The 6 Best Mechanical Switches For Gaming - Fall 2024

The best linear option for gaming and the best gaming switch we'd recommend overall for most people are the Cherry MX Speed Silver switches. Although many enthusiasts have moved away from some of the older Cherry MX designs, these switches are an exception that keeps people coming back. When it boils down to it, these switches are pretty simple. They don't come pre-lubed from the factory and don't match the out-of-box smoothness of some other options, but they're lightning-fast and ultra-lightweight, making them ideal for playing fast-paced, competitive titles.

If you're seriously committed to an even faster and more lightweight experience, check out the related Kailh Super Speed Silver switches as an alternative. The Super Speed Silvers deliver the same outstanding latency performance but are markedly smoother out of the box and have an even shorter pre-travel distance. They don't take the place as our main pick because most people find them slightly too fast and lightweight. They're quite unforgiving and can dramatically increase the risk of accidental keystrokes that can spell disaster in a competitive gaming scenario.

We recommend the Kailh Speed Silver switches as the best switches for gaming if you want a more affordable linear pick. These switches offer essentially the same experience as our comparatively more expensive top pick, the Cherry MX Speed Silver. They're just as lightweight-feeling and fairly smooth, with only minor scratchiness. They also achieve nearly the same latency performance as the Cherry switches. That said, they have a marginally short pre-travel distance. Although this minor difference may not be perceptible to everyone, it may feel just a little too sensitive for some and may result in more accidental key presses.

So why don't these switches snag our top spot? As mentioned, they don't quite match the same latency performance. The minor latency difference isn't dramatic enough that you'll feel it in-game, so in many cases, these switches may still be a better bet for most people. However, if you're trying to fully optimize latency performance for high-level competitive play, even small optimizations can impact the entire chain of components that contribute to latency, including your keyboard, CPU, GPU, monitor, and internet connection.

If you rely on tactile feedback for gaming, we recommend the Kailh Speed Copper switches. Like the two other speed switch options above, the principle remains the same: These switches have a very lightweight feel and minimal pre-travel. What sets them apart from our above picks is a subtle tactile point to overcome right at the beginning of travel—unlike many other tactile switches, which typically have tactile events later on during travel. This characteristic makes them particularly well-suited for gaming.

An additional advantage these switches have for some people is that unlike the two linear Speed switch options above, which are extremely easy to accidentally actuate if you rest your fingers on the keycaps, these switches are a bit more forgiving. They generally allow you to comfortably rest your fingertips on the keycaps, so you're ready to jump into action without accidentally registering unintentional keystrokes. These switches also have a clear upper housing, which won't interfere with your board's RGB lighting. Finally, while these switches are reasonably smooth-feeling out of the box, a little lube goes a long way to balance them out.

In the world of clicky switches, we recommend the Kailh Speed Bronze switches for gaming. Admittedly, clicky switches are slightly less popular among gamers than their linear and tactile counterparts. While some clicky switches have great latency characteristics, they're much too heavy for most people, not to mention too loud for some households. The Kailh Speed Bronze switches are slightly different in this respect, as they're comparatively lightweight and have a very short pre-travel distance. Due to their click bar design, they make a characteristic clicking noise on both the downstroke and upstroke.

While they're far from the loudest clicky options available, they're still likely to get on people's nerves if you have roommates, family members, or even pets in the same space you use them. These switches are well-suited for fast-paced or competitive games when input speed is crucial. They provide reasonable smoothness out of the box, but you can upgrade the experience with some lubing at home. Note that these switches typically aren't available from major retailers, but you can get them directly from Kailh's website here.

If you want to prioritize your board's RGB lighting at least as much as latency performance, we recommend the Gateron North Pole 2.0 Yellow switches. Note that all switches featured in this article will show off your RGB to some degree, but the more transparent parts a switch has, the more this effect is amplified. The Gateron North Pole 2.0 Yellow are linear switches that use the community favorite Gateron Yellow switches as a template. However, their upper and lower housing and stems are made of clear polycarbonate, allowing your RGB lighting to bounce around and stretch out its legs rather than get obscured by darker or sometimes opaque materials used on other switches.

But these switches aren't all show; they also provide great latency performance. The only major downside is that polycarbonate lends slightly more scratchiness to the entire switch system. The good news is that you can dramatically improve the factory smoothness with a bit of lube.

As a final note, as their name suggests, these switches are a follow-up to Gateron's original North Pole 1.0 Yellow switches. The difference is that the 2.0 version adds a small silicone disk to the bottom of the stem, which helps to cushion the feeling of bottoming out a keypress. That said, this addition also dramatically changes the sound profile. Where the original 1.0 switches had a deeper, 'thockier' sound, the new 2.0 switches are significantly quieter, almost muted, sounding a bit like a silent switch. Otherwise, these switches are the same, so it's just a matter of choosing the sound profile you like best.

While many popular linear options are pretty quiet, if you're particularly sensitive to noise or live with others who are, we recommend the Kailh Box Silent Pink switches. No mechanical switch options are truly silent, but these do a great job of minimizing the noise. Even as far as linear switches go, they have great latency characteristics, and they feel very smooth right out of the box, so they're a great pick if you'd rather avoid having to lube your switches yourself.

They also have a round stem perimeter, which increases overall stability. The only aspect that may take some getting used to is that these switches have a slightly shallow total travel distance, so you may need to adjust how much force you apply if you tend to bottom out your keys. This switch also has a thin rubber dampener at the end of travel that takes a bit of the harshness of the bottoming-out experience, which can help.