⌨️ The list in brief
1. Best overall
2. Best budget
3. Best low-profile
4. Best high-end
5. Best competitive
6. FAQ
7. Glossary
The best wireless gaming keyboards offer a degree of flexibility and freedom that you just don't get with a regular wired keyboard. Freeing your wireless keyboard from the chains of its cable means that you'll have the option to use it wherever you like, from your lap to the sofa and beyond. Within range, anyways.
The best wireless keyboard is the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless. While that's a long name to remember, the board itself is simply the best we've used in a very long time, with an excellent typing feel, useful programmable features and a sturdy yet compact frame that really puts it head and shoulders above the competition.
We've seen all sorts in our many years reviewing keyboards, and here we've listed the absolute best of the best, to make sure you get the wireless typing and gaming experience you're looking for. Given you're thinking about going cable free, now might be an idea to take a look at our guides to the best wireless gaming headsets and the best wireless mice, as once you start breaking free of the dreaded cables, there's really no going back.
As someone that's tested so many keyboards he's lost count, Jacob's well qualified to give you the low-down on where to put your money if you're in the market for a fantastic cable-free typing experience, and which will give you the best bang for your wireless keyboard buck.
The quick list
Best overall
The Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless takes our top spot for the best overall wireless keeb, thanks to its superb switch feel, excellent build quality and solid sound dampening. It's also got PBT keycaps, an adjustable media wheel, hot-swappable switches and it's pretty compact to boot. What's not to love?
Best budget
Proving that great wireless keyboards don't need to cost the earth, the Keychron K2 is an entry level mechanical keyboard that hits all the highlights while keeping you cable free, and that 240 hours of battery life without the backlight is mightily impressive.
Best low-profile
You'd think we'd be over this keyboard by now, but it's still such a solid pick and it's frequently discounted. A choice of low-profile switches, great battery life and lag free wireless connection makes it a very strong performer.
Best high-end
As enthusiast keyboards go, the great typing experience, fantastic build quality and a built-in OLED display means the Asus ROG Azoth is a tough act to beat. A proper enthusiasts keyboard, although the Armoury Crate software is far from our favorite.
Best competitive
A compact keyboard with plenty to offer the competitive gamer. When it comes to speed, the magnetic OmniPoint 2.0 switches in the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL take some beating. The dual action keys add some extra functionality that may well come in handy for esports fans too.
Recent updates
This page was updated on March 8, 2024 to ensure all our recommendations are accurate and up-to-date.
Best wireless gaming keyboard
✅ You want the smoothest typing experience: As far as non-custom, mainstream gaming keyboards go, I've experience none that can match the typing feel of the Strix Scope II 96.
❌ You want a faster polling rate or speedier switches: the Strix Scope II is as fast as most other mechanical keyboards, but it's no faster. There are other keyboards that can deliver a more competitive feature set, such as the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless or Corsair K70 Max.
Wireless keyboards pass through our hands often, but every now and then a stand out keyboard appears that blows us away, and the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless stands out as simply the best wireless gaming keyboard we've seen in, well, forever. The fact that it's wireless is more than just a bonus point, but given all the great design and feel on offer here it's almost difficult to know where to start.
The typing feel is outstanding, thanks to lubed switches straight from the factory that provide a sublime typing and gaming experience right out of the box. Lubing keys is normally something reserved for people who are really, really into their keyboard feel, but Asus has deemed the process worth doing for the ROG NX switches used, and the results are extremely impressive.
More than that, the Scope II 96 is quiet by mechanical keyboard standard thanks to some sound dampening foam, a choice of PBT or ABS plastic keycaps and some sturdy stabilisers for the larger keys. Mechanical keyboards can be something of a headache when it comes to noise, but the Scope II 96 really is noticeably quieter than the competition.
The switches themselves are also hot-swappable, for those of you who like to experiment with a different feel, although we found the feel of the ROG NX Snow switches in our review model to be so good it's unlikely you'll want to.
Beyond the typing experience, the compact frame is both well-built and well-thought out, with a full numpad and a programmable multimedia wheel. Software wise the ROG Strix II uses Asus' Armoury Crate, and while we're not huge fans it does at least allow you to setup things like macros and RGB lighting customisations fairly easily.
