Accessories

The three peripherals you touch most — keyboard, mouse and headset — are where a build stops being a spec sheet and starts being yours. Our picks weight measured performance (latency, sensor accuracy, sound) and real value over marketing specs. Below is every accessories guide we publish, by category — pick a starting point. (Want a colour-coordinated build instead of the outright best of each? See our matched setups.)

Keyboards

For gaming in 2026 the high end went Hall-effect (magnetic, adjustable actuation + rapid trigger), from the reference Wooting 80HE down to $40 boards; for coding it's gasket-mounted mechanicals with QMK/VIA, plus a quiet option for shared offices.

• All keyboards — the full hub — gaming, programming and how switch types differ.
• Best gaming keyboards — Hall-effect flagships to a $40 surprise.
• Best keyboards for programming — typing feel, remappability and quiet.

Mice

The two ends of the market pulled further apart: sub-50 g, 8000 Hz wireless gaming mice on one side; haptic, quiet, multi-device productivity mice on the other — plus a vertical option if your wrist is the bottleneck.

• Best mouse of 2026 — six picks across gaming, productivity and ergonomics.

Headphones & headsets

The right headset depends on what you're chasing: the lowest-latency wireless for competitive play, the best microphone for calls, open-back sound quality, or the most headset for the least money.

• Best gaming headphones of 2026 — wireless, competitive, audio-first and budget picks.

How we choose

We don't lab-test peripherals first-hand. We synthesise independent testing (principally RTINGS, plus Tom's Guide, TechRadar, PC Gamer), weight measured latency, sensor accuracy, sound and build, and judge each on who it's for. Our full method and how our editorial scores work is on the methodology page; funding is covered in our affiliate disclosure.