Best Fastest Gaming Keyboards in 2022

When it comes to social gaming, as to if you won or lost is determined in moments, not seconds. In fierce skill gameplay, having a quick, responsive gaming keyboard may make or break your game. We’ve compiled a list of the best fastest gaming keyboards in 2022 to assist you in achieving success.

Almost every gaming keyboard worthy its salt these days comes with an app that allows you to assign functions to shortcut buttons, create game-specific profiles, and modify the lighting on the keyboard.

However, high speeds might be countered by an unpleasant, badly manufactured, or improperly customized keyboard, so we’ll also consider how enjoyable and pleasant the fastest keyboards are.

The table below provides a short overview of the fastest gaming keyboards presently on the market.

Razer Huntsman V2

The Huntsman V2 is Razer’s follow-up to the Huntsman Elite, as that was a premium mechanical gaming keyboard. With this updated edition, Razer has included a number of features that gamers and keyboard enthusiasts believed were missing from the initial Huntsman, making it a top pick for professional gamers and the quickest game keyboard on the market.

The Razer Huntsman V2 is a full-sized keyboard featuring a metal shell, 2nd gen mechanical switches, and RGB illumination on each key. At first appearance, it seems to be all a gaming keyboard should be. It also comes with a movable wrist rest with an RGB ring that synchronizes with the keyboard, giving it a more thrilling alternative to the standard, almost throwaway offering.

On a technological level, the pulsing rate is the most notable feature of the Razer Huntsman V2. One of the two major measurements of a keyboard’s speed is polling rate, which is expressed in Hz and relates to how often the keyboard checks for a signal.

This keyboard is exceptionally quick and responsive because of its extremely high pulse rate. However, as previously stated, there is a second parameter, latency, that is exactly as significant as or more relevant than the sampling rate. The Razer Huntsman v2 Analog is good enough to get a five-star rating from us.

However, due to internet latency, there isn’t a significant change that you’ll perceive as a player. Nothing presently tops the Huntsman V2 in terms of how rapidly the keyboard registers and transmits information to your computer if you want the quickest keyboard.

If you’ve ever used the Huntsman Elite, the very first thing you’ll notice about the V2 is the keyboard’s steeper slant. Whether or whether this is an enhancement is a matter of personal taste, but if you like a flatter working surface, the wrist-rest can largely compensate.

Furthermore, the switches are far more durable than in earlier versions of the keyboard. There’s hardly any rattling or wiggling, and the clicky optical switches provide a wonderfully gratifying sensation. These optical switches not only operate very well, but they also sound and feel fantastic.

Moreover, the standard keycaps are small, which will depend on personal opinion as to whether or not this is a selling feature. Because they don’t allow much light through, you’ll get a lot of light streaming around the keys but not much per-key lighting.

The Huntsman V2 utilizes a USB Type-C connection by default, however, it comes with a USB-A converter if you’re using an outdated motherboard or don’t have any USB-C ports available.

The keyboard also has a USB pass-through connector on the left side of the keyboard, as well as dedicated media controls keys.

Ultimately, the Razer Huntsman is a fantastic piece of machinery and the fastest gaming keyboard presently available. It has superb quality and design, top-of-the-line optical switches, and a plethora of personalization and additional options in addition to its efficiency.

Specifications

Interface	USB Type-C
Switch	Razer Linear/Clicky Optical Switch
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	100 million clicks
Weight	2.51 lbs / 1.14 kg

Corsair K100 RGB

If you had been reading this article a year ago, the Corsair K100 RGB would have been unquestionably the best.

Although the K100 has a little faster total reaction time, the difference of 0.05ms is insignificant. In terms of quality, these two are essentially on par.

Aside from speed, the K100 is a beautiful keyboard, and the reality that Corsair was able to be the first business to release a keyboard with a polling rate higher than 1000 Hz testifies to the design of the product you can expect from them.

The Corsair K100 features optical-mechanical switches, as do most premium gaming keyboards. Corsair’s own OPX-RGB capable switches are employed here, and they provide a robust touch as well as a high degree of response with a 1micrometers activation point.