The battery life is also excellent, with a quoted maximum of 1,500 hours of continuous use, and we found we only had to plug it in once during our testing. There's also a Bluetooth mode activated by a toggle on the rear of the board, which is a decent extra party trick that may well come in use for some.
Ultimately it's the mechanics of the Scope II 96 that really make it stand out apart from the pack, and even though you'd struggle to call it cheap, at an MSRP of $180/£170/AU$299 it's still a fair bit less than it's most immediate competition like the Corsair K70 Max.
What you're getting here is a wireless keyboard with virtually no compromises, and a user experience that's second to none, and that means it has to top the list of our best wireless keyboards, and may well do for some time.
Read our full Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless review.
Best budget wireless gaming keyboard
✅ You need wireless connectivity on a budget: A cheap wireless gaming keyboard is hard to come by, or at least one that's any good. The Keychron offers a lot of value for money.
❌ You can take or leave wireless: You could get a better all-round keyboard with nicer switches or RGB lighting, whichever you prefer, if you ditched the wireless connectivity. But you're reading this, so I assume you want cable-free operation above all.
The Keychron K2 redefines affordability as the best wireless gaming keyboard. It starts out at just $69/AU$129 and you get a decent-sized gaming keyboard with great wireless functionality and Gateron mechanical switches.
You may think that for this sort of price you're going to have to make major sacrifices. Maybe even ditch mechanical switches. But you don't. The Keychron K2 offers swathes of features that are more likely found on pricier boards, including both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and simple swapping between Windows and MacOS.
There are a few Gateron switches to choose from. Your usual fare of linear, clicky or tactile. We have tactile Gateron switches in our review unit, which are unspectacular and quite pingy on the enter and backspace keys, but otherwise pleasant enough to use for both typing and gaming.
The battery life is rated to a lengthy 240 hours with the backlighting off, and you might not mind keeping it disabled during the day. With the cheapest board offering only white LED backlighting, it's purely a useful feature for low-light situations. Like writing your horror novel in the dark.
You simply get a lot for your money with the Keychron K2, and when it comes to wireless gaming keyboards that often cost a lot of cash, that sort of saving goes a long way.
Read our full Keychron K2 review.
Best mid-range wireless gaming keyboard
✅ You prefer a low typing position: You can get away with not bending your wrists as much as you type if you opt for a low-profile keyboard such as the G915.
❌ You want the latest: The G915 has been around a long time, and though its design hasn't really aged much, you can find more exciting modern keyboards with fresh features, such as the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless.
The Logitech G915 remains our pick for the best low-profile wireless gaming keyboard. This wireless keyboard has been around the Sun a few times but it doesn't cease to be a great pick, even in 2024.
I have owned the Logitech G915 for many years now, and it remains in constant use to this day. It's dustier than ever, requiring some extreme deep clean that I cannot be bothered to do, but all the switches, caps and even the battery remain as in tip-top shape.
One of the primary benefits of picking up the G915 today is that it's often going for under MSRP in the sales. Most days it's under $200, but it's often going even less in the seasonal sales, and you can score a really good deal on some stellar features if you time it right.
Features like a volume wheel and dedicated media keys, and full per-key RGB lighting controllable via the Logitech G app on PC. You can also store dedicated macros down the left-hand side bonus keys, and through the app these can be automatically set depending on the game you have open. I use these primarily for shortcuts in Destiny 2, and when I'm not playing Destiny they go back to doing nothing at all. That's because I used to hit them with my pinky finger frequently while typing, though I've grown out of that now.
The typing experience is gorgeous, too. I love the clicky switch option included with this board, and it makes for a swift and satisfying clack every time you hit a key. The travel is pretty decent for a low-profile board—I don't feel at a loss for a full-size switch using it.
Read our full Logitech G915 TKL review (the slightly smaller version).
Best high-end wireless gaming keyboard
✅ You want a screen on everything: Manufacturers love putting screens on things, and the Azoth comes with a surprisingly handy compact OLED panel to access multimedia controls and even system monitoring on-the-fly.
