Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Rival 3 Gen 2 feels compact in the hand, maybe a bit small, and the grip can be slightly slippery for some, but it definitely gives off a strong gamer vibe, especially with the RGB glow underneath. Setup was effortless; it worked instantly after plugging in. The SteelSeries GG app unlocked even more customization options, which really adds to the experience. Overall, a slick, responsive mouse that looks and feels built for gaming. Love it!

Sleek, responsive, and budget-friendly. The Rival 3 Gen 2 in white looks clean on my desk and performs with precision thanks to its 8.5K DPI TrueMove Core sensor. Lightweight feel, crisp clicks, and smooth glide with PTFE feet. RGB lighting adds flair without overdoing it. Great value for everyday gaming.

Very comfortable light mouse, love the steel series brand.

A great wired mouse at a decent price. Its software is easy to use, and it works well with my HP VICTUS when playing Battlefield6.

love this mouse, perfect for everyday use, gaming or productivity.

Great mouse for my laptop buttons are crisp and the changeable settings are great.

I’ve been putting the SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2 through its paces over the past week, and for a wired budget-friendly gaming mouse, this one punches well above its weight. Right off the bat, setup was a breeze. You can plug it in and go, but I highly recommend downloading SteelSeries GG software—it opens up full control over the RGB zones, button remapping, and sensitivity profiles. It took just a few minutes to get everything dialed in the way I like it. Performance-wise, it holds its own in FPS titles. I played through a few sessions of Delta Force, Fortnite, and Call of Duty, and the sensor stayed accurate and responsive. No lag, no jitter, just smooth control even when I had to flick hard or make quick adjustments. Tracking was tight, and the lift-off distance felt low enough to not cause any issues during fast-paced gameplay. I also ran a few hours of City Skylines with it—less twitchy, more about long sessions of scrolling and managing zones—and it was just as comfortable and reliable on the slower-paced stuff. Speaking of comfort, I’ve got average-sized hands and this mouse fits just right with a claw or fingertip grip. It’s lightweight without feeling cheap, and the new Gen 2 build has a slightly refined shape over the original Rival 3. It’s subtle, but noticeable—especially after longer sessions. The clicks are crisp, and the scroll wheel has just enough resistance without being stiff. The 3-zone RGB lighting is clean and subtle, not over-the-top, and all fully customizable through the SteelSeries software. I liked being able to sync it with my keyboard lighting and even tweak it per game profile. It adds a nice bit of personality to the setup without being too flashy. If I had to nitpick, the cable isn’t braided, so it’s not quite as flexible or premium-feeling as some higher-end mice, but it’s lightweight enough that it doesn’t drag much during use. I didn’t find it getting in the way, even during quick sweeps in Fortnite or COD gunfights. At the end of the day, the Rival 3 Gen 2 delivers a solid gaming experience with responsive performance, customizable lighting, and reliable comfort—without breaking the bank. It’s a great pick for casual to mid-level gamers who want quality without going full pro-tier pricing. If you’re gaming on a budget and still want a responsive, good-looking mouse that won’t let you down mid-match, this one’s easy to recommend.

After going through a number of wireless mice, I decided to go back to a trusted wired mouse. Wireless mice are great and convenient however forget to charge it and then you need to use it and you may be out of luck. I also ran into the occasional connect/disconnect and even with some of the better mice response delays. Not necessarily because of the mouse but some other interference. So going back to a wired mouse has not been bad. The SteelSeries Rival 3 has been a very good choice. To start, it is lightweight but has a very good ergonomic feel. It has the typical buttons on the top and two on the side. The side buttons let you page forward and backward. The bottom has a very slick padding that is also easy to clean. As for the features of the mouse, you have the ability to customize the coloring to your liking and there are over two dozen preconfigured settings but if those are up to your likings you can create your own. The software allows you to change your mouse configuration to your personal preferences and is very flexible. The cord is a nylon/cloth cable that should wear well. Customize buttons, sensitivity, and acceleration as you see fit. Very flexible and cool to look at!

