We will list the top five gaming keyboards from 2022 and show you guys the most outstanding products released.
#5 Glorious GMMK2 Compact 65%
The number five spot comes the Glorious GMMK2 Compact 65% keyboard. The new version is an improvement over the original compact keyboard from Glorious because it has a 65% layout for people who still need arrow keys but prefer a smaller footprint. To increase the keyboard’s overall heaviness, we also have a whole aluminum top frame, and the RGB lighting is accentuated by double shoots that shine through the keycaps.
Despite the changes, one of the main reasons I included this keyboard on my list today is not only the competitive price of $120 or $80 barebones. If you want to buy a keyboard without switches and keycaps, you can do that, but this keyboard is equipped with their magnificent Fox switches, which are pre-lube that feel super smooth.
Of course, as I indicated, if the Fox switches aren’t for you, you do have the option to replace the switches with the possibility of getting a barebones keyboard. The five-pin north-facing mounting is hot-swapped onto the PCB, so you can put on any switches you prefer.
I’ve used 65% boards a lot in the past, but the improvements make it deserving of a mention in the top 2023 gaming keyboard. Again, mentioning a well-built pre-lube switch and the opportunity to entirely personalize the keyboard by purchasing a barebones unit is something a lot more businesses ought to do.
But even if you decide to get it in stock for $120 with the Fox switches, you’ll not be disappointed in the slightest. You can purchase it in black, white, and pink colors.
Overall, the Glorious selection of keyboards is fantastic for the community, and many folks seeking an upgrade this year will find this to be the perfect option.
#4 Keychron Q2
Next up is the Keychron Q2, which came back in January 2022 and managed to hold its spot in the top five. Keychron exploded into the keyboard scene last year. There are numerous layout options, and they made a list last year with the Keychron Q1 release. The Keychron Q2 is a bit more compact as it also goes for a 65% layout, but it managed to keep the control knob on the top right.
The control knob is excellent for volume, but you may set it as you choose—moving a timeline, modifying Photoshop’s brush size, or zooming in and forth. This keyboard is available in various configurations, including without or with a knob, pre-built, and barebones.
Prices will then range from $150 to $190, but considering all the available color and switch options, it’s genuinely a great deal. Option I in navy blue. I changed the switches inside and replaced the factory key cap with custom TKIs. That’s the beauty of keyboards like this, as you can do infinite customizations to fit your liking.
If you look closely at the Keychron Q2, it has a gasket mount for more excellent give and flex while gaming, giving it an edge over the feel of other trade mount keyboards. Additionally, unlike other keyboards that use a combination of aluminum and plastic, Keychron didn’t cut any corners with this.
Designed the same as GMMK2 Compact, the PCB is still a five-pin hot swap. However, Keychron Q2 has an advantage over the GMMK compact due to its south-facing position. Again, this keyboard sounds very satisfying and works flawlessly, with the link switches inside and the aftermarket custom keycaps I installed, which aren’t technically offered with this keyboard.
Overall, the Keychron Q2 is a fantastic gaming keyboard for anyone looking for a reliable 65% board with a control dial because it costs less than $200. I used that as my primary keyboard and setup for about three months, and I enjoyed it. The price might be slightly higher than you would like to pay now.
Many online gamers are more accustomed to pre-built gaming keyboards costing in the range of $100 to $150. But since Keychron Q2 is produced and attended to be modified, it truly blurs the distinction between a custom and a pre-built. The keyboard market is seeing some unbelievably big things from Keychron in 2023.
#3 Everest 60 from Mountain
Now for the number three spot will be the Everest 60 from Mountain, simply because they’ve designed the most delicious fidget spinner magnet system ever. Everest 60 features magnetic feet that can raise the back of the keyboard. The magnets keyboard at stock is nice to type on, as the Yellow mountain switches are fantastic.
The space bar could use some work as it’s a little rattly, but everything else feels nice, and premium PBT keycaps. It has an excellent solid base and beautiful RGB illumination on the entire perimeter. We have three USB-C ports at the back so that you can decide which way the cable exits, and there are additional USB-C ports on the sides of the keyboard because we have this optional number pad that you can buy and install on either side of the keyboard.
So if you love playing your games and want all the available room on the right side of the keyboard, mount the number pad on the left side or remove it while gaming. I love what Mountain is doing, but this keyboard is not available in the ISO layout, which is very popular in Europe.
So definitely some good stuff from Mountain, yet again with their Everest 60, giving us all the option to add modular components onto the keyboard to build it out if you want more than just a 60% keyboard. It’s a great concept; they’re releasing new things, touch pads, macros, etc.
