ultimate in competitive gaming response, extra macro keys to perform extra functions at the touch of a button, or extra noise dampening to create a whisper-quiet typing experience, there are all sorts of ways to up your game.
We’ve tested a wide range of wireless keyboards, mechanical keyboards, wired keyboards, and optical-mechanical keyboards to bring you a list of the very best. No matter what your budget or preference is, you will find the right gaming keyboard to meet your needs. Check out the How to choose a gaming keyboard and FAQ sections at the bottom of this guide for more advice on how and what to choose.
For the ultimate setup, we’d also recommend looking at upgrading to one of the best gaming mouse options for complete confidence in your inputs. Meanwhile, if you’re specifically looking for only keyboards without wires, check out our best wireless mechanical keyboard guide.
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Best gaming keyboards 2025:
The most customizable gaming keyboard
Glorious GMMK 3 (Pro HE) specifications:| Form factor | 65%, 75%, and 100% |
| Number of keys | 65 to 104 |
| Switches | Glorious Cherry MX style or Hall Effect |
| Connectivity | USB-C or USB-C with Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless |
| Media keys | Volume knob |
Reasons to buy- Near endlessly customizable
- Fantastic build quality and design
- Low cost of entry
- Analog-capable thanks to Hall Effect switches
Reasons to avoid- Full custom units are expensive
- Entry-level plastic option is flimsy
- Cable is almost too chunky
- Can’t upgrade wired version to wireless
The Glorious GMMK 3 sits at the top of our list for one simple reason: you can design it to be what you want. This is easily the most customizable off-the-shelf gaming keyboard you can buy, with you able to spec up your own version of it, choosing everything from the outer case to the internal gasket mounts, switchplates and of course the switches and keycaps. You can also just buy a standard-spec version then upgrade parts over time.
What’s more, the core design of the GMMK 3 and GMMK 3 Pro is great, with a clean overall look that you can make your own. Build quality generally is excellent and the starting price of the range is just $120. That rises a lot, though, when you really start speccing these keyboards up, with the priciest units made with solid aluminum cases costing north of $500. But that’s still cheaper than most truly custom-built boards.
Crucially, with the option to add Hall Effect switches, these keyboards can offer the rapid trigger and analog functions of many other boards, making these high performance keyboards, as well as versatile ones. They also come wired or wireless and in a range of sizes, though there are no extra keys or other multimedia features, other than a volume knob
There are a few factors to note before ordering one of these keyboard – so check our full review to get the full picture – but if you’re after a high-quality custom keyboard without the hassle and extreme cost, this is the way to go. A quality alternative that isn’t quite as customizable is the Drop CSTM80.
Read our full Glorious GMMK 3 review.
Best budget gaming keyboard
Corsair K55 Core specifications:| Number of keys | Full-size with 110 keys |
| Switches | Rubber dome |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Media keys | Dedicated |
Reasons to buy- Valve for money
- Simple, clean design
- Supported in iCUE
Reasons to avoid- Membrane keys
- No gaming specific features
If you’re strapped for cash or looking for something to bridge the gap between two premium gaming keyboards, look no further than the Corsair K55 Core. What it lacks in gaming-specific features, it more than makes up for in build quality and value.
Although this board is basic, Corsair has ensured it delivers solid build quality, despite its $40 price tag. Better still you’re getting a full-size board here, so the K55 Core makes no compromises on size to achieve its value.
Crucially, it is fully supported in Corsair’s iCUE software, so you get full access to syncing your keyboards RGB lighting with the rest of your system, plus you can program some aspects of the board and program game-specifics functions. The value Corsair has packed into the K55 Core is hard to ignore, even if it won’t compete with the more expensive options on this list.
Read our Corsair K55 Core review for more.
Best wireless gaming keyboard
Corsair K65 Plus Wireless specifications:| Number of keys | 81 keys – 75% layout |
| Switches | Corsair MLX Red |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, Wired |
| Media keys | Reprogrammable scroll wheel only |
Reasons to buy- Highly customizable
- Long battery life
- Tactile typing feel
Reasons to avoid- Can be expensive to customize
Corsair casually released one of the best all-around gaming keyboards we’ve seen in recent years in the K65 Plus Wireless. It’s got something for everyone, starting with enthusiasts who love to tinker with switches and keycaps as they’ll find no barriers preventing full customization.
It lacks the option of analog switches but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in performance. The Corsair MLX Red switches are super responsive and also have a lovely tactile feel when you hit your typing flow.
Finally, it’s wireless with up to three saveable Bluetooth profiles and a steady 2.4GHz connection possible. All this is backed up by a super long batter life, that can be extended if you disable the delightfully muted backlighting.
Read our Corsair K65 Plus Wireless review for more.
