Best Cheap Gaming Mouse for 2021

If you’re looking for the best cheap gaming mouse, there’s no shortage of options available to you. So much so, in fact, that there are often too many good gaming mice and simply not enough time to research them all.

Fortunately, we’ve done the hard part for you. We have rotating reviews of the best budget gaming mice on the market today, but we’ll also help you understand what distinguishes mice made for specific game genres and give you a run-through of important specs. Read on if you’re on the market for a gaming mouse but working on a limited budget.

In addition to your needs and budget, you’ll also want to consider a number of defining factors to ensure to get the best gaming mouse for your setup. The mouse sensor, additional mappable buttons, sensitivity, connectivity, and form factor can all play a significant role in your overall gaming experience.

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TL;DR - Best Cheap Gaming Mouse :

• Logitech G502 HERO High-Performance Mouse
• Razer DeathAdder Essential v2 Mouse
• Redragon M601 RGB Gaming Mouse
• Cooler Master MM710 53G Gaming Mouse
• HyperX Pulsefire Surge Gaming Mouse
• Razer Viper Mini Ultralight Mouse
• SteelSeries Rival 3
• Logitech G305 Lightspeed Mouse
• Logitech G600 MMO Mouse
• ROCCAT KOVA AIMO Gaming mouse
• SteelSeries Sensei 310 Gaming Mouse
• CORSAIR HARPOON Wireless Gaming Mouse

1. Logitech G502 HERO High-Performance Mouse

Customization That's Hard to Beat

The Logitech G502 502 HERO Mouse is a wired device that offers insane customization options in both weight and RGB coloring. As with all Logitech devices, it has the best quality internals, such as highly robust buttons and a precision image optical sensor.

The RGB lighting has a fully customizable 16.8 million colors and a light pulse to give your mouse an ominous edge. The optical sensor in the G502 is accurate, responsive, and one of the best currently available on the market in its price range. The PMW3366 is exclusive to Logitech and uses G Delta Zero optical sensor technology, which assists in reducing mouse acceleration, increasing the user’s ability to target more precisely.

2. Razer DeathAdder Essential v2 Mouse

Razer's Spin on a Budget Mouse

The Razer DeathAdder Essential is a fairly competitive device on the market. Razer, as you are probably aware, is a top competitor in the technology market, and they have led the way when it comes to keyboards and other gadgets. The DeathAdder Essential continues this trend with its iconic Razer optical sensor. The mouse has 5 fairly standard-looking buttons, with a black rubberized outer coating.

This coating is durable and should last you for a long time. The Razer DPI sensor is amazing, offering an incredible 16000 DPI. While it might not come with the RGB Chrome color customization that Razer is known for, the fundamentals here are great and well-matched to the price.

3. Redragon M601 RGB Gaming Mouse

Proof That Laser Sensors Can Keep Up

The Redragon M601 Gaming Mouse is highly recommended, with many gamers swearing by its amazingly accurate laser sensor, and the smooth glide offered by the insanely smooth Teflon feet at the base of the mouse. This mouse also comes with a total of 5 programmable buttons, as well as an 8-piece weight tuning set.

The weight tuning set is comprised of 8 x 2.4g weights that can be added to the mouse until you are satisfied with the way it moves. The LED colors can be changed, though they aren't fully customizable. The designers of this mouse focus on giving users the best experience for the price, which means prioritizing performance over aesthetics. Best of all, this simple but effective gaming mouse offers one of the best prices around, retailing for less than $20.

4. Cooler Master MM710 53G Gaming Mouse

Uniquely Designed for Top Performance

The porous honeycomb design of the Cooler Master MM710 makes it stand out aesthetically from competing gaming mice, but it also serves a more practical purpose: threading the needle between durability and lightweight design. You can play for hours with this cheap mouse without having to worry about fatigue. Beyond that, the components packed into this gaming mouse are just flat-out great.

Omron and Pixart have been recruited to handle the switches and sensor respectively, and the same meticulous eye for detail has been applied to Cooler Master's internals, too. An Ultraweave cord and low-friction feet ensure a more reliable gaming experience with this mouse.

