The Best Cheap Gaming Mouse - Fall 2022 Mice Reviews

If you're set on getting the most performance for your money, the best budget gaming mouse is the EVGA X12. While at its regular price, it's more expensive than what most people would consider a 'cheap' option, it's frequently on sale and recently has been one of the most affordable options on this list. Its overall shape is symmetrical, with a pair of side buttons on the left and right sides, meaning it's a great choice whether you're right or left-handed. Overall, its build quality is good. And while there are some minor build quality issues, they don't present any problems during regular use. In terms of raw performance, it has extremely low click latency and a very consistent and accurate sensor. This mouse is also one of very few options currently available that offers polling rates higher than the standard 1000Hz. Higher polling rates provide smoother-feeling cursor movements and slightly better click latency.

While using the maximum 8000Hz polling rate setting requires a fairly powerful six-core gaming rig, most modern gaming setups will be able to take advantage of 2000Hz or even 4000Hz polling rate options. Altogether, this mouse offers excellent all-around gaming performance and some cutting-edge technology typically exclusive to higher-priced options, and it's a great cheap option when it goes on sale.

For a budget option that offers a high-quality wireless experience, we recommend the Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED. While most wireless gaming models come with a serious price jump compared to similar wired versions, this mouse is a rare exception. It has a slightly egg-shaped body that's comfortable to hold for nearly all hand sizes, whether you're right or left-handed. It also feels very sturdy. Logitech advertises a battery life of up to 250 hours from a single AA battery, and an LED indicator behind the scroll wheel lets you know when your battery is running low. Its companion software offers plenty of customization and allows you to set custom profiles, re-program buttons, and precisely adjust sensor settings.

Performance-wise, its click latency is excellent and is even lower than some wired options around the same price range. Its sensor is an earlier version of Logitech's current flagship sensor and offers good all-around performance for gaming in any genre. Unfortunately, it doesn't have RGB lighting, but it comes in various colors to suit your setup. Altogether, when it comes to wireless performance for the price, there aren't many options that compare.

We recommend the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed if you're interested in a wireless gaming mouse that offers great multi-genre performance. It has an ergonomic right-handed shape with a thumb rest and has an impressive total of 12 programmable buttons, which is helpful for more complicated games with plenty of controls like MOBAs or MMOs. This mouse connects wirelessly with its included USB receiver or via Bluetooth. While a Bluetooth connection doesn't offer the same high-end performance, it's a great option for more casual titles or conserving battery life when you're only browsing outside the game. Speaking of batteries, this mouse uses a single AA battery, which Razer advertises will last up to 285 hours or even longer using a Bluetooth connection.

This mouse has outstanding click latency, making it more than capable of delivering stable, responsive performance, even in competitive games. Unfortunately, unlike some other models in Razer's Basilisk lineup, the scroll wheel doesn't have a free-scrolling mode, which is a helpful feature for scrolling quickly through web pages or documents if you use your mouse for work and gaming. Overall, this mouse is a great option if you play a variety of different games, though it isn't ideal if you primarily play FPS or fast-paced games, as the mouse is pretty heavy and you can't flick it around as quickly.

Gaming mice designed specifically for MMOs have a pretty distinctive look as they typically have full 12-button side panels. They can also be pretty expensive; we recommend the Logitech G600 MMO Gaming as the best cheap option. Like most Logitech gaming models, this mouse feels very well-built. It also has a very comfortable shape and includes a third mouse click button which also doubles as a comfortable position to rest your ring finger. By default, this button toggles to a second layer of controls, but you can reprogram this and all other buttons using the customization software. In terms of performance, it has exceptional click latency, though it uses an older laser sensor model with a fairly narrow CPI range. While this sensor isn't well-suited for competitive FPS titles, it's well-suited for the MMO games this mouse was designed for.

An additional downside this mouse shares with nearly all other MMO models is that it's fairly large and wide to accommodate the 12-button side panel, so it isn't a great fit if you have smaller hands. As far as options for smaller hands, we recommend the Corsair SCIMITAR RGB ELITE because you can adjust its 12-button side panel forwards or backward to suit your hand size. However, the Corsair is significantly more expensive than the Logitech.

For smaller hands, we recommend the Razer Viper Mini, which looks just like a scaled-down version of the classic Razer Viper. In part due to its size, this mouse is very lightweight. It weighs only 61g, making it a great choice if you're a fan of FPS or other fast-paced titles. It also has excellent build quality. It feels just as sturdy and well-constructed as the larger version, and its cable and mouse feet glide smoothly on mousepads and desks. Performance-wise, it has some of the lowest click latency of all the mice we've tested. Despite using an older budget model sensor, it performs well enough even for competitive gaming.

However, it has a fairly narrow CPI range compared to most newer releases. Its lift-off distance isn't as low, which can be an issue if you prefer using low CPI settings or have a smaller mousepad and frequently lift and reposition your mouse. With that said, it's still an impressive lightweight gaming option that's particularly well-suited to smaller hands and delivers surprising performance considering its consistently low price point.

If you have larger hands, we recommend the Razer DeathAdder V2. It has an ergonomic, right-handed shape that's particularly comfortable if you have large or extra-large hands and prefer using a palm or claw grip. It has great build quality, rubber sides for added grip, and high-quality mouse feet that glide very smoothly on mousepads or directly on desks. Like the Razer Viper Mini, it has exceptionally low click latency, but it also has a more recent, higher-grade sensor that features a wider CPI range and lower lift-off distance.

While it's not heavy by any means, it weighs 83g, making it considerably heftier than the Viper Mini and putting it on the heavier end compared to more recent FPS-focused mice. Its braided cable isn't as flexible and lightweight as some of the ones on Razer's more recent wired mice. That said, if its slightly heftier weight doesn't concern you, it's a comfortable option for larger hands and has very competitive performance at an affordable price point.