Best gaming keyboard 2022 | PCGamesN

Whether you use the best gaming keyboard for work or play, adding one to your gaming PC setup can make all the difference. Sure, that mushy set of keys at the office may technically perform the same role, but upgrading your clicky-clacky companion will help improve both your typing experience and your WASD reflexes in the best FPS games.

Choosing the best gaming keyboard isn’t complicated, but brands like Corsair, Razer, and SteelSeries like to put their own spin on the staple PC peripheral. Whether you prefer full sized options complete with number pads and function keys, or dinky 60% space savers, there are a variety of keyboards out there to suit your gaming desk preferences.

To help you navigate the sea of RGB backlit, microswitched boards on the market, we’ve assembled a collection of the best gaming keyboard options, with products that pair with the best gaming mouse while catering to both premium and budget ensembles.

Here are the best gaming keyboards:

• Razer Huntsman V2
• Mountain Everest Max
• G.Skill KM360
• Mountain Everest 60
• Corsair K70 TKL
• Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro
• Logitech G915 TKL
• Logitech G915 Wireless
• Keychron K2 V2
• EVGA Z12

Razer Huntsman V2

The best gaming keyboard is the Razer Huntsman V2.

Razer makes some of our favourite PC peripherals, including the best gaming keyboard. The Razer Huntsman V2 might look like your everyday board with a media dock sitting in the top-right corner, but there’s a level of care and ingenuity that sets it above its rivals. There’s a reason it packs a three-figure price tag, after all, but bear with us because it packs enough value that it’s hard to argue with.

Without getting too deep into the nitty gritty specs, the Huntsman V2 features Razer’s optical switches with an absurdly high polling rate (8,000Hz) and an incredibly low response time (0.2ms). You can choose which satisfying mechanical feel you like best from Clicky Purple to Linear Red, but optical switches mean your presses register faster than mechanical alternatives.

Pair that with an ergonomic memory foam wrist rest that feels like a cloud beneath your wrists and the Huntsman V2 is just about the comfiest gaming keyboard we’ve used. It looks the part with Chroma RGB lighting, and you can take it anywhere without losing your profiles thanks to on-board storage that’ll remember your Synapse settings.

What we like…

• Razer optical switches
• Doubleshot PBT Keycaps
• Extremely comfortable wrist rest

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Mountain Everest Max

The best modular gaming keyboard is the Mountain Everest Max.

Born from the crowdfunded fires of Kickstarter, the Mountain Everest Max is the most feature-packed gaming keyboard you can buy. Its premium finish comes with a hefty price tag, but the good news is that you can buy it in parts if you don’t want to fork out for the full thing right off the bat.

First of all, it has hot-swappable mechanical switches, so you can use Cherry MX, Gateron, Kailh, or just about any branded switch you can think of, making it easy to repair if you snap a stem. It’s modular with a detachable numpad you can place on either side, or even tether it with a cable so it’s not joined at the hip.

The numpad also has four Elgato-like LCD macro buttons without taking as much space as the Stream Deck. And, finally, it also has an optional media dock that slots into the top left- or right-hand side, complete with a dial that displays temperatures, the time, or lets you switch profiles.

What we like…

• Modular with hot-swappable switches
• Great Base Camp software with Razer Synapse integration
• LCD macro buttons

G.Skill KM360

The best cheap mechanical gaming keyboard is the G.Skill KM360.

There’s always a worry you’ll regret purchasing a cheap mechanical keyboard, but you don’t need to take a triple-figure bite out of your bank account in order to get something functional. Known for its record-breaking gaming RAM, the G.Skill KM360 is a fantastic budget gaming keyboard that trims back fancy features while nailing the bare necessities in a solid build.

The first feature on the chopping block is the numpad, which – at the very least – saves some space on your gaming desk. There’s also no RGB lighting here, but you get sleek white LEDs to compliment the board’s Apple-esque finish. You also won’t find a wrist rest here, but it keeps authentic Cherry MX switches wrapped at a value-driven price point.

