Compact “60 percent” and “65 percent” keyboards have long been the purview of mechanical keyboard enthusiasts and programmers, but recent interest from streamers and esports pros has pushed smaller keyboards into the spotlight. Major keyboard manufacturers, especially those in the gaming world, craft these reduced-size keyboards for gamers and typists who want to reclaim desk space, tilt their keyboard to an ergonomic angle, or simply tote something small and lightweight. This expanding category may appeal to you, even if you aren’t part of the traditional target audience.

Our list of favorite 60 percent and 65 percent keyboards includes wireless, budget, and RGB-laden picks as well as alternative choices that are sure to suit your needs. Below, you’ll find our favorite picks, listed by category, followed by everything you need to know when shopping for a 60 percent keyboard.

Kinesis TKO Gaming Keyboard

Best 60 Percent Keyboard for Gaming and General Use

Bottom Line:

With bold and helpful features, the Kinesis TKO gaming keyboard carefully weaves competitive and ergonomic keyboard features into a single, awesome vision.

PROS

• Four ergonomic feet enable reverse tilt and tenting
• Three-button spacebar
• Nine onboard profiles
• RGB underglow bar
• Bundled carrying case

CONS

• Driverless software makes configuration and firmware updates more difficult than usual

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$99.00	$99.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Kinesis TKO Gaming Keyboard Review

Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mini Wireless

Best Wireless 60 or 65 Percent Keyboard

Bottom Line:

The feature-rich Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mini Wireless is a stunner and one of the finest 60% keyboards we’ve seen.

PROS

• Excellent RGB implementation
• Hot-swappable key switches
• Included key cap and key switch puller
• Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connection options
• Compact and lightweight
• Can create up to 50 user profiles via Corsair iCue app

CONS

• Expensive
• 8,000Hz polling maximum may be overkill

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$179.99	$164.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Corsair K70 RGB Pro Mini Wireless Review

Fnatic Streak65 Gaming Keyboard

Best Low-Profile 60 or 65 Percent Keyboard

Bottom Line:

The Fnatic Streak65 has nearly everything that you’d want in a compact keyboard, including a top-tier typing feel, lightweight body, macro keys, and marked keycaps.

PROS

• Compact, 60-percent design
• Comfortable, low-profile switches
• Four dedicated macro keys
• Marked keycaps indicate essential function shortcuts

CONS

• Limited customization options
• Tightly packed keys

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$99.99	$99.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Fnatic Ltd	$94.99	$94.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Fnatic Streak65 Gaming Keyboard Review

Asus ROG Falchion Wireless Gaming Keyboard

Best 65 Percent Keyboard for Gaming and General Use

Bottom Line:

The Asus ROG Falchion is a terrific 65-percenter with many useful keyboard features, such as mechanical keys, wireless connectivity, and a touch slider.

PROS

• Wireless and mechanical
• Compact 65 percent design
• Touch-based volume slider
• Incredible battery life
• Dongle storage
• Comes with a cover

CONS

• Cover doesn’t attach to the keyboard
• Armoury Crate offloads some RGB customization to a second app
• Battery indicator housed in the keyboard’s side

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$149.99	$149.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Asus ROG Falchion Wireless Gaming Keyboard Review

HyperX Alloy Origins 65

Best Budget 60 or 65 Percent Keyboard

Bottom Line:

The HyperX Alloy Origins is a great 65 percent keyboard for gamers looking to save desk space without sacrificing their wallets.

PROS

• Excellent-feeling HyperX key switches
• RGB lighting
• Compact footprint
• Included keycap puller
• Ngenuity app works well for customization

CONS

• No wireless option

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$99.99	$69.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Best Buy	$99.99	$99.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Walmart	$99.99	$79.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our HyperX Alloy Origins 65 Review

Razer Huntsman Mini Analog

Best RGB-Ready 60 or 65 Percent Keyboard

Bottom Line:

Though changes are minor over the original, Razer’s refreshed Huntsman Mini gaming keyboard is worth putting your fingers on. The addition of Razer’s analog switches is a welcome upgrade to an already excellent 60% keyboard.

PROS

• Optical analog key switches offer precise control
• Compact and lightweight
• RGB lighting looks great
• Quality PBT keycaps
• Razer Synapse software offers tons of customization

CONS

• Expensive
• Synapse software isn’t beginner-friendly

Sold By	List Price	Price
Razer	$149.00	$149.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Razer Huntsman Mini Analog Review

Corsair K65 RGB Mini Gaming Keyboard

A Solid Alternative to the Razer Huntsman Mini Analog

Bottom Line:

With the K65 RGB Mini, Corsair successfully shrinks its basic mechanical keyboard design down to 60 percent comfortably, but otherwise, it’s a bit bland.

PROS

• Compact, 60-percent design feels natural
• Detachable USB-C cable
• Cool fractal design on spacebar
• Lets you create up to 50 onboard keyboard profiles

CONS

• Lacks strong differentiating features
• 8000Hz polling isn’t particularly helpful

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$109.99	$109.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Best Buy	$109.99	$109.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Corsair K65 RGB Mini Gaming Keyboard Review

SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless

Best 60 or 65 Percent Keyboard for Use With Multiple Devices

Bottom Line:

The latest SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless keyboard is a sleek, stylish, and adaptable piece of hardware ready to grace your desk or local café…if you can afford it.

PROS

• Adjustable, precise Omnipoint switches
• Clear, colorful RGB
• Compact 60 percent layout
• Bluetooth profiles let you easily switch between devices
• 2.4GHz dongle uses a USB-C port

CONS

• Expensive
• Loses stability when angled feet are deployed
• SteelSeries GG software can be a little buggy
• No storage space on keyboard for accessories

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$239.99	$205.26	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless Review

How Many Keys Does a 60 Percent Keyboard Have?

