The SteelSeries Rival 5’s lightweight design, wide DPI range, low latency, and attractive RGB make it excellent for FPS, MMO, and other casual games for gamers on a budget. But the bulky build and wired design limit it to home-gaming setups and large-handed users.
The SteelSeries Rival 5 is a mid-range wired mouse that was first brought to the market back in early 2021, and it is an ergonomic right-handed mouse that boasts a comfortable shape for both fingertip grip and palm grip gamers.
This mouse features a 6.6 feet braided USB cable for wired USB connectivity, which is on par with some of the best computer mouse options available in its range.
And just like many of the top gaming mouse models, this 89-gram mouse features 10-zone RGB lighting that you can easily customize using the SteelSeries GG app.
However, if you need the wireless convenience in a similar gaming mouse from the same manufacturer, make sure to take a look at our SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless review.
Including the clickable scroll wheel, the Rival 5 has a total of 11 different remappable buttons. And it features a 1000 Hz polling rate.
What Is Not on the Box
What the brand doesn’t always tell you…
our Verdict
Boasting a durable, flex-free plastic body, the SteelSeries Rival 5 has a rubberized 24-step notched scroll wheel that wobbles slightly despite no tilt inputs.
Its user-friendly SteelSeries GG software is a bit cluttered but Windows and macOS compatible, and although you’ll find cable kinks caused by packaging, the cable’s top-notch quality guarantees smooth gliding.
Weighing 76.2g, this right-handed mouse is borderline ultralight and has a tested click latency of 9.8ms, that’s great for most gamers but might not suit professional FPS gamers.
Though only adjustable by increments of 100, gamers will appreciate the wide DPI range, colorful RGB lighting, and 5 programmable side buttons.
Its chunky, aggressive build means it’s comfortable for users with larger hands, regardless of grip style, compared to smaller-handed users who might struggle to reach all buttons.
The SteelSeries Rival 5 is a mid-range wired mouse that was first brought to the market back in early 2021, and it is an ergonomic…
The SteelSeries Rival 5 is a mid-range wired mouse that was first brought to the market back in early 2021, and it is an ergonomic right-handed mouse that boasts a comfortable shape for both fingertip grip and palm grip gamers.
This mouse features a 6.6 feet braided USB cable for wired USB connectivity, which is on par with some of the best computer mouse options available in its range.
And just like many of the top gaming mouse models, this 89-gram mouse features 10-zone RGB lighting that you can easily customize using the SteelSeries GG app.
However, if you need the wireless convenience in a similar gaming mouse from the same manufacturer, make sure to take a look at our SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless review.
Including the clickable scroll wheel, the Rival 5 has a total of 11 different remappable buttons. And it features a 1000 Hz polling rate.
Even though both are wired gaming mice, the Logitech G502 HERO has a much faster input latency of 10 ms in comparison to the SteelSeries…
Even though both are wired gaming mice, the Logitech G502 HERO has a much faster input latency of 10 ms in comparison to the SteelSeries Rival 5’s 15 ms. And it features a significantly better HERO 25K 25600 DPI high-end sensor when put against the SteelSeries Rival 5’s 18000 DPI optical sensor. Additionally, the Logitech G502 HERO mouse comes with 21 different switches that support button assignment through software, unlike the SteelSeries Rival unit, which only has 11 such remappable buttons.
While the SteelSeries Rival 5 gaming mouse features 11 different programmable buttons, the SteelSeries Prime Plus only has seven mouse buttons. And despite both being…
While the SteelSeries Rival 5 gaming mouse features 11 different programmable buttons, the SteelSeries Prime Plus only has seven mouse buttons. And despite both being wired mice, the SteelSeries Rival 5 has a lower input latency of 15 ms compared to the SteelSeries Prime Plus’ 20 ms. On the other hand, the SteelSeries Prime Plus mouse has an OLED screen that displays all the applied mouse settings on a whim, which the Rival lacks. And at just 71 grams, the Prime Plus unit has a lower body weight.
The SteelSeries Rival 5 features a significantly more durable overall build quality than the Razer DeathAdder V2 wired mouse. And the SteelSeries GG customization app…
The SteelSeries Rival 5 features a significantly more durable overall build quality than the Razer DeathAdder V2 wired mouse. And the SteelSeries GG customization app is available for macOS users, unlike the Razer Synapse 3 companion app. On the other hand, the Razer DeathAdder V2 has a whopping 18 extra buttons, while the Rival 5 only has 11 button switches. However, the Rival does have a silver button on its side, which doubles as a sniper button, but the Razer V2 doesn’t have any such extra thumb button.
The newer SteelSeries Rival 5 mouse is a direct successor to the older SteelSeries Rival 310, and the brand has added quite a few improvements…
The newer SteelSeries Rival 5 mouse is a direct successor to the older SteelSeries Rival 310, and the brand has added quite a few improvements to the newer model. For example, the newer SteelSeries Rival 5 features a significantly better 18000 DPI TrueMove Air sensor compared to the SteelSeries Rival 310’s 12000 DPI TrueMove 3 sensor. And the older unit has a 6.6 feet rubber cable that suffers from drag issues, which the newer mouse replaces in favor of a much better 6.6 feet braided USB cable.