5. HyperX Pulsefire Surge Gaming Mouse

Smooth and Nimble Maneuvering

HyperX is a name that's largely revered among gaming mouse geeks, and their flagship budget model does exactly what the brand is known for: packing the best quality components possible for the price. This is reflected in the Pixart sensor which can provide more accurate tracking, particularly during more intense firefight scenarios, and Omron switches that respond more naturally to your input. It's a durable mouse, too; those Omron switches are rated for 50 million clicks!

But the most important thing to pay attention to is how a gaming mouse feels in your hand, and this mouse really hits it out of the park with that. It has a nicely balanced weight best suited to fast-paced players who prefer a smaller gaming mouse, and it offers a maximum DPI of 16000. There are even some really in-depth RGB lighting modes here.

6. Razer Viper Mini Ultralight Mouse

Ideal Performance for Fingertip Grip

If you prefer a nimble and quick gaming experience, the Razer Viper can certainly deliver. The compact frame molds to your fingers and is both lightweight and responsive to the touch. This is a gaming mouse best used with the fingertip grip, but it will work reasonably well for claw grip gamers as well.

In either case, the six available buttons give you more options for macros than you'd find with many other gaming mice in this price range. And while right-handed often gamers have all the luck, the ambidextrous design means that southpaws can use this mouse, too.

7. SteelSeries Rival 3

The DPI of the SteelSeries Rival may seem a little light when compared head-to-head with other gaming mice, but it sports one of the best error rates around. The focus of the SteelSeries Rival is on first-person shooters - understandable given the dimensions, weight, and aerodynamics of its form factor. The buttons themselves are solidly placed and don't have much excessive wiggle to them.

The SteelSeries Rival has also packed in an array of lights that can be customized to suit the needs of your gaming experience. This gaming mouse is conveniently designed to work with both Windows and Mac, so it can also double as a work mouse for creative professionals.

8. Logitech G305 Lightspeed Mouse

Gaming mice are often bulky and complex, but the Logitech G305 takes the opposite approach. Sleek and streamlined, this gaming mouse takes things back to its fundamentals, resulting in one of the best budget gaming mouse models available today. Its wireless support is also a nice bonus when looking for a budget mouse.

The corners cut for the sake of keeping this wireless gaming mouse under budget are mostly cosmetic. But what this mouse lacks in RGB lighting and sufficient keys to sync up all of your World of Warcraft macros, it more than makes up for in its wide DPI range and impressive response times for a wireless gaming mouse.

9. Logitech G600 MMO Mouse

The Logitech G600 is marketed as an MMO mouse, but what exactly does that mean? In this case, it means a full 12-button key bank located along the inner groove of the left side and a low but wide form factor built for use with a palm grip. That also means it's a comfortable - if not entirely precise - alternative to more twitch-oriented gaming mice for first-person shooters. What's even cooler is that you can double the number of keys available to you thanks to the inclusion of another button that works just like the shift or caps lock key on your computer.

10. ROCCAT KOVA AIMO Gaming mouse

You don't have to be right-handed to get value out of the Roccat Kova Aimo. This best cheap gaming mouse contender is fully ambidextrous and built with an ergonomic design that works decently with any of the three primary gaming grip styles. And as a nice bow on top, it comes in at a discount compared to its predecessor.

The included RGB lighting is customizable to an extent, but don't come here looking for a full suite of features. This budget gaming mouse takes the approach that a lean and functional (not to mention cheap) mouse is better than a more ostentatious one.

11. SteelSeries Sensei 310 Gaming Mouse

There's something refreshingly zen-like about the SteelSeries Sensei 310. Its small design will fit comfortably in a claw or palm grip, and it builds on a pretty non-ostentatious design with great results. This is a great gaming mouse for those who prefer to let their skills talk for themselves. The design here is fully ambidextrous, and the trigger split design is there to reduce the risk of mistaken clicks.

And no matter how much you decide to click, you can be certain your best gaming performance will be accurately translated. This mouse is rated for a lifespan of 50 million clicks.

