Customer Ratings & Reviews

I've been using the same, generic stock mouse that came with my gaming PC (which I also bought at Best Buy) for the past 2 years. It served me well during that time but one night, I broke it "accidentally" while losing a game. I headed to Best Buy the next day to find a replacement and after some help from the wonderful employees, I landed on the SteelSeries Rival 3. I think it is a great option for a semi-hardcore PC gamer like me. It's wired and doesn't require charging or batteries which is surprisingly difficult to find these days. It is very lightweight but still has many features a standard mouse doesn't like the side buttons and DPI switch. These 2 features have actually elevated my gaming experience quite a bit so now I don't rage as much. I do have some minor nitpicks though. The scroll wheel is quite a bit slower and less responsive than even the basic mouse I was using before. There's also the dreaded program that you have to install to turn the lights off. It works but it is far too complicated for something that could have been relegated to another simple button and not required that I download something. Overall, it's a good, reasonably priced mouse and I like it!

This is my second SteelSeries Rival 3 Lightweight Wired Optical Gaming Mouse with Brilliant Prism RGB Lighting-Black that I have purchased, for now 2 different P.C.'s Laptops and love them both. Lightweight, USB, immediately works on plugging in and I love the colors. Excellent price, I definitely recommend their purchase.

Works great and LED’s are bright, mouse moves smoothly and has a good weight

This is one of the best budget gaming mouse out there is super lite and very high quality and it's as bad as you think it is. One of my favorite mice. The app is kinda glitchy though.

What are the best mouses I’ve ever tried. It’s pretty lightweight and it’s really good for the price or you should play fast paced first person, shooter games and it’s hot and it hasn’t filled me once.

The SteelSeries - Rival 3 Lightweight Wired Optical Gaming Mouse with Brilliant Prism RGB Lighting is really light and really good for gaming.

I bought this mouse about 8-9 months ago and it works really good as of now. I really saw my gameplay improved since I switched to this new mouse it’s so light and moves too smooth on my mousepad.

Mice have continued to get better and better, and so have tastes. Sensor quality and type are very important for different use cases. Gaming mice used to be a bit of a crap shoot: did the mouse have embedded acceleration, weird lift off distance, etc. Things have gotten much better, and manufacturers have gotten better at equipping their premium gaming mice with the hardware gamers are looking for. Of course, the high end is awash with highly capable mice, but what about the entry level? This is where SteelSeries’s Rival 3 sits. At a $30 MSRP it undercuts much of the competition. While the price spikes above a ‘basic’ mouse, the Rival 3 hits above its weight when it comes to the important gaming features. You get a good sensor (TrueMove Core - which rumor has it is a pixart 3331), excellent buttons (60m click mechanical switches), customizable RGB lighting, and on-board memory/DPI settings. First of all, the packaging is pretty basic. If you’re going to cut costs somewhere, this is the place to do it. The box is slightly larger than the mouse itself, and focuses on the specs. The cable is a simple rubber affair at 6ft long. While not the braided cables found on higher end mice, it may be considered a positive for some who know how braided cables can catch on things. The mouse physically is relatively light, at only 77 grams. The diminutive weight of this mouse keeps it feeling almost weightless in hand. The balance and weight distribution are excellent in my opinion and keep the mouse planted well. There are 4 buttons up top counting the scroll wheel. The primary left and right buttons have a satisfying click to them that differs from other popular mice. They’re quieter and have a bit of a thock to them instead of a click. The scroll wheel matches the feel quite closely and has a decent scroll, if not as precise as some higher end mice. The 4th button is the profile switcher, which can be set to switch up to 5 different profiles. Along the left side are two backward/forward mouse buttons that are quite narrow. Some might find them hard to use, but they fit my medium sized hand profile well. The overall shape of the mouse is lower than many mice, raising to only 1.5” at its tallest location. The palm hump is not quite as prevalent, so palmer may want to consider a different mouse. Clutch users like myself will rejoice at a mouse that gets out of the way and has generous gripping zones (helped by those thin back/forward buttons). The software is excellent from Steelseries. They’ve been doing custom gaming mice for a while, and the sensor options and on board profiles are competitive with the best. Some may bemoan the lack of adjustable lift off distance, and indeed the firmware that shipped with the mouse appeared to have quite a high lift off set, but the firmware update that came to me on the 27th of March 2020 seems to have abated this lift-off distance. It would still be quite nice to have this be customizable, but alas, I’m quite happy with the latest firmware. Again, up to 5 profiles can be cycled through giving a large amount of customization for DPI, polling rate, angle snapping, and acceleration/deceleration. I found two honed settings was all I wanted, but greatly appreciated them being stored on the mouse for when I switched between my desktop and laptop. I wish the illumination would follow the profile, making it easier at a glance to see what profile was selected. Alas, it is only globally configurable. That said, there are 3 zones and they each can be separately set. The zones basically amount to top, middle, bottom. They can be separately configured with settings, or all synced together. Either way, this is the best cheap mouse illumination I’ve seen, outpacing most of my more expensive mice. And the lighting isn’t over the top, but rather helpful at both illuminating the surrounding pad and giving you a solid target to grab with the outer rim illuminated. Buttons are also customizable in software. Steelseries doesn’t attempt to imagine every game should have a separate profile, so out of the box there is just one profile. If you add other profiles, you can select what program triggers them. I don’t use this feature, but you might find it less baffling than some of the more well known brands software. So how does it game? Very well. In fact, this is the sort of mouse that I could see being bought in bulk for tournaments or small OEMs, as it's cheap, but also effective. Steelseries is also a pretty well respected brand in the gaming world, and this product is a great trickle down entry level mouse. Until recently I was the owner of a Sensei Raw mouse. That mouse disappointed me in the long run, turning into a sticky mess. The plastic of the Rival 3 won’t suffer from that fate, but will probably get shiny over time (I believe this is ABS), which won’t affect most players. Overall, I feel like this mouse is a huge step up from the Sensei Raw of yesteryear, even if it targets a different market. It’s staggering how good this $30 mouse is. Overall, I have to give a glowing recommendation for the Rival 3. It’s a solid mouse, and a bargain at its asking price of $30. Just 5 years ago, it seemed like a mouse like this would fetch double that easily at MSRP. It's hard not to love this mouse unless you are a serious palming user with large hands. Most users will find this mouse a great, if simple, fit to their hand. If you’re looking for a starter mouse, try this - and you may just find it's your forever mouse.

