Best Gaming Keyboards In 2021 (Mechanical, Wireless & RGB)

Best Gaming Keyboards 2019 (Mechanical, Wireless & RGB)

Today, we’re going to go over the best gaming keyboards for 2019. Whether you want mechanical, membrane, or don’t even know what you want yet, we have you covered. We’ve selected a diverse array of high-quality keyboards across various price ranges, each befitting a different niche for different types of PC gamers.

In addition to our selection of great gaming keyboards, we’ll also offer a short buying guide at the end that you can use to inform your buying decision. Different keyboards will be suited for different people, and we want to make sure that you grab the best one for you– not just a random one from this list.

While PC gaming does offer near-infinite ways to play games, mouse and keyboard arise as the objectively superior option in many genres, such as FPS, MMO, RTS, and MOBA. Within mouse and keyboard, you still have near infinite freedom and variation… so stick with us, and we’ll help narrow down the field so that it’s not so overwhelming. Then you can finally find the one that’s perfect for you.

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Product
Specs
Razer Huntsman Elite

Innovative switches

Razer Huntsman Elite

  • Switch Options: Razer Opto-Mechanical Switches
  • Macros: Yes; No Keys
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No; uses 2 USB regardless
  • Onboard Storage: Yes
Corsair K95 RGB Platinum

best RGB keyboard

Corsair K95 RGB Platinum

  • Switch Options: Cherry MX Brown, Cherry MX Speed
  • Macros: Yes; 6 Macro Keys
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: 1 USB
  • Onboard Storage: Yes
AUKEY KM-G9

best budget

AUKEY KM-G9

  • Switch Options: Outemu Blue
  • Macros: No
  • Lighting Options: N/A
  • Media keys: No
  • Wrist-rest: No
  • Passthrough: No
  • Onboard Storage: No
Thermaltake eSports Challenger Prime

best budget gaming keyboard

Thermaltake eSports Challenger Prime

  • Switch Options: Membrane
  • Macros: Yes; 6 Macro Keys
  • Lighting Options: 3 Color Backlighting
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No
  • Onboard Storage: Yes
Cherry MX Board 6.0

best mechanical keyboard

Cherry MX Board 6.0

  • Switch Options: Cherry MX Red
  • Macros: No
  • Lighting Options: Red Backlighting
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No
  • Onboard Storage: No
Corsair K70 RGB MK.2

best FPS keyboard

Corsair K70 RGB MK.2

  • Switch Options: Cherry MX Red
  • Macros: Yes
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: 1 USB
  • Onboard Storage: Yes
Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum

fair price

Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum

  • Switch Options: Romer G
  • Macros: Yes; 9 Keys
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No
  • Onboard Storage: No
Logitech G613 Lightspeed

best wireless gaming

Logitech G613 Lightspeed

  • Switch Options: Romer G
  • Macros: Yes; 6 Macro Keys
  • Lighting Options: N/A
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No
  • Onboard Storage: No
Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2

Great RGB

Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2

  • Switch Options: Razer Green, Razer Orange, Razer Yellow
  • Macros: Yes; 5 Keys
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: 1 USB, 1 Audio
  • Onboard Storage: No
Corsair K55 RGB

best membrane

Corsair K55 RGB

  • Switch Options: Membrane
  • Macros: Yes; 6 Macro Keys
  • Lighting Options: Limited RGB
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No
  • Onboard Storage: No

1. Razer Huntsman Elite

Innovative switches make this the best gaming keyboard overall

Razer Huntsman Elite
  • Switch Options: Razer Opto-Mechanical Switches
  • Macros: Yes; No Keys
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No; uses 2 USB regardless
  • Onboard Storage: Yes
  • Opto-Mechanical switches are more responsive
  • General build quality is top-notch
  • Fairly expensive
  • Razer software

First up is our pick for overall best gaming keyboard, the Razer Huntsman Elite.

The Razer Huntsman Elite earns this title because it has the fastest actuation time of pretty much any keyboard currently available thanks to its Opto-Mechanical Switches. Using an optical sensor in addition to a mechanical switch means that you get more responsive feedback than is usually possible with any keyboard, even mechanical, without losing the benefits of tactile feedback.

