Deeper Dive: Our Prime Examined Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
Might 6, 2025: We added the NZXT Perform 2 Mini TKL as our decide for Finest Funds RGB Mechanical Keyboard, changing the Montech MKey. We additionally swapped within the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% Professional, rather than Razer’s non-Professional model of that keyboard, as our decide for Finest Tenkeyless RGB Keyboard. Since our final replace, we examined and evaluated 16 new keyboards for inclusion on this roundup.
- Enticing design with attractive RGB lighting
- Simple-Shift+ provides tons of performance
- Switches appropriate with many third-party keycaps
- Costly
- Keycaps may very well be extra comfy
- No wi-fi connection choices
Roccat’s expensive Vulcan II Max keyboard delivers an RGB mild present like no different, nevertheless it’s not only a fairly face, with performance to please energy customers and hard-core avid gamers alike.
Variety of Keys
104
Interface
USB Wired
Key Change Sort
Titan II Optical
Key Backlighting
RGB Per-Key
Media Controls
Devoted
Passthrough Ports
None
Palm Relaxation
Removable (Separate)
Study Extra
- Extremely compact footprint for the important thing depend
- Extremely-stable key switches with field stabilizers
- Consists of complete starter device package for keyboard tweakers
- OLED panel for adjusting media/quantity or easy animations
- Per-key RGB key backlighting
- Scorching-swappable
- Expensive for a sawed-off keyboard
- Delete-key placement lower than optimum
- Armoury Crate software program is a heavy set up
It could look unassuming, however the compact Asus ROG Azoth is a bit dynamo of an fanatic gaming keyboard, packing super-stable, satisfying key switches and a cornucopia of keycap and switch-tweaker instruments.
Variety of Keys
81
Interface
USB-C, 2.4 GHz Wi-fi, Bluetooth
Key Change Sort
Asus ROG NX Purple
Key Backlighting
RGB Per-Key
Media Controls
Through built-in display
Passthrough Ports
None
Palm Relaxation
None
Study Extra
- Scorching-swappable key switches
- Extremely legible font on shine-through keycaps
- Environment friendly key structure
- Effectively-designed software program utility
- Quantity curler
- 8,000Hz polling price
- No USB pass-through port
- No wrist relaxation
- Key switches have slight pinging noise from the springs
The NZXT Perform 2 Mini TKL is as small as a feature-packed tenkeyless keyboard might be, and certain to please discerning on-the-go avid gamers.
Variety of Keys
87
Interface
USB-C
Key Change Sort
NZXT Swift Optical Switches
Key Backlighting
RGB Per-Key
Media Controls
Shared With Different Keys
Passthrough Ports
None
Palm Relaxation
None
Study Extra
- Immaculate typing really feel
- Scorching-swappable key switches
- Simple to pop open and tinker
- Plush wrist relaxation
- Beautiful RGB lighting
- Costly
- OLED show is monochrome, not colour
- Polling price caps at 4,000Hz
Razer’s standout BlackWidow V4 will get a powerful Professional improve that provides much more performance to a wonderful basis. Whether or not you are a PC gaming fanatic or a keyboard customizer, the V4 Professional 75% will dazzle.
Variety of Keys
81
Interface
USB Wired, Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz Wi-fi
Key Change Sort
Razer Orange Tactile Mechanical Key Change Gen-3
Key Backlighting
RGB Per-Key
Media Controls
Through built-in display
Passthrough Ports
None
Palm Relaxation
Removable (Magnetic)
Study Extra
- Compact, 65-percent design
- Comfy, low-profile switches
- 4 devoted macro keys
- Marked keycaps point out important operate shortcuts
- Restricted customization choices
- Tightly packed keys
The Fnatic Streak65 has practically all the pieces that you simply’d need in a compact keyboard, together with a top-tier typing really feel, light-weight physique, macro keys, and marked keycaps.
