Game purists usually deride console gaming as being little more than a perversion. While unhesitatingly promoting PC gaming as being by far the best way to live their dreams in either 4K or 1080p on insanely fitted-out rigs. Whether PC gaming is superior to the console is a fiery argument better left for another day. But for today we present you with what we think are currently the best gaming keyboards on the planet to rule your world with, a glorious and trumpetingly-loud keystroke at a time.
Gaming keyboards are used by the majority of PC gamers who prefer its convenience, flexibility and the sound of all those little keys rat-a-tatting as they show off what they are made of. Gaming keyboards invariably vary in cost, features, and utility. And with so many models being endlessly churned out by a multitude of manufacturers across the globe, choosing really excellent ones is akin to looking for the proverbial needle in the living room, sorry haystack.
Best Keyboards for Gaming
It took a lot out of us, and our fingers are all blistered and swollen, but we soldiered on so well that after lots of vigorous testing we were able to pick the top gaming keyboards without which your PC gaming life should be judged incomplete. Read this our top 10 keyboards for gaming list and hope you don’t get tapping fever!
1. Corsair Vengeance K95 RGB
Corsair sure knows how to make them. But this time they outdid themselves with their Vengeance K95 RGB. This beauty stubbornly holds its own even in the face of newer entries from Corsair and its relentless competitors. How it does this is really easy – by offering peerless features at a peerless price for people looking for a peerless experience. The K95 RGB is undeniably beautifully made, colorful and distinctive as a gaming keyboard should be. The main advantage of this keyboard, though, is the smooth buttery key strokes.
It’s also reputedly as durable as a main battle tank and nearly as large! Made for competitive gamers the Vengeance K95 RGB spares no effort to give them an edge over the competition. All its keys are programmable to your particular tastes to suit every game. And with a detachable wrist rest that’s one of the best we have ever used, you are assured of waging unrelenting clickety-clack wars on your enemies and triumphing every time. Costing around $197 this is one gaming keyboard that’s clearly worth the price and the adulation of most PC gamers the world over.
2. Razer Ornata
Packing most of the features its more expensive rivals sometimes lack it’s really no surprise that we honor the Razer Ornata by placing it so near the top of our top 10 list. The Razer Ornata is a gaming keyboard that thinks it’s a golden princess with a massive inheritance and does a fabulously excellent job of convincing us of that. Dual-use for either work or gaming, featuring a sinfully-rich wrist rest, with user-customizable backlighting and lots of customizable features, the Razer Ornata really delivers when other costlier gaming keyboards might instead make you feel like slitting your wrists in frustration.
However, it does lack some hardware features you might have gotten used to. But for the price point that is clearly not a deal breaker. If you want it you got to shell out around $79 for this beast. Expect it to lick your fingers in gratitude and let you live on the knife edge of excitement and adventure.
3. G.Skill Ripjaws KM780 RGB
This keyboard can be more than a mouthful to pronounce, but it still excellently gets the job done. And no it won’t rip off your jaws or your wallet, but it might well leave you drooling at what it has to offer. The G. Skill Ripjaws KM780 RGB is clearly awesome to look at and resembles some piece of alien tech on a spaceship rather than a top-notch gaming keyboard. The switches are Cherry MX for the best tactile response possible and are about as loud as a cannon when you are tapping away on high speed. The G. Skill Ripjaws KM780 RGB comes with dedicated media controls, user-customizable LED backlighting and a detachable wrist rest. Price starts from $94, which is a rip-roaring bargain if we say so.
4. Roccat Ryos MK Pro
This gaming keyboard is the proud flagship of the Roccat Ryos brand of really excellent gaming keyboards. Suitable for gamers of differing skills the Roccat Ryos MK Pro is one mechanical keyboard you will definitely want on your desk helping you save the world a keystroke at a time. User-customizable blue backlighting helps light up the fun and with the option of manipulating each key to do exactly what you want it to, the sky is clearly the limit as you run riot and put the fear of the gods into your opponents.
A wrist rest is available, but it’s sadly non-removable for no reason we can wrap our little heads around. 2 USB ports and 2 MB of onboard memory are also present, as are two ARM Cortex processors to keep the action as slick as possible. Coming at $170 it certainly is not cheap, but few good things are.
