Are you a Hardcore gamer?
Or the one who loves to play Battle-Royale games perpetually?
Probably you are looking for the best mechanical switches that do not fulfill your gaming requirements but are also give you an edge as well as improve your performance during the game.
The first preferred switch would be Blue Switches in your list as most gamers preferred them for gaming.
Some gaming enthusiasts suggest Speed Silver switches from Cherry and Gateron.
But are blue switches good for gaming? or speed switches are a better choice?
Should you buy them without a second thought?
If you are seeking all that answers then you are certainly landed in a right place.
I will answer every single question regarding blue switches with their pros and cons, are blue switches good for gaming?, which switches are best for gaming?, and lastly Switches to Avoid For Competitive Gaming.
I have prepared a well-structured article for you after indulging many hours of study and research.
Let’s get dive into the details!
Table of Contents
Are Blue Switches good for gaming?
According to professionals, for gaming purposes, the switch needs to be expressed fast, consistent, efficient as well as smooth throughout the typing. So you may achieve a wide comparative edge over your enemies.
Blue switches are not considered ideal for high-end gaming because of their heavy tactile switch profile on each keystroke which impacts typing speed, response time as well as provides less control on the game.
Some gamers may also be distracted because of the blue switches’ loud and clicky sound profile during the battle-royale games in which communication needs to be properly established between the teammates.
You won’t be able to hear your enemies’ footsteps due to the loud clicky sound on each keypress.
A heavy switch required a little bit more pressure to type on which reduces typing speed but boosts error-free typing.
Although many users are using blue switches for their mechanical keyboard that’s okay and it is not ideal as far as gaming is concerned.
I would recommend Linear switches for gaming and it is considered the best alternative to the Blue switches.
So the perfect answer to the question ‘are blue switches good for gaming’? is ‘No’ Blue switches are not ideal for gaming.
We will discuss this reason in more detail later in this article so it will help you to get more clarification on Blue switches.
Blue Switches Are Not Good For Gaming: Top 3 Reasons
Gaming is the main reason which boosts and brings mechanical keyboards trends to the market and people are loving their keyboards being attractive and elegant.
Mechanical switches’ working mechanism is completely based on the mechanical switch’s actuation, tactility, and switch profile that improve the user’s typing efficiency and the overall hold on the keyboard.
Among switch profiles, Blue switches are always high in demand switch and many users loved these switches.
But for gaming, there are 3 significant reasons I am going to share with you in the details which technically guide you why Blue switches are not considered best for gaming.
Take a look at the technical reason for not considering it for gaming:
1. Strong Tactile Bump
A Strong tactile bump is the most significant reason which put blue switches out of the gaming switch race.
Having a strong tactile bump simply means a user needs to press a key with a little more pressure compared to a switch that has low actuation force. As a result, a slightly slow typing speed is measured while typing.
You will feel a little bit muddy and meshy while typing on blue switches.
For fast-paced gaming where you have to react within a split of seconds, you must require a light switch that provides super-fast typing speed so you may be able to dominate the game single handly.
If you never used a mechanical keyboard and looking for a keyboard having blue switches, I strictly suggest you don’t go with blue switches as it will not suit your hand initially due to a strong tactile bump.
The chances of error typing are comparatively less in Blue switches, this is the positive side associated with these switches which are good for a typist or typewriter.
2. Loud Clicky Noise
As you are a hardcore gamer you will certainly know how feasible communication with your teammates plays a vital role in dominating the game.
In this scenario, Blue switches are not perfectly suited due to their loud clicky sound profile which some users don’t like while playing games.
While talking to your teammates through the mic may get distracted if someone is using the Blue switches keyboard in your group. A clicky sound from the keyboard may also irritate you if you cant hear your teammates’ voices properly.
Because of this reason Blue switches are not recommended by gaming professionals, especially for battle-royale, multiplayer and fast-paced games where communication is a must thing throughout the game.