The Corsair was the first to launch with a polling rate of more than 1KHz, and the K100’s polling rate of 4000Hz (8000Hz after update) will provide a very responsive PC gaming experience, particularly if people play aggressive competitive matches where every nanosecond matters.

It will be simpler to properly time shots, leaps, and dodges if you have a keyboard that communicates numerous times per second. When used with a mouse that has a comparable high polling rate/low latency, the gaming experience becomes even quicker and smoother.

Even if you are able to see it, the polling rate is usually the more important component in your gaming experience, particularly when super-high smooth framerate and refresh periods from your video display become the standard in the future.

Corsair is linked with RGB lights more than any other manufacturer, and they went all out with the K100. You get per-key RGB lighting, of course, and there are also 44 illumination zones and 23 levels of physical lighting to choose from.

The multi-functionality iCUE wheel at the base of the keyboard may help with this to some degree, but with the sheer quantity of modification available, the iCUE wheel might start to seem insufficient.

On the left-hand side of the keyboard, Corsair has added five customizable macro keys. This makes the keyboard bigger, which takes some getting used to, but once you’ve got it set up, it opens a ton of more capability.

The function keys actually have a little more rattling than the Huntsman V2, which is definitely its closest competition, and they’re only available in a linear variant. The keys have superb bounce and are highly sensitive, with a 1micrometers actuation point.

That said, if you’re a fan of RGB and want the maximum performance a gaming keyboard can provide, you’ll be hard key press to find a better option.

Specifications

Interface	USB
Switch	CORSAIR OPX
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	150 million clicks
Weight	2.88 lbs / 1.31 kg

EVGA Z20

If you’ve heard of EVGA, it’s presumably because you’ve purchased or at least looked at some of their products. They haven’t done much in the way of gaming peripherals before recently, but the Z20 is a game-changer. It’s unusual for a company’s debut product to be this impressive, particularly on something as fussy and subjective as a keyboard.

The casing of the Z20 is made of various materials, rather than the metal scene on the Razer and Corsair flagship smartphones, thus it doesn’t feel as solid. That makes paying the MSRP and putting it in the middle of your desktop a little more difficult to justify. The keyboard employs Bloody’s Lightstrike LK optical-mechanical switches, and the Z20’s early success may be attributed to EVGA’s contracting to a more existing company.

In 2022, the EVGA is one of just a few keyboards that have a polling rate higher than the previous norm of 1000Hz. Still, the EVGA’s 4000Hz polling rate isn’t as fast as the manufacturing 8000Hz polling rate offered by Razer and Corsair.

In addition, the latency tests at a level that will only be relevant for exceptionally high-level gaming performance. You’ll receive immediate results with a reaction time of 0.25ms, which is on par with the Corsair K100, letting you keep on the cutting edge of competitive performance.

The Z20 comes with both straight and clicky switches, However, this study will focus on the linear version. The keys wobble a touch, particularly on the bigger keys with stabilizers, but they’re generally quiet for the materials used. The feedback isn’t as hard as it might be, but it has a good bounce.

The keys are designed in a cartoonish “gaming” typeface, and the coating gathers scratches and finger oils fast, and those are the main drawbacks. You get five macro buttons along the left side of the keyboard that can be customized using the keyboard software, as well as a set of dedicated media keys, similar to Corsair’s K100.

EVGA also included a Time – Of – flight sensor, which is basically an advantage of this approach that can be used to awaken up your pc or trigger various lighting effects as you approach, which is a pretty fascinating feature.

In terms of connectivity, the keyboard has one USB pass-through on the top and a 3.5mm headphones port on the left side. In addition, a leatherette plush wrist rest is included.

Given that this is one of just a few EVGA keyboards, we’d say it’s a success. It’s a lightning-fast keyboard with some one-of-a-kind features you won’t find anywhere else. Plus, there’s nothing we’d call a true disadvantage.