A standard, full-size keyboard has 104 keys. Technically speaking, that means a 60 percent keyboard should have 62 keys, and a 65 percent keyboard should have 67 or 68 keys. Realistically, manufacturers play it a little fast and loose with the numbers and the key-count totals. Most so-called 60 percent models we’ve tested run 60 to 65 keys, while 65 percent ones have around 66 to 70 keys.

Unlike the tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard layout that simply removes the numeric keypad, the 60 percent or 65 percent keyboard layout also ditches what some users might deem essential inputs. The typical 60 percent keyboard drops the Function (F1 to F12) keys, arrow keys, and other navigation/utility keys. (Think Home, Delete, Print Screen, Page Up, and Page Down.) The layout is compressed into a single block without any sections or gaps. For example, the Escape key no longer floats alone, because that would require extra room in the layout.

Meanwhile, 65 percent keyboards give you a little more wiggle room while staying compact. These boards drop the Function keys and most other nonessentials, but they almost always keep the arrow keys. Many also hold onto one or two other keys. Fnatic and a few other keyboard manufacturers add extra, customizable macro keys that give you the option to remap the keyboard.

Key Types: Understanding 60 Percent Mechanical Keyboards

As with the best keyboards and, more specifically, the best mechanical keyboards, typing feel is the most important element. I’ve yet to see a non-mechanical 60 percent or 65 percent keyboard, so finding one that feels right comes down to finding your preferred key-switch “flavor.” (Key switches are the actuation mechanisms under the top of the key, or keycap.) Our mechanical key switch primer explains the switch basics.

It’s important to keep in mind why you want a 65 percent-or-under keyboard. Many gaming keyboards use linear switches (often classified as “Red” switches) that require little force to actuate. Those hair-trigger switches are great for gaming at breakneck speed, but they can lead to more accidental and out-of-order key presses. 

If you’re looking for balance, or simply the most comfortable overall switches, you may want to look outside the gaming world. That search may lead you to a world of new keyboard manufacturers, many originating in Asia, such as Anne Pro, Ducky, Happy Hacking, and Leopold.

Get Your Hotkey Ph.D.: Shortcut Keys on 60 Percent Keyboards

To compensate for losing essential keys, most 60 percent keyboards feature keys with secondary functions that are accessed by using a function toggle key. Memorizing the shortcuts is a small hurdle that you must overcome. It’s also why this kind of keyboard’s popularity has been relegated to keyboard hobbyists, programmers, and other power users until very recently. 

Most factory-made 60 and 65 percent keyboards, particularly those launched during the 2021 boom in these boards, house a few features to help take the sting out of that transition. For example, many compact keyboards feature sideprints, the text and symbols that highlight each key’s secondary features. Though many keyboard types use sidecaps, 60 percent keyboards make them particularly essential. After all, shortcuts vary from model to model. In addition, many makers of compact keyboards help you navigate the transition by supplying configuration software that lets you remap secondary inputs in addition to standard keys.

Get a Competitive Edge: Finding the Best 60 Percent Keyboard for Gaming

The rise of esports and competitive play has fueled this current wave of 60 percent and 65 percent keyboards, so you can expect many of these input devices to contain features that cater to pro players. Some esports-minded keyboards house a “competition” switch that’s the evolution of a “game mode” key found in gaming keyboards. The function varies from model to model, but the idea is to strip away any customization that may distract you or disqualify you from tournament play. Most of the time, that means resetting the keyboard profile to the default setting and dimming or turning off RGB lighting.

On the other end of the spectrum, a surprising number of 60 percent and 65 percent gaming keyboards feature dedicated macro keys that let you create macros or otherwise customize your keyboard. With the Fnatic Streak65, it simply means cutting the default layout down to 60 percent, then adding a few blank keys. A few keyboards, including the Kinesis TKO, break up the space bar into multiple keys, creating room for macros that seemingly weren’t there before.

Recommended by Our Editors

The Best Computer Mice for 2023

Everything You Need to Set Up an Ergonomic Home Office

On a few occasions, I’ve seen keyboards of this size class come with a hard case for travel. That’s a nice bonus, but it’s pretty rare, so having one or not shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.

Should I Get a Wireless 60 Percent Keyboard?

Many 60 and 65 percent keyboards feature a detachable cable—preferably USB-C—that makes for easier travel and storage. Companies still occasionally add proprietary locking mechanisms to the cables, ensuring that the cable never detaches during play. I prefer it when companies forego that measure. The cables stay in fine on their own except in drastic circumstances, and, without the locking mechanism, you can replace a broken cable with any other USB Type-C-to-A cord.

What about wireless compact keyboards? After all, if you’re aiming to free up desk space, you may as well cut the cord, too. While you can find wireless 60 and 65 percent keyboards, they’re few and far between. The groups who have been most interested in 60 and 65 percent keyboards until very recently—competitive gamers, programmers, custom keyboard enthusiasts—traditionally haven’t chased wireless keyboards. If the 60 percent keyboard scene continues to grow, however, this feature will likely make a larger splash in the market in 2022 and beyond. If going wireless is your top priority right now, you should check out full-size and tenkeyless (“TKL”) keyboards. You’ll find a much larger selection.

So, What Is the Best 60 or 65 Percent Keyboard to Buy?

Now that you know what to look for in a 60 or 65 percent keyboard, it’s up to you to make your pick. Here’s our list of the best compact keyboards culled from our recent reviews. In addition, if you’re all in on competitive play, consider pairing your new compact keyboard with one our favorite esports mice.