The SteelSeries Rival 3 Wired Gaming Mouse is a great intro level mouse with a lot of features. Pros: * Sleek design. It has subtle RGB lighting along the bottom outside edge as well as the logo which can be customized using the SteelSeries software. The software is easy to use and allows for customization such as of lighting, sensitivity, and setting up profiles. * Ergonomic. The mouse is slightly smaller than some of the other mouses I have used which I prefer since I use a claw style grip. It is lightweight and glides nicely along the mouse pad. For me, an ergonomic mouse is an absolute must as it allows for prolonged gaming sessions with less hand fatigue and discomfort. * Responsive. The right and left click give just the right amount of feedback. The side buttons (two) are well placed and easy to access. The overall mouse movement is very consistent, Cons: * CPI (Counts Per Inch) button. The CPI button does not have a light or other indicator to let you know what setting you are on. Not a deal breaker but would be nice to see in future iterations. * Cord. It would be really nice to see a braided cord. * Middle mouse scroll wheel. This mouse lacks a free spinning scroll wheel option. While not necessarily needed for gaming it would add to the ergonomic aspect of this mouse. Overall, the SteelSeries Rival 3 is a great mouse at a great price. I have enjoyed using it and highly recommend it.

THE BREAKDOWN: The packaging was very basic and to be honest if you are going to cut costs this is the place to do it. The design and feel of the mouse felt excellent to me. The mouse feels almost weightless and I believe it weighs in at 77 grams. The cord is not braided like most high end brands but it is a rubber material. Honestly, I like the cable because it is not plastic feeling but more durable rubber feeling. The mouse itself was not super smooth/slick if you will but more like a slight textured feel to give grip. The left and right primary buttons felt like they had grip as well. Another thing to note is that the click sound wasn’t a sharp click it was more like a dull thud if you will. I personally found this to be better than the sharper click. Next, is the scroll wheel. I found the scroll wheel to be super grippy and very precise. The last button on the top is the profile changer button. This button can switch between 5 different profiles and works as intended. The last two buttons are on the left side of the mouse. The forward facing and rear facing buttons. I also found them to work as intended. However if you have large hands like myself I found using the side buttons a little more labor intensive. The overall shape of the mouse I thought was great but again I have large hands so it could have been slightly larger for me. The initial setup was easy, just plug and play but to get the lighting to work in a specific way you have to download the Steelseries software. The software was easy to find, download and install. Once you have the software installed you can set 3 different lighting zones. You can set them individually or sync them all together. If you like to customize lights then this mouse is for you. Especially at this price range. The buttons are also customizable in the software. I personally do not use this feature but it is available for those that do. PRO’s: -TrueMove Core -6 programmable buttons -Excellent rubbery and accurate scroll wheel -Save poling rate, key binds and up to 5 CPI’s directly on the mouse -Customizable lighting CON’s: -If you have larger hands the side buttons may be an issue SUMMARY: Overall, I feel that this product worked very well and I would recommend this to a friend if they are in the market for device like this. I think for the price point on this mouse everyone should have one!

