Gaming laptops are available numerous styles and sizes, although lots of the heavy hitters stay thick and beefy machines that maximize cooling to get essentially the most out of their highly effective chips. Most are awash in RGB lighting and edgy designs geared in direction of capital-G Avid gamers, however there are additionally thinner, lighter choices which can be extra moveable and fewer showy.
Our go-to advice that checks the packing containers for most individuals is, and has been for some time, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. It’s a gaming laptop computer that doesn’t neglect the “laptop computer” half. The G14 is a flexible machine for each play and work, and it travels exceptionally effectively.
Different nice, although expensive, suggestions embody the large and heavy Asus ROG Strix Scar and Lenovo Legion Professional 7i, or the Razer Blade 16 for many graphics energy in a skinny and modern design.
A very powerful a part of any gaming laptop computer, similar to desktop PCs, is the graphics card. Laptop computer GPUs can’t stack as much as full-size playing cards that attain a lot larger wattage in desktops, however that doesn’t cease the likes of Nvidia from making issues a little bit complicated with the naming scheme on its RTX model of GeForce playing cards. So remember that, for instance, an RTX 5090 laptop computer card doesn’t come wherever close to the efficiency of a desktop 5090. Desktops could at all times win out in uncooked efficiency, however gaming laptops are an easier turnkey answer that may simply go locations (sure, even those that really feel such as you’re toting round a cinderblock).
Much more complicated: the identical GPU in a single laptop computer could not carry out as effectively in one other if it’s throttled by thermal constraints. We attempt to take a look at a variety of gaming laptops, in addition to regular laptops, and these are those we confidently suggest.
What we’re on the lookout for
Our gaming laptop computer testing entails a mixture of artificial benchmarks and experiential testing (taking part in a bunch of graphically-intensive video games). We run benchmark exams like Geekbench, Cinebench, and 3DMark; in addition to in-game ones from titles similar to Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Delusion: Wukong. We additionally use the laptops in our day-to-day work to see how they fare with multitasking productiveness apps and real-world battery life.
A gaming laptop computer is a dear buy, however we wish to make sure you’re getting an excellent, succesful machine for the cash. If it has a super-high price, it ought to provide one thing particular.
Some folks could also be effective with a baseline of 30 frames per second, however we anticipate a gaming laptop computer to attain a smoother 60 fps, or a lot larger, at excessive resolutions.
The upper the decision and better the refresh charge, the higher. Video games look their finest after they’re crisply sharp and buttery easy, so long as the laptop computer’s chips are as much as the duty.
Gaming laptops normally vary from having a handful of ports to being affected by plenty of I/O for exterior displays, a mouse, keyboard, and different equipment. A thinner, extra moveable mannequin could not have as many ports as an enormous desktop alternative, but it surely ought to nonetheless provide way more than one thing like a MacBook.
Some gaming laptops nonetheless begin with a 512GB SSD, however with how massive trendy video games may be, you actually need 1TB or extra. Fortunately, most have user-replaceable drives, so that you’re not restricted to what’s configured from the manufacturing facility. Some even have additional M.2 slots, so including storage is straightforward.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 270, HX 370 / GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 / RAM: 16GB, 32GB / Storage: 1TB / Show: 14-inch OLED, 2880 x 1800, 120Hz, 500 nits / Dimensions: 12.24 x 8.66 x 0.63 to 0.64 inches / Battery: 73Whr / Weight: 3.31 kilos
Asus’s ROG Zephyrus G14 has been a favourite amongst Verge staffers for years now, and it stays our go-to choose for its stability of energy and portability. It may be your full-time gaming machine in addition to your commuter-friendly on a regular basis laptop computer. Asus redesigned it in 2024 and toned down its extra playful aesthetics for a sleeker, refined look, and for 2025 it simply obtained a modest chip bump with RTX 50-series graphics and the power to cost by way of USB-C on both facet (however you continue to want to make use of its proprietary charger for max wattage).
It now begins at $1,799.99 as a substitute of $1,699.99. However you get a little bit extra on your more money since even the bottom Zephyrus G14 comes with a beautiful, high-res OLED show able to a 120Hz refresh charge, and it nonetheless has a terrific keyboard and trackpad. Video games play effectively on excessive settings, although as a result of skinny chassis, the G14 — and even its 16-inch sibling, the Zephyrus G16 — are recognized to get a little bit scorching to the contact, and their followers are fairly noisy.
Zephyrus laptops are by no means going to supply fairly the identical efficiency as a lot thicker fashions, just like the Asus ROG Strix or different chunkers working equal GPUs — they simply don’t have as a lot thermal headroom. However if you need a jack-of-all-trades pocket book that places gaming on the forefront, the G14 (or G16, if you wish to go larger and have the finances) is unlikely to steer you mistaken.