Because of this ultra-fast actuation time, we consider the Huntsman Elite to be the best keyboard for gaming purposes, at least if you’re quick on your fingers. In practice, especially if you’re someone who plays a lot of FPSes, this probably won’t make a massive difference. If, however, you’re an RTS or MOBA pro with excellent APM, there may be something here for you.

While this is an overall amazing offering, we do feel the need to mention the downsides. As is usually the case, it’s the price and software. While you can save $50 on this keyboard if you’re willing to cut down on some features, there are still more reasonably-priced alternatives. Additionally, Razer software is… questionable at best.

2. Corsair K95 RGB Platinum

Corsair’s software makes this the best RGB keyboard

  • Switch Options: Cherry MX Brown, Cherry MX Speed 
  • Macros: Yes; 6 Macro Keys
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: 1 USB  
  • Onboard Storage: Yes
  • Stellar build quality
  • The best RGB experience, thanks to Corsair’s software
  • Fairly expensive

The first company to really come out guns-blazing with RGB was Corsair, and for that reason it probably won’t surprise some of you that they have the best RGB keyboard on this list.

Meet the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum, Corsair’s highest-end keyboard.

First and foremost, the pros. You have two options of switch here: the rapid-actuation Cherry MX Speed, or the clackier Cherry MX Brown. In either case, you’re still getting a keyboard with stellar build quality, responsiveness, and overall ergonomics.

The particular highlight here, no pun intended, is in Corsair’s iCue software. Corsair’s iCue software is the most fully-featured RGB synchronization software out there, and one of the first of its kind. This means you can set all kinds of different lighting behaviors on your keyboard, up to and including programming a game of Snake... if you know what you’re doing.

Additionally, you have a set of dedicated macro keys on the left side. If you prefer not to have these keys (particularly if you’re an FPS gamer who wants more clearance for your left hand), you can also opt for the Corsair K70 we discuss later in the article.

The main downside with this one is the price, which is right up there with other top-of-the-line gaming keyboards. Dropping ~$200 on a keyboard is a lot to ask of most people.

At the time of writing, however, it is on sale for 30% off.

3. AUKEY KM-G9

The best budget mechanical keyboard doesn’t break the bank

AUKEY KM-G9
  • Switch Options: Outemu Blue
  • Macros: No
  • Lighting Options: N/A
  • Media keys: No
  • Wrist-rest: No 
  • Passthrough: No
  • Onboard Storage: No
  • Surprisingly good typing experience
  • Solid mechanical keyboards have never been cheaper
  • Completely lacking in extras

The AUKEY KM-G9 is a budget mechanical keyboard boasting Outemu Blue mechanical switches… and not much else.

Make no mistake: this is definitely a good keyboard. Through our own testing of Outemu Blue switches, we can verify that they provide a pleasant and accurate typing experience that’s right up there with Cherry MX switches. The overall build quality on display here is solid as well, and for only ~$20- $30 you’re getting a completely competent mechanical keyboard.

This would have been unheard of just two years ago.

The downside of this keyboard is, well, it doesn’t actually offer much else. It is a very, very basic keyboard. If you want features like macros, you’ll have to add them yourself through programs like AutoHotKey. There also isn’t any lighting, RGB or otherwise, to speak of; however, for this price point, it’s to be expected.

4. Thermaltake eSports Challenger Prime

The best budget gaming keyboard is packed with almost everything

Thermaltake eSports Challenger Prime
  • Switch Options: Membrane
  • Macros: Yes; 6 Macro Keys
  • Lighting Options: 3 Color Backlighting
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No
  • Onboard Storage: Yes
  • Stuffed full of macro keys and extras
  • Great overall experience at a very low budget
  • Non-mechanical
  • Few color options

If you’re on a low budget and want a lot of gaming features, you may feel like you’re out of luck. Fortunately, the Thermaltake eSports Challenger Prime defies that idea, and gives us the best budget gaming keyboard.

The pros are numerous. There’s the dedicated macro and media keys, anti-ghosting gaming features, and even limited backlighting options, which aren’t common in this price range. With a passing glance, this keyboard could very easily be mistaken for something much more expensive and higher-end. Unfortunately, we do have to evaluate it with more than just a passing glance.

The biggest downside of this keyboard is that it’s non-mechanical, which means you won’t have as-fast actuation time and will have an overall lighter, less durable keyboard. You can’t get everything you want in a budget keyboard, unfortunately. Despite its name, we wouldn’t recommend this keyboard to a career eSports player, but that doesn’t stop it from being an excellent, fully-fledged budget keyboard for most everyone else.