We wouldn’t purchase the EVGA Z20 in its entirety if we had to pay full price for it. EVGA, on the other hand, seems to be in a rush to get them out the door.

Specifications

Interface	USB
Switch	Optical Mechanical Switch
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	100 million clicks
Weight	2.49 lbs / 1.13 kg

HP Omen Sequencer

HP’s gaming business isn’t as big as ASUS or even Dell’s, and they’re not quite as concentrated on accessories as Razer or perhaps even ASUS.

They do, however, have a reasonable degree of expertise, which means that with the correct money, they can create something that will satisfy even the highest-ranked players, such as the HP Omen Data acquisition system.

The Omen Sequencer is made of lightweight aluminum and has Electro-optic Blue switches. It has the same degree of build quality as many premium gaming manufacturers but without the premium gaming label price tag.

Furthermore, the keyboard has a polling rate of 1000Hz, which is now the industry norm. It will be fascinating to watch how fast 4-8000Hz keyboards take on, but we believe 1000Hz keyboards, particularly those with extremely low latency, will compete better for at least another couple of years.

The gap between those greater polling rates and the 1000Hz norm may seem astronomical, yet it’s just a fraction of a millisecond in reality.

If you’re playing on a specialized competition network, the lag rate on your local area network will make a considerably bigger effect, fluctuating by tens, if not hundreds, of times more than the improvement in the quality you’d observe between the comparative polling rates accessible.

The variation in latency between ordinary keyboards will be considerably more evident, which makes the HP Omen Sequencer’s 0.2ms all the more amazing. This reduced latency will be particularly advantageous in quickly local games, rather than internet gaming.

Whenever it comes to the keys, HP has chosen some unique choices. They’ve made the classic mistake of adopting the same large blocky “gamer” typeface that firms use when they first began producing gaming gear. The spacebar is also twice as big as it should be, extending half as far below the row of keys.

It’s a lot of fun to hit, but there’s not a lot of practical reason for it. However, you do get some extremely handy features, such as five programmable macro keys and a large tactile volume control wheel. Individually, the keys are solid and provide nice input, However, they are really noisy.

The per-key RGB lighting isn’t as bright as you’d get on a good gaming keyboard, but it’s there and enables some nice programmed effects using HP Command Center. There is no RGB lighting along the edges or wrist rest, unlike other more luxury keyboards, which helps to keep the price low.

Ultimately, the HP Omen Sequencer is stuck between appearing like the best gaming keyboard and functioning like one. With that stated, this is still one of the best gaming keyboards in 2022, and if you’re seeking speed and don’t care about additional bells and whistles, it seems to be a fine choice.

Specifications

Interface	USB
Switch	Cherry MX Blue Switches
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	70 million clicks
Weight	1.83 lbs / 0.83 kg

Pulsar Nova Optical Pro

Before we get into the specifications and performance, there is one major element that will suggest the Pulsar Nova Optical Pro. It’s the first full-size keyboard on our list to cost under 100 dollar. This results in some architectural simplification, but remarkably few performance compromises.

The Pulsar Nova Optical Pro is nearly completely made of plastic and rubber, allowing Pulsar Gaming Gears to create this waterproof mechanical keyboard, which is a significant selling feature in and of itself.

Nothing is more frustrating than spending a lot of money on a high-end gaming keyboard only to damage it because you spilled your espresso on the incorrect side of the desk. It also has clackety blue optical-mechanical switches, which provide excellent performance and comfort.

The Nova Optical Pro and the Omen Sequencer are fairly close in terms of the two key criteria we’re focusing on for this list. It also features a polling rate of 1000Hz, which means it examines the keyboard for input once per second.

The keyboard also features a 0.2ms latency owing to the key switches, giving it a highly accessible alternative for both recreational and competitive gamers. Some dealers may say it’s just 0.1ms, However, testing has shown that this isn’t always the case.

Because the keycaps are glossy, they will display scratches and will need to be cleaned off more often if you’re bothered by them. The clicky switches make this keyboard noisier, but in a pleasant and anticipated manner, and it’s still quieter than the Omen Sequencer.

