Ever since the original GMMK launched a few years ago, Glorious PC Gaming Race has been marketing itself to keyboard and mouse enthusiasts. At the time, the GMMK v1 offered novel features at an excellent price point, and for just $10 more, the company has somehow managed to squeeze out an updated version in 2022 that is objectively superior in almost every way; that is, unless you want a 100% or TKL version. By going with 65% and 96%, Glorious hopes to distinguish the GMMK 2 from the vast majority of keyboards on the market that have since taken on the modular aspect by offering hot-swappable switches. In return, we get multiple colors and layout support that will no doubt please many. I also fully understand why the company chose to debut its new branding exercise with the launch of the GMMK 2—this is a major release for the company since it tries to cut ties with any of the mixed feelings the Glorious PC Gaming Race moniker may have evoked.

This review talks specifically about the GMMK 2 Compact TKL (65%), but for those interested, the GMMK 2 Full Size (96%) is discussed separately here. It would be fair to say that I am happy with this 65% keyboard, though I do prefer more typical 68-key offerings rather than this 67-key version. Glorious has given users what they have asked for since the GMMK PRO was barely teased, with a 5-pin hot-swap socket and QMK/VIA support sharing those honors. The former increases native support with the vast majority of all switches on the market today, and the latter introduces open-source firmware support for extensive user control over the keys and onboard LEDs, including the side lighting. The first-party Glorious Core software experience has also improved since I last checked it out; however, it still needs some polishing before it is moved from the cons to the pros list above.

At $80 for the barebones kit, the GMMK 2 is an excellent offering for those wanting to dive into their first keyboard build. But the pre-built edition at $120 is what I see selling more since the specific combination of aluminium frame, steel weights, foam sheet, pre-lubed switches and stabilizers, and ABS doubleshot keycaps makes for a very good alternative to the typical mainstream offerings long since priced out of this bracket. Build quality is quite good to begin with, and going with a pre-lubed linear switch is a decent compromise if there had to be one. Sure, hybrid wireless connectivity would have been nice, but the overall feature set is impressive enough to merit a recommendation. Now you just need to decide whether you want the 65% or 96% version, or perhaps even both.