Best Mouse Pads 2024: Effortless Glide, Pretty Lights (2024)

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A mouse pad might seem unnecessary these days, especially when the best gaming mice will work on just about any surface. But a level, consistent surface optimized for smooth, accurate movements might be just what you need to stay ahead of the competition.

Gaming mouse pads come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are pretty standard, designed to fit under your mouse (and that's it), while others are enormous, and can easily pad the space under your mouse, gaming keyboard, and more. Many also feature RGB lighting, which might seem a little frivolous — but if you're adding a peripheral anyway, it doesn't hurt to have it coordinate with the rest of your rig, right? If lighting is a priority, look for a mouse pad with bright, consistent colors and enough zones to create seamless effects.

These are the best gaming mouse pads we've found, whether you want something for just your mouse or your entire desk.

1. Steelseries QCK Heavy

Best Mouse Pad

If you don't need RGB (does anyone need RGB?), the SteelSeries QCK Heavy is an extra-thick, non-RGB cloth mouse pad that comes in three sizes. SteelSeries also makes a standard QCK mouse pad that's one-third as thick as the QCK Heavy, but we feel the slight extra cost is worth it for the extra durability and more stable surface you get with the QCK Heavy.

Both the QCK Heavy and the regular QCK feature a micro-woven cloth surface that makes for easy but precise sliding and is hand-washable. Decoration is light — a small SteelSeries logo in the bottom left corner is the only thing that might distract you from your game. The mouse pad has a non-slip rubber base that keeps it firmly rooted to your desk — it didn't budge no matter how hard our reviewer moved their mouse.

The only minor gripe we had with the QCK Heavy is that it's so thick that it can take a bit of extra time to flatten out when you first take it out of the box. This isn't too much of an issue if you don't plan on moving it a lot, but be careful not to keep it rolled up too long when traveling. We suggest placing a heavy book or weight on top of it overnight before you first use it.

Both the QCK Heavy and the QCK should fit most desks, thanks to the various size options. Our reviewer tested the large size (17.7 x 15.7 x 0.24 inches / 450 x 400 x 6 mm), but the QCK Heavy also comes in medium and XXL, while the regular QCK comes in small, medium, large, 3XL, 4XL, and 5XL.

2. Razer Firefly V2 Pro

Best RGB Mouse Pad

Most RGB gaming mouse pads have lighting around the edges, usually with several individual lighting zones for seamless-yet-complex lighting effects. But why settle for edge-based lighting when you can have a backlit mouse pad?

is the world's first (and, so far, only) RGB backlit mouse pad.

And it's definitely eye-catching.

The Firefly V2 Pro is a hard-surface mouse pad with 15 RGB lighting zones, which are located in a black bar along the top of the mouse pad. The mouse pad consists of three layers — the primary layer is a sturdy piece of translucent frosted plastic that diffuses lighting edge-to-edge. This frosted layer is covered in a thin, micro-textured surface (that's "optimized for optical sensors") so the lightshow won't mess with your mouse's sensor accuracy. The surface is matte and fairly grainy — mice glide smoothly across it, but it's not quite as comfortable as softer or smoother surfaces, and the texture seems to be aimed more toward speed rather than extreme precision.

We haven't had this mouse pad for long enough to speak to its durability, but the Firefly V2 had some issues with peeling and this pad looks like surface peeling could definitely be an issue in the future. The bottom of the mouse pad is covered in a rubbery, anti-slip material so the Firefly V2 Pro won't slip around your desk if you're swiping aggressively. The mouse pad comes in black and white colorways — both allow for plenty of bright, colorful RGB lighting to shine through, especially in the dark.

All of the Firefly V2 Pro's lighting is located on one side (the black bar at the top), so that does slightly limit your lighting effects as compared to mouse pads with edge lighting. But this shouldn't be too much of an issue, so long as you're not dead set on a lighting effect that involves light moving around the perimeter of the mouse pad. The black bar at the top of the mouse pad also houses the mouse pad's USB-C port for connecting it to your system, as well as a USB 2.0 port — you can plug a mouse dongle into this port so it's as close as possible to your mouse, or you can plug... anything else into this port, as it's just a pass-through USB 2.0 port (still, it's a handy feature we rarely see on mouse pads).