The per-key LED isn’t very bright, but it shows well through the caps. If you need to modify the intensity or switch among which was before cycles, you can address the components directly from the keyboard, because for the most part, you’ll want to utilize the control software to manage the lighting.

Apart from that, there aren’t many features. Except for the waterproofness described above, there is no wrist rest, separate macro or media buttons, or anything else that would make this keyboard stand out.

The software, on the other hand, allows for a great deal of customization. The program allows you to remap keys, create macros and profiles, and alter the pace and lighting patterns, among other things.

Essentially, the Pulsar Nova Optical Pro is the cheapest optical keyboard on the market right now. Despite the cost, it’s still a lightning-fast keyboard that won’t slow you down when competing. As previously said, there aren’t many fascinating features, but the program allows for a great deal of flexibility.

Specifications

Interface	USB
Switch	Swappable Mechanical Switches
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	100 million clicks
Weight	2.64 lbs / 1.20 kg

ROCCAT Vulcan Pro

Although mechanical keyboards have a taller appearance, the majority of the keyboards on this list come with a wrist rest to decrease strain and make the keyboard more ergonomic. The ROCCAT Vulcan Pro is tremendously fast and has a pleasantly low profile, making for a fantastic gameplay experience.

The ROCCAT Vulcan Pro variant comes with a stealth-black aluminum frame cover and a magnetic cloaking wrist rest, both of which are unnecessary. The entire build quality is excellent, and the keyboard has a premium feel to it.

The Titan Optical Switches from ROCCAT is used in this keyboard to provide a small, extremely responsive keyboard. They’re one of the best linear switches, and when paired with the reduced keycaps, they provide a great deal of speed and comfort for gaming and typing.

Furthermore, the Vulcan Pro uses the manufacturing 1000Hz polling rate, and while this is technically the highest latency we’ve seen yet on this list, the 0.7ms combined with the finely calculated contraction means that the distinction between this and the Nova or the Omen will be hard to notice.

You could notice a difference if you’re playing at a very high intensity of competition play and all other criteria are equal, but for the ordinary user, any boards with a delay of 1ms or less will perform similarly well, and you should base your selection on other aspects.

As a result, this is the quietest keyboard we’ve seen thus far. The linear buttons are incredibly smooth and are set precisely and securely, resulting in very little rattling and wobbling. The pushes are still audible, but they sound more like pinging than the click or thud you’d hear with clicky or analog switches.

You receive a good amount of input, but if you work in a professional workplace or have roommates who are sensitive to loud sounds, this is an excellent option.

Finally, the ROCCAT Vulcan Pro controls volume using a knob rather than a bar or keys. It’s simpler to use and more enjoyable than the other options, but it detracts from the keyboard’s low-profile appearance.

In general, the ROCCAT Vulcan Pro is the quickest low-profile gaming keyboard presently available. The Vulcan Pro is a fantastic pick if you’re searching for a quiet, quick, and fully-lit gaming keyboard. Since the Corsair K100 is at the top of our list, it’s smooth and responsive, with the greatest lighting arrangement.

Specifications

Interface	USB
Switch	ROCCAT Titan Switch Optical
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	100 million clicks
Weight	2.05 lbs / 0.93 kg

ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX

ROG by ASUS, particularly ROG Strix, is widely regarded as one of the best gaming major brands. When it comes to parts and laptops/prebuilt PCs, they’re usually comparable with Razer, thus it’s not unexpected to see the ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX scrape just under the wire of what you might call maximum gaming efficiency. Part of this is probably due to a desire to keep the cost low while retaining a high level of design and production.

Clicky blue optical-mechanical switches or red straight optical-mechanical switches are offered for the Vision RX. Because cherry MX red switches are designed to be speedier, we’ll be looking at that variant for this evaluation. It also includes a metal lid, textured feet, and an IP56 rating, which means it’s not completely waterproof but resistant to most spills and dust and particle interference.

