Best gaming keyboard 2022: the top mechanical and wireless keyboards for gaming

Our favourite gaming keyboard picks for all budgets

Feature by James Archer Hardware Editor

Additional contributions by

Katharine Castle

Updated on Sept. 30, 2022

43 comments

The remainder of 2022's PC hardware calendar is liable to be dominated by graphics cards and CPU chat, so let’s see if we can’t grab a fresh look at the best gaming keyboards before it gets all component-y up in here. To be sure, a quality keyboard won’t make your games run faster, but you’ll be just as thankful to have one in your setup as any of the best graphics cards. You do, after all, play most PC games with one hand on the keys at all times.

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With that in mind, the only keyboards you’ll find in this guide are ones that we (either me or ex-hardware ed Katharine) have spent plenty of time actually using, both for games and for general computing duty. And the good news is we’ve found loads to choose from: full-size mechanical keyboards, affordable but well-made membrane keyboards, compact keyboards, wireless keyboards, the lot.

Read on, then, for some RPS-approved peripheral picks – and if you can, consider pairing whatever you choose with one of the best gaming mice as well.

Best gaming keyboard 2022

Roccat Vulcan - the best gaming keyboard overall
Roccat Horde Aimo - the best hybrid gaming keyboard
Razer Cynosa Chroma - the best budget gaming keyboard
Logitech G915 Lightspeed Wireless - the best wireless gaming keyboard
Corsair K70 Pro - the best optical-mechanical gaming keyboard
Roccat Vulcan Pro TKL - the best tenkeyless gaming keyboard
SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL - the best cheap tenkeyless gaming keyboard
Ducky One 3 TKL - the best mechanical keyboard with hot-swappable switches
Roccat Vulcan II Mini - the best compact gaming keyboard
Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless - the best 60% gaming keyboard
Asus ROG Strix Flare II - the best RGB gaming keyboard
Logitech G413 SE - the best cheap mechanical gaming keyboard

Roccat Vulcan

The best gaming keyboard overall

The Roccat Vulcan 120 is more expensive and doesn't have quite as many features as the previous holder of this title, the sadly discontinued Fnatic Streak, but it sure is wonderful to type and play games on.

A large part of that is down to the Vulcan's fantastic Titan switches, which Roccat developed in-house together with switch specialists TTC. At their core, they're tactile switches that are probably closest to Cherry's MX Browns in feel, but their shorter actuation point (the bit where the keyboard registers a key has been pressed) and overall travel distance makes them just as lovely and fast as Cherry MX Reds. Truly, the best of both worlds.

It's also beautifully made, thanks to its sturdy aluminium chassis, and it comes in a variety of different models and feature sets too. The top-end Vulcan 120 gets you a removable wrist rest and all the additional media keys and volume knob, while the middle sibling Vulcan 100 is exactly the same minus the wrist rest. The entry-level Vulcan 80, meanwhile, is just the standard keyboard with a blue LED backlight instead of flashing RGBs. There's also a white version of the Vulcan 120 called the Vulcan 122, and the black Vulcan 121 with supposedly faster Titan Speed switches as well. They're all still quite expensive compared to other keyboards on this list, but those Titan switches are a real treat if you're after something a bit different from the standard Cherry MX options.

Roccat Horde Aimo

The best hybrid gaming keyboard

This spot was previously filled by the Asus TUF Gaming K5, but that has vanished from reputable retailer sites, so it’s safe to say Asus has taken it ‘round the back with a bolt gun. At least there’s a worthy replacement in the Roccat Horde Aimo, which like the K5 marries the affordability and quietness of membrane keyboards with the swiftness and precision of mechanical switches.

The Horde Aimo has another rare quality too: its multifunctional Dial. Lots of keyboards have a little volume wheel, but Roccat’s Dial can scroll through web pages and documents, zoom in on the screen, or even act as an undo/redo input. On top of this keyboard’s very capable gaming performance, the Dial also grants it an unusual degree of flexibility for everyday browsing and working.

Razer Cynosa Chroma

The best budget gaming keyboard

For those of you who'd rather have something cheap and cheerful that doesn't make an absolute racket during daily use, you'll probably want to stick with a membrane keyboard instead of a loud mechanical one, and our current best membrane gaming keyboard recommendation is the excellent Razer Cynosa Chroma. It's also our first and foremost recommendation for those after an excellent budget gaming keyboard, too.

It's a little more expensive than your typical membrane board, but you can really feel where the extra money's gone. Not only is it more responsive than your average membrane keyboard, but it's also got some decent gaming features such as RGB lighting and a special game mode that disables the Windows key. You can also use it to record your own macros - which you can't do on the similarly-priced and almost-as-good HyperX Alloy Core RGB.