Although Blue switches are not perfect for gaming doesn’t mean you can not use them at all.
Apart from this genre of games like battle royale, Blue switches can be used for single-player games as well as mouse-oriented games too.
Some games required a fast keystrokes movement while some games like Call of Duty required fast mouse movement.
3. Higher Travel Distance
A higher travel distance is a third point that goes against the question that ‘are blue switches good for gaming’.
Because blue switches have a slightly higher travel distance compared to linear switches which can impact significantly on your gameplay.
If you have observed while typing on Blue switches as these switches are pretty thick to press and required a little bit more pressure around 60cN for Cherry Blue switches which is comparatively high.
Travel distance is not a major downside for blue switches for gaming but yeah I had to include this point in the list so you may aware of this point as well.
Linear switches have an ideal travel distance and can be a good alternative to blue switches.
Here is the video I’m embedding for you so you may get a real feel and better understanding of are blue switches good for gaming?
Source: Paradoxian
What Are the Best Switches for Gaming?
Above we have discussed why Blue switches are not perfect for gaming so probably the question arises in your mind, What are the best switches for gaming?
Or what makes switches perfect gaming switches.
The best switches for gaming is ‘Linear switches’
Because these linear switches are stand out on all technical benchmarks that are required for a perfect gaming switch.
Linear switches are the best match for gaming due to their express fast, smooth, and consistence typing character as well as efficient and consistence actuation will give you more control over the switches compared to Clicky Blue switches.
Linear switches are light switches equipped with light actuation force that allows fast typing along with good consistency.
Linear switches are best known to provide a quieter sound profile that produces a deep and rich sound during typing, this is the most positive point that goes in favor of Linear switches.
While playing multiplayer games there will not be going to be any problem with using these switches.
If you will ask me which switches are among the best in linear switch profile? I would certainly suggest you check out Red, Black, and Yellow switches.
My personal recommendation will be Speed Switches (From Cherry and Gateron) because these speed switches are dedicatedly made for the gaming commuinty.
The Cherry speed switches are equipped with tremendous functionalities. Shorter, fast, and consistence actuation, fast response time and ideal travel distance are well enough to provide an excellent gaming experience to a user.
These switches are truly justified by their name that is ‘Speed switches’.
In terms of performance no one can beat Corsair K95 RBG Mechanical Keyboard with Cherry Speed Silver Switches:
Bestseller No. 1
- ✅Per-key RGB backlighting and a 19-zone LightEdge …
- ✅Tuned for low noise operation…
- ✅ Gain an in-game advantage with six dedicated macro keys
- ✅1.2 millimeter actuation and proven reliability with 100 million keystrokes.
Here is the best Economical Red Switches Womier K66 Mechanical Keyboard I have sorted for you.
Bestseller No. 1
- ✅【Womier K66 Compact Mechanical Keyboard+ Type-C cable USB3.1】 …
- ✅【HOT-Swappable Gaming Keyboard】
- ✅【Amazing RGB Gaming Keyboard + Drive Free Setting
- ✅【PMMA Acrylic Material White Mechanical Keyboard
Pros and Cons of Blue Switches
Look Blue switches are excellent switches that perform really well in all technical benchmarks for typing and day-to-day working segments.
But if you ask me ‘are blue switches good for gaming’ then you already know why I do not recommend these switches for gaming purposes.
You will be surprised to know many people love the clicky loud sound from the blue switches and they specially buy them for their clicky sound.
But for some user who works in the office and lives in a central apartment where silence is the most priority they can’t purchase blue switches because of their loud and clicky sound profile.
For your better understanding, I broke down these switches in Pros and Cons so take a look at the table:
Pros
- Error-free typing experience due to strong tactile bump.
- Clicky Feel
- Strong actuation and Operating force (Good for typing)
- A stronghold over the keys.
Cons
- Not suitable for fast-paced games.
- Too noisy during gameplay.
