With a lighter mouse, you can make quicker movements, and if you play fast-paced, competitive games, even an extra millisecond can make the difference between winning and losing. When looking for the lightest mouse that's best for you, consider the overall weight and other factors, including comfort, build quality, click latency, and connection type.
We've tested over 325 mice. Below are our recommendations for the best lightweight options available. For other recommendations, see our picks for the best mouse, the best gaming mouse, and the best ergonomic mouse.
The Razer Viper V3 Pro is the best lightweight mouse we've tested. It's the newest update to Razer's Viper lineup and is marginally lighter than the Razer Viper V2 Pro, our previous top pick. It features a new, more subdued design and a familiar shape that's ideal for a wide variety of hand sizes and grip types. It now sports Razer's updated Focus Pro 35K sensor, one of the most accurate and consistent sensors we've ever tested. It supports a maximum wireless polling rate of 8000Hz out of the box and delivers some of the lowest click and sensor latency figures available, providing an incredibly responsive gaming experience.
If you don't mind missing out on absolutely bleeding-edge performance, Razer's previous generation Viper V2 Pro is still an outstanding choice, and it's currently available at a lower price than ever. Lastly, we couldn't forgive ourselves for not mentioning the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro as a possible alternative. It's still very lightweight at just over 60g and delivers outstanding raw performance similar to our top pick, but it's designed exclusively for right-handed users and is a better option for larger-sized hands, especially if you prefer using a palm grip.
We recommend the Pulsar X2V2 as the best lightweight gaming mouse at an upper mid-range price point. It has a simple yet attractive design that won't look out of place on any desk setup. It feels good in your hand, with a comfortable medium-sized symmetrical shape and a fairly wide rear hump that makes it well-suited for most hand sizes and grip types. It's also very lightweight, coming in at just over 54g, making it incredibly easy to make fast and accurate movements. Its performance is top-notch, too. It uses PixArt's flagship PAW 3395 sensor, delivering outstanding wireless performance that almost matches the gaming performance offered by our top pick, the Razer Viper V3 Pro. It also supports up to a 4000Hz polling rate if you buy the 4K dongle, which is sold separately.
Overall, this is a superb lightweight gaming mouse that's ideal for making quick and precise movements in fast-paced and competitive titles where every millisecond counts. It only has a few downsides compared to the Razer. For starters, it also uses optical switches, which help it achieve those low click latency results, but they don't feel quite as satisfying as the Razer's implementation. Also, the mouse has an unconventional baseplate design that leaves the inside open to dust and debris. If you're not a fan of the symmetrical shape of this pick, we suggest checking out the Pulsar Xlite V3, which is virtually the same weight and shares the same internals but has a slightly larger, classic 'ergo' shape.
If you're looking for a great lightweight option at a lower mid-range price point, we recommend checking out the Keychron M3 Mini. It's only slightly heavier than our top pick, the Razer Viper V3 Pro. It also has a comfortable, symmetrical shape that's on the small side, but it's still accommodating to most hand sizes and grip types. It's no slouch in terms of performance, either. It touts PixArt's flagship PAW3395 sensor, which helps it achieve impressively low latency numbers that deliver a precise and responsive gaming experience. Keychron also sells a 4000Hz variant at a $20 price premium.
This mouse has some less common features than other high-performance gaming mice. For instance, it comes with both a USB-A and a USB-C wireless receiver, which is especially useful if you game on a laptop. It falls short of more premium options because of its somewhat scratchy mouse feet and buttons that feel a bit mushy. It's also not quite on the same performance tier as our more expensive picks, with slightly higher click and sensor latency than those options. Overall, it's a very compelling option that will provide an excellent FPS gaming experience at a reasonable price point.
We recommend checking out the ROCCAT Kone Pro if you're on a budget. The price of this wired model tends to fluctuate, but it's usually available for $20, making it a very competitive, lightweight choice at that price. This mouse has a curvy, ergonomic design for right-handed users, and its shape provides extra comfort that can prevent your hands from getting tired or sore, even during longer play sessions. It's a natural fit for palm or relaxed claw grips for most hand sizes but is on the bigger side and has a more generous feel in the hand.
Both the sensor performance and click latency are outstanding, and this mouse can deliver fast, responsive-feeling gameplay whether you play at a high competitive level or more casually. The ROCCAT also has impressive RGB lighting that glows brightly through the semi-transparent plastic under the left- and right-click buttons. It's a rare feature on a lightweight mouse, especially in this price range, and helps set it apart from the pack, providing a bit of visual flair.
Jun 07, 2024: We've restructured our picks to reflect availability, pricing, and new releases.
Apr 09, 2024: Verified that all main picks are still available and represent the best option for user needs. Added mention of the Pulsar Xlite V3 in the text for the Pulsar X2V2, as it performs similarly but offers a different shape.
Feb 08, 2024: We've audited this article and replaced the Notable Mention of the Finalmouse Starlight-12 Phantom Small with the new Finalmouse UltralightX, as the Starlight-12 is no longer being made.
Dec 12, 2023: Since it offers a better value, we've replaced the ASUS ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition with the Pulsar X2V2 in our upper mid-range price category. We've replaced our special mention of the Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT in our best mouse category with the new Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2.
Sep 14, 2023: We've made some changes to the structure of this article, moving the GLORIOUS Model I from its position as our mid-range pick to a new position as the 'Best Multi-Genre Lightweight Mouse'. We've also added a new mid-range pick, the Endgame Gear XM2we. Lastly, we've added the Pwnage Stormbreaker to our list of Notable Mentions.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the lightest gaming mouse picks that are best for most people. We factor in the price (a cheaper mouse wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no mice that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, we've prepared a custom table of all the mice we've tested sorted by weight. 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.