Variety of Keys
68
Interface
USB Wired
Key Change Sort
Fnatic Pace
Key Backlighting
RGB Zonal
Media Controls
Shared With Different Keys
Passthrough Ports
None
Palm Relaxation
None
Study Extra
- Wonderful RGB implementation
- Scorching-swappable key switches
- Included key cap and key swap puller
- Bluetooth and a pair of.4GHz connection choices
- Compact and light-weight
- Can create as much as 50 person profiles by way of Corsair iCue app
- Costly
- 8,000Hz polling most could also be overkill
The feature-rich Corsair K70 RGB Professional Mini Wi-fi is a stunner and one of many most interesting 60% keyboards we have seen.
Variety of Keys
61
Interface
USB-C, Bluetooth, RF Wi-fi
Key Change Sort
Cherry MX Pace Silver
Key Backlighting
RGB Per-Key
Media Controls
Shared With Different Keys
Passthrough Ports
None
Palm Relaxation
None
Study Extra
- True Cherry MX switches in a alternative of three varieties.
- Comfy ergonomic design, when you’re accustomed to it.
- Excellent, plush wrist relaxation.
- Per-key customizable RGB lighting.
- Driverless SmartSet app is extra work than we would like.
- Elective “raise package” prices additional.
- Steep studying curve.
Within the Freestyle Edge RGB, Kinesis brings best-in-class ergonomics to the gaming-keyboard scene for gamers critical about minding their wrists and fingers in the midst of their gaming endurathons.
Variety of Keys
108
Interface
USB Wired
Key Change Sort
Cherry MX
Key Backlighting
RGB Per-Key
Media Controls
Devoted
Passthrough Ports
None
Palm Relaxation
Built-in
- Solidly constructed
- Devoted media keys
- Quantity curler
- Removable, braided USB cable
- Per-key RGB backlighting
- As much as 8,000Hz refresh price
- Costly
- “Hyper-polling” variations exhausting to detect
The Corsair K70 RGB Professional is a high-end gaming keyboard that provides a wide range of mechanical swap choices in a solidly constructed case, making it a wonderful alternative for deep-pocketed esports avid gamers in search of a aggressive edge.
Variety of Keys
104
Interface
USB Wired
Key Change Sort
Cherry MX Blue
Key Backlighting
RGB Per-Key
Media Controls
Devoted
Passthrough Ports
None
Palm Relaxation
Removable (Magnetic)
Study Extra
Get Our Finest Tales!
All of the Newest Tech, Examined by Our Consultants
By clicking Signal Me Up, you verify you might be 16+ and comply with our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Regulate your inbox!
The Finest RGB Keyboards for 2025
Evaluate Specs
Shopping for Information: The Finest RGB Keyboards for 2025
The ABCs of RGB in Keyboards
RGB keyboards—desktop-PC keyboards with multicolor lighting that is customizable to varied levels—are on the vanguard of input-device innovation. They usually command, in some circumstances, the very highest costs for his or her sort.
What’s RGB all about? While you overlap three beams of sunshine—pink, inexperienced, and blue, every numbered for depth from 0 to 256—you get each mixture of sunshine that we people can see. That varieties a possible number of 16.8 million colours. (Effectively, really, it is 16,777,216, which means 256 instances 256 instances 256, however who’s counting?) This fundamental colour approach is mirrored within the lighting-software controls for RGB-capable PC keyboards meant for avid gamers, which regularly allow you to specify any mixture of R, G, and B values to mild up the keys…and your desk.
It is essential to differentiate these RGB fashions from “single-color” backlit keyboards or multicolor-backlit keyboards of a restricted colour vary. Some premium PC keyboards function a extra restricted type of backlighting—LEDs that shine via and round every key—in a single colour, usually white, pink, blue, or inexperienced. Changeable RGB lighting added to a keyboard, although, is approach extra subtle, and mirrored within the value.