#2 IQUNIX OG80 Wormhole or IQUNIX ZX75
This is where it gets tricky for me for the number two spot. I’m going to list two keyboards from the same company that is very similar but different enough that they deserve their spot.
At number two from IQUNIX, we have the OG80 Wormhole and the ZX75. So first, I want to talk about the OG80 Wormhole. I first saw this online and absolutely fell in love with its looks. I love the frosted polycarbonate case with the teal accents all around. It has a nice novelty space bar and two-tone white and light gray keycaps.
OG80 Wormhole is the same 75% layout we saw last year from their Cosmic Traveler keyboard. The PBT keycaps are not shined through even though we have an RGB PCB in the Frosted case; we won’t get that glow through the characters on the keys. But the board as a whole makes up for it. So you can use this board wired or wirelessly with a 2.4 Gigahertz toggle on the backside or via Bluetooth.
On the top left side of the board, you have a little teal cover, and that’s where the wireless dongle goes. Suppose you’re taking this out with you or on the go; you can store the dongle safely. The LED indicator next to it acts like a pairing light, the battery status for you.
The keyboard also has built-in RGB effects and is configurable on the keyboard. It doesn’t even need software, which is a plus, but the effects are not only cool looking, but you can change each effect to a single status color all at the press of a key.
When talking visuals, the design is really one of the best-looking pre-built out there. So on their website, you can get this with no RGB, but if you don’t care for the flashy lights or want to take it a few bucks. You can pick your stabilizers and choose between 10 different switch options. In my unit, I have TTC gold pink. They’re remarkably smooth and linear.
It’s five-pin north facing, so you can use any switch you prefer. Like I said above, I typically pick a south-facing PCB, but if you’re buying this board, it’s because of the aesthetics. You won’t be replacing the keycaps anyways, so you won’t have to worry about the mounting orientation.
I want to touch on the Costar stabilizers in this unit. They also have the option to pick between the Cherry plate mount stabilizers. But honestly, if you choose the Costar, they sound and feel very good. There’s no ping at all, no ugly rattling, and they’re factory lubed.
So honestly, OG80 sounds and feels fantastic with this configuration, and I am very pleased with it. But if you want something a bit more compact that also features a knob, we have the ZX75. This keyboard is 75% layout with 81 keys and does come with a more compact footprint.
You could tell IQUNIX put a lot of time and thoughts into the keyboard design and layout. They have many different colorways and options beyond just the keyboard. They offer various color cases, solid polycarbonate, clear frosted, different matching keycap sets, and novelty keys.
Worth mentioning here even though the boards are plastic made from polycarbonate material, it doesn’t take away from the overall quality in any way. And the polycarbonate adds some improvement to the sound profile. So even though the two models, the OG80 and the ZX75, are different, they’re still more similar in terms of specs.
The real reason this one has my heart is because of the volume wheel or just the knob. Any keyboard with a knob will be better than one without it. You can figure it to be whatever you want. Extra control is always a plus.
The ZX75 prices vary depending on the switch, RGB lighting, and other additions for some of the boards. So prices will range from around $190 to $250. But it was well worth it.
#1 Wooting 60HE
Finally, our number one spot of the best gaming keyboard of 2023, which possibly takes the crown this year and for the entire gaming keyboard market, is Wooting 60HE. It is a pretty bold statement, but it’s true.
If you’re a competitive gamer, you play many FPS games, or anyone that takes gaming seriously, this keyboard will give you that competitive edge. That’s not just marketing jargon; that’s a fact. Wooting 60HE is a super compact, 60% keyboard with customizable analog switches that can actuate at just 0.1 millimeters, a mode to lower input latency to one millisecond, and dual inputs per switch with their ModTap feature.
So if you’re complaining about it being 60% with fewer physical keys, each key can act as a second input on the fly, so you’ll still have access to arrow keys, for example, despite not being physically on the board. On my unit, I did swap out the stock PBT Keycaps for the Dark Glacier keycaps from Angry Meow.
I found it matches the black and yellow Wooting theme. But I also went with the keycaps because they’ll give you a good idea of the keystrokes with the hall effects switches, and you’ll now be able to see that actuation in real-time.
The RGB lighting effects and the stock keycaps are pleasing as well. They’re a textured PBT set with shine-through characters. New keycaps would be a nice change-up visually. Underneath the keycaps are the Lekker switches, exclusive to Wooting as a collaboration with Gateron.
The Lekker switch is entirely different from a traditional mechanical switch; even though they may look similar, there are zero components identical to a conventional switch. That means these have no metal leaf or pins. They pop into the PCB with just two plastic legs at the bottom of the switch, which also means these are entirely proprietary.
