Best gaming keyboards in 2025: the fastest, smoothest and loveliest keyboards I've tested

Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless and Keychron Q3 Max on grey background
(Image credit: Keychron | Asus)

When searching for the best gaming keyboard we keep an eye out for features, feel, and value for money. Each of the gaming keyboards in this guide delivers on these three points, though we've focused on various price points to cater to any sort of budget.

The best gaming keyboard right now is the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless. It excels in every aspect—superb mechanical feel and a full-size yet compact design. But if you want to go for something cheaper, we've been blown away by the Mountain Everest 60 and its recent price drops which easily make it the best budget gaming keyboard so far in 2025.

One vital aspect of any gaming keyboard purchase is whether to pick a mechanical keyboard. Generally, we'd say it's always worthwhile considering a mechanical switch over a membrane one. They feel much better for typing and gaming and they're generally quicker. Nowadays we're seeing more and more specialised switches, such as Hall effect, optical, and even induction, which are becoming great picks for competitive gamers due to features like rapid trigger.

Curated by...
Jacob Ridley headshot on colour background
Curated by...
Jacob Ridley

There are few keyboard enthusiasts as enthusiastic as our Jacob. He's been professionally testing for many years now, and has been collecting mechanical key switches like Smaug hoarded gold for years before that. Whether it's Hall effect or straight mechanical, he's poked and prodded more keyboards and switches than any one man should, and is our expert on all things keeb.

The quick list

Recent updates

Updated 03 January 2025 to check over our recommendations and add our latest reviews to the 'Also Tested' section.

The best gaming keyboard

The best gaming keyboard

Specifications

Switch: Pre-lubed ROG NX switches
Size: 96%
Backlights: Per-key RGB
Passthroughs: None
Media Controls: Multi-function wheel
Wristrest: Included
Keycaps: PBT or ABS

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent switch feel
+
Sound dampening that really works
+
Hot-swappable switches
+
Adjustable multimedia control wheel

Reasons to avoid

-
Armoury Crate app is messy
Buy if...

✅ You want the smoothest typing experience: With lubed switches out of the box, you don't need to waste any energy with a pot of lube and a paintbrush in order to get an immaculate typing experience.

✅ You want the best generalist gaming keyboard: You can find faster keyboards, and definitely flashier ones, but the ROG Strix Scope II 96 is by far the best generalist board and excels at a lot.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want speed or analog features: As fast as most other mechanical keyboards, nowadays you can find faster keyboards than this using Hall effect or optical switches.

The best gaming keyboard is the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless. It's rare that a keyboard is such an all-round joy to use as this is. There are faster, smarter, even cheaper boards—you'll find all of those recommendations below—but the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless brings together many of the features we're looking for in a modern gaming keyboard.

Firstly, some of the smoothest mechanical switches in the biz. You can pick between ROG-branded NX Snow or NX Storm switches in this board. I've been using the Snow switches, which are your regular linear dealio with an actuation force of 45 g, though the Storm switches are a moderately heavier tactile option. These switches alone aren't anything special, but a little lube goes a long way.

A drop of lube on every mechanical key switch makes a surprising amount of difference to the typing experience. Each keypress is smooth, consistent, and every thwack produces a glorious clack. This lube is already pre-applied to each switch, which saves you the hassle of opening each one and applying it yourself. We've done that before and it can get messy.

Both of the available switches actuate at 1.8mm, which is pretty snappy, though not quite as snappy as the Corsair K70 Max at its lowest adjustable actuation point of 0.4 mm. Similarly, the Strix Scope's polling rate is a mere 1000 Hz—slower than the K70 Max at 8000 Hz. Not that I noticed that in-game—the Scope II 96 feels extremely responsive.

It's also relatively quiet. The sound of the linear switches has been reduced to a light pitter-patter by the sound-dampening foam, sturdy PBT plastic keycaps, and switch pads. Lubed-up, sturdy stabilisers also keep the larger keys, namely the spacebar, quiet.

You are able to swap out any of the NX Snow switches on this keyboard for keys of your choosing. However, if you don't replace them with lubed switches I will personally hunt you down. Don't do the Scope II dirty like that.