5. Cherry MX Board 6.0

The best mechanical keyboard comes from Cherry themselves

Cherry MX Board 6.0
  • Switch Options: Cherry MX Red
  • Macros: No
  • Lighting Options: Red Backlighting
  • Media keys: Yes
  • Wrist-rest: Yes
  • Passthrough: No  
  • Onboard Storage: No
  • Stellar build quality and typing experience
  • Excellent N-key rollover and anti-ghosting
  • High price
  • No real extra features

The Cherry MX Board 6.0 is for mechanical keyboard purists. We consider it the best of mechanical keyboards because, even if only marginally, nobody is going to give you a better typing experience with Cherry MX Switches than Cherry themselves.

The MX Board 6.0 is a more humble offering than many of the other keyboards on this list. It doesn’t have RGB lighting or much in the way of extra features besides dedicated media keys. What it does have is complete N-key rollover and anti-ghosting tech, which means that all keys can be pressed simultaneously and still be read.

Additionally, the build quality and overall typing experience is incredible. If you’ve ever wondered why Cherry’s MX Switches are the standard in mechanical keyboards, it’s because Cherry’s engineers are geniuses who understand great build quality. There is no part of this keyboard that isn’t hefty and solidly built.

The lack of extra features and the high price will turn away some, but this keyboard will still offer some of the best typing and gaming you’ll find on the market. If you want something truly premium but don’t care for a bunch of extra frills, consider the MX Board.

6. Corsair K70 RGB MK.2

The best FPS keyboard is a Corsair favorite

Corsair K70 RGB MK.2
  • Switch Options: Cherry MX Red
  • Macros: Yes
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB
  • Media keys: Yes 
  • Wrist-rest: Yes 
  • Passthrough: 1 USB 
  • Onboard Storage: Yes
  • Great build quality, typing/gaming experience, and RGB support
  • Fairly-priced
  • Few customization options

The Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 is fairly similar to the K95 Platinum listed above, except with two key differences. These differences also help make it our pick for best FPS keyboard.

For one, there is no set of dedicated macro keys on the left. This is ideal for most FPS gamers, so you have a place to rest your pinky when it’s not in use and don’t risk accidentally pressing a macro key. Additionally, the K70 also comes with special keycaps for WASD which add a textured grip to those keys, further improving the FPS gaming experience.

Secondly, there is only Cherry MX Red switches in this keyboard. While not quite as fast as MX Speed, these are still plenty responsive and more than enough for FPS gamers who will mostly be aiming, shooting, and moving rather than rapidly inputting multiple commands elsewhere on the keyboard.

In terms of pricing, this keyboard is also significantly less expensive than its K95 older brother, especially when it’s on sale (which is often). You can also get pretty much the same exact keyboard for cheaper if you decide to go for the MK1 version, which retails for well under $100 on Amazon.

Additionally, you’ll still get all the great RGB support and build quality we mentioned in the K95 review.

The only real downside worth noting here is that you don’t have much customization options when it comes to switches. You’ll want to take a look at other keyboards if you want non-Red mechanical switches: otherwise, you should be well-serviced here.

7. Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum

The best Logitech keyboard is packed with features at a fair price

  • Switch Options: Romer G 
  • Macros: Yes; 9 Keys
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB 
  • Media keys: Yes 
  • Wrist-rest: Yes 
  • Passthrough: No 
  • Onboard Storage: No
  • Fully mechanical, packed with features
  • Fair price
  • Slightly worse for pure typing and FPS gaming

The Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum is Logitech’s highest-end gaming keyboard, and the best Logitech keyboard overall. For those of you who are Logitech purists, this keyboard is definitely worth considering, especially if you play a lot of RTS/MOBA/non-FPS games.

First and foremost, the positives: this keyboard is packed with features. Fully-mechanical switches, a whopping 9 dedicated macro keys, full RGB support, great build quality, dedicated media keys. Aside from the absence of passthrough, if you want something, it’s probably here.

In addition to all the great features on hand, this keyboard is pretty cheap. You will usually find it for around ~$110, give or take, which is much cheaper than some similarly-specced keyboards from other manufacturers. It also has a smartphone dock, if you’re into that! (We don’t know why that’s there either.)