Now, in fact, RGB lighting is hardly a necessary function. However for some avid gamers, in some video games, it has stark advantages, which we’ll get into beneath. And because the attainable mixtures of RGB colours are so broad on a keyboard with 100-plus keys, even while you’re not utilizing the peripheral, you may sit again, activate The Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin,” set the keyboard’s colours to cycle, and discuss to Carl Sagan. (He is been useless for many years, however that does not matter.) However we digress.
The Fundamentals: Why Do You Need RGB Backlighting?
Here is the nutshell model of keyboard-backlighting evolution: First, you had keyboards with solid-color backlight choices. Then got here multiple-color backlight choices, during which you may change complete zones of keys, or the entire keys, throughout a restricted vary of colours. Lastly, RGB keyboards arrived.
(Credit score: Zackery Cuevas)
The “RGB” label is a really particular factor; keyboards that cycle via a restricted array of colours usually are not the identical. An RGB keyboard presents the total RGB spectrum of colours, permitting it to show delicate pinks, vibrant purples, darkish reds, and each colour in between. Primarily, you may select any colour from the RGB colour wheel, and have it’s the backlight for all the keyboard, or only a key or two.
One other essential distinction is the flexibility to program every key’s colour individually, versus programming the entire board or key clusters. “Per-key RGB” is the ne plus extremely backlighting function of keyboards on this market; ensure that’s what you are getting in case you are critical about your backlight programmability. (Extra on that in a bit.)
(Credit score: Zackery Cuevas)
Since RGB backlighting is such a particular and premium function (it is expensive for the producer to implement), “RGB” will normally be within the title of the product, however not each firm makes use of that particular phrase, so look intently whilst you store. These keyboards are simple to identify on sight, although, because the promo pictures normally present the keyboard displaying a rainbow of colours, versus only one colour.
Now, in fact, keyboards like these look good, however what are you able to do, virtually talking, with the RGB lighting on a keyboard? Relying on the board in query, you’ve gotten some very fascinating choices. Let’s take into account just a few.
Spotlight the Navigation Keys. Anybody who has gamed a lot on a PC is aware of the WASD keys as north-west-south-east directional keys, however how many people whack the mistaken key on the mistaken time nonetheless? Or possibly there is a sport that has a special navigational system that you simply can not change (or possibly you can change it however need assistance remembering the brand new key areas). Colorizing the 4 navigational keys otherwise from the remainder of the board is helpful for that. (Some gaming fashions include otherwise textured WASD keycaps that can assist you really feel them, too.)
(Credit score: Zackery Cuevas)
Coloration Keys for Capabilities. It is fantasy sport time! You’ve gotten 5 melee assaults, 4 spells, three useful potion sorts, and two weapons to swap amongst. Now, it is not inconceivable to maintain all that straight if you happen to can spend the time memorizing. Alongside the way in which, although, you are going to make plenty of life-threatening errors. Issues get lots simpler if you happen to can outline macro areas of your keyboard for every of those duties, then color-code them uniquely.
Cooldown Notifications. For example your sport avatar has three lively talents that embrace “cooldown” durations, figured at 8, 13, and 23 seconds. You can simply watch their bars on the display to see when these powers regenerate. Nevertheless it’s lots simpler to set three capacity keys to blink on the timed interval after every capacity has been activated. Within the meantime, you retain your eyes the place they need to be: on the motion. MOBA gamers, equivalent to League of Legends fiends, stand to achieve from this.
(Credit score: SteelSeries)
Effectivity in Constructing. It is a variant on our cooldown notifications, however for real-time-strategy (RTS) hounds. Say you begin to work on a manufacturing unit, however when it is performed being constructed, you must handle its manufacturing to create mechas. Set a key to blink or change colour/depth when the manufacturing unit’s prepared, and at once, you may place your order for that behemoth that’ll allow you to defend faux-Tokyo.
The RGB Kitchen Sink. For that matter, what about setting a row of lights that blinks pink while you’re being borne down upon by a sure minimal variety of enemies? Completely different lights blinking that sign the arrival of allies? A financial institution of lights for every on-line pal in an MMO quest that fades as his or her well being diminishes? (Nice for healers, this one.) One which indicators when your warehouse is full, and it’s good to promote a few of its contents? Or when your gas will get low? Or…when you have not had a rest room break in 4 hours?