The ROG Strix Scope RX has a 1000Hz polling rate and a 1ms latency in terms of speed. Again, that’s just on the edge of what might be considered optimal for playing with no resistance. Tournament competitors are the only ones who will benefit from anything with 0.2ms or 0.5ms instead of the full 1ms provided here.

The great news is that the keycaps are rather lovely. There’s just enough roughness to keep fingerprints at bay, and the per-key RGB lighting is plainly visible.

In fact, the RGB configuration as a whole is excellent. For how bright the LEDs are, there’s very little light leakage, and the keyboard could store up to 6 lighting settings that may be handled with macros. we and our partner’s processing may use precise geolocation data and identification through device scanning.

ASUS has also included a few amusing features that will make the whole experience more pleasurable. They’ve raised the length of the controlling key and added a privacy settings icon that returns you to the desktop quickly.

The ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX will become more about an even well customer experience that players of all skill levels will appreciate than about game battles performances (though it achieves that rather well).

Specifications

Interface	USB
Switch	ROG RX RED Optical Mechanical Switch
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	100 million clicks
Weight	2.36 lbs / 1.07 kg

Steelseries Apex Pro

Steelseries formerly claimed to have the strongest mechanical gaming keyboard, which they haven’t changed in their advertising materials regardless of the fact that it’s no longer true. In most ways, the Apex Pro is still a great keyboard, albeit, with the advancements made by Corsair, Razer, and even EVGA, it won’t have nearly the strategic advantage it had when it first came out.

The Apex Pro is constructed from a metal alloy for improved protection and sturdiness. You also have a lot of options for the sort of switch you want on your keyboard, such as linear reds, clackety blues, tactile browns, and, most significantly, OmniPoint switches, which let you tailor the activation point from 0.4micrometers to 3.6micrometers.

With a polling rate of 1000Hz and a latency of 0.7ms, the Apex Pro is still rather rapid. SteelSeries Apex Pro is the best-wired gaming keyboard we’ve tested. Even in 2022, considering this is a 3-year-old keyboard, that’s outstanding and still quite quick. Again, this isn’t going to be a deal killer for casual players, but given how many quicker keyboards are already available, intense competition players are likely to pass.

The key feel is good, but there’s a little more rattling and wobbling than you’d expect from a high-end keyboard, particularly one that hasn’t switched to the ultra-responsive switches available in this price bracket. It’s not a very noisy keyboard, and there’s no pinging, but it’s not as quiet as some switches.

The Apex Pro, like the rest of the keyboards on our list, has per-key RGB lighting and enables you to save and alter lighting configurations using key macros. A lot of the illumination will bleed through, making the illumination through the keycaps seem considerably weaker than it really is.

There’s a brightness slider bar and a dedicated media control option that allows you to play/pause audio without switching windows or tabs, making productivity or playing music while working simpler. A tiny OLED screen is also included, which may be used to set the actuating point of your keys and show unique pictures.

Once upon a time, the Steelseries Apex Pro was the fastest gaming keyboard on the market. However, with the introduction of faster keyboards incomparable price brackets, there’s not much to recommend it above anything similar in prices, such as the Razer Huntsman, or something both cheaper and quicker, such as the Pulsar Nova.

Specifications

Interface	USB
Switch	Omni Point Adjustable Mechanical Switch
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	100 million clicks
Weight	2.14 lbs / 0.97 kg

Keychron K3

The Keychron K3 is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign that began in late 2020 and ended in early 2021. It was the world’s wireless mechanical gaming keyboards that could be hot-swapped. A promising, though overly-detailed claim to fame.

There were some small drawbacks to being the first version of a first-in-class product. However, with their second keyboard iteration, they were able to improve in a handful of critical areas.

To begin with, the keychron K3 now has a galvanized steel plate, which greatly improves the keyboard’s general longevity, which was a major complaint among consumers. They also included two-level adjustable rubber feet, which increase ergonomics and allow you to place the keyboard in its most relaxed place.