Gaming mice can be very expensive. If you are looking for a well functioning wired gaming mouse, this is an excellent option. Pros: - Easy set-up - plug and play! To fully customize settings and program macros you will need to download the "SteelSeries Engine". - The scroll wheel has excellent texture and works very well. - It is designed and contoured to be used by both left and right-handed users. - Accuracy was excellent. I always prefer wired to wireless mice as I feel there is always better accuracy and no lag. - The lighting looks really cool, kind of like a car with underglow features. - Lightweight and easy to move around smoothly - Excellent price for the performance and features Cons: - None This is an all-around fantastic mouse at a budget price. Unless you are an extremely competitive gamer and want something really high end with more than 6 buttons to customize, this is a great option for you.

Impressed with this mouse, has a long cord and the adjustable settings are great. Has good tracking and pinpont accuracy.

Light weight instant response. RGB lighting with software.

The best quality of this mouse is the light weight and it's cheap price. It just slides so smoothly and you can customize the dip. I am forever a fan of this product.

TL;DR This mouse is better than mice 3x the price. The highlights: 1) This mouse is beautifully weighted. Very light to promote fast mousing, but just heavy enough to be tactile. 2) Good size. I'd say this mouse is medium-small. In spite of that, I've had no issues with its size, even as a tall man with large hands. If your hands are smaller than mine I don't think you'll have a problem either. The mouse is just very well designed. 3) Buttons and switches all feel snappy and are not prone to accidental clicks. There is a clean break when a switch engages, and the pressure to engage right/left clicks is just right, promoting fast, accurate clicking at the exact moment you need it. 4) The scroll wheel is a dream. It works just the way a scroll wheel should, unlike the wheels on many other mice I've tried. 5) The sensor is highly accurate. On comparable sensitivity levels, it mouses more accurately than mice of 3x the price. You feel in 100% control of your cursor all the time. 6) The software is reasonably intuitive, and certainly not buggy. A pleasant surprise coming from the Alienware Command Center's legendary bugginess. 7) I highly recommend using this mouse with the Medium QcK mouse pad, $9.99 as of this writing. It really will take your mousing to the next level. If you're still reading: storytime. I'm writing this coming from an Alienware 610M Wired/Wireless mouse, $99.99 at Best Buy as of this writing. I've had that mouse for about a year until it recently started having some strange, unexpected, and uncalled-for issues. Having had that mouse for about a year, I can say that this $29.99 Rival 3 blows the Alienware out of the water. Let me say that there is no reason, I repeat, no reason to buy the Alienware for more than 3x the price (unless you count paint/design matching for your existing Alienware rig). On every bullet I mentioned above, the Alienware mouse scores worse. Often significantly worse. Combine that with its eventual failure and you have a clear picture. I own lots of expensive hardware. I appreciate the finer points of these matters. As long as SteelSeries stays in business, I see no reason to ever pay more than $30 for a mouse.

For $30 this mouse is pretty outstanding. The sensor is great, it's pretty lightweight, and the lighting will get really bright if you want it to. A couple downsides is that the mouse is on the smaller side, so palm grip will only work for people with smaller hands, and there is no rubberized grip on the sides of the mouse. But for $30 those shortcomings are understandable. Would recommend.

The SteelSeries Rival 3 gaming mouse is an excellent choice for gamers on a budget. Its lightweight design and ergonomic shape make it comfortable for long gaming sessions. The customizable RGB lighting adds a touch of style to your setup. With a high-precision sensor and customizable DPI settings, it offers accurate tracking and responsiveness. The six programmable buttons provide versatility for different game genres. However, it lacks some advanced features found in more expensive models. Overall, the Rival 3 offers solid performance at an affordable price, making it a great value for budget-conscious gamers.

Works better than expected for a mouse at this price point. Switches are decently reactive and the weight feels pretty good when making precise movements. Would be fine for casual gaming, the only annoying part is having to have software to use it, however, thankfully it has many settings to program through the software including the LED's and you do not have to register to use it. No confusing button layouts to hit by accident (looking at you 502 hero) that will change the dpi settings to where you have to find your user manual to put back to your preferences. The LED range is quite nice and reaches a smooth matte look, or can be turned off if you don't like having a laser light show in your office/media room. If you're looking for something to feel decent for less than $35, I would definitely choose this mouse. Switches feel similar to the Logitech g502 hero, I have not opened it up yet, but I would not be surprised if they were the same.

The SteelSeries Rival 3 wired mouse offers a great blend of affordability and performance. Its ergonomic design ensures comfort during extended use, and the customizable RGB lighting adds a touch of flair. With a reliable sensor and responsive buttons, it caters well to both casual and competitive gamers. The durable build quality and lightweight design make it a solid choice for those seeking a budget-friendly yet capable gaming mouse.

the mouse is lightweight and has good rgb options. ive been playing using this mouse for a year and i have 0 complaints good affordable mouse.