The Scope II 96 is nearly a full-size board—it importantly retains a full numpad—though it's been squished down into a more compact chassis. As a result, the delete key is further away from your pinky than normal. It takes some getting used to, but I've been tapping away on it for a couple of weeks now and I feel I've got typing on the Scope II 96 down to a fine art.

Still, it's been a long time since I've been blown away by a gaming keyboard—so many seemed carbon copies of what Corsair did 10 years ago—but the Scope II 96 is mighty impressive. It focuses on nailing the actual mechanics of a mechanical gaming keyboard. Importantly, it's also great for gaming and doesn't cost anywhere near as much as its smaller, more premium sibling, the ROG Azoth.

Read our full Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless review.

The best budget gaming keyboard

The best budget gaming keyboard

Specifications

Switch: Mountain Tactile 55, Linear 45, Linear 45 Speed
Size: 60% (with optional numpad)
Backlight: Per-key RGB
Passthrough: USB Type-C
Media controls: Integrated
Wristrest: None
Keycaps: PBT double-shot

Reasons to buy

+
Great typing feel
+
Reassuringly robust
+
Responsive
+
Optional modular numpad is great

Reasons to avoid

-
Base Camp software remains a minor weak point
-
Overall package gets expensive
Buy if...

You want a great typing experience for cheap: There's tons of quality to be found in this now-inexpensive keyboard. It feels closer to enthusiast than low quality, which is great for a budget board.

✅ You have a small desk: You can save room by trimming down your gaming keyboard. More room to flick your mice around or just fill with figurines.

Don't buy if...

❌ You're stuck in your ways: It might seem silly, but compact keyboards often require learning new typing tricks to do everything you're used to. If you're an old dog and don't want to learn new tricks, stick to a full-size or near-full-size board.

Now that it's dropped down in price, the Mountain Everest 60 is the best budget gaming keyboard. Our previous pick, the G. Skill KM250 RGB, is slightly cheaper than the Everest 60, but the G. Skill doesn't make much sense with the Everest 60 being a much better overall keyboard.

The Everest isn't just a small and wallet-friendly board, it's also incredibly practical, primarily because it's modular. Buy an attachable numpad and you can snap it into place on either side of the keyboard, which is more handy than many like to admit. Typing in long numbers is much easier with a numpad, and alt-codes require one, too.

This also lets you move your numpad to the left-hand side of the keyboard, which is the way God intended, as far as I can tell. At least for right-handed gamers, having the numpad on the left means you can use it and still have room to whip your gaming mouse around. And if you happen to be doing some data entry, having your right hand free to click around is handy.

However, there is a downside to fewer overall keys. Smaller keyboards like the Everest 60 just aren't always as convenient as full-size boards. Just ask the tiny right-side shift key.

It's not all about the form factor, though. The Everest 60 offers up some serious quality. The keyboard base's silicone layer adds weight and dampens key rattle, which is great if you're a heavy typist. It also houses two layers of foam, one on either side of the PCB, to improve the sound. Mountain has used genuine Cherry stabilisers, too, and has lubed them up properly for the Everest 60 to prevent rattle.

There are a few switches to choose from: Linear 45, Tactile 55 (denoting the 55 cN force needed for actuation), and Linear 45 Speed (which has a shorter travel and actuation point).

Do note, however, that the Everest 60 doesn't come with the numpad, so you won't get that benefit for the fully budget price. There are some bundles packaging the two together, and ones that include the colourful new PBT keycap range, which can make it a bit cheaper. But not by much.

Even without the numpad, though, the Mountain Everest is an absolute steal at its latest prices. It's fantastic to type and game on and is well worth a look.

Read our full Mountain Everest 60 review.

The best mid-range gaming keyboard

The best mid-range gaming keyboard

Specifications

Switch: Cherry MX2A
Size: Full-size
Backlights: Per-key RGB
Passthroughs: None
Media Controls: Dedicated keys
Wristrest: None
Keycaps: PBT double-shot

Reasons to buy

+
Ridiculously sturdy
+
Responsive, tactile switches
+
Fantastic connectivity

Reasons to avoid

-
No software means only basic RGB lighting effects

Gaming keyboards are getting more and more expensive—looking at you, ROG Azoth Extreme. That's why we love this keyboard from Ducky; it's surprisingly affordable. The Ducky Zero 6108 gives us everything we're after and all for under $100/£100, an easy pick as the best mid-range gaming keyboard.

