These are the best smart lights for gaming

Bulbs for your lamps

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance

Staff pick

If you don’t already have an elaborate smart lighting rig, why not start simple with a couple of bulbs? The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance kit comes with two bulbs that connect directly to Wi-Fi, no hub needed. Philips Hue partners with gaming brands like Razer so that your lights can match the changing colors of your Chroma-powered peripherals.

$90 at Amazon $90 at Best Buy

Ambient glow

Philips Hue Light Strip

Just like the light bulbs, Philips Hue’s LightStrip Plus can connect with Razer Chroma devices like Razer’s RGB gaming mice and keyboards and match their colors to give a unique ambience to your room. You can stick the LightStrip to the bottom or edges of your desk, the trim along your walls, or anywhere else that might look interesting with a colored glow!

$90 at Amazon $80 at Best Buy

Light up your wall

Philips Hue Play Light Bar

Maybe you prefer shining colored lights onto your wall instead of emitting them from a lamp or from the back of your desk. The Hue Play light bar is yet another smart light system from Philips Hue that comes in a pack of two and sits tilted on your desk to shine light onto your wall — it works especially well with both lights pointed behind your computer monitor.

$130 at Amazon $130 at Best Buy

Lighting panels

Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition Smarter Kit

Though Nanoleaf’s standard kit isn’t properly equipped for gaming, the Rhythm Edition kit includes a sound module that listens for music and features a specialized game mode that reacts to various in-game sounds. Like Philips Hue, Nanoleaf works with Razer Chroma, along with Cooler Master, to color match with your gaming peripherals.

$180 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy {.cta .shop.nofollow}

Another light strip

LIFX Z Strip

The LIFX Z Strip is a long strip of dimmable LED lights that gets even brighter than the Philips Hue Light Strip. You can control it with your phone and select from any of LIFX’s preset themes or create your own, and the Z Strip ties in with Razer Chroma as well.

$90 at Amazon $100 at Best Buy

Colored fans

Nzxt AER RGB 2

While you’re lighting up the setup around your gaming rig, why not colorize your computer tower itself? The 120mm RBG 2 fan from Nzxt comes in a two-pack and keeps your computer cool — in both senses of the word. You can daisy chain multiple fans together to create different lighting effects.

$28 at Amazon