Regardless of how you feel about RGB lighting, gaming and outrageously bright LED lights are practically synonymous. Whether you’re looking for a free-standing solution or just need some accent lighting for your next stream, we’ve rounded up some suggestions for lighting kits that’ll help you advertise your gamer credentials to the world.
While some peripheral manufacturers like Corsair and Razer make their own versions of standalone RGB lighting kits, their iCue and Synapse software suites are also compatible with more readily available (and less expensive) lighting systems. For instance, Razer’s Synapse software features extensions that allow your desktop to talk to lighting accessories from LIFX, Philips Hue, Govee, Nanoleaf, and more. However, not all accessories from certain manufacturers will be compatible.
Below we’ve rounded up a variety of different lighting solutions, along with where you can find them and how you can get them working with your gaming setup.
The single largest option on our list, a pair of Govee LED floor lamps can bathe an entire room in RGB lighting. The 54-inch tall vertical light strip can connect with your desktop or mobile device via 2.4 GHz or Bluetooth, and it is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant if you’re looking to bundle it with an existing home automation hub. Without pairing the floor lamp to any third-party lighting software, it still has 58 built-in lighting themes and can sync its lighting to music playback on your phone. The Govee LED floor lamp is currently available from Amazon for $69.99, or it can be purchased directly from Govee for $64.99.
The Govee Glide RGBIC lighting kit is one of the most elegant RGB lighting applications currently available. Instead of exposed LEDs, the Govee Glide is composed of rigid, interlocking 12-inch sections that are covered to provide a more even and diffused lighting solution. The straight sections can also be joined with corner pieces to create more elaborate designs. The basic kit comes with six straight sections of lighting and a single corner piece and can be found at Amazon or Govee for $89.99, but larger kits with additional pieces are also available.
The Logitech Litra Beam LX is an extremely versatile lighting solution that’s compatible with the Logitech G software suite. The 15.7-inch double-sided light bar features RGB lighting on one side, while the other offers diffused white light that can be adjusted to different temperatures using either the Logitech software or the buttons built into the top. The Litra Beam LX comes packaged with a highly adjustable freestanding base that allows the light bar to be oriented laterally or vertically, but it also features a small threaded mount so it can be attached to a boom arm or similar third-party solution. The Litra Beam LX is available for $128.99 from Amazon and Walmart, or $134.99 from Best Buy.
The latest addition to Govee’s lineup of interlocking lighting panels, the Glide Hexagon Ultra Light Panels are their most expensive and most impressive option to date. Each panel features a total of 129 individual LEDs, which allows for a wider variety of lighting themes and greater customization. While each individual panel is a hexagon, the Y-shaped indentation in the center divides each six-sided panel into three sections, giving them the appearance of a cube and adding some extra dimension. The Ultra Light Panels are available in either white or gray and come in packs of 10, which are available from Amazon and Govee for $349.99.
Unlike the other options on our list, the Elgato Key Light Air doesn’t feature RGB lighting. Instead, the Elgato Key Light Air is designed to provide an easily adjustable source of white light at different temperatures for streaming or photography. This eliminates harsh shadows and ensures that every side is your good side. The Key Light Air comes packaged with a highly adjustable freestanding base, but its ball-and-socket mount can also be used with a variety of third-party boom arms or other mounting solutions.
While the Key Light Air can be used alone, it can also be used in tandem with other Elgato lighting systems and controlled remotely via the Elgato mobile app or using any of Elgato’s Stream Deck accessories. The Key Light Air is available from Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo for $129.99.
If you want your lighting to reflect on-screen action, there are plenty of solutions for desktop gamers. Software suites from Razer, Logitech, and Corsair can sample a portion of your monitor in real time and adjust any connected lighting to match. But what if you wanted that same functionality for console gaming or just watching movies? That’s where options like the Govee T1 Pro Backlight come in.
The T1 Pro is a system composed of a small camera that attaches to a hub that connects with a pair of free-standing light bars and a 150-inch light strip that can be fixed to the back of your TV. The downward-facing camera sits perched on top of your screen and adjusts the attached lighting to match what it sees. While this system is optimally designed for screens between 55 and 65 inches, the T1 Pro will attempt to emulate the on-screen palette of whatever you place it on. You can currently pick up the T1 Pro from Amazon and Govee for around $90.
Govee lightbulbs are a great way to transform any desk lamp or other generic lighting into addressable RGB lighting that can integrate with Razer Synapse or Corsair iCue software suites in addition to Alexa and Google Home automation hubs. While similar options are available from LIFX, Philips Hue, and other smart lighting manufacturers, Govee lightbulbs are consistently the most affordable and offer features similar to those of their more expensive counterparts. Right now, single Govee lightbulbs are available from Amazon for $12.99 but can also be purchased in bundles of up to six if you need a more extensive solution.
The Govee RGBIC Gaming Light Bars are a pair of modestly sized, desktop-mounted 16.7-inch vertical light bars that can be adjusted using either the Govee app, a desktop software suite, or the included lighting dial. Fully compatible with Corsair iCue or Razer Synapse, the RGBIC Light Bars can also be synced up with an available audio stream independently of third-party software, making them equally at home either tethered to your desktop or used as a standalone lighting solution. If you’d like to add the RGBIC Gaming Light Bars to your setup, they’re currently available for $69.99 from Amazon or $73.99 from Govee.
