Clicking fingers at the ready—you can snap up the best budget gaming mouse for $30

The Logitech G305 Lightspeed gaming mouse floats in a teal, deal header image void. This is the black colourway with silver-y grey accents. A stylised 'G' is painted on to the lower portion of the palm rest. — (Image credit: Logitech)

You know me: black looks good on everything but peripherals that come in a fun range of colours are my Achilles heel. Naturally, I've had my eye on Logitech's gamer gear for some time but, as much as I pine after purple peripherals, I'm all too aware that this tech could be style over substance.

Yeah, it's a shame this deal only applies to the black colourway, with the lilac colourway I've been eyeing for ages still costing $40. The white version is only $31 if that's more your Lightspeed, but as far as the $30 black colourway goes, you're still getting a great budget gaming mouse that definitely doesn't feel budget.

A lot of that is down to the inclusion of Logitech's Hero sensor, a precise bit of kit that also features in the once much enjoyed G502 Hero and the also rated G Pro X Superlight. The Hero sensor in the G305 Lightspeed offers 12,000 CPI (as opposed to DPI—you can read about the difference here). Coupled with the lightweight but sturdy body, all together this makes for an exceptionally responsive budget mouse.

Let's talk briefly about build quality. The G305 Lightspeed features left and right click buttons that are separate to the palm rest, ensuring not just satisfying taps but sturdy work that's rated to last for about 10 million clicks. Furthermore, you can pop off the palm rest to stow the USB dongle.

All of that said, for such a well-balanced budget package, there are some carefully judged drawbacks too. For a start, you'll need to power this budget bad boy with a single AA battery also slotted in under the palm rest. I know—in this here year of our gourd 2025, we're still powering our wireless peripherals with often single use batteries. Make it make sense.

Then there are the programmable buttons. There are five of these, with two situated along the side of the body in a position that will only really benefit the right-handed PC gamers. They're nice enough buttons too, but the lack of ambidextrous placements is a pain in the palm for lefties.

Still, while the G305 Lightspeed is definitely not as premium-feeling as other Logitech mice on the market, you could do far worse for $30. Though lightweight, it's reasonably well-made with an impressive, mouse-wheel turning sensor worth more than a second glance. If only the lilac colourway could also see itself on the way to a similar price drop, I'd be happy.

Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending the last seven working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not writing about all things hardware here, she’s getting cosy with a horror classic, ranting about a cult hit to a captive audience, or tinkering with some tabletop nonsense.

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