With the growing popularity of PC gaming, making an informed choice about which products to add to your arsenal without breaking the bank is tough. Don't lose hope; finding high-quality gaming products at affordable prices is possible. While you might not get all the features of expensive models, there are plenty of great choices for a thrifty gamer.
We've tested over 385 mice, and these are our recommendations for the best budget and cheap mice for gaming. If you want to compare higher-priced options, check out our best gaming mice and best wireless gaming mice articles. Or, if you're interested in a standard mouse for everyday use, look at our list of best mice overall.
We test dozens of mice each year, and to maintain our independence, we buy each one ourselves. Going beyond subjective impressions, each mouse is evaluated on our standardized test bench so you can directly compare our results. We use specialized tools like a Mecmesin force tester to measure switch force curves and a Beagle 480 USB analyzer to isolate device-side click and sensor latency. These reviews are made with input from several departments, in a process that can take days or even weeks from start to finish.
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Best Budget Gaming Mouse
Video Games (FPS)Video Games (MMO)Raw PerformanceAmbidextrous:Shape OnlyConnectivity:WirelessSee all our test resultsDefault Weight:101.7 gThe best budget wireless gaming mouse we recommend for most people is the Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED. It has a sturdy, egg-shaped body that’s comfortable for nearly all hand sizes. Logitech advertises up to 250 hours of battery life from a single AA battery, and an LED indicator behind the scroll wheel lets you know when it’s running low. Its companion software lets you set custom profiles, remap buttons, and fine-tune sensor settings.
Its click latency is excellent and even lower than some wired options at a similar price, making it suitable for casual and even competitive gaming. It uses an earlier version of Logitech’s flagship sensor, but still delivers consistent, reliable performance across all genres. It doesn’t have RGB lighting, but it’s available in several color options to match your setup. Overall, it offers the freedom of wireless without sacrificing performance, making it the best budget option overall. Its only real drawback is its weight. If you mainly play fast-paced FPS games and prefer a lighter mouse for quicker, more precise movements, take a look at our enthusiast pick, the MCHOSE L7 Pro later in this article instead.
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Best Multi-Genre Budget Gaming Mouse
Video Games (FPS)Video Games (MMO)Raw PerformanceAmbidextrous:NoConnectivity:WiredSee all our test resultsDefault Weight:120.7 gThe Logitech G502 HERO is the best budget gaming option we've tested if you play a wider variety of games, especially if they require more buttons, like MOBAs or MMOs. It has a more ergonomic, right-handed shape than our best pick on this list, the Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED, making it a more comfortable option for longer play sessions. It also features outstanding click latency, making it more than capable of delivering stable, responsive performance, even in competitive games. Its companion software allows you to remap any of its 12 buttons, set custom lighting, and make sensor adjustments. Its scroll wheel also has tilt inputs and a free-scrolling mode, a helpful feature for scrolling quickly through web pages outside of gaming.
Although this mouse is a great option for many game genres, it isn't ideal if you only play FPS or fast-paced games, as it's pretty heavy, so you can't flick it around as quickly. For this use case, check out our pick for the best budget gaming mouse for enthusiasts, the MCHOSE L7 Pro. Or, if you're interested in a similar mouse that connects wirelessly with a USB receiver or via Bluetooth around this price point, we recommend checking out the Razer Basilisk V3 X Hyperspeed. It also offers similar gaming performance, but it's typically a bit more expensive. Also, it only has seven programmable buttons, and its scroll wheel doesn't have tilt inputs or a free-scrolling mode.
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Best Budget Gaming Mouse For Enthusiasts
Video Games (FPS)Video Games (MMO)Raw PerformanceAmbidextrous:Shape OnlyConnectivity:WirelessSee all our test resultsDefault Weight:40.7 gYou don’t need to spend a lot to get cutting-edge performance. We recommend the MCHOSE L7 Pro as the best budget option for enthusiasts who primarily play fast-paced competitive games like FPS titles. It has a small, symmetrical shape with flat sides and a rear-positioned hump, making it ideal for claw grip with small to medium-sized hands and suitable for fingertip grip with larger hands. It’s also very light at around 40g, making quick, precise, and consistent movements easy.