- Rapid succession on each keystroke can create button-mashing due to a strong tactile bump.
What Switches To Avoid For Competitive Gaming
For Competitive gaming, you must need excellent switches which offer super-fast response time, consistent actuation without failure along with fast and smooth typing.
Switches that lack all these functionalities should be avoided while purchasing mechanical switches for competitive gaming.
As we have come to know Clicky Blue switches are not that good for gaming, apart from Green switches should also be avoided because of their Clicky switch profile.
The switches that come with a big tactile bump like brown, clear, and oranges must be ignored for gaming purposes because they usually resist smooth and consistent actuation while typing.
Although these switches are good for typing professionals as they are helpful in typing by avoiding errors.
Linear switches are way ahead and perfectly suitable in terms of technical specifications for gaming purposes.
For gaming always try to opt for a switch that comes without clicky and loud sound along with no tactile bump.
Are Red Switches Good for Gaming?
As far as the Linear switches are concerned, Red switches are the most preferred switches among them because of certain reasons.
The most important reason for opting for red switches by gaming lovers is because of their price which is very economical compared to some other gaming switches like Cherry Speed Silver.
Along with red switches generally occupying very less weight on the board means you don’t need much pressure to type on them as red switches are very light switches. Actuation is also very fast, consistent, and accurate as well as they are very quiet and smooth while typing.
Being a linear switch, red switches offer a fast response time which is mostly required in a gaming switch, because of all these reasons, yeah Red switches are good for gaming.
You can certainly buy red switches for your mechanical keyboard for playing games and day-to-day activities as well.
Are Brown Switches Good For Gaming?
Brown switches are a tactile type of switch that has a tactile bump over top of it which slightly reduces typing speed and consistent actuation so you may stay a nanosecond after successfully keystrokes confirmation.
Although Brown switches produce balanced sound neither too loud nor too noisy, in that department they can be considered for gaming as they are not going to disturb you with their clicky sound.
Overall in terms of gaming, Brown switches are a mediocre performer.
This totally comes down to user preference as some people are comfortable with a tactile bump while some people are not.
We do not recommend tactile switches for gaming but in the case of brown switches, they are exceptionally good in terms of sound and in tactility as well which is slightly light.
If you are habitual of using brown switches you can consider them for gaming but if you are a fresher and never used them I recommend you to go with Linear switches to fulfill your gaming requirements.
Conclusion
Let’s conclude this post on ‘are blue switches good for gaming?’
As we have seen Blue switches are not that great for gaming especially multiplayer and battle-royale games due to their loud and clicky sound profile that may create a disturbance while talking with your teammates.
When you are playing games, you need fast, smooth, and consistent actuation from your mechanical switches but with the blue switches, there is some uncertainty which resists me to recommend these switches for gaming.
If you truly want a gaming dominating switch, you can go with Speed Switches from Cherry and Gaterons.
Or If you want a value-for-money gaming switch that comes at a good price you should look for Red Switches from Cherry, Gateron, and Kailh switches.
Both switches are excellent and they will certainly improve your gaming experience.
Start using Linear switches on your keyboard trust me you will gonna love it!!
I hope this post was helpful to you.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers!!
FAQs On 'Are Blue Switches Good For Gaming?'
Are blue or red switches better for gaming?
The blue switches have strong tactile feedback which is not considered good for gaming purposes as well as loud clicky noise can distract you in multiplayer games, however, Red switches are the clear winner here in terms of gaming due to their smooth, light, and consistence actuation with quiet sound profile. So you can go with the red switches.
What switch color is best for gaming?
For gaming, Red color switches are the best switches due to their linear switch profile which provides you with super-fast response time, consistent actuation, and they don't require too much pressure from a user while typing.
are blue switches good for typing?
Blue switches have many functionalities and characters like they required more force to register a keystroke which helps to avoid error and certainly makes them good switches for typing, but for gaming, they are not that perfect.