The SteelSeries - Rival 3 Gen 2 is nearly as simple as a mouse can come yet is still got a lot to it. By default it is light, has the RGB glow to it and has selectable DPI settings. However, get the SteelSeries GG app and unlock everything else this mouse has to offer. At first, the default DPI steps felt too slow for me. With the app installed, you can easily change those as high as 8500 or as low as 200. You can even adjust the DPI on independent axis so that left/right is slower than up/down. You can adjust the polling rate and the acceleration and even change the angle snapping so that it instantly goes from point to point when you move. Personally, it felt a little odd changing those settings, but you can mess with them and try ro find exactly what you are looking for. All of the buttons are programmable, even allowing you to record macros with the button. You can change the lighting to specific patterns or create your own with the 3 different zones. I personally liked the reactive lighting as it changes color based on the DPI selection and then would do a rotation of light on clicks. As with any mouse, sometimes the feel of it might not be exactly what you prefer. This one feels really low profile, kind of making me get rid of my wrist rest to be able to rest my hand on the mouse comfortably. It is fairly light, thought I have seen lighter, but at times I feel like the mouse is moving on its own just by the weight of the cord barely hanging off the table. I let go to type and my mouse is sliding ever so slightly nearly every time. If the cable it tethered or mostly resting on the table, I don’t have this issue but at times when I click feel I am moving at the same time because I don’t have the weight I am used to. Overall, this is a simple yet advanced mouse. Being able to get it even more customizable with the SteelSeries GG app is what really makes this thing shine, also literally with the RGB options. It has a really low profile and might not be the best fit for everyone, but certainly worth checking out.

My sons and I go through quite a few gaming mice. I have 3 sons that are all gamers, and it feels like we are constantly having to upgrade or replace our gaming mice. I have used a few of SteelSeries mice in the past including the previous version of the Rival. I can say that this mouse lives up to its pedigree. <<<<<Build>>>>> Overall build is what I would expect from SteelSeries. It feels like a quality product. Everything it well thought out and constructed well. The cable has a nice fabric wrap on it. The buttons are easy to press and offer a nice click, the mouse wheel also feels nice to use offering just enough friction. The pads on the bottom of the mouse allow it to glide making aiming/motion feel very fluid. I really like the 3 zone RGB lights that are around the bottom of the mouse, the glow off the desk looks very nice. <<<<<Software>>>>> The software is pretty much what you would expect for a mouse. It gives you the ability to adjust lighting to those 3 RGB zones, but more importantly it allows you to really dial in the sensitivity of the mouse. There is so many granular adjustments you can make, that you can really tweak it for your gaming style. You are also able to save profiles for different games or game genres. Something that I was not expecting, but that I love is that the SteelSeriesGG has a great feature called 3D Aim Trainer. It gives you a series of ‘mini games’ that help you work on your aim. You get leaderboards, rankings, medals, etc. This is such a great way to practice your aim and get used to your new mouse and test those settings. I love it. <<<<<Conclusion>>>>> This is a great mouse. It’s well built, gives you so much customization to the looks and the sensitivity. The software is very robust and well thought out. The 3D Aim Trainer is a nice bonus. This would make just about any gamer happy.

