The best DPI for gaming: what it changes, and how to pick yours
No DPI makes you aim better. DPI is how many counts the mouse sends for each inch you move it, and the game multiplies those counts by its sensitivity, so 400 DPI at sensitivity 2 turns exactly as far as 800 DPI at sensitivity 1. What your aim feels is the product, called eDPI, and the mouse distance for a full turn. Pick a DPI that feels right on your desktop, then set the turn speed with the game's sensitivity.
One inch of mouse travel, two DPI settings
What DPI is
DPI, also written CPI (counts per inch), is how many movement counts the mouse's sensor reports for each inch it travels. You set it in the mouse's own software, for example in Logitech G HUB under the mouse's Sensitivity (DPI) tab, or with a DPI button on the mouse. Sensitivity is a separate setting in each game that multiplies those counts. Both together set how far the view turns, which is why the eDPI calculator multiplies them.
Same aim, three ways
Team Fortress 2 is the one game whose developer publishes how far one count turns the view, so the numbers below are exact for it. Each row has the same eDPI of 800.
| DPI | Sensitivity | eDPI | One count turns | Mouse travel for a full turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 | 2 | 800 | 0.044° | 52.0 cm |
| 800 | 1 | 800 | 0.022° | 52.0 cm |
| 1600 | 0.5 | 800 | 0.011° | 52.0 cm |
The full turn is the same in every row; only the smallest step changes. A higher DPI with a lower sensitivity makes each step finer, which can help tiny corrections when your sensitivity is very high. It does not make your aim faster or more accurate on its own.
How to pick your DPI
- Choose a DPI where the desktop pointer feels easy to control with Windows' pointer speed left at its middle setting.
- In each game, set the sensitivity so a full turn takes a mouse distance you can make comfortably, from the arm for big turns and the wrist for small ones.
- Keep that DPI. Changing it changes every game at once, so if you do, adjust each game's sensitivity as shown below.
- Compare settings fairly: play the same aim trainer drill five times on each and look at your average, not your best run.
Changing DPI without losing your aim
To keep the same turn after a DPI change, keep the eDPI the same:
new sensitivity = old sensitivity × old DPI ÷ new DPI
Going from 800 to 1,600 DPI with a sensitivity of 0.4, set 0.4 × 800 ÷ 1,600 = 0.2. Round to the step the game's setting allows; the per-game eDPI calculators suggest the number for you.
Windows pointer speed and acceleration
Games that use raw input take the counts straight from the mouse, which Microsoft describes as data read directly from the device, before Windows applies pointer acceleration. On the desktop and in games that use the Windows pointer, the Mouse pointer speed setting and Enhance pointer precision still apply. Enhance pointer precision is pointer acceleration: a fast move goes further than a slow one. If you want the same hand movement to always travel the same distance, turn it off (how to turn it off).
Want to know whether your mouse really sends the DPI it is set to? Measure it with the mouse DPI test.
Want to know whether your eDPI is low or high in your game? Use the calculator for Valorant, CS2, Fortnite, Apex Legends or Overwatch 2. Not sure how to hold the mouse? See mouse grips compared.
Sources: Valve, Source SDK 2013, m_yaw 0.022; Logitech, G HUB: remove and create DPI speeds; Microsoft, Taking advantage of high-definition mouse movement and Change mouse settings.