This record may simply be a lot longer. Suffice it to say, whilst you will not discover a lot use for RGB lighting in video games equivalent to Stardew Valley or Cities: Skylines, it is a completely completely different matter for DOTA 2, or for gamers whose fingers visibly twitch after they consider their subsequent Fortnite match.
So, easy methods to assess what makes for a high quality RGB keyboard? Glad you requested…
What to Search for in an RGB Keyboard
Individually Lit (“Per-Key RGB”) Keys. We talked about this earlier. It isn’t sufficient alone to have RGB lighting if you happen to’re a key-customizing hound. In a very customizable RGB keyboard, every key will need to have its personal, discrete RGB programmability. That is not a given; some funds keyboards might present multicolor backlighting, however not per-key backlighting. Whereas RGB per-key is extra widespread as of late, test to make certain what you are getting.
Lighting Controls for Teams of Keys. Now, simply because every key’s individually backlit, it does not imply you need each key to be completely different from all of the others, on a regular basis. You could need to create a gaggle of keys with a sure colour to deal with a specific in-game impact, and who desires to program this one key at a time when a board might have 100-plus keys? You need to have the ability to isolate a zone of keys and apply that colour all of sudden.
A Lighting On/Off Toggle. In DOS days, we had one thing referred to as a “boss key,” normally F3, that you simply’d whack when your supervisor was rounding the nook and also you did not need to be caught digitally goofing off. That is one thing like that, a {hardware} management that sobers up your keyboard quick when the state of affairs calls for it.
RGB Results That Tie Into Video games. By no means thoughts the promoting that states you may hit a key and ship a bomb-like wave of colour blossoming out. That is good to see, however if you happen to plan to do extra than simply watch your keyboard, you may need to consider RGB results that allow you to play higher. Search for particular sport help within the software program that allows you to go deeper than easy key remapping.
(Credit score: Zackery Cuevas)
All of the Hues You Paid For. Ensure any so-called “RGB” keyboard you might be contemplating really can present 16.8 million colours. A extra restricted colour palette can lead to a phenomenon often called “stepping.” With a less-than-true-RGB keyboard, when the board executes colour fades or blossoms, you might even see a sort of jerkiness to the transitions, actions that are not easy and draw consideration to themselves. You should definitely test the specs.
Good Software program. Here is the double-edged sword of RGB illumination: You want subtle software program to regulate all of the glowing lights, form of like operating the console at a rave. A budget-priced colorized keyboard with solely {hardware} controls governing the lighting will not be a “true” RGB keyboard.
That mentioned, most makers’ software program has one thing akin to an “simple mode” with preset illumination patterns, equivalent to a colour wave, a colour cycle, or a respiration impact. When you’re prepared to dive deeper, per-key RGB keyboards additionally supply “freestyle” modes in which you’ll be able to tweak the backlighting of particular person keys, or teams of keys. You should definitely take a look at what the software program presents earlier than you make a purchase order, as a result of it would make an enormous distinction in your possession expertise. In our personal testing, we have discovered Logitech’s and Razer’s software program the best to make use of, with Corsair’s deeper in some respects and a bit tougher.
Advisable by Our Editors
(Credit score: Razer)
How you can decide? The utility’s screens should be simple to learn, in a good-size font with strongly contrasting textual content and background. The applying needs to be well-organized, with clear tabs or subsections, and it’s best to get a strong, understandable in-product assist system. It ought to present easy methods to attain the lighting results you need, and an excellent macro editor that binds the results to keys with conditionals that support you in play. Analysis the chances and limitations of the keyboard’s software program before you purchase. Some corporations supply their keyboard software program manuals on-line. And naturally, evaluations, evaluations, and extra evaluations: Learn ’em.
