The best gaming mouse pads offer a smooth surface for your mouse to efficiently glide on and help improve your gaming performance. While getting a gaming mouse pad might be an afterthought for some, this gaming accessory can actually give you a gaming edge and help you take over the leaderboards.
It's true that the best gaming mice are much more capable than their older counterparts, especially in how they perform on different surfaces, mouse pads, and mats, a strong case can still be made for mouse pads and mats for gaming. They tend to be a crucial update since they're made of specialized surfaces that work much better with mice feet than bare desks. Plus, they won't have the cracks, bumps, and other imperfections that a normal desk would have.
We’ve tested a great deal of gaming equipment from gaming PCs, gaming laptops, and gaming peripherals, and our experience has shown us that that gaming mouse pads do make a huge difference. Plus, investing in a gaming mouse pad generally won’t set you back that much either since many of them are budget-friendly. Although, if you're willing to splurge, you'll also be able to enjoy some useful extras with some like passthrough ports and wireless charging for wireless mice.
The last thing you need when playing FPS PC games is to have something like a notch in your desktop affect what’s happening in the game. We’ve gathered our picks for the best gaming mouse pads out there in this guide so that you won’t have to worry about such issues.
Sure, everyone loves RGB lighting, but what if you’re looking for an unobtrusive, seamless desk surface? Well, the ultra thin – less than half a millimeter in height – Razer Sphex v2 is the best gaming mouse pad for you.
Despite its thin profile, the polycarbonate surface is durable and optimised for laser or optical gaming mouse control. We picked the regular size, but if you have a smaller desk, there’s a small size variant as well.
Existing solely as a budget mouse pad, the SteelSeries QcK does exactly what you want out of a mousepad and nothing more. The QcK’s surface material has a high thread count for extremely precise mouse control and a smooth glide.
At the same time, its rubber base helps prevent it from sliding around your desk while you’re gaming. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and there’s even a higher end version with RGB lighting – the SteelSeries QcK Prism.
Most people think that the best gaming mouse pads are just glorified tablecloths that you move your mouse on top of. Well, until the Corsair MM1000 Qi hit the market, that was almost right. Not only is this thing one of the best gaming mouse pads, but it also features Qi charging. Launching alongside the Corsair Dark Core RGB SE, which itself features Qi compatibility, the MM1000 Qi isn’t just Corsair’s answer to the Logitech PowerPlay, it takes mouse pads to the next level.
The Roccat Taito Control is a perfect example of how a no-frills accessory can be a great addition to a gaming rig. There’s no RGB lighting or wireless charging.
Instead, you have an incredibly durable mouse pad that’s stitched around its borders to prevent fraying, rubberized backing so it stays where it’s supposed to, and a cloth surface for ultimate control over your mouse. Not to mention, that it’s available in multiple sizes so you can get one that fits your needs.
Let’s say you have a ton of RGB-bedecked peripherals, a keyboard, a mouse and maybe even a headset. You can’t just leave your mouse pad out of the RGB party, so you should keep an eye out for the Razer Goliathus Chroma.
This illuminated mouse pad takes Razer’s expert RGB implementation and throws it into a soft gaming mouse pad that’ll let you score those headshots. And, it'll let you do so in style.
You simply can’t go out looking for the best mouse pad for gaming in 2020 without considering RGB. All the hottest gaming peripherals right now boast about how they can light your desk up like a Christmas tree, and the Corsair MM800 RGB Polaris is no different.
On top of Corsair’s always-fantastic RGB implementation, the MM800 uses a low-friction finish that’ll allow for quick and precise tracking across its surface. And if the lighting wasn’t enough, the MM800 uses Corsair’s special CUE2 interface to sync its lighting with your other peripherals and even your PC through RGB share. It’s even available in two materials: cloth and a micro-texture surface.
More of a ‘desk pad’ than a gaming mouse pad, the Asus ROG Scabbard is absolutely massive. It can hold your laptop or keyboard and mouse, along with any other accessories you have lying around.
It has a non-slip ROG red rubber base and low-friction Sheath woven surface for maximum mouse control. Asus has even temperature tested the ROG scabbard down to -30°C – but we wouldn’t recommend gaming in sub-zero conditions, even if you’re really into overclocking.
Sometimes, bigger is just better. The Eve Mouse Pad, crowd-sourced in its design just like the company’s Spectrum monitors, keeps the frills to a minimum. However, it gets the basics just right, offering you a giant, low friction surface to glide your mouse over.
Available in five sizes starting at the modest 300 x 250 x 3mm up to a whopping 1000 x 500 x 3mm, the black mat’s base is made of a non-slip (and non-smelly) natural rubber, topped off with Cordura fabric that’s dirt and water repellant, making it easy to clean. Simple and effective, this best mouse pad for gaming can turn the top of your desk into a mat, great for those wider FPS aiming arcs.
How to choose the best gaming mouse pad for you
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Choosing the best gaming mouse pad might not be as complicated a process as choosing the best PC or laptop, but there are still a few important things you must consider. You have to decide the type of surface you want, first of all. While most mouse pads and mats for gaming have soft surfaces, there are hard surface options out there.
You have to consider the type of material being used, making sure that it allows for smooth yet accurate gliding, as well as think about the features you’ll need or want. Some of the best gaming mouse pads have minimal frills, focusing instead on vital features like a water-repellant surface. Others, which tend to be more expensive, come with things like Qi charging, passthrough charging, and RGB lighting.