The only real downside worth noting is that the Romer G Switches, at least in our experience, don’t quite live up to Cherry MX switches. This results in a slightly worse overall typing and gaming experience. Because of the large form factor and macro keys on the left, we also generally wouldn’t recommend this keyboard for FPS gamers.

For non-FPS gamers (or those who don’t mind macro keys), however, this should be a great keyboard. Its pricing is also a steal for all the other features on offer.

8. Logitech G613 Lightspeed

Logitech’s Lightspeed keyboard is the best wireless gaming keyboard

Logitech G613 Lightspeed
  • Switch Options: Romer G 
  • Macros: Yes; 6 Macro Keys 
  • Lighting Options: N/A 
  • Media keys: Yes 
  • Wrist-rest: Yes 
  • Passthrough: No 
  • Onboard Storage: No
  • Wireless with virtually no input latency
  • Media keys and macro keys are a bonus
  • Lacking lighting features

There are many wireless keyboards on the market, but the G613 Lightspeed easily takes the crown as the best wireless gaming keyboard. It has fully-mechanical switches and according to every reputable test we’ve been able to find (including our own), no noticeable input latency to speak of. If you want a wireless gaming keyboard, congratulations: you’ve found the best one.

If wireless capabilities alone aren’t all that matters, though, let’s talk about the rest of the keyboard.

The only real downside is that it doesn’t have lighting features. Also, it still uses Romer G mechanical switches, which aren’t quite as good as Cherry MX but are still pretty solid overall. At this sub-$100 price point, though, we really can’t complain about that at all.

Aside from that, you also have six dedicated macro keys, dedicated media keys, and all the other features that Logitech software has to offer. You aren’t missing out on much, you’re saving money, it doesn’t have input latency, and it’s wireless. What else could you ask for?

9. Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2

Our pick for best Razer keyboard is an older favorite

Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2
  • Switch Options: Razer Green, Razer Orange, Razer Yellow 
  • Macros: Yes; 5 Keys 
  • Lighting Options: Full RGB 
  • Media keys: Yes 
  • Wrist-rest: Yes 
  • Passthrough: 1 USB, 1 Audio 
  • Onboard Storage: No
  • Great RGB and overall experience
  • Fairly-priced
  • Razer software

In our humble opinion, the best Razer keyboard isn’t necessarily the Razer Huntsman. Unless the Opto-Mechanical Switches are an absolute necessity to you, the BlackWidow Chroma V2 actually offers most of the same features at a lower price point. You also have a truly ridiculous amount of options to choose from when it comes to mechanical switches-- Razer Green, Razer Orange, and Razer Yellow are all on offer and provide a different typing experience according to your personal preference. (Green are an MX Blue equivalent and recommended for most.)

In addition to the aforementioned switch options, you also have all the features you’ve come to expect: dedicated macro keys, full RGB lighting support, dedicated media keys, and some pretty strong passthrough options. In fact, the Huntsman doesn’t even offer passthrough-- there’s one point objectively in favor of the Chroma V2.

Finally, there’s the price. It’s considerably cheaper than the Huntsman keyboards, and is usually on sale on top of that. You aren’t really losing anything in return-- you’re arguably gaining things if you take the passthroughs into consideration.

The only real downside here is the plague that infects all Razer keyboards. The software. It’s still not quite up to par with Logitech or Corsair in that arena. But roughly 95% of the time, this shouldn’t be an actual problem for you.

10. Corsair K55 RGB

The best membrane keyboard comes with RGB and macros in tow

Corsair K55 RGB
  • Switch Options: Membrane 
  • Macros: Yes; 6 Macro Keys 
  • Lighting Options: Limited RGB 
  • Media keys: Yes 
  • Wrist-rest: Yes 
  • Passthrough: No 
  • Onboard Storage: No
  • Strong entry-level gaming keyboard
  • Low price
  • Membrane keyboard
  • Compromised RGB implementation

Last up is our pick for best membrane keyboard, the Corsair K55 RGB. Unfortunately, this is also the keyboard that comes with the most caveats. Before we get into those, let’s talk the positives.

First and foremost, you have decent overall build quality and a lower price than most. You also have six dedicated macro keys, dedicated media and game mode keys, and a fairly respectable anti-ghosting implementation. The actuation is also surprisingly good for a non-mechanical switch.

