Depending on the situation or what mood I’m in at the time, I typically use one of two mice on a day-to-day basis. It’s roughly a 60/40 split between the Razer Viper V3 Pro and the Razer Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition, whether it’s for gaming or work. I’d prefer just to use one mouse for everything, but I’ve yet to find one that suits all my needs and preferences, all of the time.
Most of that comes down to feel and fit. The Viper is great for gaming, but I often prefer to have something more substantial in hand for work, which is where the Pro Click comes in. There isn’t a mouse around that’s capable of being both whenever I want it to, but the Orbital Pathfinder is certainly on the path to being that mouse, thanks to its wealth of customization options.
Which is why we’ve just added such a category to our best gaming mouse guide, and until something better comes along, the Pathfinder is our top recommendation for the best customizable gaming mouse.
Internally, it has everything you’d want from a top-end gaming mouse: fast, accurate sensor; up to 8 kHz polling rate; low weight for speed of movement. That doesn’t seem like anything special these days, but the Pathfinder’s party trick becomes blatantly obvious the moment you open the box.
You get four different shells to click onto the rear of the mouse, along with a multitude of different side panels, all varying in terms of thickness and shape. Other gaming mice come with swappable panels or a variety of weights to change the overall mass, but none of them are as comprehensive as the Pathfinder’s array of choices.
(Image credit: Future)
This makes me wonder if the next big feature in the gaming mouse market is going to be customization. They’re all as fast and lightweight as you could possibly want, and even then, the differences between the various models are so small that most PC gamers aren’t really going to tell them apart.
However, it’s a very different story when it comes to feel and fit, and what’s sublimely wonderful to hold and use for one person can be a raging nightmare for others to deal with. Plus, the dearth of readily-available gaming stores means that it’s a bit of a lottery when buying a new mouse: Without being able to try one out, you never quite know how it’s going to feel until you prise it out of the box.
Orbital’s modular mouse is very expensive (a buck shy of $190) but if other manufacturers get on board, competition will force the price of such mice right down. I know I’ll never have a mouse that can transform between a Pro Click V2 Vertical and a Viper V3 Pro, but anything that lets me adjust it to fit my hand perfectly is going to be very welcome.
The best gaming mice
Best wireless
The best overall
The DeathAdder has been refined once more, and this version is the best iteration yet. With a 45K sensor, 8K polling, clicky Gen-4 switches and a superbly premium-feeling coating, it’s now the crème de la crème of gaming mice. Lovely dongle, too.
Best wired
The best wired
An ergonomic and wired masterpiece, the G502 X has a good range of buttons to program—even a hot-swappable one. Pair that with a sturdy build and an infinite scroll, and it’s a super-easy wired mouse to recommend.
Budget wireless
The best budget wireless
A superb back-to-basics gaming mouse, the G305 Lightspeed is a super affordable way to nab Logitech’s best sensor yet. It’s not a complex mouse, but it lasts ages on a single AA battery and feels fantastically light under your grip.
Budget wired
The best budget wired
Super light in weight, super accurate in tracking, and super value in money. There’s nothing to touch the Model O Eternal at this price point, and if the cable was better quality, it would outshine far more expensive mice.
Best lightweight
The best lightweight
This one’s for all of you who are into competitive shooters. The Corsair Sabre V2 Pro is incredibly light at just 36 g, meaning faster flickshots and easier tiny aim adjustments. It’s also not full of tons of little holes, which is a bonus for an ultralight mouse.
Best MMO
The best MMO
It’s taken a while, but Corsair has taken the crown from Razer when it comes to the best gaming mouse for MMO and MOBA players. And, to be honest, with its extended Stream Deck compatibility, it’s pretty good for everyone else, too.
Best compact
The best for small hands
The Cobra Pro is great for all you small-handers out there. It’s a solid all-rounder just like the DeathAdder HyperSpeed, but dinky. It’s great for claw- and fingertip-grippers, too.
Best ambidextrous
The best ambidextrous
Thanks to a very handy set of magnetically swappable side buttons and an ambidextrous shape, the Logitech G Pro is an easy pick for left-handers and ambi-handers alike. It’s a fantastic gaming mouse all round, actually, no matter what your use case.
Best ergonomic
The best ergonomic
The Keychron M5 might look a little funny if you’re not used to vertical mice, but if so, let me introduce you to the shape that might just save your wrist from RSI. This mouse is comfy, ergonomic, and crucially, doesn’t sacrifice its sensor’s gaming credentials to achieve this.
Best customizable
The best customizable
At first glance, the Pathfinder just looks like a well-specced modern gaming mouse, with a fast sensor, low weight, and 8 kHz wireless polling. What sets it apart from the crowd is that the rear and side panels can all be swapped about to create a mouse that fits your hand perfectly.