You cannot use other switches with this board. These are linear with a 40-gram spring and have a travel distance of four millimeters down to 0.1 millimeters. Since the LE switches are powered by the hall effect magnetic sensors, there is a very tiny magnet inside the pole of each stem.
But that’s what lets you customize the switches in terms of the actuation distance and the analog capability. But the most significant selling point to the Wooting 60HE is the Lekker switches with their RapidTrigger, a feature that lets the switches actuate numerous times in a single full keystroke.
What I mean by that is on a traditional switch, when you press the switch down, depending on the actuation distance, let’s say two millimeters, and that’s it. The key is pressed, and you need to switch to fully reset before you can press it down again to register as a new keystroke.
With the Lekker switch, they’re adjustable in steps of 0.1 mill. You can press the key down any length. At that moment, you begin to let the keys switch, start to pop back up and reset. You can continue again to press it down 0.1 millimeters, and it’ll register as another keystroke; no bottoming out is needed.
You can make these actuate numerous times along the actuation range, and for visual sake, there is a lighting effect where the green portrays a press and an actuation, and the red LED shows its reset. So you can press down all four millimeters, then every 0.1-millimeter reset.
On the way up, you can actuate it again, allowing you to pull off numerous actions within that four millimeters. So if you do the math, that’s 39 individual strokes capable per key with just that one full bottoming-out movement. That is mind-blowing.
This is all on a per-key basis as well. For example, if you want them super light, they can add one millimeter or less, and then other keys can be at two millimeters, so you don’t accidentally press them. You can have these micro-movements per key with absolute precision.
What’s remarkable is to have a standard 60% tray mount keyboard. If you want to customize it more and don’t like this case, you can take out the PCB to play everything and swap it into another standard 60% tray mount keyboard case. Then y begin you can start to customize it and still have all the advantages and tech of the Wooting 60HE.
So at the end of the day, this is the fastest gaming keyboard on the market. That’s not my opinion. That’s just facts. You can look at any other review out there, talk to anyone you trust, and they will do the same thing. If you want to read in-depth review for Wooting 60HE, click the link.
This keyboard from Wooting is, hands down, not only the best of the year, but if you’re a hardcore gamer or anyone who takes gaming seriously, this is the best option. Now, with that all out of the way, there are some other ones I want to touch on real quick. So we have two runner-ups and honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
#1 Razer Dealthstalker V2 Pro
I will start with the Razer Dealthstalker V2 Pro, and they have two options: their full-size, low-profile wireless keyboard and a TKL option. There are a few decent wireless low-profile keyboards with good stuff like optical switches and good batteries. Still, I liked it also enough to buy the TKL, which is more to my taste.
The keyboard features durable keycaps, optical switches with red linears and is super reliable with the Razer HyperSpeed Wireless technology. They are very low profile while sturdy and operate more quickly than a conventional mechanical switch.
They’re a 70 million keystroke lifespan. I love to see the volume wheel on the top right side of the keyboard. You also have a configurable media button right next to it and three modes of connectivity. You can use it wired, wireless over HyperSpeed, and in Bluetooth mode.
#2 NZXT Function TKL
And also, the second Honorable mention is a bit of a controversial keyboard from NZXT. Still, I wanted to include it because of their range of three different keyboards a full-size, a TKL, and a mini TKL. NZXT did amazing for this unit to be still mentioned today.
When NZXT released the keyboard, it was in hot water because it was too pricey. They’ve since made some price cuts and made it more readily available. You can get it in black, white, or gray on their website.
It’s still a TKL layout, but it’s more condensed and compact to save room on your desktop, so you still have the function and arrow keys. It’s still a pretty sleek-looking keyboard overall. You have an excellent volume dial on the left side of the board built in, which is conveniently right on edge.
You have three quick buttons for controlling RGB, quickly muting your keyboard, or locking the Windows key, for example. It’s also got a hot swap PCB five-pin north-facing. They come with Gateron red switches inside, but on their website, you can configure them and pick different switches, keycaps, and everything else.
Suppose you want to spend a bit of a premium, which was the issue at launch. It was a premium price tag for not a groundbreaking premium keyboard. But all in all, for under a hundred bucks, I am digging what they have to offer.
Conclusions
So that’ll wrap up my list of the top five gaming keyboards of 2023. We are still in very early 2023, so I will update the list from time to time if we have a better candidate for the top gaming keyboard.
Thanks for reading my top 5 gaming keyboards of 2023!