Image: Rob Schultz/IDG
Do you need a gaming keyboard to play PC games? Of course not. And spending triple-digits on one won’t automatically make you a winner, winner, chicken dinner. But getting a gaming-specific keyboard can make playing for long sessions more comfortable, and can also unlock a lot of customization options that add convenience to your favorite PC games. And we’d be lying if we said that the gamer aesthetic—complete with optional rainbow LEDs, of course—didn’t hold a certain appeal.
New gaming keyboards, with more and more flashy features, are being released almost constantly. Below are the best on the market at the moment, and we’ll be keeping this roundup current as often as we can to make sure you can find the best boards in this wide and competitive field.
Updated on 6/20/23 to name a new best gaming keyboard overall. It’s not a big stretch as the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro is taking the place of its V3 Pro predecessor. Read the summary below to learn more about what this new version offers and why we’re so smitten with it.
Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro – Best gaming keyboard overall
Pros
Super-fast 8000Hz poling
Includes lighted wrist rest
Tons of macro and control options
Cons
Expensive
No more wireless
ABS keycaps are a little cheap
Price When Reviewed:
245 €
The latest in a long line of keyboards to wear the BlackWidow label, the V4 Pro pulls out all the stops…with one big exception. It goes big in every way, with two, count ’em, two programmable dials, a column of macro keys, and bombastic side lighting that wraps all the way around the board and included magnetic wrist rest to light up your desk. On top of that it’s the “fastest” keyboard around with 8,000Hz polling, though you might need to be a super-human (or a pro gamer) in order to actually tell.
The BlackWidow V4 Pro is huge and heavy, so make sure you have enough space on your desk for its 18-inch (46-centimeter) wide load. The V4 also strangely omits wireless options (added to the BlackWidow V3 Pro, still available) in favor of more lighting and an additional USB pass-through port. And once again, despite an impressive aluminum build, Razer makes you pay extra for PBT keycaps. Even so, you won’t find a better or more capable gaming-focused board on the market.
Read our full
Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro review
G.Skill KM250 RGB Keyboard – Best value
Pros
Incredible value
PBT “pudding” caps
Great layout
Hot-swap switch sockets
Cons
No programming options
The G.Skill KM250 isn’t just the best budget gaming keyboard we’ve seen. With its long list of high-end features and a rock-bottom price, it’s the best value for a mechanical keyboard, period. With stylish PBT “pudding” keycaps, a rotary dial, hot-swap switches for deep customization, and even vibration-damping foam underneath the plate, it’s shocking how much G.Skill managed to cram into a keyboard in the $50 range. Even the default Kailh Red switches are great for gaming.
The board lacks wireless, and there’s no way to reprogram either its layout or its lighting. But these are minor quibbles for such a fantastic budget design, especially when most gamers will customize their layouts within the settings of individual games. Use the savings to buy some fancy switches or keycaps and customize the KM250 to your heart’s content.
Read our full
G.Skill KM250 RGB Keyboard review
Asus ROG Falchion Wireless 65% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Best for travel
Pros
Long battery life
Protective carrying tray
Handy touch volume panel
Cons
RF-only wireless
Lacks customization
The Asus ROG Falchion isn’t the most flexible wireless keyboard around—you’ll want one with better programming and multi-device capabilities for that. But if you want a keyboard specifically for gaming on the go, the design choices here are hard to beat. RF-only wireless means it’s incredibly fast, the long battery life means it won’t die out on you, and the included protective cover/tray means it’ll stay safe in your laptop bag.
The Falchion is pricey for its relatively short list of features, but its speedy switches and gaming focus make it ideal for this very specific niche. Just remember to bring an adapter if your gaming gadget of choice doesn’t have a USB-A port.
Read our full
ASUS ROG Falchion Wireless 65% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard review
Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro keyboard – Best low-profile gaming keyboard
Pros
Thin profile with comfy keys
Nice volume wheel
Many connection options
Cons
Expensive
No wrist rest
Default mute button is tricky
There are thinner gaming keyboards out there, but if you get much thinner than the low-profile switches and keycaps in the new DeathAdder, you start to lose a lot of comfort. (And add a lot of cost.) The V2 Pro is ideal if you’re looking for something a little thinner and more modern, but which preserves all of Razer’s gaming bells and whistles at the same time.
The “floating” keycaps on the DeathAdder manage to feel more like a full-sized keyboard than a laptop board, even with much shorter key travel, so this board should slide right into your desktop gaming setup with no trouble. The DeathAdder V2 also comes in a shorter TKL variety, and a wired version if you want to save some money.
Read our full
Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro keyboard review
Keychron Q5 keyboard – Best alternate gaming keyboard
Pros
Super-heavy body
Great keycaps
Excellent customization
Surprisingly competitive price
Cons
Unnecessary Mac/Windows switch
Programming layer limits
No adjustable feet
Technically, Keychron’s high-quality, super-customizable Q keyboards aren’t meant for gaming. But with a selection of switches (including speedy Linears) and a 1000Hz polling rate via the USB-C wired connection, it can keep up with pretty much any board on this list in terms of gaming prowess. And that’s before you customize it with QMK or VIA programming, the go-to choices for mechanical keyboard fans.
On top of that, the Q series comes in a wide variety of layout choices, with high-quality aluminum bodies, hot-swappable switches, PBT keycaps, double-gasket mounting for that “thocky” feeling, and even case foam for reduced noise and vibration. They’re also mod-friendly and easy to open if you want to really dig into customization. For a keyboard that can handle gaming, writing, and anything else you can throw at it, any member of the Q series is a great choice. The new Q Pro variants add wireless options, too.
Read our full
Keychron Q5 keyboard review
FAQ
1.
What’s the difference between a gaming keyboard and a regular keyboard?
Of course you can play PC games on any keyboard, assuming they were designed for it and not a controller. What separates a regular keyboard from a “gaming” keyboard is its intent—gaming keyboards are designed for speed and comfort across long play sessions. While “comfort” is subjective, and somewhat limited in making a gadget that conforms to standard typing, speed is readily quantifiable.
There are a couple of specific ways of measuring speed. One is the latency, the time it takes for a key press to translate into an action on your screen. Normally this is the relevant character appearing in a text window, but for a game it’s a sword swing, a foot movement, a grenade toss, a special ability activated. Gaming keyboards have special hardware that can minimize this latency: gold-plated connections on a USB port, for example.
The easiest way to reduce latency is to increase the amount of times the keyboard’s circuit board checks for key presses. This is called the polling rate, expressed in hertz. A standard keyboard has a polling rate of 100 to 200Hz, checking every tenth of a second or so. A gaming keyboard might have a polling rate of 1,000Hz or more—typically so fast that even the fastest human reflexes won’t be able to spot any gap in between a key being pressed and its relevant action on screen.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
Michael is a former graphic designer who’s been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.
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