If you’d wanted a new gaming keyboard in 2021, you wouldn’t have been short of quality options. This year has been practically bursting with peripherals, and that’s a small silver lining to an otherwise difficult year for PC building. The less said about that the better, though. Instead, let’s dive into the key switches and keyboards that made our year that little bit better.

We’ve chosen quite the selection for this year’s award nominees. There are the two titans of Razer and Corsair battling it out for gaming peripheral dominance, as they are to do until the heat death of the universe, but also the much smaller Wooting outfit. All three are worth contenders for the crown, however: either improving on a much-loved design or bringing something entirely new to the table.

Gaming keyboards especially need something special to stand out from the crowd of others vying for PC gamers’ cash. And we don’t depart with ours easily. That’s because many share key switches and features, meaning it comes down to who can do it best, deliver more, or build something extra special.

For us here at PC Gamer, these three gaming keyboards did just that.

Best gaming keyboard 2021: the nominees 

The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best gaming keyboard will be announced on New Year’s Eve. It’s all to play for, and any one of these three is completely deserving of the crown.