In terms of overall gaming features and quality, you have something nice here. You even have a respectable backlighting solution, though “RGB” is kind of pushing it for reasons we’re going to elaborate on below.

The RGB here is fairly compromised. It isn’t per-key, it’s per one-of-three regions. Additionally, it doesn’t offer full access to the color spectrum as the name “RGB” implies-- you only have a relative few common colors to choose from. This is a marketing trick that a lot of budget keyboards like to pull, but it’s particularly disappointing coming from Corsair.

Finally, it’s a membrane keyboard. That is pretty much objectively worse than any mechanical keyboard, unless you’re in an environment where the quietest possible typing is key. We’ll explain this in more detail in the buying guide, if you don’t understand the difference between membrane and mechanical keyboards.

How To Buy The Best Gaming Keyboard (For You)

If you’ve gone through our options but still aren’t totally sure which keyboard to pick, don’t worry: we’re here for you. In this section, we’ll walk you through the main considerations to make when buying a keyboard, and which choices may be right for you.

Mechanical vs Membrane

In terms of quality and typing experience, mechanical switches win hands-down against membrane. That part isn’t really a debate. However, there are other factors to take into consideration when choosing between the two, especially if you’re on a limited budget.

Mechanical Pros and Cons

Membrane Pros and Cons

These are the basic differences between the two choices.

If you’re a competitive gamer or type a lot (like we do), then mechanical is the obvious choice. However, budget mechanical options will typically compromise on features and still be more expensive than their membrane counterparts… while membranes at the same price range will often offer a ton of extras.

Switch type adds yet more variety to the mechanical experience, and is a bit out of scope for us to cover here. We recommend looking at this excellent article from Tom’s Guide if you want to learn the ins and outs of specific switches– otherwise, Red and Blue are always good.

Wired vs Wireless

This is mostly personal preference. Older wireless keyboards used to suffer from higher latency and poor overall quality, but fortunately the top choices on the market today are much better than they used to be.

If you’re on the fence about this one, we really only recommend wireless if you have a couch gaming PC setup or you need to cut down on as many cords as possible (in case of children or cats that like to chew things). Otherwise, wired will save you money and generally offer more nice-to-haves overall.

To RGB or not to RGB?

RGB is taking the world of PC gaming by storm, and for good reason: it looks nice. It offers an unprecedented level of control on how your gaming setup looks aesthetically. RGB implementation started with keyboards and mice but eventually went as far as case fans, coolers, and even RAM. If customization matters to you, then RGB is a definite must-have.

But let’s be more specific.

Full RGB lighting implementation means being able to pick the exact color of your lighting setup. In the context of keyboards, this is on a per-key basis. Compromised “RGB” solutions will typically cut down to 9 or less colors, and light either specific regions or the entire keyboard instead of per-key. This still may be better for some than no lighting at all, however.

If RGB doesn’t appeal to you, you can definitely save money by opting for non-RGB versions of the keyboards we’ve listed above, or one of the non-RGB selections we laid down. If it does, however, keep in mind what it’s capable of.

Macro keys, media keys, and other extras

Macros, for the uninitiated, are essentially shortcuts. If you have a macro set up, you press one or more keys that can execute a series of actions defined by you. Even without built-in macro support on your keyboard, you can often find software online to add macro functionality to your system, especially if there are a few keys on your keyboard you never press.

However, it’s generally considered best to have built-in macro support and dedicated macro keys, if you don’t want to learn keyboard shortcuts or don’t want to lose any of your normal keys’ functionality. For instance, I personally never use Caps Lock– so it makes a great toggle to activate macros.

Media keys, meanwhile, offer dedicated media support on your keyboard. This is usually things like pausing whatever is playing, or switching to the next media track. Some higher-end implementations will also offer dedicated volume wheels, which is particularly useful for those who listen to music in-game.

Other extras you may like to have include:

  • Passthroughs – Ports on the keyboard that you can plug other peripherals into as opposed to plugging them directly into the PC proper. This is usually just a single USB port where it’s present, but some may also offer headphone jacks.
  • Game Mode – A toggle that disables things like the Windows Key or the Alt+Tab shortcut, preventing you from accidentally exiting your game window.
  • Onboard Storage – Stores profiles within the keyboard at a hardware level, allowing you to take your keyboard to other PCs and use it as normal without configuring per-PC.