Should You Use Them for Gaming? 

Mechanical keyboards are undoubtedly better than membrane keyboards for just about anything, including games. However, not all mechanical keyboards are equal, as they’re designed for different purposes. For instance, blue switches are primarily for typing, so should you get them for gaming?

Blue Switches Slow You Down

As you probably already know, there are hundreds of different mechanical keyboard switches from various manufacturers on the market, and most of them use some sort of color coding to differentiate the models. Cherry MX is the mainstream brand that others follow, so I’ll primarily refer to their switches when talking about different colors.

Blue switches are “tactile,” which means you’ll feel a small bump when you get to the actuation point at around 2.2mm, compared to linear switches that feel the same from top to bottom as the key travels.

Blue switches are also “clicky” because they have a white part underneath the blue stem, which literally drops at the actuation point and makes a sound. This is essentially acoustic feedback to let you know you’ve pressed the key. As the key goes back up, the white part follows. Typists love the satisfying click sound, and it can even improve typing accuracy.

The main issue with this mechanism is that you can’t quickly double-tap because you have to wait for the white part to reset. It’s not a big deal in casual single-player games that don’t require quick inputs. However, in fast-paced multiplayer games and especially MOBAs like ‘League of Legends,’ blue switches will slow you down significantly.

For instance, if a spell is on cooldown, and you mash the key to cast it the moment it’s available, a blue switch can’t respond to your fast inputs. This can make the difference between winning or losing a team fight.

In addition to the mechanism, blue switches have a relatively high actuation force of 60 cN (centinewtons), which tells you how much you have to press the key to activate it. In contrast, red switches actuate at 45 cN, meaning they’re much easier to tap. Those are some of the main reasons why pro gamers typically use linear, non-clicky switches with low actuation points, such as Speed Silver or optical switches. Check out our list of the best gaming keyboards for more information.

The Clickety-Clack Gets Old Fast

The loud clicks you get while typing are undoubtedly satisfying, especially when you first start using the keyboard. However, they also make a lot of noise that can keep your family members awake at night, making gaming in the early hours even more cumbersome than it already is.

I briefly owned a keyboard with Cherry MX Blues, and I got constant complaints from family members in the other room who were trying to sleep. That’s why I opted for brown switches. Unless you live alone or don’t use your computer at night, you shouldn’t opt for blue switches. Not to mention that you’ll probably get sick of hearing the constant noise if you’re not a true blue switch enthusiast.

Get Browns to Get the Best of Both Worlds

If your question is, “can you play games on blue switches?” The answer is a definite yes. They’ll work just fine and will probably feel more satisfying to use than a membrane keyboard. However, they’re far from perfect, as they physically can’t be double-tapped as quickly as linear and tactile switches.

If you want to maintain some form of tactile feedback to help with typing and have a half-decent gaming keyboard, I strongly recommend brown or equivalent switches. A keyboard you can’t go wrong with is the Keychron K2 Version with Gateron G Pro Brown switches. You’ll feel a small bump when the key gets activated, but it won’t slow you down in games. Typing is just as satisfying, and you won’t have to deal with complaints from family members about the noise.