What we like…

• Cherry MX mechanical switches
• Value-driven price point
• Tenkeyless to save space

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Corsair K70 TKL

The best TKL gaming keyboard is the Corsair K70 TKL.

What happens when you take the former best gaming keyboard and remove its numpad, while not only keeping all its other features intact, but adding to them? You get the best tenkeyless gaming keyboard around – the Corsair K70 TKL. It’s built with the same brushed aluminium finish as its full-sized predecessor and boasts Cherry MX mechanical switches.

The Corsair K70 TKL doesn’t have the fancy, debatably unnecessary OLED screen that the SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL has, but a full suite of practical media keys more than makes up for it. Couple this with authentic Cherry MX switches, the highest 8,000Hz polling rate, and a dedicated tournament switch that ensures you don’t break any competitive rulesets, and you have one of the best compact keyboards around.

What we like…

• Compact
• Fully featured
• Well-built

Read the PCGamesN Corsair K70 TKL review for our verdict and score.

Mountain Everest 60

The best compact gaming keyboard is the Mountain Everest 60.

While the space you save with a 60% keyboard gives you more room to swing your gaming mouse around, it usually comes with sacrifices that make typing a bit of a nightmare – namely waving goodbye to the arrow keys and numpad. The Mountain Everest 60 solves that problem with some clever engineering.

It features a redesiged PCB underneath that fits the arrow keys as if they were always meant to be there. Much like its bigger brother, it also features a connector either side of the board to attach a modular numpad (sold separately). Be warned that this isn’t the same numpad as the Everest Max and the connectors are different, so you can’t mix and match.

As we note in the Mountain Everest 60 review, everything about this gaming keyboard screams quality, from the robust brushed metal build to its own proprietary switches and a silicon layer beneath to dampen the sound of each click. It’s one of the nicest typing experiences we’ve had, retaining the satisfying thunk you expect from your mechanical board, but without annoying everyone in the household.

What we like…

• The smallest keyboard to have arrow keys
• Clever engineering makes it quiet
• Mountain mechanical switches are satisfying

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Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro

The best wireless gaming keyboard is the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro.

Take away the snakehead emblem and the BlackWidow V3 Pro still looks and feels like it’s been kissed by Razer with one crucial difference: the cord’s cut, which is both aesthetically pleasing and helps you to manage cables better.

You might have reservations about wireless peripherals, but things have come a long way from the latency-laden mice and keyboards that made us sacrifice quality for convenience. In fact, the BlackWidow V3 Pro performs just as well when connected via 2.4GHz as it does when plugged in, and you can even pair it via Bluetooth for greater compatibility. The Razer Hyperspeed dongle means you can connect the best wireless gaming mouse from Razer through a single USB.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a true Razer product without Chroma RGB lighting, controlled by the Synapse software. This truly shines in games that support integration, such as Fortnite lighting up your keyboard in sync with your emotes.

What we like…

• Choice of 2.4GHz Razer Hyperspeed or Bluetooth wireless
• High-quality Doubleshot keycaps
• One of the most comfortable wrist rests around

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Logitech G915 Wireless

The best low-profile gaming keyboard is the Logitech G915 Wireless.

Despite the brand’s reputation in the gaming sphere, Logitech keyboards have moved away from the garish angular designs and into a look that’s just as much suited to a professional office environment as they are an esports arena. That’s why we love the Logitech G915 wireless. It’s sleek, low-profile, and perfectly suited to the gaming market rapidly expanding beyond the image of dingy basements and junk food.

With wireless connectivity across Lightspeed and Bluetooth, the G915 helps keep your desk neat and tidy, too. Although that does add some onto the price, which makes this stylish board deserving of the enthusiast label. Nevertheless, if you can swallow that, its low-profile GL switches are a dream to type on and a dab hand at gaming, too.

What we like…

• Low-profile
• Stunning, simple design
• Wireless

Read the PCGamesN Logitech G915 review for our verdict and score.

Logitech G915 TKL

The best wireless TKL keyboard is the Logitech G915 TKL.