Ducky is pretty well known in the gaming keyboard world for producing sensible, reliable and sturdy keebs. The Zero 6108 might be the best modern example of that design mentality.

Take this thing out of the box and you'll be greeted with a fairly standard-looking gaming keyboard. It's full-size, though there are some extra media keys along the top right. Each cluster of keys has been slightly squished together to save on a bit of room, though it's still a pretty big keyboard by comparison to, say, the Q3 Max or Mountain Everest 60.

Each switch is adorned with a PBT keycap—these generally last longer than ABS—and most come pre-applied with lube. If you're noticing a pattern in this guide, that I'm mentioning lube a lot, it's because it really feels like the biggest improvement we've seen in gaming keyboards in a little while now, outside of perhaps Rapid Trigger for competitive gamers.

The Cherry MX2A switches included on the Zero 6108 are great. They're the Cherry switches we've come to know and love over the years, much improved for 2024. The MX2A Blue switches we reviewed don't actually have any lube applied, though they're less for gamers than the Red or Brown switches, which do. Our reviewer Reece has plenty of good things to say about the new Blue switch, and we've tried the new Red switch within the Cherry Xtrfy K5V2 and have plenty of good things to say about those, too.

To say the Zero 6108 comes with few frills would be wrong. There's per-key RGB lighting and you can get it in a gorgeous white finish like the one we looked at for review. The RGB can be controlled via the board itself, too, to save on unnecessary apps clogging up your PC.

What's most surprising about the Zero 6108 is its wireless connectivity. We've seen some manufacturers ramp up prices for the inclusion of wireless 2.4 or Bluetooth connectivity, and yet others, such as Ducky and Keychron, seem averse to raising prices all that much for it. That's fantastic news for this Zero 6108, which feels reasonably priced even without the wireless connectivity.

So, new switches, full-size, RGB lighting, media controls... and it's from a respectable brand with a good reputation for long-lasting products? Yeah, you can see why the Ducky Zero 6108 ranks so highly for us.

Read our full Ducky Zero 6108 review.

The best tenkeyless gaming keyboard

The best tenkeyless gaming keyboard

Specifications

Switch: Gateron Jupiter Red/Brown/Banana
Size: Tenkeyless (TKL)
Backlight: RGB LED
Passthrough: None
Media Controls: Dedicated dial
Wristrest: None
Keycaps: PBT (side-printed or standard)

Reasons to buy

+
Ridiculously sturdy
+
Smooth, lubed switches
+
Solid battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Quite expensive
-
Side mounted keycaps may not be for everyone
Buy if...

✅ You want the complete package: I've tried many tenkeyless keyboards over the years, and none get so much right as the Keychron Q3 Max.

Don't buy if...

❌ You are looking for affordable excellence: The Q3 Max delivers excellence, but it's far from affordable.

A delightful typing experience wrapped in a weighty block of aluminum, the best tenkeyless gaming keyboard has to be the Keychron Q3 Max.

Don't be fooled into thinking the tenkeyless (TKL) gaming keyboard market isn't as competitive as the full-size one. It absolutely is. We've tested heaps of excellent TKL boards over the past few months alone, such as the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL and ROG Azoth—two fantastic keyboards from big names in the industry. And still, we've come away most impressed by the Q3 Max.

Keychron isn't a household name, though with more boards like this, and the K2 below, it's going to make one helluva name for itself.

The Q3 Max is crafted out of a piece of thick, machined aluminum. It weighs a whopping 2.045 kg as a result. Don't be put off by that, however. We often find heavier keyboards are sturdier and offer a much-improved typing experience over lighter, flimsier boards.

That's the case here. The Q3 Max is a dream to type on. The many layers making up its construction include sound-dampening foam, film, a latex pad and more foam. This produces a steady and consistent typing experience that's on another level next to some.