Essentially the most highly effective gaming laptop computer
$4800
The Good
- Prime-tier gaming efficiency in a laptop computer
- 4K Mini LED display screen is very large, appears nice, and will get very vivid
- Mechanical keyboard is loud however feels superior to kind on
The Dangerous
- Astronomically costly
- Battery drains very quick, even throughout common duties
- Followers get loud
- 120Hz refresh is half the pace of cheaper laptops with 2.5K OLEDs
CPU: Intel Core Extremely 9 285HX / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5080, RTX 5090 / RAM: 64GB, 96GB / Storage: 2TB, 6TB / Show: 18-inch Mini LED 4K (3840 x 2400), 120Hz show, 1,000 nits, 100% DCI-P3 / Dimensions: 15.9 x 12.08 x 1.26 inches / Battery: 99.9Whr / Weight: 7.93 kilos
The MSI Titan is your choose if finances isn’t a priority. It begins at a ridiculous $4,799.99 with Intel’s flagship Core Extremely 9 285HX CPU and Nvidia’s second-highest GPU, the RTX 5080. The RTX 5090 configuration prices $5,799.99 or extra with expanded storage and RAM. The Titan pairs these flagship chips with an enormous 18-inch 4K / 120Hz Mini LED display screen that will get extremely vivid, together with 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.
It’s loaded with RGB (together with an illuminated haptic trackpad), a mechanical keyboard by SteelSeries, 5 USB ports (two of that are Thunderbolt 5), and a four-speaker / dual-woofer sound setup. It may possibly sort out most video games you throw at it on extremely settings. The display screen might not be as quick as different laptops with 2.5K / 240Hz panels, however 4K at 18 inches appears so crisp. You must pay out the nostril for this no-holds-barred expertise, however the practically eight-pound behemoth is about as highly effective as laptops get proper now.
Previously, our selection for this tier of laptop computer was Asus’s ROG Strix Scar 17 utilizing certainly one of AMD’s X3D chips. That mannequin was particularly distinctive because it was considerably cheaper (underneath $4,000). Maybe the 18-inch MSI Raider with the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D and RTX 5090 may sway me away from the Titan, however we’ll should strive it out first. (At $5,099.99, the Raider isn’t precisely a finances choose both.)
The perfect mid-to-high-tier gaming laptops for most individuals
$3200
The Good
- Nice graphics efficiency within the newest high-end video games
- A lot of ports and quick access to RAM / SSDs
- Animated lid and wraparound RGB are enjoyable
- Superb QHD / 240Hz Mini LED display screen
The Dangerous
- Typical gaming laptop computer points (expensive, hefty, and never nice battery life)
- Competitors provides OLED screens
- Customizing lid animations is a ache
CPU: Intel Core Extremely 9 275HX / GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 / RAM: 32GB / Storage: 2TB / Show: 16-inch Mini LED 2560 x 1600, 240Hz show / Dimensions: 13.94 x 10.55 x 0.9 to 1.21 inches / Battery: 90Whr Weight: 6.17 kilos
You don’t should spend Titan cash to land someplace within the ballpark of fantastic gaming efficiency. There are a number of nice choices within the mid-to-high tier of gaming laptops, sporting RTX 5080 graphics (or the RTX 5070 Ti if you want to save a bit extra). My high choose is the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16, adopted intently by the Lenovo Legion Professional 7i.
$2970
The Good
- Nice efficiency at 2.5K and even at 4K on an exterior monitor
- Lovely OLED display screen
- Probably the greatest keyboards on this class of gaming laptops
The Dangerous
- No face or fingerprint unlock
- Numpad makes issues barely cramped, with off-center trackpad
- Lenovo’s apps are barely extra invasive with notifications than others
The 16-inch ROG Strix Scar is decked out with a wraparound RGB gentle bar that creates a colourful underglow and a dot-matrix LED lid for adorning enjoyable illuminated animations. The Strix Scar’s recreation efficiency is outstanding, with its RTX 5080 practically matching the 5090 within the a lot thinner Razer Blade 16 — and for $1,200 much less.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is a equally specced 16-incher, providing the identical CPU and GPU in a greater, metallic construct. It’s obtained its share of RGB lighting, but it surely’s carried out a little bit extra tastefully than the Asus. In the meantime, the Strix Scar’s 2.5K / 240Hz display screen is a Mini LED show that’s vivid, colourful, and visually pleasing. It matches the decision and refresh charge of the OLED on Lenovo’s Legion Professional 7i, however the OLED on the Lenovo is even higher, with a punchier look.
