The Best gaming keyboard in 2021

The best gaming keyboards are specifically tailored to the needs of a PC gamer, with the improved build quality, a range of mechanical switches, ergonomic designs, anti-ghosting, and N-key rollover, as well as software-based features to extract the most from the hardware. So, whether you’re playing today’s best PC games or the best free games, getting one is crucial to have the most immersive gaming experience and the fastest response.

The best gaming keyboard is an essential companion to the best gaming PCs, every bit as much as getting hold of the best gaming mouse or the best gaming monitor to give your rig that real wow factor. Here are the best ones.

Prime Day 2021 is almost nigh, which means plenty of Prime Day deals to be had. Much like last year, some of the best gaming keyboards will offer great discounts, and we’ll be keeping an eye on them. Be sure to check in regularly from now until June 22.

• These are the best budget gaming PCs of 2021.
• These are our top picks for the best gaming desks.
• Cheap gaming keyboards: all the latest discounts

Combining the latest optical technology and Razer’s analog mechanical key switches, the Razer Huntsman v2 Analog is good enough to get a five-star rating from us. That’s under-selling it. This gaming keyboard delivers the best typing and gaming experience of any keyboard we’ve tested in the last few months, with extremely satisfying tactile feedback and a wrist rest that’s designed to let you game for longer. As far as keyboards go, it is sitting on the expensive side of things, but it’s definitely worth it.

Read the full review: Razer Huntsman v2 Analog

Who needs a full-sized keyboard when TKL gaming keyboards such as the Roccat Vulkan TKL Pro exist? This compact gaming keyboard is among the best in performance, comfort, and looks, touting a classy brushed gunmetal finish and floating keys that brilliantly showcase its customizable RGB lighting. Roccat’s Titan optical switches are not only fast and accurate but satisfying, quiet, and robust as well. It’ll set you back quite a bit, but it’s so worth it.

Read the full review: Roccat Vulkan TKL Pro

The SteelSeries Apex Pro’s svelte aesthetic and clever OLED display are just the appetizers. The SteelSeries Apex Pro gets our coveted 5-star rating for many reasons, the biggest of which are its stunning and solid build, custom actuation, and comfortable – not to mention, quiet – magnetic switches. Performance-wise, it’s among the best gaming keyboards we’ve tested yet, which makes its $199 price tag worth the splurge.

Read the full review: SteelSeries Apex Pro

If you have the need for speed, then the Huntsman Elite is your best bet, thanks to its new optomechanical switches. That sounds like a mouthful, but essentially, it means that Razer has managed to combine mechanical switches with optical sensors. This unthinkable allows the Huntsman Elite to take its actuation to the next level, and you would be hard-pressed to find a faster keyboard on the market. Switches aside, it’s also remarkably comfortable to type on. Plus, it’s covered with more RGB lighting than you can shake a stick at. Sure, it needs two USB cables for power and costs a small fortune, but with tech like this, it’s absolutely worth it.

Read the full review: Razer Huntsman Elite

When you think Alienware, “value” isn’t the word that comes to mind. But, this time around, the Alienware Pro Gaming Keyboard AW768 is a genuinely great deal. At under 100 bucks or quid, you’re getting the toughest gaming keyboard fitted with mechanical keys, dedicated macro keys, and slick aesthetics. It’s not the most feature-rich keyboard in the game, but at this price, it really doesn’t need to be. One of the best gaming keyboards in 2021, the Alienware Pro Gaming Keyboard AW768 gets the job done, and looks good while doing it.

Read the full review: Alienware Pro Gaming Keyboard AW768

A $159 price tag on a gaming keyboard might a tad too steep, but the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum, one of the best gaming keyboards we’ve tested in the last year, really does give you a lot of ounce for your bounce. We’re not talking the more trivial bells and whistles like fancy RGB lighting either – although since we are on the subject, this one’s got a whole lot of them, not to mention its integrated 19-zone light bar and the 16.8 million color options, to boot. By bang, we actually mean its 6 dedicated macro keys, 8MB onboard storage an aircraft-grade anodized brushed aluminum frame.

Read the full review: Corsair K95 RGB Platinum

Shelling out more than $100 for a great gaming keyboard is to be expected if you’re even slightly serious about your gaming performance. But the beauty of Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition is that it manages to deliver fast performance without being the most expensive keyboard in town. True, there aren’t a lot of features here, which puts it behind many of its feature-rich rivals, but it makes up for that by being small and boasting a removable to make it perfectly portable for on-the-go gaming.

Read our full review: Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition

60% of keyboards are more than a passing fad. Gamers with smaller desks or who just want a more compact setup, in general, will find these ultra-compact gaming keyboards a boon, and the Corsair K65 Mini is among the best of those. With incredibly satisfying presses, an impressive polling rate of 8,000Hz, and highly customizable keys, there’s a lot to love here. And, they make this keyboard well worth the admittedly steep learning curve if you’re used to full-sized keyboards. It may take a while to get used to not having arrow keys, for example, but you won’t regret it.

Read the full review: Corsair K65 Mini

Not all great gaming keyboards have mechanical switches, as this affordable Apex keyboard is proving. The budget-minded SteelSeries Apex 3 may come with a few concessions, but it also boasts some impressive features that more than makeup for those compromises. One of those features is its IP32 water resistance for protection against any spills – because who hasn’t accidentally knocked over a can of soda while gaming? Another is its reactive and customizable 10-zone RGB illumination to make your gaming experience all the more impressive. And, if you absolutely hate those clickety clacking noises that mechanical keyboards love to make, you’ll really appreciate this keyboard’s whisper-quiet gaming switches.

Read the full review: SteelSeries Apex 3

If you’re now more into streaming than just gaming, you’ll appreciate that Corsair has designed a gaming keyboard specifically made for you and your fellow streamers. The Corsair K55 Pro XT is a solid gaming keyboard that offers just as many streaming features as it does gaming ones, with full RGB customizations to boot. Its Stream Deck compatibility and six dedicated macro keys are terrific, as is the nice-to-the-touch wrist pad. So, you can easily forgive Corsair for opting for membrane switches instead of mechanical ones.

Read the full review: Corsair K55 Pro XT