It delivers very low click latency and uses a current-gen flagship sensor with support for up to an 8000Hz polling rate. While this higher polling rate offers measurable improvements, its real-world in-game benefit is minimal, though it brings overall performance closer to more expensive models from larger brands like Logitech or Razer. The main compromises are in the build and components. The feet are black-dyed PTFE rather than lower-friction virgin-grade PTFE, the shell has some flex under pressure, and the click buttons feel slightly soft. It’s also available in several variants, including the L7 Pro+ with a larger shell and the MCHOSE L7 Ultra, which we tested separately. The Ultra has a larger battery and a newer sensor, though the performance difference is minimal.
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Best Cheap Gaming Mouse
Video Games (FPS)Video Games (MMO)Raw PerformanceAmbidextrous:Shape OnlyConnectivity:WiredSee all our test resultsDefault Weight:84.6 gIf you're looking for the best cheap gaming mouse, we recommend the Logitech G203 LIGHTSYNC. This wired model is available in several expressive colors to suit your setup. It also has fully customizable RGB lighting that you can adjust using the companion software. This mouse has the same egg-like shape as our best overall pick, the Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED, which means it's well-suited to left- and right-handed users for nearly all hand sizes.
It may not have the same sensor accuracy as the more expensive options on this list. However, its click latency is low enough to deliver a high-quality experience in all genres, including more fast-paced and competitive games. Its biggest downside is its weight, and while it's much lighter than our multi-genre pick, it isn't as quick and easy to maneuver as our enthusiast pick, the MCHOSE L7 Pro. That said, considering its consistently low price point, this mouse offers nearly unrivaled performance for gaming in any genre.
Notable Mentions
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Keychron M3 Mini:
The Keychron M3 Mini is a great alternative to the Logitech G305 LIGHTSPEED if you're looking for something that's lighter and has a built-in rechargeable battery. The two deliver the same raw performance, but the Keychron is more expensive and closer to a mid-range price point.
See our review -
Keychron M6:
The Keychron M6 is designed for both productivity and gaming and is a good alternative to the Logitech G502 HERO if you prefer a much lighter mouse. It also has a secondary scroll wheel. That said, its performance doesn’t quite match the Logitech, and its build quality isn’t as solid.
See our review
Recent Updates
Apr 24, 2026:
We haven't changed our picks, but we've updated the text in several entries to better explain why we recommend them. Confirmed that all picks are still available.
Nov 18, 2025:
We've replaced the Razer Viper 8KHz with the MCHOSE L7 Pro as our pick for the 'Best Budget Gaming Mouse For Enthusiasts.' We've also removed the 'Best Cheap Lightweight Gaming Mouse' category since our pick, the Roccat Kone Pro, is no longer available for a worthwhile price. We've also removed the VGN Dragonfly F1 Pro Max and the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 from our Notable Mentions since the MCHOSE offers a much better value.
Feb 11, 2025:
We've renamed our 'Best Budget Lightweight Gaming Mouse' category to 'Best Cheap Lightweight Gaming Mouse' and replaced the Cooler Master MM720 with the ROCCAT Kone Pro due to availability. We've also added the Keychron M3 Mini as a Notable Mention as it's a great lightweight alternative to the Logitech G305.
Nov 05, 2024:
We've removed the HyperX Pulsefire Haste from our Notable Mentions section since its successor offers better performance at a similar price. We've also added the VGN Dragonfly F1 Pro Max to our Notable Mentions section since it punches well above its weight for the price.
Aug 07, 2024: We've updated this article for clarity and verified that our recommendations are available and represent the best choices.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best cheap gaming mice for most people. In addition to the test results, we factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our cheap mice reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no mouse is perfect for every use, most mice are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.