Good wireless mechanical keyboards are difficult to come by, making a sturdy wireless TKL keyboard somewhat of a unicorn. They do exist, but often with a premium price tag. The Logitech G915 TKL is no exception, but it’s the same as the best low-profile mechanical keyboard just in tenkeyless form.

This means it comes with the same switches, the same 1.5mm actuation distance, the same gorgeous RGB lighting, the same tactile feedback, and the same multi-device connectivity as its cousin. The main difference is that the Logitech G915 TKL will fit just about anywhere as you travel to and from your main desk.

What we like…

• Low-profile
• Stunning, simple design
• Small and wireless

Keychron K2 V2

The best cheap wireless gaming keyboard is the Keychron K2 V2.

The Keychron K2 proves that you don’t need to take out a second mortgage to go wireless, slapping a starting price of just $69 on this revolutionary little gaming keyboard. You get 84 keys including the arrow keys, can connect to three concurrent devices wirelessly, and it’ll last between 68 and 240 hours depending on whether you use the backlighting. It even boasts both Windows and macOS compatibility, coming with an extra set of Mac-specific keycaps.

If you don’t like the white backlighting or fancy sprucing up the plastic frame with aluminium instead, you can customise your keyboard with a few different options for an additional fee. Regardless of which model you choose, it’s built to compete with bigger, more established rivals like Razer, Logitech, and Corsair.

So, how does it get to such a low price point? Part of the reason is its use of Gateron mechanical switches, which feel a little stiffer than Cherry MX or first-party alternatives from Razer, Mountain, and SteelSeries. You’re also stuck with ABS keycaps rather than the PBT and doubleshot PBT of its competitors, giving it a less premium finish. Still, it’s an admirable affordable wireless mechanical keyboard that won’t break the bank.

What we like…

• Affordable
• Up to 240 hours battery life
• Multi-connectivity wireless up to three devices

EVGA Z12

The best membrane keyboard is the EVGA Z12.

So, mechanical keyboards might not suit you, but that doesn’t mean any old rubber dome companion will do. Membrane keyboards sport a higher latency, but they have their merit, being softer to press and significantly quieter when you’re in a crowded place. Fortunately, there are some good options that don’t skimp on features that are usually exclusive to mechanical options, like the EVGA Z12.

This full-size board comes with dedicated media keys, zoned RGB backlighting, and macro keys backed by robust software you can use to customise them. You can also disable the Windows key by enabling Game Mode, which prevents any accidental presses that’ll send you to desktop mid-game (it’s happened to us all).

What we like…

• Feature-packed for a membrane keyboard
• Affordable
• Customisable

Best gaming keyboard deals

Why buy a gaming keyboard?

Unlike conventional peripherals, gaming keyboards offer a variety of features that will help improve your performance in-game. From mechanical switches that improve responsiveness to programmable macro buttons, keyboards designed for gaming can give you the edge in a variety of PC genres, like MMOs and competitive shooters.

What are mechanical keyboard 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 though, there are two main types of keyboard switches: mechanical and membrane. The latter has some value in typing if you like the squishy rubber dome feel, but you’ll definitely want the faster response times of mechanical switches when trying to get one up on your enemies in-game.

Are 60% keyboards good for gaming?

Significantly smaller than full-sized counterparts, 60% keyboards sacrifice keys that some might think are non-negotiable for typing, but this means far more room on the best mouse pad to swing your rodent. In particular, this benefits the most competitive of FPS gamers, as many demand a lower sensitivity and greater arm movement. It also looks pretty neat.

Which keyboard brand is best?

It’s worth being careful of any old Amazon keyboard just in case you don’t get the most value for your money, but it’s not as simple as one brand taking the crown.

Brands are a good indicator of the kind of quality control and customer support you’ll get, but there are plenty of lesser-known brands that never fail to impress. Keychron, Anne Pro, Ducky, Wooting, and Mountain aren’t necessarily household names outside of enthusiasts just yet, but they regularly stand tall against more popular alternatives from Razer, Logitech, Corsair, SteelSeries, Roccat, and Asus.