Best modular gaming keyboard
Mountain Everest Max specifications:| Number of keys | Full-size with 104 keys, four display keys |
| Switches | Swappable, Cherry MX, or Mountain pre-installed |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Media keys | Dedicated via attachment |
Reasons to buy- Modular
- Hot-swappable switches
- LCD macro buttons
Reasons to avoid- Wrist rest is a bit thin
- Collectively pricey, but you can buy part-by-part
The Mountain Everest Max has been among our favorite gaming keyboards ever since it was released. Its ability to quickly remove and reattach its numpad section means it offers the best of both worlds for gamers that need a numpad for work but want the compact feel of a TKL board for gaming – you can even attach the numpad to the left side.
You can also add a multimedia dial and buttons section that plugs into the top edge. The numpad section also has programmable OLED buttons on along its top edge. In truth, despite this keyboard still being my daily driver, many years after reviewing it, I don’t really use the OLED buttons and multimedia dial, but the options there – I just love the detachable numpad function.
The tricky part these days is getting hold of one of these keyboards. They’re mostly sold out, following the Mountain company having been bought by Be Quiet! However, the 60% size version is still reasonably widely available and we’ve heard rumblings that a new version might finally be en route.
Read our Mountain Everest Max review.
Best gaming keyboard for modding
Drop CSTM80 specifications:| Number of keys | 88 keys |
| Switches | Gateron Brown or Yellow |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Media keys | N/A |
Reasons to buy- Gateron switch choices at point of purchase
- Highly customizable without costing over the odds
- Incredible typing feel
Reasons to avoid- Gaming performance is nothing spectacular
As keyboard modding becomes more popular, Drop is leading the charge along with a few other brands like Ducky, in creating products that a re simple to customize and make unique. First and foremost, we called the Drop CSTM80 one of the prettiest keyboards we’d ever seen, and praised it’s feel while typing.
The gasket mounting provides a light feel, but there is still plenty of feedback in the mechanical switches to ensure you don’t suffer from any missclicks. It’s also very responsive, but beyond that, the gaming benefits are light, as it’s built for a different purpose and we respect that.
We also highlighted the driverless approach from Drop, meaning you can plug the CSTM80 in without needing to download any additional software. Should you wish to customize the inputs, you can download software, but it is not required under any circumstances.
Read our Drop CSTM80 review for more.
Best compact gaming keyboard
Lofree Flow 100 specifications:| Number of keys | 100 |
| Switches | Kailh Full POM Switches |
| Connectivity | Wireless (Bluetooth) or Wired (USB-A) |
| Media keys | None |
Reasons to buy- Wonderfully smooth to use
- Nice and compact
- Stylishly minimalist
Reasons to avoid- Lacks dedicated media keys
- Wired connection not great
- Awkward CTRL key placement
Not got a lot of desk space to spare for your gaming keyboard? Well, in that case, the Lofree Flow 100 may be just what you need. It occupies a tiny amount of space but remains a rugged and durable piece of hardware.
One small downside of it being so small is that the CTRL key is slightly awkwardly placed and I often end up accidentally pressing it with my palm when typing. I still love the keyboard, but it is annoying when it happens.
Something that most users will appreciate is just how smoothly this thing works. Writing a sentence on the Lofree Flow 100 is like spreading butter with a hot knife. You’ll never find yourself having to give a key a second, harder press because it didn’t pick it up the first time, or that the opposite has happened and one press registered twice.
The biggest flaw is probably with the wired connection, which I couldn’t get working properly. I keep it plugged in all the time, which keeps it charged up, but it’s connected to my laptop via Bluetooth, as my device didn’t recognize it when I plugged it in. It’s not a huge problem, since it still works just fine, but an important bit of nuance to be conscious of.
All in all, it’s a well-made keyboard that looks as good as it feels. It may lack dedicated media keys for volume control and so forth, but the keys are hot-swappable (with Kailh Full POM Switches), and I’ve not encountered any latency. If you’re after something small that you can plug in and play right out of the box, but which offers some decent potential for customization, this could be the one.
Read our full Lofree Flow 100 review.
Best keyboard for both modding and gaming
Razer Blackwidow V4 75% specifications:| Number of keys | 82 – TKL |
| Switches | Razer Orange Tactile |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Media keys | Two plus scroll wheel |
Reasons to buy- Designed for gaming and modding with little compromise
- Easy to customize and reassemble
- Responsive gaming performance
Reasons to avoid- Could get expensive when adding switches and keycaps
Modding a keyboard is great, not only can it refresh the design, but you can isolate issues that arise and potentially fix them without having to worry about replacing a whole keyboard. The Razer Blackwidow V4 is a great example of trying to appeal to two markets and leaving no features on the cutting room floor.
We enjoyed our time with the Blackwidow V4 75% massively, praising how simple it was to play around with and disassemble while still managing to offer responsive gaming performance. There was always the risk that appealing to two hobbies could create a Frankenstein monster of a mess, but no such outcome is present here.
