A gaming PC might be all well and good, but without an absolutely astonishing budget gaming keyboard, your rig is as good as useless. Among the very best keyboards of the year, you'll find that many of them are designed and manufactured with gamers firmly in mind.
Gaming keyboards come in all shapes and sizes - they may be ergonomically contoured to fit your hands, they might be mechanical, boosting your pinpoint gaming accuracy, or they might simply have a backlit glow that is difficult to resist as a gamer.
The best budget gaming keyboards at a glance:
• Best budget gaming keyboard: SteelSeries Apex 9 TKL - View at Amazon
• Best budget gaming keyboard under £50: RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK61 - View at Amazon
• Best budget gaming keyboard under £30: Razer Cynosa Lite - View at Amazon
• Best mechanical budget gaming keyboard: Corsair K70 - View at Amazon
Picking the right keyboard for you is a challenge, let's be real. You might have a strict budget and want a mechanical keyboard, or you might just want something simple for everyday use that isn't going to break the bank, that's where we come in.
From the top brands of the year, we've selected a gorgeous range of gaming keyboards with a range of exciting technology that is accommodating to those limited on cash. These keyboards are durable, precise and perfect for dominating multiplayer games, hours of comfortable open-world RPG exploration, and more.
Best budget gaming keyboard
A pristine, slick and practical keyboard from SteelSeries, the Apex 9 TKL mechanical gaming keyboard is a second-to-none deal on what is a phenomenal peripheral.
A conveniently sized TKL mechanical keyboard, the SteelSeries Apex 9 is perfect for slightly busier desks or for those who would like a little more mouse space. Lacking the numeric keypad is a bit of a blow to gamers who might want to bind keys, but this isn't a massive blow thanks to the Apex 9's overall convenience and speed.
Equipped with optical switches, the Apex 9 TKL is perhaps one of the most precise mechanical keyboards on the market, making it a must for gamers who find themselves in the heat of combat, making split-second decisions.
Floating at around the £100 price mark, this might seem like a lot of cash for a keyboard, but it's a peripheral that'll last a lifetime, and will provide exceptional performance for the foreseeable future.
Pros
- Great design
- Excellent optical switches
- Good value
Cons
- Only a TKL keyboard, might not be great for all gamers
The best budget gaming keyboard under £50
RK's ROYAL KLUDGE RK61 mechanical keyboard is half the price of its competition and offers excellent quality all the same. Built for gamers, this RGB-fuelled 60 per cent keyboard rocks the market with its sheer performance, fantastic design and rock-solid build quality that is truly tough to top.
The RK61 is admittedly smaller than both a full-sized keyboard and a TKL keyboard, giving gamers who enjoy hours of MOBAs a little less room for key bindings, but at the cost of some button shortcuts, you've got a particularly brilliant mechanical keyboard for half the price of a regular gaming keyboard.
A colourful, tough 60 per cent keyboard with silent, linear red switches, the RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK61 is absolutely solid, so don't hesitate to grab one for yourself.
Pros
- Excellent design
- Ultra-responsive red switches
- Terrific value
Cons
- A little smaller than mechanical keyboards
Best budget gaming keyboard under £30
A fantastic deal on a reliable budget gaming keyboard, the Razer Cynosa Lite is an excellent choice for gamers on a particularly tight budget, who still want a high-performance keyboard.
Whilst not a mechanical keyboard, the Razer Cynosa Lite certainly doesn't disappoint when it comes to performance. This full-sized keyboard has a plethora of programmable keys and lights that give the Cynosa Lite the aesthetic of a true mechanical keyboard, but without the complete feel of one.
As for the overall feel of the Cynosa Lite, there's certainly a rubbery sensation to keystrokes which you simply don't get with a mechanical keyboard, but for the money, you can hardly complain. The sheer convenience of programmable keys, fully programmable RGB lighting and more for less than £30 is an incredible offer, making it one of the best cheap keyboards of the year so far.
Pros
- Great value keyboard
- Full size with plenty of programmable keys
- Excellent design and RGB lighting
Cons
- No mechanical keys, membrane keys aren't as responsive
Best mechanical budget gaming keyboard
For the very best in gaming for a bargain price, the Corsair K70 keyboard cannot be beaten for performance. This full-fledged beast of a keyboard has an array of gorgeous RGB lighting, a solid aluminium body and a host of optical switches for insanely good accuracy.
A little pricier than the other keyboards on the list to be sure, but this sensational budget mechanical keyboard is undeniably excellent price, giving other Corsair keyboards on the market a real run for their money.
Silent, powerful and comfortable thanks to the K70's sizeable wrist rest, gamers can comfortably enjoy hours of gameplay without batting an eye or rubbing their wrist, it's just that good.
Pros
- Great build quality
- Excellent optical switches for maximum precision
- Comfortable design
Cons
- Tactile switches might not be for everyone
Best ergonomic budget gaming keyboard
A true bargain that's perfect for office workers as well as gamers, the Perixx Periboard ergonomic split keyboard is comfortable, large and perfect for long hours with glazed eyes in front of the monitor screen.
Designed to contour to the hand, the Perixx 11524 Periboard minimises the chances of carpal tunnel and hand strain through its curved design, boosting speed and endurance for intrepid gamers who plan on playing till the early hours of the morning.
As for its downsides, this keyboard doesn't have mechanical keys, thereby making the accuracy of the keyboard a little less reliable than its more expensive competition. The overall feel of the keyboard's design is excellent, but the sponginess of the keys feels lacklustre when stacked against a true mechanical keyboard.
All in all, if you're a gamer or you're looking for the best ergonomic keyboard, the Perixx Periboard is a brilliant choice for you.
Pros
- Comfortable design
- Reduces wrist ache
- Brilliant value
Cons
- Not as precise as a mechanical keyboard
Are budget gaming keyboards worth it?
All-in-all, budget gaming keyboards are most certainly worth it. Despite not having everything a high-end keyboard has, there's really no stopping you from getting everything you need with a budget keyboard, which can offer practically the same quality regardless.
Gamers might wish to spend a lot of money on their keyboard, but it really isn't a necessity, you can get by just fine with a budget gaming keyboard.
What's the best budget gaming keyboard brand?
There are plenty of gaming keyboard brands that are nothing if not reliable - from budget brands such as RK ROYAL KLUDGE to Logitech and SteelSeries - but brands like Corsair are best known for providing the absolute best in manufacturing.
Membrane vs mechanical keyboards: what's the best?
Membrane keyboards are the everyday keyboards you'll find in schools, offices and libraries across the globe - they're tough and reliable, but simply aren't as precise as modern mechanical keyboards are, thanks to using a single membrane board with all the switches implanted within. Many ergonomic keyboards are membrane-based, with some more expensive options being mechanical.
A mechanical keyboard, however, uses individual switches within, making them far more accurate to use. Requiring only the slightest amount of pressure to actuate (press), mechanical keyboards are phenomenal for gaming, and even programming.
Ryan Houghton is a tech writer and reviewer for What's The Best, specialising in PCs and gaming. He is a keen PC gamer and an avid reader.
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