It's also one of the more tasteful-looking gaming keyboards on this list, with its plain black chassis largely free of obnoxious logos and corporate stylings. Plus, since this is a membrane keyboard rather than a mechanical one, it's also much quieter than practically every keyboard you'll read here. If you're looking to upgrade your existing membrane model without the full clickety-clack of a hybrid or mechanical keyboard, the Razer Cynosa is a great choice.

Logitech G915 Lightspeed Wireless

The best wireless gaming keyboard

The Logitech G915 Lightspeed Wireless might be expensive, but by golly is it worth it. With its super slim aluminium frame, oleophobic key cap coating, gorgeous volume roller and dual-height adjustable feet, this is an outstanding piece of wireless gaming keyboard design.

Available in three different types of Logitech GL switches (clicky, tactile and linear), the G915 Lightspeed Wireless feels wonderful under your fingers, offering loads of tactile feedback and quick, sharp key presses. Logitech's Lightspeed tech means it feels super responsive as well; Katharine reported it feeling just like using a traditional wired keyboard. The clicky version we were sent for review wasn't too loud, either, making it nice and easy on the ears.

It's also got great battery life. Even after a couple of weeks use, the G915 only lost about 35% of its charge with its full RGB lighting going, so you could easily use this for an entire month without having to connect it back up to your PC. Even better, it only takes three hours to fully charge up again, and you get a warning when it gets down to 15% so you're not suddenly cut off mid-game.

Logitech has since launched a more compact tenkeyless version of the G915, too - the G915 TKL, giving you even more options when it comes to size. Plus, if the wireless version is out of your price range, there's a cheaper wired version that has exactly the same design called the Logitech G815 Lightsync, which is just as lovely and costs £116 / $170.

Corsair K70 Pro

The best optical-mechanical gaming keyboard

Optical-mechanical switches combine the keen feel of pure mech switches with the unbeatable speed of light-based actuation. As such, they’re ideal for games, and the Corsair K70 Pro is the best optical keyboard I’ve used to date.

It’s on the larger side, even for a full-sizer, but fills the space with extra lighting and media controls, and covers the rest with relatively rugged (and nicely textured) PBT keycaps. Naturally, it can easily keep pace in in speedy games like shooters, and although each key press has a noisier bottoming-out sound that you’d expect from a linear switch, it’s not pingy or piercing.

I don’t entirely like that having the K70 Pro here means booting the Razer Huntsman V2 off the list entirely, as that’s also a very fine keyboard with optical switches that manage to be sound-dampened without feeling mushy. But Corsair’s board is cheaper, comes with a few extra dedicated controls, and in my hands at least, feels slightly more robust.

Roccat Vulcan Pro TKL

The best tenkeyless gaming keyboard

A condensed version of the Roccat Vulcan above, the Vulcan Pro TKL is another brilliant addition to Roccat's mechanical keyboard family. It chops off the number pad for a more compact form factor, but still retains the same great build quality and Roccat's fantastic Titan switches.

Roccat have opted for new optical versions of their proprietary Titan switch for the Vulcan Pro TKL, producing a much quieter gaming keyboard that doesn't grate on the ears. It will likely still drive friends and family up the wall if they're nearby, but not the same extent as conventional mech switches.

The Vulcan Pro TKL's smaller size doesn't mean it skimps on features, either, as you still get a lovely, tactile volume wheel and a dedicated microphone mute button. Roccat's Swarm software also lets you add a secondary function to practically every key on the keyboard, too, giving you plenty of customisation options. It's expensive, but if you're after the finest tenkeyless keyboard around, it doesn't get better than this. For a cheaper alternative, check out the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL below.

SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL

The best cheap TKL gaming keyboard

Other than its click-deprived membrane switches, the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL is pretty decked out for a keyboard that’s both a) cheap and b) intentionally missing a chunk. For one thing it’s got a set of dedicated media keys, in the form of a pause/play button and a volume wheel (that also mutes when pressed down). On the gaming side specifically, there’s full N-key rollover and easy macro recording, with the navigation keys doubling up for macro button duty.

It will also shrug off spillages of water/tea/revolting energy drink of your choice, as it’s water-resistant to the IP32 standard. That’s not enough for it to survive sustained dunkage, but I ran it under a tap for a while and it soon dried off without ill effects, so half a glass of your beverage won’t faze it. The plastic liquid barrier happens to emphasise the RGB backlighting too: this lighting is even and adjustable, albeit only in zones rather than on a per-key basis.