The Steelseries Rival 3 (Gen 2) is an update to the popular budget wired Rival 3 (Gen 1) and it comes with a few mostly quality of life updates compared to the original. Overall I had a really fun time testing this mouse as I’m a huge fan of the shape. Let’s get into it! Design and weight: This is a medium claw-grip focused mouse. I’ve tried many mice like this and this is actually my favorite shape - it’s identical to the original and the Aerox 3 line. For reference I have 18.5x9 hands so if you’re anything like me it might also fit you really well. Best Buy usually has these on display at the store so you might be able to get hands-on. The mouse is advertised at 77g however on my scale it comes to roughly 81g with a bit of cable. Close enough. I do wish it was lighter, especially nowadays, but I still consider it a comfortable weight for myself and most people. What is different compared to 1st Gen - - Paracord braided cable - Scroll wheel material (much nicer to the touch) - No more RGB on the Steelseries logo - Translucent shell on the bottom - New white PTFE skates - Available in more colors What’s the same - - Coating - Weight - Sensor - Same main buttons (60m clicks) - Same skinny side buttons (unfortunately) Performance: This mouse uses the same old TrueMove Core sensor (up to 8.5K DPI) . I had no trouble using it in-game, but the lift-off distance (LOD) is still a bit high, so you might be able to feel that if you’re sensitive to it. Personally it wasn’t an issue for me and I completely forgot about it after a few games. Click latency is really good and I felt no delay when playing any games that require fast reactions. Cable: Very flexible and did not get in the way at all especially in a bungee. Buttons: Main buttons are again using Steelseries 60m switches and they feel excellent! Very spammable, light, and crispy. Just one thing to note is that they tend to have a hollow sound. Scroll wheel requires light actuation in all aspects and is as close to a perfect scroll wheel as you can get. Unfortunately the side buttons are again VERY skinny and at times hard to reach and differentiate. This mouse would have truly felt more like a Gen 2 if Steelseries redesigned them as it's a common complaint across the Rival 3/Aerox3 line. Skates: I’m using this mouse in combination with the new Steelseries QCK Performance (Control) mousepad and the experience is really good. These skates pick up the texture of the mousepad pretty well but don’t feel overly rough. Stopping power is also excellent. On other mousepads I also had no issues so these are a definite upgrade! Software: To control your specific DPI settings, RGB, macros, and more you will need Steelseries GG. The software is decent but I wish it was a bit more minimal. Out of the box there was a lot of in-game integration that I just didn’t wish to have enabled. You can adjust the settings of the mouse in either the “Engine” or “QuickSet” tab. Build quality/QC: My unit is built like a tank! No rattles or creaks. Closing thoughts: While I wish the Gen 2 version of the Rival 3 made more upgrades it’s still an excellent mouse and easy recommendation at this budget! Pros: - Shape - Main buttons - Skates - Cable - Build quality - Value Cons: - Side buttons

SteelSeries always has quality peripherals. I've used them for years and this mouse is definitely no exception. It's lightweight - a change from what I'm used to, but a welcome one. I also love the underglow. Overall it feels great

Had to finally replace this (almost) the same mouse that I've used every day, long hours, for about nine years! Happy to see they still make this similar mouse and I'm sure it'll hold up to the same standards at the other. Great quality for a super affordable price. Comfortable and easy to use.

I really like the braided cable and speed of the mouse super easy to use super and customizable 10/10

This is a good mouse. Solid and it can withstand my grandchildren. I like the lights, makes it easy to find when I drop it.

looks great, feels great, and is great for any use and is easy to customize on steelseries

I have used a multitude of mice brands over the years trying to find one that felt as good to use as an old generic WindowsXP mouse that broke after many years of rigorous headshots. I end up switching between an older Rival and a Logitech G305, which were good, but still left me nostalgic for the XP days. Until today! I decided to buy the Rival 3 Gen 2 after feeling the glide action in the store. You can tell, just by gliding it on a mouse pad, that you will be dead accurate with it. I can confirm this in gameplay. There was no adjustment period -just instant headshots! The best way I can describe the traction is that it glides with you want-it's fast, but it also stops when you want, it's not too "floaty", so you have an easier time avoiding over-aiming and landing on target. It sounds crazy, but try it out in the store! Maybe it's all the surface area, it's much more than the usual four little "feet" pads. Only gripe, ability to toggle LED function with a switch would be nice -turn off the strobe effect WITHOUT installing software! Other than that, best mouse for the price.

We only buy a wired mouse. Because we feel it more reliable than wireless This mouse is working perfectly well.

If you’re on the hunt for a budget-friendly gaming mouse that punches above its weight, the SteelSeries Rival 3 is a stellar pick. You get a high-quality sensor, customizable RGB, satisfying clicks, and a lightweight frame at a great price.

Great mouse, I use it in games daily now and love the led's