The Keychron K3 features a polling rate of 1000Hz, which puts it on par with most of the keyboards we tested. However, this is only true in wired mode. In a wireless system, the polling rate is just 90Hz, making it the fastest keyboard on the list. The Keychron K23 redefines affordability for wireless gaming keyboards.

The same may be said about reaction time. It has a 0.2ms reaction time thanks to the Keychron optical switches, making it one of the quickest optical-mechanical keyboards available. However, with mechanical switches, this decreases dramatically, and this will be exacerbated if you’re using the keyboard remotely.

To summarize, if you want a quick performance from this keyboard, go with mechanical switches and just use it in wired mode. You’ll get a lot less efficiency out of it if you don’t.

All keys are now hot-swappable and quite quiet. They jiggle a lot and don’t seem very sturdy, but because this keyboard was just released lately, we can’t speak on long-term durability.

The K3 can network 3 different devices in WiFi mode and toggle between them with the function key. The battery saver is turned on by default, and after 10 minutes of inactivity, the keyboard goes into hibernation, which takes a few seconds to wake up from. Turning it off, on either hand, will rapidly deplete the battery.

Altogether, the Keychron K3 V2 is a fantastic keyboard if you want something small and portable. It’s an extremely fast keyboard for the cost, and it’s a lot more robust than the original one.

Specifications

Interface	USB Type-C, Wireless
Switch	Low profile Gateron mechanical / Low profile Keychron Optical
Backlighting	RGB
Lifespan	70 million clicks
Weight	1.06 lbs / 0.48 kg

Conclusion

Optical switches are used on all of the best gaming keyboards available in 2022, providing a premium and incredibly pleasant response feeling. In the year, there is a slew of absolutely outstanding gaming keyboards on the market, along with some game-changing newcomers.

With all of these possibilities, bear in mind that everything with a polling rate of 1000Hz or more and a latency of less than 1ms will be a matter of architecture and response preference among most consumers.

Quick Shopping Tips for the Best Fastest Gaming Keyboards

So, here we are with the buying guide part, as is customary. In this part, we’ll go over all of the important items you should look for before making a purchase.

Looks

The RGB lights and impact are also important factors to consider when picking a keyboard. Colors, layout, size, and whether or not a wrist rest is included are all crucial features of a fair-skinned gaming keyboard.

Personalization

Video game gamers want to be able to do their own thing, and customizing your keyboard is one method to do it. You won’t be able to alter everything, but even a little modification may have a significant impact.

Switches

The most common switch used in gaming keyboards is the Cherry MX, which determines how the keyboard looks when you push the keys. There is a slew of Cherry MX knockoffs on the market that compete with the original and, in some instances, outperform it.

The materials utilized in the building are of good grade

Durability, robustness, and reduced flex should all be priorities in a gaming keyboard. The majority of companies in the gaming keyboard market use aluminum alloys and ABS material to make sturdy keyboards that can withstand repeated tapping. While some keyboards are inexpensive, the quality of the construction and materials used will influence how long they last.

Key Rollover and Anti-ghosting

This is the most important characteristic for players to be aware of. Anti-ghosting and key rollovers allow players to press several keys without creating an error or jeopardizing the keyboard’s or game’s functioning. Some keyboards have all anti-ghosting keys, whereas others just have a handful.

The clicking sound of the keyboard

Because of the key design, the clicking sound of the Gaming keyboards is rather loud. While some are initially quiet, with frequent usage, they will get louder.

Sports keyboards are infamous for being loud, but that’s all part of the fun of using one. If you don’t like the sound of your current key, you can change it.

Warranty

An extended warranty is required for the gaming keyboard. Although the warranty is determined by the manufacturer, most gaming keyboards will come with at least a 365-day warranty and additional characteristics like water resistance, spill resistance, and splash resistance.

Thanks to Cherry MX switches, most gaming keyboards are now so resilient that users may use them beyond their warranty expiration dates and still have a usable keyboard with little or no damage.