5 Of The Best Gaming Mice To Help You Win More Games

Many will say that competitive gaming relies mostly on skills, and while that's true, hardware also tends to play a part. We don't just mean what's inside your computer, though. A gaming mouse is often the key to winning esports games, be it first-person shooters like "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" or MOBAs like "League of Legends." A slow mouse with a cord that gets in the way won't help you hone your skills and score more wins, so we're here to show you some mice that are worthy of your attention.

A lot plays into a successful esports match — just look at the kind of gear Twitch streamers and various competitors tend to use. A solid graphics card and processor are both great to have, but oftentimes, these games are less demanding on the PC than, say, a behemoth like "Forspoken." However, a good headset, a fast monitor with at least 144Hz refresh rates, and lastly, a fantastic mouse can all add up to better gaming performance.

Equipping yourself with suitable gear for your favorite game won't just make the whole experience more enjoyable — it could help you improve your skills and climb the ladder. However, many gaming mice cost a pretty penny without delivering the kind of results one might hope to see. Check out our five favorite picks below to make sure that you don't buy a dud and instead get something that'll last you for years.

Who says that you need to spend upwards of $100 to get a solid gaming mouse? Not us, that's for sure. This Logitech G305 Lightspeed model is a great gateway to fast-paced gaming without breaking the bank. Here's what you get for the fairly affordable price of $35.

First of all, this mouse is wireless, which we greatly recommend if you're into games that require quick mouse movements. Even if you're likelier to play MMOs or RPGs, it's nice for the mouse movement not to be restricted by anything. This mouse is also fairly comfortable even during prolonged use. It's kind of shaped like an egg, and while it's fairly large, it suits smaller and bigger hands just fine thanks to its oblong and unobtrusive shape. In terms of actual performance, it's a low-latency solution with a massive 12,000 DPI that will help you in various games.

If there's one downside to this mouse, it's that it's not the lightest. That can impact making quicker movements, but the rest of its good qualities make up for the weight. Battery life is pretty great, too, reaching up to 250 hours on a single AA battery.

The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro is another budget gaming mouse that does a great job of handling esports titles. It comes in wired and wireless flavors, so you can choose the one that suits you better, and they're both under $40. It comes with a lot of customization options, ranging from adjustable RGB through Corsair's iCUE software to macros you can map to each button to elevate your gameplay even further.

In terms of comfort, it's similar to the Logitech described above, although it has a slightly different shape. Unfortunately, it's not an ambidextrous mouse, so if you're left-handed, this model won't work for you — but if you mostly use your right hand, you're good to go. It's lighter than the Logitech, weighing in at just 79 grams, and it glides easily, allowing for snappy movements in every game.

For a budget mouse, it sports a fairly impressive set of specs. It supports a maximum polling rate of up to 2,000 Hz, the click latency is top-notch, and the Corsair Marksman Sensor can deliver an incredible DPI of 26,000, which is more than sufficient for all kinds of games. Plus, you can always adjust the DPI easily, and the mouse lets you save presets so that you can swap with a click based on the title you're playing right now.

Razer is known for making gaming gear, including laptops, keyboards, and headsets. However, if there's one product it's most recognized for, it just might be the Razer Naga mouse. Equipped with enough buttons to almost fully replace keyboard binds and the ability to swap the side plate based on your current needs, the Naga is certainly the most customizable gaming mouse on the market.

The interchangeable plates alone are worthy of a deeper dive. You can change them whenever you want to, making this mouse well-suited to every type of game, from MMOs that typically benefit from having lots and lots of keybindings to straightforward first-person shooters. The mouse comes with three swappable plates from the get-go, featuring either two, six, or 12 programmable buttons for you to dig into.

The DPI on this mouse is nothing short of insane, reaching up to 20,000, and the response time is really speedy, too — just 0.2 milliseconds. Some reviewers have even called it the ultimate gaming mouse, and that it is, but be warned — if you have smaller hands, you might not love it. For everyone else, this pricey mouse costs nearly $100, but it's pretty much as good as it gets.

For something that falls neatly in between the price of the $35 Logitech and the $100 Razer, check out the Fantech Aria XD7 wireless gaming mouse. Priced at $78, it has a lot to offer. It's a lightweight mouse, weighing in at just 60 grams. Unfortunately, it's not ambidextrous, so left-handed users will need to look elsewhere. For those who can make use of it, though, it's comfy and shaped like an egg, making for an easy fit in hands of all sizes, although it's a fairly big mouse, which is also a plus for esports — you don't want something tiny enough to slip out! It glides easily, making aiming a little easier.

The polling rates aren't the highest we've seen — 1,000 Hz — but they're pretty standard, and the Razer we're talking about below is an outlier, so don't let that discourage you. The Fantech Aria handles wireless connectivity nicely, with almost no motion delay. The default DPI is set to 1,600, but you can swap between various presets up to a whopping 26,000.

This Razer mouse is one of those enthusiast-only mice with features that someone who's not a hardcore gamer likely won't appreciate and, more importantly, probably really doesn't need. It has the highest polling rate we've ever seen — 8,000 Hz — which is eight times the standard in modern gaming mice. Paired with a powerful computer, it tracks movements faster than you can blink, and that can translate to victory in certain games.

Unlike many other similar mice, it's ambidextrous, with buttons on each side. While it's usually priced at around $100, you can also find the Razer Viper 8KHz on sale for as low as $60, at which point it's a steal. The Viper features four side buttons plus the standard setup of two buttons and a mouse wheel. In total, there are nine programmable buttons, but that includes three scroll wheel functions.

This mouse is ultra-sensitive, with a DPI rating of 20,000, and although it's wired, it's comfortable to use. It's not the lightest on our list at 71g, but considering how speedy it is, it just might be the best esports mouse we'll see for a good few years.