The Best PC Gaming Accessories of 2023

The all-AMD 2022 refresh to the ROG Zephyrus G14 is a marvel. Not only is it a powerful gaming laptop that can play recent big-name game releases, but it also has the essentials of a great ultrabook: a comfortable keyboard, a huge smooth trackpad, a brilliant 120Hz WQHD display, a small body, and nearly nine-hours of battery life.

The premium metal chassis brings a lot of style to the machine. The multitude of ports puts the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 comfortably at home in conferences and impromptu presentations, as well. You get HDMI 2.0b, a microSD card reader, two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports.

When it’s time to relax, the powerful Ryzen 9 processor and Radeon RX 6800S graphics card can kick into high gear and pump out up to 120 frames per second games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Far Cry 5.

Compared to similar laptops, like the Razer Blade 14 and the MSI Delta 15, the Zephyrus G14 fares well performance and value-wise. It’s not cheap, but it’s well worth it for those who need a laptop that can do it all.

See more recommendations for the best gaming laptops.

Acer’s XB253Q GW is a 24.5-inch, 1080p monitor that may seem humble at first glance, but it packs the very best in current monitor technology. This is a cutting-edge competitive gaming monitor with excellent image quality and incredible motion performance.

The Acer XB253Q GW has extremely accurate color straight out of the box. It rivals the accuracy of monitors designed for professional work, which is a surprise. Better still, its contrast ratio is as high as you’ll find from a monitor with an IPS panel. It’s an extremely bright monitor, as well, so it’s great for gaming in a bright room and can do some justice to HDR games.

This monitor has a super-quick 240Hz refresh rate that can overclock to 280Hz. This leads to outrageously smooth performance and response time. It’s great in fast games, but even web pages look clear and crisp in motion. The only monitors that have better motion performance are new models from Asus and Alienware with a 360Hz refresh rate. However, we don’t think they offer an obvious improvement over the Acer Predator XB253Q GW and hundreds of dollars more expensive.

Although the design's spindly stand and oversized lower bezel won't be for everyone, the display is well built and feels rock solid. The stand is small but balanced and adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot. The monitor also offers two USB ports along its left flank. Acer even provides a two-year warranty, an advantage over the one-year warranty on most monitors.

This is an expensive monitor for a 24.5-inch 1080p display, but it's far from the most expensive, and it’s a good value given its specifications and performance. Because of its small size, its 1080p resolution will look great in any game, and also makes it easier for your gaming PC to achieve high framerates in games.

The Acer Predator XB253Q GW’s impressive combination of image quality and motion clarity puts it ahead of the pack.

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The Gulikit KingKong 2 Pro Wireless controller ticks every box for what to look for in a good PC controller. With an elegant matte black body and glossy silver accents, it exudes quality.

We liked the KingKong 2 Pro’s grippy soft-touch plastics, which made it comfortable to use for long play sessions. The Hall Effect joysticks Gulikit used feel precise and won’t ever suffer from stick drift, as input is determined via magnetic fields instead of relying on mechanical resistance. This also eliminates dead zones, resulting in pixel-perfect sensitivity.

The controller’s layout is based on the Nintendo Switch Pro controller. However, the button layout automatically swaps to the ABXY Xbox face button layout when connected to a PC. Other features include an auto-fire button and a macro button that can record and play up to 10 minutes of key presses. First-person shooter fans might not like the triggers, which feel wooden and don’t offer trigger locks or customizable tension.

The Gulikit KingKong 2 Pro spans Nintendo Switch, PC, MacOS, iOS, and Android compatibility, and connecting to supported devices is easy. There are clearly labeled pairing buttons with bright LEDs that indicate pairing status, and you can switch between four paired devices. The controller offers a robust 25 hours of battery life and wired use over USB is also an option.

The Gulikit KingKong 2 Pro is our go-to wireless controller choice for Nintendo, PC, Mac, and mobile gamers. Its comfortable layout, pleasant materials, and Hall Effect joysticks puts it ahead of the pack.

Read our review of the Gulikit KingKong 2 Pro.

The Audeze Maxwell is a special breed of gaming headset. They’re audiophile headphones with a detachable boom microphone added, and it’s a formula that works shockingly well. The Maxwell headset boasts a low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection that works with a broad range of gaming platforms—something that really drives up the value. It also supports high-quality Bluetooth connections with LDAC, LC3, and Bluetooth LE, and AAC. That’s topped off with wired connectivity over both 3.5mm AUX cables and USB.

