Thick mousepads can cause wrist fatigue.

Yes, they can. For a lot of people, a 4mm foam base lifts your wrist into a slightly extended or angled position that your forearm isn’t used to. That extra degree of extension, held for hours during gaming, puts pressure on the median nerve and the tendons running through the carpal tunnel. Thin pads (2mm) keep your wrist closer to neutral, which is generally more friendly for long sessions.

That said, it’s not universal. If you already have a low chair or you rest your entire forearm on the desk, a thick pad might feel fine because your wrist angle doesn’t change. Some people even like the soft landing for their palm. But if you’re noticing tingling, numbness, or that “tight” feeling after a few hours of Valorant or CS, the first thing I’d try is a thinner pad or a wrist rest that doesn’t actually push your wrist up.

A cheap test: put your current mousepad on a flat surface and see where your wrist naturally sits. If you’re bending it up like a dancer, switch to something thinner. Future wrist is worth the $15 experiment.