BEST GAMING LAPTOPS

Please make sure you read our quick Before You Buy guide before picking a gaming PC, so that you can make a well-informed decision.

Unlike gaming desktops, gaming laptops are by necessity more expensive given similar specs (it is harder to pack power and an efficient cooling system inside a smaller PC). So, viable options are typically close to $2,000 or more.

Also remember that while RAM can generally be easily upgraded in a laptop (unless it’s LPDDR5X), other components such as CPU and GPU can’t, so choose wisely.

An important thing to know about laptop GPUs is that while these can share the same name with their desktop counterparts, they typically pack a smaller amount of VRAM (among other things) and so they are not as powerful. For instance, a laptop NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4090 has only 16 GB of VRAM compared to the 24 GB of the desktop version, and is roughly equivalent to an NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4080 desktop GPU.

Storage drives are also an important factor to consider, because they can be challenging or impossible to upgrade. While some laptops have a spare M.2 connection to fit an additional SSD drive, this is not always the case.

If we consider the recent trend of AAA games requiring 100 GB or more to install, we warmly advise against buying a laptop with less than 1 TB of storage space.

Regarding screen size, larger displays (17” and 18″) look great but they will increase the weight of your laptop. So please consider this carefully if you plan to carry your laptop around a lot.

You can find some general information about display sizes, resolutions, refresh rates and more on our page devoted to standalone monitors, since many of these concepts are the same for laptop displays.

One final consideration is about Wi-Fi connectivity. Until recently the widespread standard was Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), but now the much faster Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) has made its debut and is slowly replacing the old protocol in most recent laptops. If you want to future-proof your purchase, then make sure that your laptop is Wi-Fi 7 ready.

Below is a list of what we consider some of the best gaming laptops ordered by increasing price (prices are in US$ and may vary depending on current promotions and availability). Please make sure that you also check our regularly updated News & Deals section for limited-time offers.

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora (Intel, RTX 5070)

($2,099.99 on Dell.com)

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 cores, up to 5.4 GHz)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (8 GB GDDR7)
RAM: 32 GB (2×16 GB) DDR5 5600 MHz
Storage: 2TB SSD (M.2, PCIe NVMe)
Display: 16″ QHD+ (2560×1600) 240Hz
Camera: 1080p (FHD) RGB+IR
Weight: 5.66 lb (2.57 kg), can vary with customization
Misc: Wi-Fi 7, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x 1 USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1

A good laptop with everything you need to game like a pro wherever you go without breaking the bank. It has a beautiful 16” QHD+ display and is Wi-Fi 7 ready. On the down side, the RTX 5070 only has 8 GB of dedicated memory, so it may struggle in the most graphically demanding games on high settings unless DLSS is enabled.

MSI Vector 16 HX AI (Intel, RTX 5080)

($2,999.99 on msi.com)

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 cores, up to 5.4 GHz)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (16 GB GDDR7)
RAM: 32 GB (2×16 GB) DDR5 5600 MHz
Storage: 2 TB SSD (M.2, NVMe Gen4x4)
Display: 16″ QHD+ (2560×1600), 240 Hz
Camera: 1080p (FHD) RGB+IR
Weight: 5.95 lbs (2.7 kg)
Misc: Wi-Fi 7, 2x Thunderbolt 5, 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD-card reader

A beast of a laptop, equipped with top-notch CPU and one of the most powerful GPUs, plenty of storage, RAM, and a QHD+ display, all at a very competitive price. This laptop is Wi-Fi 7 ready.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 (Intel, RTX 5080)

($3,559.99 on lenovo.com)

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 cores, up to 5.4 GHz)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (16 GB GDDR7)
RAM: 32 GB (2×16 GB) DDR5 6400 MHz
Storage: 1 TB SSD (M.2, 2280 PCIe Gen5 Performance TLC)
Display: 16″ QHD+ (2560×1600), OLED, 240 Hz
Camera: 5MP (2560×1920)
Weight: 5.67 lbs (2.57 kg)
Misc: Wi-Fi 7, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (with power delivery and DisplayPort), 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1

A superb gaming laptop, pricey, but it packs everything you need to run the latest titles smoothly on the go. It has a QHD+ OLED display for optimal contrast and vivid colors. This laptop also comes with a generous amount of very fast RAM (32 GB, 6400 MHz) and is Wi-Fi 7 ready.

Dell Alienware 16 Area-51 (Intel, RTX 5090)

($4599.99 on Dell.com)

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 cores, up to 5.4 GHz)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (24 GB GDDR7)
RAM: 32 GB (2×16 GB) DDR5 7200 MHz
Storage: 2 TB SSD (M.2, NVMe PCIe Gen5)
Display: 16″ QHD+ (2560×1600), 240 Hz
Camera: 4K (UHD)
Weight: 7.49 lbs (3.4 kg)
Misc: Wi-Fi 7, 2x Thunderbolt 5, 3x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD-card reader

This gaming laptop is one of the best Dell has to offer to people who favor portability. This 16″ laptop packs a lot of power with its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, and one of the fastest RAM available on the market (7200 MHz). The 4K camera adds extra quality to a very solid laptop, which also comes with two Thunderbolt 5 ports and is Wi-Fi 7 ready. This laptop can be customized with a less powerful GPU (e.g. RTX 5080 or RTX 5070 Ti) for people on a budget.

Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (Intel, RTX 5090)

($5,199.99 on Dell.com)

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 cores, up to 5.4 GHz)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (24 GB GDDR7)
RAM: 64 GB (2×32 GB) DDR5 6400 MHz
Storage: 2 TB SSD (M.2, NVMe PCIe Gen5)
Display: 18″ QHD+ (2560×1600), 300 Hz
Camera: 1080p (FHD) RGB + IR
Weight: 9.56 lbs (4.34 kg)
Misc: Wi-Fi 7, 2x Thunderbolt 5, 3x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (one with PowerShare), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD-card reader

This is the laptop for people who are ready to splurge on a large 18″ screen gaming laptop with enough computing power to run all the most demanding games at the highest settings (and don’t mind the extra weight). This PC features a great CPU coupled with the best graphics card on the market and 64 GB of very fast (6400 MHz) RAM. Storage space is also generous, with a 2 TB Gen5 solid state drive (SSD). This laptop can be customized with a less powerful GPU (e.g. RTX 5080 or RTX 5070 Ti) for people on a budget.