// WIRED US/UK — INTELLIGENZA ARTIFICIALE
The Best Gaming Mouse You Can Buy After Testing Dozens of Models
Picking a gaming mouse can be difficult. There are countless metrics to factor in and a nearly unlimited number of mice with unique approaches in defining what's best. Quite honestly, it’s a market rife with opportunities for analysis paralysis to take hold.
That’s why I take the time to test countless gaming mice—to tell you what works and what doesn’t. I can’t say precisely which mouse will work for you—that’s dependent not only on technical specs but on your preferences, needs, budget, and hand size—but hopefully I can provide some insights into the top options out there, what's the best for specific types of gamers, and why I’ve picked them.
Be sure to read our other peripheral buying guides for more, including the Best Ergonomic Mouse, Best Gaming Headsets, Best Mechanical Keyboards, and Best Hall Effect Keyboards.
Updated August 2026: I've added the Razer Viper V4 Pro and AngryMiao .97 Infinite as some of my favorite new mice. I've also moved other picks down and updated all pricing.
The Razer Cobra HyperSpeed (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is far more reasonable and practical than most of the ultra-light options today. Instead of shaving down features and mass to make the simplest mouse possible, the Cobra Hyperspeed finds an ideal middle ground, maintaining features like RGB lighting, Bluetooth connectivity, and options for wireless charging. Despite that, it still weighs below 70 grams, a number that was unbelievable for even the most premium wireless mice a decade ago. Inside, it’s packing an optical sensor, optical switches, and an optical scroll wheel—all top-of-the-line parts that are some of the fastest and most reliable on the market. While the mouse is limited to 1,000-Hz polling with the included low-profile USB-A dongle (which I prefer for convenience), it can be upgraded to 8,000 Hz with the bulkier and less-convenient HyperPolling dongle, cutting out its only serious limitation.
Beyond that, this mouse can do practically everything. It works as a travel mouse, a permanent desktop solution, and is even compatible with Razer’s wireless charging pucks, which lets you charge the mouse using either the Mouse Dock Pro, which ups your polling rate to 8,000 Hz, or the HyperFlux V2 wireless charging mousepad. The simple, symmetrical shape is comfortable and easy to hold, with the curved buttons on top creating spots to rest your fingers, while the low, gradual curve feels natural for resting your palm. Plus, its near-symmetry means it can be used as an ambidextrous mouse in a pinch (although lefties will miss out on the side buttons).
The Razer Viper V4 Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the latest installment in a long line of fantastic competitive mice, offering performance improvements across every metric. Along with top-of-the-line specs, optical sensors across the board, and a great symmetrical shape, the V4 also incorporates the same spherical dongle included with the Deathadder V4 Pro, which maintains its 8,000-Hz polling while adding LED indicators for information like connection quality, battery life, and DPI stage.
Using the exact same shape as the V3, this mouse is comfortable and intuitive to use. The shape is easy to move around, with small curves on the mouse buttons for your fingertips to rest, and the curvature of the sides creates natural spots for your thumb and pinky. The Razer Synapse software is one of the most powerful and intuitive on the market. There are customization options for mouse dpi, tracking distance, dynamic sensitivity, and even adjusting the mouse sensor to accommodate a rotated grip.
The only downside of the Viper V4 Pro is how uncompromising it is— there's no Bluetooth, and the included 2.4-GHz dongle requires a USB-A to USB-C cable (included) that runs to your computer, with no option for a smaller USB-A dongle (last seen on the V2). These decisions were made to lighten the mouse and improve connection quality, but they can be inconvenient if you need a wireless gaming mouse to