12. CORSAIR HARPOON Wireless Gaming Mouse

The split button design of the Corsair Harpoon really does look like some intimidating nautical equipment, but that unique design translates into some great performance. It's small enough to just toss in your bag and take with you, and it's also completely wireless.

The muted button design probably shouldn't be your go-to choice for League of Legends, but you'll find that this model excels when you bring it to bear on your favorite action, fighting, or shooter games. DPI settings are fully adjustable, and there's even onboard memory so you can save multiple profiles at once.

Cheap Gaming Mouse Buyer’s Guide

Finding a cheap gaming mouse isn’t particularly hard. But finding a quality cheap gaming mouse, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. Fortunately, there are a lot of options available in 2021. You’ll find budget gaming mouse models with huge keypads tailored towards MMO and MOBA players as well as smaller and sleeker gaming mice focused on FPS play.

Finding the best mouse for you is as much about your budget and needs as anything, but you’ll still need an understanding of gaming mice and the specs that really matter. Read on to find out what separates the best budget gaming mouse from a merely average budget gaming mouse.

• If you’re looking for something more ergonomic, see our guide to the best ergonomic mice.
• On a tighter budget? See our gaming mice under $50.
• Don’t forget to get yourself a decent mouse pad for gaming.
• We feature a lot of wired gaming mice here – get yourself a mouse bungee to go with it.

Sensor

When looking for the best budget gaming mice, you’ll probably want to look for one with an optical sensor. While there are some great mice with laser sensors too, that technology is largely being phased out, and optical mice are increasingly the way to go. Some mice use a proprietary sensor (like the best Logitech mice), but many mice outsource the sensor design to external manufacturers. The most prominent – and one of the best – mouse sensor manufacturers is Pixart. You can generally be pretty confident in a mouse that uses a Pixart sensor.

Buttons

How many buttons do you need? That all depends on what you’re doing. Generally, smaller mice will be more suited towards action-oriented games, while models with more buttons will be better suited to games that are about time and resource management: like RTS, MOBA, and MMO games. Fortunately, most gaming mice let you customize macros to the buttons. But an easy mistake to make is to assign all of your actions to macros, only later to find the configuration too complex for the game you’re playing. We recommend seriously considering your ideal button count and placement before buying a mouse.

Sensitivity

The best budget gaming mice will offer a DPI rating in the tens of thousands. For 99% of gamers, that’s going to be completely unnecessary. DPI (Dots Per Inch) is a measurement of how much your mouse moves for every inch you move it. And while mouse DPI can have a noticeable effect on your performance in-game, higher settings are often too sensitive for all but the most delicate of activities. Most gamers actually opt for a standard mouse DPI of around 400 to 1200.

Connectivity

Wireless mice are a luxury, and they tend to be much rarer in the best budget category than wired mice. While input lag used to be a problem for wireless devices, that bridge has since been mostly crossed. Instead, the main impediment to getting a wireless mouse is the price. A wireless mouse is convenient, but it will almost always come at the expense of some other factor or feature. And if you decide to get any wireless peripheral, you’ll want to pay attention to the battery life. A battery life that can’t meet your mouse usage needs can be incredibly frustrating for regular gamers.

Weight

Weight is just one element of what we call form factor. Consisting not just of weight but also of shape and dimensions, form factor can vary depending on your preferred game genre. Heavier mice tend to be better for slow and precise movements, while lighter mice can move around easier and are great for less accurate but more maneuverable actions. You can check out our guide to grip styles if you want to more accurately pick out the best gaming peripherals for your demands.

• You might also like our guide to the best gaming keyboards.
• Make sure you invest in a good gaming desk, too.
• Looking for a chair to complete your rig? See our list of top-rated gaming chairs.

Wrapping Up

We’ve covered a lot of great gaming mice on our list, and we’ve made sure you have all the tools you need to shop for the best gaming mouse for your needs with a little more confidence. Whether you’re right- or left-handed, we hope you’ll find a mouse that’s right up your alley.