Unexpectedly, I ended up liking the feel of the Apex 3 TKL as well. It obviously lacks the crispness and speed of a good mechanical board, but there’s a certain firm quality to the membrane switches that keeps each full press feeling more decisive than on most mushy rubber dome models.

Ducky One 3 TKL

The best mechanical keyboard with hot-swappable switches

The Ducky One 3 TKL has a whiff of the old-school about it, especially in its chunky chassis, but it’s really every bit the modern mechanical keyboard. That goes right down to the use of hot-swappable switches: with a puller tool you can painlessly yank out individual switches, not just the keycap on top, and just as easily slot in a different compatible switch. It’s a nicely beginner-friendly way of customising the feel and sound report of your keyboard without having to build one from scratch.

Not that the One 3 TKL doesn’t play well out of the box. If anything, comfort and tactility are two of its biggest successes: the two-step folding feet help find a pleasant typing angle, and the “frosted” matte finish of the thick, durable keycaps feels great. I went for Cherry MX Red switches on my test unit, which also provide a fluid, not overly noisy typing sensation, but loads of other Cherry switches can be equipped before you buy.

There are also multiple colour options, as well as full-size, 65% and 60% versions of the Ducky One 3, all with the same hot-swappable switch feature.

Roccat Vulcan II Mini

The best compact gaming keyboard

I love 65% form factor keyboards – they’re less space-hungry than even tenkeyless models, but still make room for dedicated arrow keys and a handful of navigation keys. My absolute favourite right how is the Roccat Vulcan II Mini, which shares the same agile-feeling half-height keycap design as its bulkier Vulcan cousins, while swapping in Roccat’s upgraded Titan II optical-mechanical switches.

These still trade travel depth for speed, so you’ll notice the shallower 1.4mm actuation distance if you’re more used to Cherry MX Reds or similar switches. But they really do feel lightning quick, and the Titan II iteration is a little smoother and fuller than the original Titan design. This new switch also makes room for secondary LEDs, which are put to good use on the Vulcan II Mini: hold down the Function key, and any key with a secondary input will glow a different colour. Doubling-up duties is a necessity on compact keyboards, so this is a nice touch that could help you acclimatise if you’re more used to full-size boards.

Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless

The best 60% gaming keyboard

There are cheaper 60% form factor keyboards than the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless. I won’t lie: much cheaper ones. Fortunately, you’re not exactly paying more for less. Between its reliable wireless connectivity, hot-swappable mechanical switches, nicely textured keycaps, full RGB lighting, extensive macro support, media controls, and N-key rollover, it’s an impressively robust gaming keyboard that matches plenty of larger alternatives on features.

Personally, I’m too reliant on arrow keys to permanently convert to a 60% model, but there’s just something comfortable about using the K70 Pro Mini Wireless. It doesn’t feel too cramped for typing (especially with that full-height Enter key, which not all 60% keyboards have) and despite having both mechanical keys and a battery adding weight, it’s as light as a wireless keyboard should be. The unit I tested came with Cherry MX Red switches, which feel fast and stable, though you can swap these any time – and on a per-key basis – if you want to try customising the feel and sound report.

For a more affordable 60% alternative, the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 is another good’un. It lacks hot-swappable switches but they’re still fully mechanical, and the build quality is as good as that of the K70 Pro Mini Wireless. It usually goes for around £90 / $70.

Asus ROG Strix Flare II Animate

The best RGB gaming keyboard

You can’t miss the Asus ROG Strix Flare II Animate: it’s got more lights on it than Piccadilly Circus, most of which are the fully customisable RGB backlighting variety. Meanwhile, the “Animate” part comes from a brand new addition, the angled dot matrix display in the corner, which you can personalise with text, images and animations of your choosing. It’s not what you’d call tastefully reserved, but it’s easier to make your own than the acrylic insert on the original ROG Strix Flare.

Other improvements include a thinner, more modern-looking chassis, a padded wrist rest, and the same style of easily hot-swappable mechanical switches as the Ducky One 3 TKL above. Not that there’s anything wrong with the linear Asus NX Red switches that come by default – they’re smooth and fast but with just a hint of firmness, and provide good audio feedback without the shrillness of a tactile click. The ROG Strix Flare II Animate is also lined with foam, which successfully prevents the dinging sound that some mech boards produce when a key is fully depressed.

Media controls, USB 2.0 pass-through, and on-the-fly macro recording further fill out the features list on an already multitalented keyboard. Far more customisations (and RGB syncing settings) are available within the ROG Armoury Crate software, though this is one area that still needs some work; it's not terribly easy to navigate.

