10 Best Illuminated Keyboards 2025 in the United States

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL Esports Gaming Keyboard stands out in the illuminated-keyboards category with its RGB backlighting color support, offering a wide range of colors for a personalized experience. It includes adjustable brightness levels, allowing users to set the illumination to their preference, enhancing the visual appeal and usability in various lighting conditions.

The Analog Optical Switches GEN-2 are a notable feature, providing remarkable precision and responsiveness, with an adjustable actuation range of 0.1–4.0 mm. This makes the keyboard particularly suitable for gaming, especially FPS games, as it supports ultra-fast inputs and movements. The Rapid Trigger and Razer Snap Tap technologies further enhance this, ensuring swift and accurate input recognition, critical for competitive gaming scenarios.

The keyboard also boasts high build quality with Doubleshot PBT Keycaps and a wrist rest for added comfort during prolonged use. However, it primarily targets gamers, particularly those in the esports realm, which might limit its appeal for general use or other professional applications. Additionally, some features like the latest firmware update requirement for Razer Snap Tap might necessitate occasional maintenance. Nevertheless, its exceptional performance and gaming-centric features make it a top choice for dedicated gamers looking for an edge in their gameplay.

The Razer BlackWidow V4 X stands out with its Yellow mechanical linear switches that offer smooth, quiet, and very fast key responses, making it great for gamers who want rapid inputs without noisy clicks. It has excellent build quality, featuring doubleshot ABS keycaps that resist wear and provide durability for heavy use. Lighting is a strong point here, with vibrant per-key Chroma RGB backlighting offering over 16.8 million colors and dynamic effects that can sync with games, adding a customizable and immersive visual experience. Users can easily adjust brightness and personalize their lighting setup.

The keyboard also includes 6 dedicated macro keys for quick command execution, which is handy for gaming or productivity tasks, plus a multifunction roller and media keys for convenient control over volume and brightness without leaving your game or work. While the linear Yellow switches are great for speed, some users may prefer tactile or clicky feedback, which this model doesn’t provide. Also, the doubleshot ABS keycaps are durable but may not feel as premium as PBT keycaps found on higher-end keyboards. Weighing about 2.5 pounds, it’s fairly sturdy but not overly heavy. For those seeking a stylish, durable, and feature-rich mechanical keyboard with quiet, fast switches and strong lighting customization, the BlackWidow V4 X is a solid choice, especially for gamers who benefit from extra macros and media controls.

The SteelSeries Apex 3 RGB Gaming Keyboard stands out with its 10-zone RGB illumination, allowing for vibrant color effects that add a cool look to your setup without overwhelming complexity. You can expect adjustable brightness levels to tailor the lighting to your environment. Its whisper-quiet gaming switches are designed to be silent while still providing a tactile feel, which is great if you want quiet operation during long gaming or work sessions. The build quality is solid, featuring an IP32 water resistance rating that helps protect against accidental spills, making it more durable than many typical keyboards. A premium magnetic wrist rest is included, offering comfortable palm support, which is a nice bonus for extended use. Additional features like dedicated multimedia controls make adjusting volume and settings quick and easy without leaving your game or workflow. Compatibility is broad, covering Windows, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles.

On the downside, the keyboard uses a wired connection, which might not suit those looking for wireless convenience. Also, while the 10-zone RGB lighting is attractive, it doesn’t offer the per-key customization some advanced gamers might prefer. This keyboard is well-suited for gamers and everyday users who want a quiet, durable keyboard with good lighting and comfort features but do not require ultra-high-end customization.