Yes, some high-level players use or have used mouse acceleration. Quake Champions settings records list nonzero acceleration values for players including clawz, Cooller, cYpheR, dooi, k1llsen, HELL_UK and RASIY. That proves documented examples, not that every listed player still uses those settings or that acceleration is common among professionals.
No reliable source establishes a current percentage of professional players who use mouse accel. A 2025 preliminary survey found that 3 of 17 serious gamers reported using an acceleration pointing transfer function, but the group included only one current professional athlete and two trainees. Its 17.6% figure is therefore a serious-gamer sample result, not a professional-player prevalence rate.
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What mouse acceleration changes
With fixed sensitivity, the same physical mouse distance produces the same crosshair movement regardless of how quickly you move the mouse. Acceleration makes that relationship speed-dependent: a fast swipe can move the view farther than a slow movement over the same distance.
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Acceleration is different from simply changing DPI or in-game sensitivity. DPI and a fixed sensitivity normally preserve a constant conversion from hand movement to screen movement. Acceleration changes that conversion according to movement speed.
Documented examples of players using it
Quake Champions settings records
A community-maintained Quake Champions player-settings database contains an “Accel” field with explicit nonzero values for several named players. Examples include:
| Player | Recorded acceleration value |
|---|---|
| clawz | 0.17 |
| Cooller | 0.01 |
| cYpheR | 0.01 |
| dooi | 0.05 |
| k1llsen | 0.06 |
The same database includes other players, including HELL_UK and RASIY, with nonzero acceleration entries. These records are useful affirmative examples because they identify an acceleration value rather than merely listing DPI and sensitivity. They are not a representative survey: the database is community-maintained, entries can become outdated, and a listed setting does not prove what a player uses in every current match.
A separate Quake Live settings database includes an acceleration field, with some current entries showing a dash in that field. That illustrates how settings vary by title and player; it cannot be converted into a professional-use percentage.
Evidence connected with VALORANT
Secondary coverage has discussed Raw Accel settings attributed to VALORANT player TenZ. This shows that custom acceleration is part of the game’s settings conversation, but the report does not independently verify his current tournament configuration. Treat it as time-sensitive reporting about an attributed setup, not proof of present-day professional use.
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Standard VALORANT settings pages often list mouse model, DPI, polling rate, in-game sensitivity and equipment without mentioning acceleration. Omission is not confirmation that acceleration is disabled. Unless a player, team or reliable primary record explicitly identifies the operating-system or driver setting, the absence of an “accel” line is simply silent.
What the 2025 survey can—and cannot—tell you
Munj Kim and colleagues reported a preliminary survey of 17 serious gamers in a 2025 paper. Twelve respondents played FPS games and five played MOBAs. One respondent was a current professional esports athlete and two were trainees aiming for a professional debut. Three respondents said they used an acceleration pointing transfer function, equal to 17.6% of that small group.
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The authors characterize acceleration as hardly used in their sample. Because the participants were recruited through a local esports academy, the sample is neither random nor large enough to estimate the behavior of professional players worldwide. In particular, 3 of 17 does not mean 17.6% of esports professionals use mouse accel. The study measured self-reported use, not match performance, win rate or whether a particular curve improves aim.
Why a player might prefer acceleration
Fine control and broad turns in one profile
A low fixed sensitivity can make tiny corrections predictable, but it may require a large arm movement for a 180-degree turn. An acceleration curve offers a different compromise: slow hand motion can support precision while a fast sweep produces more screen movement. For a player who can reproduce both speeds consistently, that can reduce the conflict between close-range tracking and rapid turns.
Less dependence on a very large physical range
Low fixed sensitivity often benefits from a large mousepad and enough desk space to complete wide swipes. Acceleration can provide extra turn range without raising the slow-movement sensitivity as much. A large pad remains useful for fixed low sensitivity, but it is not required to install or use acceleration.
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Personal motor learning
Some players simply adapt well to a nonlinear response. Once the curve is learned, they may perceive separate speed bands as intentional controls: a slow band for precision and a fast band for repositioning. That is a personal skill preference, not evidence that the curve is objectively superior.
Why constant sensitivity remains common
The 2025 paper describes constant gain as the common approach in competitive FPS play because the same hand displacement produces the same camera displacement. That repeatability supports muscle memory and makes a practiced movement easier to reproduce under pressure.
Acceleration introduces another variable: movement speed affects the result. Two swipes with the same physical length can end at different angles if one is faster. Players who value a straightforward, easily calibrated mapping may judge that trade-off undesirable, especially when changing mouse CPI or polling conditions can disturb a nonlinear curve.
Neither approach guarantees better aim. The available evidence does not establish a universal performance advantage for fixed sensitivity or acceleration, and no cited study measures a reliable competitive benefit from a specific curve.