If you want to give modding a go but retain the core gaming performance, there may be no better option. We would have liked to have more pre-purchase customization options, to prevent the need to purchase new switches and keycaps after the fact, but it’s a small price to pay in the long term.
Read our Razer Blackwidow V4 75% review for more.
Best quiet gaming keyboard
Razer Huntsman V2 specifications:| Number of keys | Full-size with 104 keys |
| Switches | Razer optical |
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Media keys | Dedicated |
Reasons to buy- Razer optical switches
- Doubleshot PBT Keycaps
- Extremely comfortable wrist rest
Reasons to avoid- Expensive
- No USB passthrough
- Fixed USB cable
Razer knows a thing or two about keyboards, and the Huntsman V2 is a terrific testament to that fact. Armed with optical switches, delectable doubleshot PBT keycaps, and subtle good looks, this board is a perfect ten in our eyes. It even goes above and beyond by wielding built-in dampening foam, which helps ditch rattling and clattering while preserving pleasing ASMR clicks.
The Razer Huntsman V2 is more expensive than most, and it’s arguably designed with keyboard enthusiasts in mind. Nevertheless, it will still provide any gaming PC setup with accurate and speedy input, thanks to its 8,000Hz polling rate.
That’s going to matter if you’re looking to enhance your skills in the best FPS games, as you’ll be able to swiftly dip, dive and dodge your way to safety during standoffs without worrying about latency. You can even swap out its keycaps to give it an aesthetic edge – a feature that’ll inject a bit of personality into your PC gaming space. It’s one of the best quiet gaming keyboards, and if you can afford it, is well worth the money.
Read the Razer Huntsman V2 review.
How to choose the best gaming keyboards
When looking for the right keyboard (either among those on this list, or elsewhere) we recommend considering all the following points before making a decision:
- Pricing: We understand that some people are going to have to make a decision exclusively based on what they can afford. If that’s you, you can still find some decent quality gaming-focused keyboards for around $30 (£25) but going much lower than that can bring one too many compromises. At this price, the main compromise is you’ll have to miss out on mechanical keys. That means the keys will tend to be not as responsive and not last as long, but that’s why they’re so cheap. At around $50 you can get ‘no-name’ mechanical keyboards that can be decent but you’ll be looking at $70-$80 and higher for mechanical boards from known brands.
- Size: Perhaps the biggest trend in keyboards right now is for smaller sizes – known as form factors – such as tenkeyless (TKL), 75%, 65%, and 60%. These all refer to the size of the keyboard in relation to a traditional full-size keygboard with 105 keys. TKL chops off the number pad section and 75% does the same but squishes the cursors and Home/End cluster closer to the other keys. 65% and 60% are even smaller, often losing the cursor and F1-12 keys for a really small keyboard. Smaller keyboards look great and leave you lots of extra room for your mouse to move but learning to live without the removed keys can be a frustration.
- Gaming keys: Gaming keys were originally the main thing that defined a gaming keyboard. They give you extra buttons to press to fire off macros or other commands, without needing to reassign other standard keys to these functions. These days, there’s less focus on them but some people still prize having dedicated extra keys.
- Media keys: These are the volume wheels, mute buttons, and play/pause/skip track buttons with which some keyboards are equipped. You can also find some keyboards that come with screens and multi-function dials. They’re all super-useful features though more for general desktop use than actual gaming.
- Mechanical vs membrane: Membrane or rubber dome keyboards are a cheaper form of keyboard that uses switches where the spring and switch contact is formed by a rubber dome that you press on. Meanwhile, mechanical switches use individual springs and either metal contacts or magnetic or optical sensors to tell when the switch is pressed. Membrane keyboards can be very cheap and quiet but don’t feel as nice, lack customization, and don’t last very long. Mechanical keyboards are more expensive but last ages and can be customized with different switches and keycaps.
- RGB lighting: Is it an essential addition, or simply a flashy extravagance? That’s for you to decide but some form of backlighting is often useful for seeing keys properly in darker environments. Some cheaper boards have only zones of lighting while others have per-key lighting for highly-programmable light shows.
- Wired vs wireless: It used to be the case that wireless technology wasn’t responsive enough for reliable gaming performance but these days it works great. Wireless keyboards are more expensive, though, and you need to charge them once a week. A simple wired board won’t ever suffer a disconnect or need charging, though, and unlike a mouse or headset, it’s not like you often move a keyboard.
- Analog/rapid trigger/Snap Tap: The very latest big deal in gaming keyboards is the ability for keys to respond in a tuneable way. This means you can have keys act like analog triggers or setup clever functions such as rapid trigger and Snap Tap. The former of these lets you re-press a key far quicker than usual while the latter lets you switch between two keys – left and right strafe, for instance, far more quickly than usual.
