Countless gamers use low-quality office mousepads, dirty mousepads, or even no mousepad at all without realizing the extent it handicaps their ability to aim and track effectively. A good gaming mousepad can massively improve your aiming consistency and precision in FPS games like Valorant. This guide covers the best mousepads for Valorant, with picks informed by pro data tracked by Setup.GG.
Valorant pro mousepad trends
Artisan, BenQ, and Logitech mousepads are frequent choices the best Valorant players choose for their setups. We detail below a further breakdown of brand preferences based on the mousepads used by Valorant players we track on Setupgg.
Best mousepad for Valorant
Artisan, a mousepad company from Japan, has gained notoriety for creating high-quality products that cater to the needs of esports athletes. If you want the best of the best and price isn’t an option, Artisan makes a top-notch Valorant mousepad that pros covet.
The Zero FX Soft is Artisan’s balanced mousepad, geared for more control in FPS games like Valorant. The Zero FX Soft features an all-black design with stitched edges and a thickness of 4mm. People who use the Artisan Zero FX Soft praise the knitted cloth surface for its durability and resistance to curling.
The Zero FX is available in four sizes and three hardness levels: extra soft, soft, and medium. The extra soft pad is better for slower, more controlled mouse movements, the medium pad provides a more responsive mouse feel, and the soft pad sits in the middle.
The QcK Heavy is SteelSeries’ thick boi, with 6mm of rubber and micro-woven cloth, the most out of any pad on this list. Thick mousepads like the QcK heavy are popular among professional Valorant players because they offer the control necessary to make precision aiming movements.
The SteelSeries QcK Heavy features an all-black design with non-stitched edges. The mousepad is durable and machine washable, with a high thread count surface that optimizes mouse tracking accuracy.
SteelSeries offers the QcK Heavy in three sizes: M, L, and XXL. There are also three versions of the QcK in varying thicknesses (QcK, QcK Heavy, QcK Edge) and one version of the QcK with RGB lighting around the edges.
The VAXEE PA mousepad is commonly seen on the main stage of high-level Valorant tournaments and used by some of the best players in the world. Players who use the VAXEE PA praise the mousepad for its overall quality and consistent gliding surface.
The VAXEE PA Black has a cloth fiber surface with non-stitched edges and a thickness of 3.5 mm. The PA Black has a softer gliding surface than printed versions of the PA, which is beneficial for low time-to-kill games like Valorant where control is required.
If you’re looking for something faster than the PA Black, VAXEE also makes the VAXEE PB featuring the same cloth surface with a composite base material, increasing the mousepad’s firmness. Buyers beware that VAXEE warns against cleaning their mousepads with a washing machine or even water, which is something to consider if your mousepad gets dirty often.
The Saturn Pro Soft from Lethal Gaming Gear checks tons of boxes for competitive FPS players who want an edge in Valorant. LGG recently revamped the Saturn Pro model with improved stitching and a new Poron base material.
The LGG Saturn Pro Soft features a polyester surface with stitched edges and a thickness of 4 mm. LGG offers the Saturn Pro in three different sizes, two levels of hardness, and black or red coloring.
The polyester surface of the Saturn Pro Soft is comparable to the Artisan Zero FX Soft, made to provide a balanced mouse glide with medium stopping power. The Saturn Pro is a popular mousepad that sells out often, but LGG offers pre-orders on their websites for those willing to wait.
Valorant mousepad buying tips
Glide
Glide refers to how fast a mouse slides over the surface of a mousepad. For our purposes, we categorize glide speed as control, balanced, or fast. Control pads have the slowest glide speeds and are favorites in tactical shooters like Valorant where small, precise aim is required. Fast mousepads facilitate more responsive aim but make it hard to stop mice and correct aiming mistakes. Balanced mousepads offer a glide somewhere in the middle of the two.
Edges
Most mousepads will have stitched or non-stitched edges, and each has its advantages. Quality stitching can protect the edges of a mousepad and help it hold up better to wear and tear, but stitched edges can also irritate the arm or wrist area. Non-stitched edges cause less irritation but are also usually less durable over time.
Material
The surface material of the mousepad you choose will play a crucial factor in its glide speed, durability, abrasiveness, and how easy it is to clean. Mousepad surfaces can be cloth, polyester, plastic, glass, or even metal. Look for mousepad surfaces that are moisture resistant, don’t wear down easily over time, and bonus points if they’re machine washable.
Size
If you’re a competitive gamer or Valorant player, a mousepad that’s big enough to accommodate large flicks and mouse movements is essential. Most Valorant players prefer a large mousepad, as big as their desk allows, so they can perform bigger movements with lower sensitivity and have more control over their aim.