Three different kinds of “mouse accel”
Discussions often combine settings that operate at different layers. Separate them before interpreting a player’s configuration.
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Operating-system pointer acceleration
Windows can apply pointer acceleration to cursor movement through its mouse settings. A report that a player uses a custom curve does not establish that Windows “Enhance pointer precision” is enabled, disabled or relevant to the game’s input path.
Game-level acceleration
A game can expose its own acceleration option or apply a title-specific response. Such a setting is independent of the operating system’s desktop pointer option and may behave differently with raw input.
Driver-level acceleration
Raw Accel is a Windows 10 and Windows 11 x86-64 driver that applies configurable acceleration in the raw input stream. Its official project description uses that wording. Installing or configuring the driver therefore changes the input pipeline rather than merely changing an in-game sensitivity number.
A normal DPI-and-sensitivity profile does not reveal which of these layers is active. A player’s acceleration status must be confirmed at the relevant layer.
Is there a known percentage of professional players?
No. The available material supplies examples and a small survey, but not a current, representative count of professional players. The Quake database is a settings collection rather than a census. The 2025 survey has 17 serious gamers and only one current professional athlete. Settings pages that omit acceleration cannot be treated as “off” records.
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The most defensible answer to “What percentage of pros use mouse accel?” is therefore that the percentage is unknown. You can say that documented high-level users exist and that a small serious-gamer sample reported some use, but you cannot turn either fact into an esports-wide rate.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to test acceleration without copying a pro
Use a controlled comparison rather than importing someone else’s numbers. A player’s hand size, pad dimensions, mouse sensor, game, resolution and practiced sensitivity all affect the result.
- Record your baseline. Write down mouse DPI or CPI, polling rate, in-game sensitivity, field of view, resolution and any operating-system pointer setting. Keep a copy of your current configuration so you can restore it.
- Choose one input path. Decide whether you are testing a game option or a driver such as Raw Accel. Do not change the operating-system setting, DPI, game sensitivity and curve at the same time.
- Start conservatively. Use a modest curve and retain enough low-speed control to make small corrections. The goal of the first session is to learn the response, not to maximize turn speed.
- Use repeatable drills. Test a fixed-distance flick, a slow tracking exercise and a rapid 180-degree turn. Repeat each task at similar hand speeds and note whether the crosshair stops where expected.
- Practice before judging. Acceleration adds a learned speed-to-distance relationship. Evaluate after enough sessions to adapt, not after a few minutes of unfamiliar movement.
- Change one parameter at a time. If the curve feels too slow or too volatile, adjust its gain or shape while leaving DPI and game sensitivity unchanged. Record every revision.
- Compare against the baseline. Use the same drills, map, frame-rate conditions and physical setup. Look for consistency across slow corrections and fast turns rather than a single impressive flick.
- Remove it cleanly if needed. Restore the recorded baseline and disable or uninstall the tested acceleration layer according to its documentation. Confirm that the game is receiving the intended input afterward.
Guides discussing Raw Accel, including coverage of settings associated with TenZ, caution against blindly copying another player’s values. That advice matters because a curve that suits one person’s movement speed and pad space may feel unusable to another.
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Whether acceleration feels good is separate from whether a tournament permits the software that applies it. Rules can differ by game, organizer and event, so check the current regulations for the specific competition before relying on a driver. Do not assume that a setting accepted in one title or event is automatically allowed elsewhere.
Also verify the technical path. Some games use raw mouse input, while other settings affect the desktop cursor or a translated input layer. A curve that works on the Windows desktop may not affect a game using a separate raw-input path, and a driver-level change may behave differently after an update. Test in the actual game and confirm that the intended setting is active.
Common mistakes when interpreting pro settings
- Equating a nonzero database entry with current use: archived or community-maintained settings can lag behind a player’s present setup.
- Calling 17.6% a pro statistic: it is 3 of 17 serious gamers in a preliminary 2025 survey.
- Assuming omission means disabled: most settings tables prioritize DPI, sensitivity and hardware, not every input-layer option.
- Confusing DPI with acceleration: DPI changes the scale; acceleration changes the scale according to movement speed.
- Copying a famous curve unchanged: the same numerical values can feel different with another sensor, polling rate, pad, field of view or hand technique.
- Assuming better performance: no cited evidence demonstrates that acceleration universally improves competitive results.
What can be stated with confidence
High-level players have used mouse acceleration, with explicit Quake Champions examples and additional reported interest in VALORANT settings. Fixed sensitivity remains common because its constant gain is easy to repeat and calibrate. Acceleration can offer a practical blend of slow precision and fast turn range, but it demands learning and careful consistency checks.
The evidence does not support a current percentage for professional players, a claim that any named player still uses a listed value, or a universal recommendation. Treat mouse accel as an individual control preference: establish a baseline, change one variable, practice deliberately and verify event rules before competing.
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