If you’re still left with questions, we’ve answered a few keyboard-related FAQs below:
Do I need a gaming keyboard?
The line between a gaming keyboard and just a decent quality keyboard has blurred in recent years. It used to be that a gaming keyboard was one with extra gaming keys but these days it tends to just mean it has RGB lighting. Ok, we exaggerate. Most gaming keyboards are also optimized for a rapid response whereas non-gaming models might prioritize battery life but leave you hanging when it comes to a crucial in-game moment.
Extra gaming keys can still be useful if you like to fire off complex actions at the touch of a button and don’t want to reprogram other keys. Meanwhile, the other three main factors to consider for gaming are: size, key switch feel, and analog actuation.
When it comes to size, some people just prefer larger keyboards with all the extra features. However, many gamers now prefer smaller keyboards without numpads, as these leave more desk room for your mouse. As for key switch feel, many gamers prefer very light-feeling, linear switches rather than the heavier, more feedback-heavy feel of tactile or clicky switches that many typists prefer. Light, linear switches can be easier to press in a lighting-fast reaction situation.
Finally, analog switches provide the ability for keys to function like the analog trigger of a controller. That alone isn’t super useful but the same function means you can assign two trigger points to one switch, have a rapid trigger mode where keys can respond super fast, or you can adjust the height at which the key activates, all of which can be super useful in certain games.
What are mechanical switches?
PCGamesN has a comprehensive guide on mechanical keyboard switches, which will quickly make you an expert on all things clicky, linear, and tactile.
In a nutshell, there are two main types of keyboard switches: mechanical and membrane. The latter are cheaper to make so can be found on ultra-budget boards, plus they can be very quiet. However, they tend to not feel as responsive or last very long – heavy use can see them start to get unresponsive in only a year or so. Mechanical switches offer a more reliable feel and response and they last far longer, plus you can swap the keycaps and many boards let you swap the switches too so that you can experiment with different mechanical switches to find the ones you prefer – look for the switches being hot-swappable.
Can a gaming keyboard make you game better?
Yes and no. For most games, almost any keyboard that doesn’t inherently have poor-quality, unresponsive switches will do what you need. However, for many other scenarios, gaming keyboards can transform your gaming.
For a start, gaming keyboards tend to prioritize response over other factors so are less likely to leave you frustrated after a crucial key tap produces no result (or a delayed result) on screen. This is particularly true when it comes to wireless gaming keyboards.
Keyboards with mechanical switches also tend to offer a more reliable, faster response than membrane keyboards, though that’s true whether the keyboard is a ‘gaming’ one or not. Meanwhile, some people find extra gaming keys are a crucial addition for performing complex functions at the touch of a button, while the programmability of gaming keyboards can also help to optimize your gaming setup.
Finally, if you do opt for an analog mechanical keyboard, these can really unlock some interesting functions. You can make some keys react like analog triggers, providing subtle acceleration or braking input for raing games, for instance. Moreover, rapid trigger and Snap Tap functions can be transformative in some games.
What are Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap?
Rapid Trigger and Snap Tap are the names Razer has given to new functions that have been added to many keyboards with analog switches. Rapid Trigger uses the ability of analog switches to detect the exact height of a key – rather than just the moment it has passed a certain threshold like with a normal switch – to allow the key to be pressed again as soon as the keyboard detects that you’ve slightly released the key. In contrast, normal switches need the key to be pressed a certain distance to activate then bounce back up to a certain point before then can be pressed again.
This speed of re-pressing can be useful in a number of games. In fighting games it can allow for very fast combos while in FPS games, it can allow for fast counter-strafing.
Snap Tap allows users to hold down one key then press another key and have the keyboard automatically re-press the first key once the second key is released. So, for instance, you can hold down A for left strafe, then tap D for right strafe and as soon as you’ve released D, the keyboard automatically starts triggering A again. So, effectively, you can strafe left and right (or do whatever combo you want) by just holding down one key and tapping the other – there’s no need to release both keys and alternate your key presses. So effective is Snap Tap at being used for counter-strafing (dodging left and right quickly to avoid being shot) that it has been banned in Counter-Strike.
Do I need an expensive gaming keyboard?
Need is a subjective word. If you just want any gaming keyboard to get going, cheap membrane keyboards will still be optimized for quick response and tend to have better-feeling keys than really cheap sub-$20 boards. When it comes to mechanical keyboards, the cheaper models are inherently more basic but will still offer most of the core responsive feel and reliability of more expensive boards. If you really value complete control, though, top-tier boards offer so much customization and amazing build quality.
If you want more help in building the perfect gaming set-up, read our article on the best gaming PC. Even an amazing keyboard won’t make a difference if you’re using it on a potato that hasn’t even been baked.