Neighborhood-Created Lighting. Some RGB keyboard producers, equivalent to Logitech, supply pre-configured lighting results for a collection of video games, however we’re additionally eager about with the ability to share profiles with associates or import these really useful to us for a particular sport. Preserve this in thoughts, then, when buying to your RGB keyboard: Are you able to import profiles containing results units developed by others? Are you able to export your personal?
Corsair’s RGB keyboards have an excellent group following. With Corsair’s RGB keyboards (and mice) you may run lighting patterns created by the group together with all the normal choices out there in its software program, Corsair Utility Engine (iCUE). This opens up a world of lighting choices, an virtually limitless buffet of cool lighting tips. Razer and its very lively fanbase have additionally gotten into this sort of factor with its Chroma Workshop. (Chroma is Razer’s software program that governs lighting in its appropriate gadgets.)
Sport Profiles. It is a no-brainer: Any gaming keyboard worthy of its title ought to help limitless game-specific profiles, in which you’ll be able to customise a bunch of controls particular to a program or sport, together with lighting settings. And every keyboard ought to have a minimum of one, however hopefully two or three, onboard profiles. Which means it shops the profile(s) within the keyboard’s inside reminiscence, so you may take them with you. That is helpful while you’re partaking in match play that permits every contestant to carry solely a keyboard, not a full laptop.
Mouse Syncing. This function permits the keyboard RGB illumination to be coordinated together with your mouse, assuming your mouse is RGB-capable, too, and of the identical make. When you’ve chosen a “colour wave,” for instance, the wave can go away the best fringe of your keyboard and proceed on via your mouse! And when you’ve got the keyboard and mouse synced, you may management the lighting for each at one time, versus having to tweak every individually.
Media Controls. These usually are not particular to RGB keyboards, however insist on them, since you may be paying high greenback. Most top-shelf keyboards supply devoted media controls now, versus simply urgent the Fn button after which, say, F9 for quantity. Try precisely how the media controls are arrange, and whether or not the keyboard makes use of a knob, a button, or a wheel. We’re enormous followers of quantity wheels on keyboards. (Corsair’s high-end RGB fashions have an superior quantity curler for this, and a few keyboard makers have integrated comparable options.)
A USB Hub. Once more, this is not a function particular to RGB keyboards. An extra USB cable plugs into your PC alongside the principle one for the keyboard information, powering a USB port that means that you can plug a USB gadget straight into the keyboard (normally on the again). We have used these ports to plug in a USB headset or mouse, or to plug in a USB flash drive to load or retrieve just a few information.
(Credit score: Zackery Cuevas)
All of the Different Good Stuff (That You’d Count on From a Non-RGB Board). Do not forget the extra prosaic bodily options. How adjustable is the keyboard peak? Is the keyboard corded, or wi-fi? (Most RGB fashions are wired, due to the additional energy calls for.) If it is a mechanical keyboard, what are your key-switch choices, so it would give an excellent response to your contact? (See our information to the best mechanical keyboards for extra on that slightly advanced challenge, in addition to our guide to mechanical switches.) That is the place our deep-dive evaluations are available in, which ought to make it simpler so that you can find simply the RGB keyboard you want.
Smaller Keyboards: Tenkeyless, 60%, and Extra
Most mainstream and gaming fashions have a 10-key numeric pad, which most laptops lack and is a necessity for anybody who must tally numbers or enter information right into a spreadsheet. So-called “tenkeyless” (TKL) fashions slice off the numeric pad within the curiosity of house financial savings and preserving your typing and mousing fingers nearer collectively. Bear that in thoughts if you happen to’re gaming keyboards, as TKL fashions are a comparatively latest development particularly in that subclass. If you wish to go even smaller, 60% and 65% keyboards remove even extra keys. Try our 60% keyboard guide for all the pieces it’s good to know concerning the class.
(Credit score: Zackery Cuevas)
For extra of the highest-rated keyboards (not simply RGB ones) that now we have reviewed, additionally take a look at our roundup of the best keyboards general. Additionally take a look at our picks for the best gaming PCs and best gaming mice.