Logitech G413 SE

The best cheap mechanical gaming keyboard

Truly cheap mechanical keyboards are rare, so it’s always nice to see efforts like the Logitech G413 SE. This does jettison quite a few of the original G413’s premium features, including macro recording, but the result is an affordable, clean-looking mech board that’s more than capable in most games. In fact, I used it as my main keyboard for several weeks.

The switches are tactile, with a subtle bump at the actuation point, but they don’t click so loudly as to distract or penetrate through headphones – a good combination for games and everyday typing alike. 6-key rollover is also enough to handle speedy WASD-slamming without delays, and the chunky keycaps avoid the overly delicate feel of some lower-priced keyboards. There’s no audible metallic pinging/resonance to keypresses either, a common design flaw that can annoy even on much more expensive mech models.

If you want RGB lighting (the G413 SE’s backlight is solid white) or more dedicated media controls, the Roccat Pyro is a good alternative, but I generally prefer Logitech’s more mature, closely-trimmed design. Especially with the nice slab of brushed aluminium on top.

How to choose the right gaming keyboard

Membrane or mechanical?

The first thing you need to decide is whether you want a mechanical gaming keyboard or a membrane one. Generally, mechanical keyboards are better for gaming due to their fast, clean movements and their short actuation points (that's when the keyboard actually registers you've pressed down a key). They are, however, more expensive, often commanding prices of at least £100 / $120 if not significantly more. They're more durable than membrane keyboards, though, and are (in theory) easier to repair as you only need to replace the individual switch instead of chucking out the entire keyboard.

Membrane keyboards, on the other hand, are usually a lot quieter and cheaper than their mechanical counterparts because they're made from less expensive materials. However, his in turn makes them more prone to breaking and are generally a bit of a pain to fix. Given their low price, it's often easier to just to buy a brand-new one.

Mechanical keyboard switches explained

If you do decide to opt for a mechanical keyboard, the next thing to decide is what type of switch you want. Most gaming keyboards tend to use the German-made Cherry MX switches, but you'll occasionally see other types from Kailh and Outemu, or in the case of Logitech and Razer, their own in-house switches. Broadly speaking, though, they tend to fall into one of two categories: linear or tactile.

Taking Cherry's MX switches as our primary example, linear Red switches are often considered the fastest and best for gaming. Their simple, unaltered up and down movements don't provide a lot of tactile feedback, making them less suitable for long typing stints, but their short actuation points make them a good choice for FPS games and competitive online games. There are also MX Speed Silver switches, which have an even shorter actuation point than MX Reds.

Tactile Blue switches, on the other hand, are generally better suited for typing thanks to their loud and clicky sound, while Brown switches are a sort of halfway house between Red and Blues. They're a bit quieter than other switch types, but when you press them you'll often feel a small bump halfway down, giving you a bit more physical confirmation that you've pressed a key correctly.

We're also starting to see more Kailh or Kaihua switches appear on mechanical keyboards, too. These are made in China and the most common linear models are Kailh Reds, which are very similar to Cherry MX Reds, and Speed Silvers, which as you might have guessed is Kailh's answer to Cherry's MX Silver. You'll also find tactile Kailh Browns and Blues, but they've got a few more tactile 'Speed' variants, too, including Speed Bronze and Speed Copper. These are less common, but are a lot more 'clicky' (i.e.: noisy) than their linear Speed Silver counterparts.

Outemu switches are also made in China, and again, largely correspond to what you'll find in the Cherry MX camp. They're generally found in budget gaming keyboards and come in very similar colours: Red, Blue, Brown, and Black. Outemu Black switches are linear, like Reds, but have a much heavier actuation force, so you'll need to press it down harder in order for a keystroke to register.

Razer, on the other hand, have a completely different colour scheme to Cherry, Kailh, and Outemu. They only have one linear type (Yellow) and two tactile types (Green and Orange). Yellows are closest to Cherry's MX Speed Silver switches, while Greens are effectively the same as Cherry MX Blues. Orange, meanwhile, are Razer's answer to MX Brown switches.

As for Logitech, their naming convention is much easier to understand. While they all include the name 'Romer-G', they're usually described as either Romer-G Linear or Romer-G Tactile. Simple.

An increasing variety of gaming keyboards now include hot-swappable mechanical switches, so if you decide you don't like the feel or sound of the default switches, you can remove and replace them yourself with a simple puller tool and no need to open up the chassis of the keyboard itself. Switches don't universally fit every hot-swap-compatible keyboard, but a lot of Cherry and Kailh switches will fit into the same socket, you'll have plenty of choice. You'll have to find and pay for replacement switches yourself, mind.