All of the audio pumps out of powerful, precise 90mm planar magnetic drivers. Every part of even the busiest music comes through quite clearly, and that clarity carries over into gaming as well. The boom mic ensures communications are crisp. Meanwhile, built-in pinole microphones let you keep chatting when you’re on the move and don’t want a clunky boom mic in the way, so the Audeze Maxwell can pull double duty as a normal (if heavy) set of headphones.

This headset may not quite have active noise cancelation, but that’s made up for with a more impressive audio experience that will likely be well worth it for gamers who care about maximum fidelity.

Read the full review of the Audeze Maxwell.

See more recommendations for the best gaming headsets.

Even though the SteelSeries Apex Pro is a full-sized keyboard with a number pad, it doesn’t take up too much room on the desktop (there is also a tenkeyless version, though). The build quality is top class, with a matte black aluminum board, and an incredibly comfortable, soft-touch wrist rest that connects magnetically. There’s a small OLED at the top right, along with a clickable roller and a large key that serve as dedicated media controls. The OLED can display your gamer tag or even a GIF, but it also offers some welcome feedback on your chosen settings and profiles so you don’t need to tab out of your game to tweak things.

The headline feature here comes courtesy of the Omnipoint switches. Not only does SteelSeries claim that they’re much more responsive and durable than conventional mechanical switches, but they also offer customizable actuation. This means you can configure your preferred sensitivity level, dictating whether you’d like the lightest of touches to register or a deeper press. It doesn’t change the feel of typing on the keyboard (which is excellent by the way) but it does change when the key press registers.

Since you can set sensitivity per individual key, it allows you to dampen certain keys you find yourself accidentally pressing, but leave WASD super sensitive, for example. Take the time to set up different profiles for work and play, and even for individual games and you will feel the benefit. Our testing found accurate typing a breeze on this keyboard and it’s relatively quiet for a mechanical keyboard.

The SteelSeries Apex Pro features bright RGB lighting which is also fully configurable on a per key basis. The SteelSeries Engine 3 software is fairly easy to get to grips with. You can set main and meta key bindings, use a macro editor, tweak the actuation, set up lighting effects and colors, and even load a custom image or GIF for the OLED screen. There’s room for five onboard profiles.

With cable routing left, middle, or right, and a pass-through USB with its own lit-up port on the left, the SteelSeries Apex Pro embodies thoughtful design. Gaming and general typing on this keyboard is an absolute pleasure and nothing offers deeper customization, but the price makes it a serious investment.

See more recommendations for the best gaming keyboards.

Comfort and grip are supreme with this full-featured, right-handed, wireless gaming mouse which packs in an impressive amount for the money. It’s quite large and weighty, so it’s best suited to larger hands. There’s a textured surface for enhanced grip on your palm and there’s a textured thumb rest on the left. You can remove the right-side panel (which reveals a slot for the USB receiver) and switch in a textured pinkie rest to keep your hand completely off the desktop. It’s incredibly comfortable to use for long gaming sessions.

Connectivity is seamless, thanks to Corsair’s “Slipstream” technology which can switch channels on the 2.4 GHz frequency automatically. There’s also Bluetooth support as a backup. This mouse handles frenetic in-game action with aplomb, boasting a sensor that goes up to 18,000 DPI with a 2,000Hz polling rate. There are eight programmable buttons you can remap or customize with shortcuts and macros. You’ll also find nine RGB lighting zones. Everything is configured via Corsair’s iCue software, which takes some concentration to get to grips with, but proves to be very versatile indeed, offering deep customizability.

With a suggested battery life of up to 50 hours, the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro has some stamina, though you’ll need to be in power-saving mode with lighting off to get close to that time. There’s a USB-C port, so you can always plug in and keep playing when the battery runs down. If you really want Qi wireless charging support, you can get it for a price upgrade with the Dark Core Pro RGB SE . You could buy Corsair’s MM1000 Qi Wireless Charging Mouse Pad, or you can charge the mouse on any Qi wireless charging pad. Just know that the wireless option can tend to add more to the bottom line than we feel is worth it at most retailers.

At the end of our testing, this was the mouse we wanted to return to. The Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro offers everything you could want in a gaming mouse.

​​See more recommendations for the best gaming mice.

They may be small, but the Audioengine A2+ speakers feel reassuringly solid and well-made. The elegant design and matte satin black finish blend in easily on any desktop, or you can opt to stand out with a glossy red or white exterior. The left speaker has a volume dial that also clicks on the power and there’s a pairing button for Bluetooth connections, but no remote is included. There’s no separate subwoofer, either, though there is an output should you want to add one. The cabling is good quality and generous enough to allow for a sit-stand desk.