5. Wooting two HE
The Wooting two HE might not be as popular as the other devices on the list, but it makes sure to check all the right boxes. Like any respectable gaming keyboard, the device offers magnetic switches, allowing users to control the travel distance per stroke. But what the Wooting does is that it allows for further customization to this travel time. Hence, users can control the reaction speed of their keystrokes. While a normal PC user may not find this feature useful or even noticeable, accurate response time is a matter of life and death for any pro gamer out there. Additionally, the company also supports users by providing custom software for mapping the keystrokes accordingly. Lastly, there is the much-loved multi-input feature, which is available for two keystrokes instead of one.
5. Logitech G610 Orion Brown
At last some Logitech magic to spice up your gaming life! These particular ones sport Cherry MX switches for the best possible tapping experience and durability. Strictly functional, this is one gaming keyboard that is rather easy to overlook at first sight. Till you plug it in and hitch a ride to cloud 9. Or the gaming equivalent at least. The G610 Orion Brown is currently one of the best Logitech gaming keyboards available and comes with strictly white LED lighting that is extensively programmable, as are the keys. However, USB and audio ports are inexcusably lacking. The price of this keyboard is $120.
We should warn you that not everyone will like this type of keyboard for gaming. Some may need larger keys set apart. It will completely depend on what game you will be playing with it.
6. SteelSeries Apex M500
The Steelseries Apex M500 is a no-frills gaming keyboard with Cherry MX switches and a rather agreeable price you can smile to. Generic-looking, it comes with loads of goodies under its mediocre-looking hood like the blue LED lighting, customizable keys, bulletproof Cherry MX keys and not much else. Starting at $94 this is one gaming keyboard worth keeping a beady eye and itchy finger on.
7. Corsair Strafe Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Lucky for us that Corsair decided that looks are about as important as functionality when whipping up the Corsair Strafe Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. Showing the results of some particularly excellent design, this gaming keyboard looks fabulously stunning and seductive. It features red backlighting that are customizable ad nauseaum as well as user-programmable individual keys. Like the name implies the Corsair Strafe is equipped with Cherry MX mechanical switches for class-leading performance. Price is $109.99 and rather worth it if you place value on excellent build quality and dependability.
8. Razer Black Widow Tournament Edition Chroma
A solidly-performing keyboard from the packed stables of Razer, the Razer Black Widow Tournament Edition Chroma is designed to be as portable as possible without sacrificing usability and all the bells and whistles you have come to expect from the best of the best. The keys are extremely uber-customizable with different backlighting effects to set your pulse racing madly. The keyboard uses Razer’s own proprietary mechanical switches, which Razer promises are more durable and enjoyable than even the fabled MX switches.
From what we experienced during our testing the claim may be bold, but it certainly isn’t vain. Geared mostly for gaming it lacks a numeric keypad and is rather mediocre when put to other uses that does not involve gaming. Priced at $140 it hits the right spot if portability and ultra hard-core gaming is what you are after.
10. Mountain Everest Max
The Mountain Everest Max is undoubtedly one of the best modular gaming keyboards currently on the market. The device offers maximum customization with the help of native software. It also features four Cherry MX switches – Red, Blue, Brown, and Silver. The keys are backlit and use magnetic plush keycaps. Although it is mostly costlier than other TKL keyboards, it is by far a cheap product on this list. Hence, it makes it possible for even gaming enthusiasts to give it a go without investing a lot.
11. Division Zero X40 Pro Gaming Mechanical Keyboard
The X40 Pro is utilitarian, but still manages to attract envious looks due to it’s eccentrically designed and swappable aluminum top panel. It comes with very customizable red backlighting, lots of ports for connectivity, and a proprietary gold-plated Alpha-Zulu key switch design supposed to be superior to the Cherry MX. Price is $159 and rather steep considering rivals mount much more features on their similarly priced offerings.
12. Thermaltake Poseidon Z
When you want to perform heroic deeds on a threadbare budget nothing comes more dear to the heart and wallet than the Thermaltake Poseidon Z. A little long in the tooth it is still an excellent performer in all the right areas. And at $65 your bank account is unlikely to have a seizure if you shell out for it. It comes with blue backlighting and a solid build quality that will shake off more than a fair amount of abuse. As well as Kalih switches, with the option of either Kalih Blue or Brown versions depending on how exactly you like your gaming to be. It might not be a trident-carrying Poseidon, lacks some top-end features and certainly is not pretty, but it is no slouch and worth every red cent.