A great mouse pad for your desk just feels better

Though optical mice don't require mousepads to work properly, mousepads nevertheless offer a ton of benefits to PC users. Using one simply feels better for most people, and they can help protect both your mouse and your desk from dirt, oils, scratches, and more. Because of how valuable they can be, it's a good idea to invest in a quality mouse pad that will serve you well for a long time. The market for mousepads is wide and fierce since they're a simple accessory, but in the end, we think that the VicTsing Extended Gaming Mouse Pad is the best option for most people thanks to its large size, durable and convenient construction, and good price.

Best Overall: VicTsing Extended Gaming Mouse Pad

If you're looking for the best overall balance between quality and price, it doesn't get any better than the VicTsing Extended Gaming Mouse Pad. Its massive size means that it can comfortably cover most of your desk, which allows you to bring the protective benefits that a mouse pad offers to your keyboard as well as your mouse.

Its rubber-like cloth material is incredibly smooth, and the stitched edges help combat the risk of tearing. It's also waterproof, making it great for resisting liquid spills, and the bottom of the mat has slip-resistant shading to ensure that it stays in place no matter what. Thanks to its size, it's not as portable as other options on this list, but if you spend a lot of time at your desk, this is a great choice.

Pros:

• Large size
• Smooth material
• Durable to damage
• Anti-slip shading
• Affordable

Cons:

• Not ideal for small desks or travel

Best Overall

VicTsing Extended Gaming Mouse Pad

• $15 from Amazon

Desk-wide coverage

The VicTsing Extended Gaming Mouse Pad combines high-quality materials with a large size and a good price, making it our favorite.

Best Small: SteelSeries QcK Mouse Pad

If a big pad isn't your style, we recommend going with the SteelSeries QcK Mouse Pad. Its compact size makes it ideal for small desks and for taking with you on-the-go, and its got the same non-slip base and smooth and well-made cloth material that the VicTsing mat does. It's also more affordable, too, which is always a plus. It does lack durable stitched edges, but that's not really a problem in the grand scheme of things.

Pros:

• Great for small desks or travel
• Smooth material
• Anti-slip base
• More affordable

Cons:

• A bit less durable

Best Small

SteelSeries QcK Mouse Pad

• $12 from Amazon

Brighten up your living room

This mouse pad offers great quality in a small size and at an affordable price.

Best Large RGB: Blade Hawks RGB Gaming Mouse Pad

This large mouse pad from Blade Hawks brings snazzy RGB lighting to your desk with ten different light modes, and all you need to do to get it working is to plug it into an open USB port and press the button on the pad until you find the setting you like. Its large size is also ideal for most desks, and its smooth, waterproof material and anti-slip base make it excellent for performance.

Pros:

• Snazzy RGB
• Smooth material
• Good liquid resistance
• Anti-slip shading

Cons:

• A little pricier
• Not ideal for small desks or travel

Best Large RGB

Blade Hawks RGB Gaming Mouse Pad

• $18 from Amazon

For the gamers

Blade Hawks' large RGB mouse pad is an excellent choice for gamers who want something snazzy top match their setup.

Best Small RGB: VPPOWER Gaming Mouse Pad

Out of the smaller RGB mouse pads that are available, we recommend the VPPOWER Gaming Mouse Pad. Like with the Blade Hawks mouse pad, all you need is a USB port and a press of the button on the pad to use the lights, though unlike the Blade Hawks pad, there are only seven color settings instead of ten. If you want to conserve space and also bring a gamer-style aesthetic to your desk, this is the pad for you. Be aware, though, that it lacks stitched edges.

Pros:

• Snazzy RGB
• Smooth material
• Good liquid resistance
• Anti-slip shading
• Adequate for small desks and travel

Cons:

• A bit less durable

Best Small RGB

VPPOWER Gaming Mouse Pad

• $14 from Amazon

Shrunken style

VPPOWER's RGB mat cuts down on the size while keeping a lot of quality of the larger Blade Hawks option.

Best Hard: Blade Hawks Hard Gaming Mouse Pad

If you prefer something hard over a soft cloth pad, then Blade Hawks has you covered with this excellent dual-sided mouse pad. Featuring an aluminum core with two cloth sides, rubberized anti-slip corner feet, and waterproofing throughout, this mouse pad is the best of the best of the hard variety.

Pros:

• Dual-sided design
• Smooth surface
• Very durable
• Anti-slip feet

Cons:

• More expensive
• Can't be rolled up

Best Hard

Blade Hawks Hard Gaming Mouse Pad

• $22 from Amazon

Sturdy as steel

This hard mouse pad is designed well and super durable, making it perfect for people who prefer hard mousepads.

Best Leather: Londo Leather Mouse Pad

If something classy and stylish is what you have in mind, look no further than Londo's leather mouse pad offering. Stitched together with genuine leather, this mouse pad both looks and performs great. Also, it also has a non-slip backing and a convenient wrist rest, too. While it's not as hard as the previous choice from Blade Hawks, it still can't be rolled up to take on the go.

Pros:

• Beautiful leather material
• Smooth surface
• Anti-slip backing
• Wrist rest
• Slightly more affordable

Cons:

• Can't be rolled up

Best Leather

Londo Leather Mouse Pad

• $13 from Amazon

Stylish and sophisticated

Londo's leather pad is sleek and attractive, and it also performs well, making it an awesome option.

Best Budget: Wknoon Circular Mouse Pad

This small mouse pad from Wknoon isn't as well-made as the other pads on this list, but for how little it costs, it's a great deal, and it even comes with an anti-slip base like the others. If you want something solid and don't want to pay much, this mouse pad is perfect for you.

Pros:

• Most affordable
• Anti-slip base
• Perfect for small desks and travel

Cons:

• Not as smooth
• Not as durable

Best Budget

Wknoon Circular Mouse Pad

• $6 from Amazon

Cheap doesn't mean bad

This mouse pad is cheap, but for the price, it's an excellent deal. This is the pad for you if you're looking to save.

Bottom line

Mousepads can make or break your experience with your mouse, especially if you're a gamer. The main one is that they will protect both your mouse and your desk from any potential scratches or dings that the two may give each other over time upon contact; another is that it will help keep your desk and your mouse clean of dirt and oils, too. Most people tend to prefer the texture of a mouse pad over that of a naked desk during use as well. Though they're not very pricey, they are very useful.

The market for mousepads is pretty vast and varied, and at least one of the pads we put on this list is sure to appeal to you. Ultimately, though, we think that the VicTsing Extended Gaming Mouse Pad is the best mouse pad on the market for most people, as its perfect balance of quality and price, as well as its large size, makes it ideal for the average PC user.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's relatively new to the writing scene, but he counters that lack of experience with a rock-solid work ethic and a desire to improve at every opportunity. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.