The Firefly V2 Pro only comes in one size, medium, measuring 14.17 inches (360mm) wide by 10.95 inches (278mm) deep, and it's on the thicker side at 0.18 inches (4.6 mm) thick (it's around 0.5 inches/12.7mm thick at its thickest point — where the black bar is). Like most Razer peripherals, the Firefly V2 Pro can be configured in Razer's Synapse 3 software, and it works with the brand's Chroma lighting suite.

3. Cooler Master MP750 (M)

Best Budget RGB Mouse Pad

4. Razer Strider Chroma

Best Hybrid Mouse Pad

The Razer Strider Chroma has a hybrid surface — harder and slicker than a cloth mouse pad, but with enough texture for controlled, precise movements. It’s the best of both worlds: perfect for gamers who need both speed and control. Plus, it’s water-resistant and easier to keep clean than your standard cloth mouse pad (though it's not quite as easy-to-clean as a hard surface).

The Strider Chroma only comes in one size — extended, which is large enough to hold both your keyboard and mouse without covering your entire desk. The Strider Chroma has a thick, no-slip rubber base and looks fantastic on your desk with seamless edges (no visible stitching) and 19 zones of bright, Chroma-infused RGB lighting that can be customized in Razer’s Chroma Studio with different colors and effects (including audio-reactive effects).

The main downside to the Strider Chroma is its price — with an MSRP of $130, it’s practically like buying a keyboard or a mouse. But it’s so beautiful it just might be worth it.

We should also point out that we used this mouse pad for around two years straight and found that around the two year mark the RGB started to discolor slightly — it was still bright and vibrant, but the lighting in the lower right corner took on a distinctly reddish tinge.

5. Razer Atlas

Best Hard Surface Mouse Pad

If speed is your top priority, a soft, cloth mouse pad is not for you — and even a hybrid mouse pad will slow you down. You need a hard, smooth, low-friction surface made of plastic, ceramic, aluminum, or glass, like our favorite hard surface mouse pad, the Razer Atlas.

The Atlas is Razer’s first tempered glass mouse pad, and it’s entirely analog — no RGB, no Razer Synapse, nothing. Its smooth, matte surface is micro-etched with 2μm texturing that’s designed to work with optical sensors, and features an easy-to-clean oleophobic coating. The Atlas felt amazing and tracked perfectly with every laser and optical mouse we threw at it — though Razer recommends using a mouse with a Razer Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor, such as the

, of course. Its oleophobic coating offered just the right amount of friction (read: none) for maximizing speed without sacrificing precision.

Our main issue with the Atlas was its size — at 17.72 x 15.75 x 0.19 inches (450 x 400 x 5mm), and made of rigid glass, it’s a little too large to easily fit on the average desk, as it can’t be placed on uneven surfaces, nor are you supposed to put heavy, rough, sharp, hot, cold, etc. objects on top of it. Even just a little smaller would make this mouse pad an easier fit for the more deskspace-challenged.

Another minor issue is the oleophobic coating, which has started to come off slightly around the edges after a year or so of consistent use. This isn't too surprising, as Razer does warn you not to use chemicals for cleaning, but it seems the coating is also susceptible to oils from your skin.

6. Corsair MM350

Best XL Mouse Pad

With how big mouse mats are, it’s important that they don’t just provide your mouse with a good surface to slide around on, but also your wrists with a comfortable surface to rest on. The Corsair MM350 knocks this out of the park. While it does come in a smaller, more pad-shaped size, we’re recommending the mouse mat-sized, XL Extended version here so you can get the most out of that luxurious feel while not being too bothered by the seams at its edges.

While the mat’s surface feels great — almost like a cooling pad — it does come decked out with a battle-damaged gunmetal gray pattern that won’t be for everyone. But, good news: this mouse pad now comes in a plain black version (with Corsair's ship logo in the lower right corner) for the same price, as well as a pink cherry blossom version that retails for $10 more.

7. HyperX Pulsefire

Best XL RGB Mouse Pad

Best Alternate Size Hard Surface Mouse Pad

9. HyperX Wrist Rest

Best Wrist Rest

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal

Senior Editor, Peripherals

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware covering peripherals, software, and custom builds. You can find more of her work in PCWorld, Macworld, TechHive, CNET, Gizmodo, Tom's Guide, PC Gamer, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, SHAPE, Cosmopolitan, and just about everywhere else.