❌ You want value for money: You do get a lovely high-end gaming keyboard in the Asus Azoth, but its price per key is absurdly high thanks to a tall price tag and compact design.
The Asus Azoth is the best high-end wireless gaming keyboard for good reason: it oozes quality. From the sleek lubed switches under the surface to the neat OLED screen with equalizer and multifunction tactile doo-dad, everything on the Azoth makes me want it more.
You have to want what the Azoth is offering to justify the price. It does not come cheap, and if you consider its compact frame and fewer keys than normal, that's an even dearer cost to surmount. But this is the best high-end gaming keyboard for a reason.
What Asus gets extremely right with the Azoth, and the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless for that matter, is the feeling of each key press. Each key comes down with a soft and satisfying clack. It's gorgeous to type on, but the ROG NX switches are also plenty responsive enough for gaming. If you don't like them for whatever reason, though you'd be silly not to, you can pluck them out of the chassis thanks to its hot-swappable design.
This is a suitably wireless keyboard to make it onto this list. The Azoth offers both 2.4GHz wireless via a compact dongle and Bluetooth connectivity. You can also just wire it via USB Type-C for easy charging or gaming on a desk. Though the battery offers plenty of juice for long periods—you'll get 130 hours out of it, and in less nebulous terms that's at least a good week of not having to think about charging it. If you're not always using it, it won't suck up that battery life super swiftly. That's without the RGB lighting enabled, however, and with it you can expect the battery life to shrink.
The RGB lighting looks great and extremely punchy, as you'd expect for this price, and the keycaps offer clear shine-through. But let's talk that multi-function doo-dad level/wheel thingy. That's the highlight. You can use this, let's just called it a control knob, to cycle through the five pre-programmed functions, including volume, media controls, and a system monitoring page. You're free to tweak how this works in the Armoury Crate app, which is... the worst bit of the package but it does work. Mostly.
App aside, the Azoth is a gloriously gorgeous wireless gaming keyboard worth investing in.
Read our full Asus ROG Azoth review.
Best competitive wireless gaming keyboard
✅ You want speedy switches powered by magnets: Competitive gamers can get the edge with the OmniPoint 2.0 switches stuffed inside this practical and compact wireless gaming keyboard.
❌ You just want luxury: The Asus Azoth is around the same price and offers more in the way of premium feel, but the Steelseries is faster and more technologically advanced with its magnetic switches.
There are a lot of great wireless gaming keyboards on this list, but this is one we'd recommend for its compact frame and competitive gaming edge. That's because this SteelSeries board comes with magnetic OmniPoint 2.0 switches, which allow the user to make this keyboard more responsive than most today.
The actuation point of each switch can be set anywhere between 0.2–3.8mm via the SteelSeries software. What that means is, if you have your keys set to 0.2mm actuation, the lightest of light key presses will register a key press. You really don't have to depress the keys at all to see that action play out on screen. That's great for the WASD keys, or action keys surrounding it.
For typing it's less good, as you might find you make more mistakes, but that's where the Apex Pro's profiles come in handy. You can set these up to change the stored settings for whatever games you're playing at the time, one for typing, whatever. You can also set a fun image on the built-in OLED screen on the keyboard which helps easily differentiate which profile you're using at the time.
On the keyboard I need only hold the SteelSeries logo key (a replacement for the Function key) and hit F9 to roll through all the available profiles loaded onto the board. I've got a profile for typing at 1.8mm and one for Destiny with the cluster of keys around the left-hand, including WASD, set to 0.2mm.
The other neat feature is the dual actuation. With this you can set any key to offer two functions depending on how hard you press it. It takes some getting used to, though it's something I've used sparingly on other magnetic keyboards, such as the Wooting Two HE, and it's useful if you find the right use for it.
Now, speaking of the Wooting Two HE, our favorite gaming keyboard, it offers similar key switch functionality, and a lot else, for cheaper than the SteelSeries. But it's not wireless. So if you want to mix both cable-free functionality and clever switches, this SteelSeries board is your best bet. Just be warned, it's as much 'money-no-object' as the Asus ROG Azoth.