We were instantly blown away by the power and punch of these speakers. Tested second to last, the jump in class was immediately obvious. Strong stereo separation makes for good positional sound in games. Voices come through loud and clear, whether it’s in-game chat, a movie, or a video call. But it’s with music that the Audioengine A2+ shows their quality and superiority.

There’s a real depth and accuracy to the sound with a rich clarity from low mids through to the higher registers. They may lack a little extra depth in the bass, but they produce a finely balanced and impactful sound, and you always have the option of adding a subwoofer. There’s also no digital signal processing (DSP) here, which can dampen things and is present on most of the other speakers on our list.

Connectivity is versatile with USB, dual analog inputs, and support for Bluetooth 5.0. It’s quick and easy to connect wirelessly and support for aptX and AAC codecs (a rarity in PC speakers) ensures high-quality audio when streaming.

There are no superfluous extras; the Audioengine A2+ focus on delivering excellent sound in a compact, unfussy package that’s perfectly sized for the desktop. The only obvious omission is a remote control, but that won’t trouble most people. One issue we did encounter was a major jump in volume when switching between sources, so that’s something to watch out for.

Ultimately, the Audioengine A2+ are the best compact PC speakers we’ve tested and produce the highest quality sound regardless of the source. What else could you ask for?

​​See more recommendations for the best PC speakers.

The Blue Yeti X is our overall best in show microphone. It feels solid and well-built, with a wide variety of features that make day-to-day use easier.

A single knob on its front adjusts the gain, headphone volume, and will let you blend the audio coming through the headphones. That means you can choose to hear just what the microphone picks up with no latency, or you can hear the sound coming through your computer, too—crucial if you’re recording music or tracking dialogue.

The same front button also serves as a mute button in case you need to sneeze or cough while podcasting or in a meeting. An LED meter on the front also shows the volume of the incoming sound. If it's too loud, you can see that and adjust the gain on the microphone.

A button on the back will adjust the pickup pattern. This affects where in the room the mic “hears,” so that you can use it in a variety of situations. A regular cardioid polar pattern is great for sitting in front of the mic by yourself, for instance, but in a group, you may want a broader pickup pattern. With the Yeti X, you can make those decisions and adjust them as you go.

The Yeti X’s sound is consistently solid. There are other microphones more focused on tuning out room noise, but this mic does a fantastic job of blending high quality with versatility. It’s easy to use in a wide range of situations, with plenty of features that let you control the sound without having to fiddle with your computer.

We didn't find a ton of downsides to this mic, but the knob on the front may be trying to do too much at once. Navigating its various controls can be a little complicated. The manual makes things clear, but it takes a while before it becomes second nature. And while the weight felt like a benefit in the home studio, it might be a little obnoxious on the go.

​​See more recommendations for the best USB microphones.

It’s all in the name. The AKRacing Core EX gaming chair looks like it belongs in a race car, not in an IKEA office (though it might match your gaming desk). But unlike some of the other gaming chairs we’ve tested, the quality doesn’t just stop at aesthetics. This was the most comfortable chair that we tested.

The AKRacing Core EX has just about every adjustability option that you need to find a comfortable fit. Height-adjustable and removable neck and lumbar support pillows keep your spine aligned with enough softness in each that they cradle your body instead of pushing against it. The separate recline and tilting functions give a much wider range of sitting options than either can alone. Also, the fact that this chair could come up to 90 degrees means it provides quality lumber and neck support no matter what position you want to sit in

The armrests are likewise adjustable in almost every direction. They move forward and backward, up and down, and can turn in and out. The chair even has bolts on the bottom that allow you to slide them left and right to get as tight to your body as you want.

The only real issue with this chair was the fabric that comes with the baseline model. There’s nothing wrong with it, as it’s high quality and almost as easy to clean as PU or PVC leather chairs. However, it holds onto more of your body heat than the faux-leather upholsteries do. On a 90+ degree day, we can see it getting uncomfortable quickly.

That said, AKRacing makes plenty of chairs with more breathable PU leather upholstery. So, if it’s in the budget and you like everything else about the AKRacing chair, we might recommend splurging for that upgrade. We also recommend checking out the sizing chart available on their website to make sure that you get a chair that will fit your body.

See more recommendations for the best gaming chairs.