And the sound of it. The Q3 Max sounds divine.

One of the key benefits of a TKL keyboard is that it takes up less room than a full-size keeb. That means lopping off the numpad, hence the name, and usually losing other extraneous features, such as dedicated media keys. However, we've seen a growing trend for keyboard manufacturers to stuff some sort of media controls elsewhere, and that's exactly what Keychron has done here.

The Q3 Max comes with a knob, otherwise known as a dial, which offers volume up/down, zoom in/out, brightness up/down, or a whole lot more. It's whatever you want it to be, within reason, and changeable via the open-source QMK firmware keymap tool, Launcher. Launcher is available to use via a browser, which is pretty neat.

Each key on the Q3 Max is fitted with an RGB backlight, which is also controllable via that same dial and the onboard shortcut keys. There are three switches to choose from: Gateron Jupiter Red, Brown and Banana. All three come pre-lubed, which means like the ROG Strix Scope II 96, they're slick to type on.

With wireless functionality across 2.4 GHz via a provided dongle and Bluetooth, or a wired USB Type-C connection, you have a pick of options for connectivity. The battery is a good 180 hours on paper with the backlight disabled, or 100 hours with it on, and in practice, we rarely had to reach for the USB cable to charge the Q3 Max.

Though it does cost a fair chunk of cash, which is to be somewhat expected, but doesn't make it sting any less. At least you can be sure you're getting your money's worth. A simply fantastic TKL gaming keyboard and office hero, the Keychron Q3 Max really is the complete package.

Read our Keychron Q3 Max review.

The best rapid trigger gaming keyboard

The best rapid trigger gaming keyboard

Specifications

Switch: Lekker (Gateron)
Size: TKL
Backlight: RGB LED
Passthrough: None
Media Controls: Two
Wristrest: Yes
Keycaps: Double shot PBT

Reasons to buy

+
Lovely feel
+
Fantastic switches
+
Comfortable typing and gaming experience

Reasons to avoid

-
Software can be inconsistent
-
Enthusiast gaming keyboards aren't for everyone
-
Pricey
Buy if...

✅ You want a responsive and customisable keyboard: This keyboard is super snappy thanks to its Hall effect switches which allow for complete customisation over actuation depth and so on, not to mention the snappy response of Rapid trigger.

✅ You want a keyboard that thocks: The Apex Pro Gen 3 has had its typing sound and feel improved compared to the previous generation, and it really shows.

Don't buy if...

❌ You're on a budget: Because it's high-quality and has Hall effect switches, the Apex Pro Gen 3 isn't as cheap as some other gaming keyboards.

The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 is the best rapid trigger gaming keyboard. What the heck does that mean? It means this keyboard employs Hall effect switches to its benefit in competitive games. By measuring when a user releases a key and 'resetting' it faster than would be possible on a standard mechanical switch, this keyboard can improve a user's response time in games like Valorant and Counter-Strike 2.

With the Hall effect, there's a magnet within the stem of every switch, and by measuring the magnetic force of that magnet as it moves through a Hall effect sensor on the keyboard's PCB, the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 is able to accurately track the full depression and return of the mechanical switch. Since this isn't predetermined by the switch itself, you can adjust the operating position and reset point accordingly in a keyboard's firmware.

Rapid trigger is a feature that intuitively changes the reset point based on each key press. So, when you press a key, the reset point is always engaged the moment you release it. This means you can then depress the key again without having to fully release it each time. For competitive games, that extra time saved on every key press can be pretty important.

There are a few Hall effect keyboards on the market right now, and while each has its benefits, the Apex Pro Gen 3 takes the crown for a number of reasons.

For one, it has an OLED screen, which can be used to change keyboard settings and so on, or display a black-and-white GIF of your choosing. It also THOCKS surprisingly well for a Hall effect keyboard, putting even some enthusiast keyboards to shame. It also has a stellar 0.1–4.0 mm Rapid trigger sensitivity, making it extra snappy.

Its price tag, while expensive, is pretty reasonable given you're getting all this, which is why it's the best rapid trigger keeb on the market right now.

Read our full SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review.

The best budget wireless gaming keyboard