Let's get to the price, then, because this isn't the cheapest keyboard going. At $250/AU$589 it's really up there for a keyboard of its diminutive size, and going against the fantastic Asus ROG Azoth for the same money. It doesn't win that fight, either, but admittedly they do different things. The SteelSeries focuses on speed and special switches while the Azoth is more your enthusiast's high-end keeb.
Read our full SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless review.
FAQ
How do you test a wireless keyboard?
The determining factor of wireless keyboards starts at the stability of the connection. Regardless of the wireless tech used, the board must sustain a stable, responsive connection at all times. That's the paramount characteristic we pay attention to throughout testing.
Ultimately, the way we test is by using the keyboards day-to-day; for gaming and for typing on during work hours. We take keen notes on the performance of its switches. Are they responsive? Were there any essential skips or ghosting?
Due to the inherent limitations of wireless connectivity, some features aren't possible for wireless keyboards. USB pass-throughs are out of the question. On the other hand, Audio passthrough is doable, but they're often omitted due to the subpar sound reproduction since audio signals are much more susceptible to noise. Backlights are a double-edged sword: they enhance the aesthetics but are also taxing on the battery.
This brings us to the battery life. If the keyboard continually needs to be charged or eats a deck of AA batteries a week, its wireless nature becomes a liability rather than a selling point. The type of battery also matters: integrated batteries saves you money but can wear out over time. Removable batteries can be swapped out and instantly charged, but they tack onto the cost of the keyboard.
What size of keyboard do I need?
Keyboard size is absolutely a defining factor. Full-sized keyboards tend to offer the most features and a Numpad, but if you don't have space, then all of those extras you paid for will be useless. Tenkeyless boards (the ones with no number pad) and compact keyboards can be a great option, too, if you don't care about all the extra bells and whistles or you don't have any use for alt codes (how barbaric!).
What is the most important thing to look for in a mechanical gaming keyboard?
The switch type is arguably the most important choice to make when picking your new gaming keyboard. Cherry mechanical switches are the most common and most recognizable, but there are a host of alternatives on offer, as well a bunch of upmarket, specialist switches to choose from.
What is the big deal with mechanical switches?
We can talk for hours about the feel of mechanical switches versus membrane switches, but ultimately that's a personal choice. What makes mechanical switches objectively superior, however, is their far extended life span. They can take far more punishment and keep responding long after a membrane switch has collapsed in on itself.
Are dedicated media controls a deal-breaker?
Only you can make that call, but we would suggest that at least having the option to toggle the top row between function and media controls would be our choice. Having a discrete volume wheel can be super useful, however.
Glossary
Actuation Point
The height to which a key needs to be pressed before it actuates and sends an input signal to a device.
Clicky
A switch that delivers an audible click every time it's pressed, generally right around the point of actuation.
Debounce
A technique to ensure that only one input registers every time a key is pressed.
Housing
The shell that surrounds the internal components of a switch.
Hysteresis
The result of the actuation point and reset point in a switch being misaligned. This generally means a key needs to be lifted off further than normal before it can be actuated again.
Linear
A switch that moves directly up and down, generally delivering smooth keystrokes without noise or tactile feedback.
Mechanical Keyboard
A keyboard built around individual switches for each key rather than a membrane sheath mounted on a PCB.
Membrane Keyboard
A keyboard on which all the keycaps are mounted on a membrane sheath; when a key is pressed, a rubber dome depresses and pushes against the sheath and PCB beneath, actuating the key.
Stem
The component of a switch on which the keycaps are mounted on a mechanical keyboard.
Switch
The physical component of a mechanical keyboard beneath the keycaps on a mechanical keyboard. The switch determines how a key is actuated, whether or not it provides audible or tactile feedback with each press, and more.
Optical switch
This is a type of mechanical switch which instead of a physical metal contact switch uses light to measure when actuation takes place. These can be more configurable too, allowing for not just off and on states, but more analog designs, and even dual actions for a single key depending on how far the switch is pressed down.
Tactile
A switch that provides a 'bump' of feedback every time it's pushed.
Tenkeyless (TKL)
A keyboard that lacks the right-hand number pad.