It’s a little bit of a toss-up between these two: the Lenovo has the higher display screen and construct high quality, but it lacks face or fingerprint unlocking. However the Asus is $200 cheaper, and I choose the trackpad and higher key spacing of its numpad-less design. You possibly can’t go mistaken right here, so selecting one based mostly on small nuances like that or simply no matter you will get a deal on is honest. (The Lenovo has dipped to as little as $3,099 at retailers like B&H Photo, and a financial savings of $400 is critical.)
The perfect finances gaming laptop computer
$850
The Good
- Good pricing
- AMD or Intel CPU choices
- RTX 4050 is ok for 1080p gaming
The Dangerous
- 16:9 side ratio is outdated
- Not a ton of ports, and solely certainly one of them is USB-C
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7445HS, Intel Core i5-13420H / GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 / RAM: 16GB / Storage: 512GB / Show: 15.6-inch IPS, 1920 x 1080, 144Hz, no contact choice / Dimensions: 14.09 x 10.04 x 0.93 / Battery: 70Wh Weight: 5.06 kilos
Our earlier choose amongst finances gaming laptops was the HP Victus 15 with an RTX 3050 GPU, which price round $800 in 2022 when it wasn’t on a steep sale for much less. It had a 60Hz display screen and simply 8GB of RAM, which feels a little bit paltry for gaming on Home windows 11 in 2025. Now, you will get the identical chassis with a 1080p / 144Hz display screen, a more recent RTX 4050 GPU, and both AMD Ryzen 7 7000-series or Intel Thirteenth-Gen CPU for round $850 to $900.
Nvidia has recently announced its RTX 5050 laptop computer GPU, which is ready to slowly trickle out into new laptops for about $999. We’ll should see how that stacks up in future testing.
The Victus isn’t going to wow you with one of the best display screen or highest-quality parts for a keyboard or trackpad, but it surely does emphasize a strong graphics card in an inexpensive package deal. It’s the type of laptop computer that may excel with dwell service video games like Minecraft or Fortnite, in addition to indie titles. Simply don’t anticipate excessive or extremely settings on the most recent AAA video games. With the correct expectations, a extra cheap gaming laptop computer just like the Victus can deal with you effectively.
A modern 16-inch gaming laptop computer
$4900
The Good
- Nice match, end, and construct
- Slim and modern design for a gaming laptop computer
- Glorious OLED display screen comes customary
- Superb efficiency, particularly in DLSS 4 supported video games
The Dangerous
- Begins costly and will get expensive-er
- Middling battery life
- Thinness apart, minimal enhancements over final 12 months’s mannequin
- A less expensive 5080 laptop computer could also be cash higher spent
- The matte black end smudges simply, and the Razer lid emblem remains to be a little bit cringe
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5060, 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, RTX 5090 / RAM: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB / Storage: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB / Show: 16-inch OLED, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz / Dimensions: 13.98 x 9.86 x 0.59 to 0.69 inches / Battery: 90Wh / Weight: 4.71 kilos
The Razer Blade 16 has lengthy been touted because the MacBook Professional for players, and after thickening up for a number of years, it’s again to an ultra-thin chassis with out a lot compromise to efficiency. It’s flush with ports, has a terrific keyboard and large trackpad, and its AMD chips may be paired with a wide range of Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU — starting from the 5060 for $2,399.99 to the top-tier 5090 for a a lot steeper $4,499.99.
The Blade sports activities a beautiful 16-inch OLED show with 2560 x 1600 decision and 240Hz refresh, even for the entry-level configuration. The look of its stealthy matte black design and inexperienced Razer emblem might not be to everybody’s liking, however pair that with its thinness, and also you’ve obtained one thing that may journey and mix in nearly wherever.
I examined the RTX 5090 model in our evaluation, and whereas it’s spectacular, it may be a little bit exhausting to justify spending $4,500 with out getting the utmost capabilities of that flagship GPU, for the reason that Blade 16’s thinness throttles the 5090. Nevertheless it’s such a pleasant total package deal if you need your gaming laptop computer to do all of it. The Blade additionally is available in 14- and 18-inch sizes, however I feel the 16 is the candy spot.
Learn our Razer Blade 16 (2025) review.
The perfect convertible gaming laptop computer
$2100
The Good
- Spectacular recreation efficiency for an iGPU on a pill
- Succesful 2.5K efficiency
- Laptop computer-quality keyboard and trackpad
- Battery can get via a day of labor (with no gaming breaks)
- Play video games in your lap with out heating up your legs
- Glorious kickstand
The Dangerous
- Nonetheless a dear, area of interest gadget
- Want the keyboard cowl had Bluetooth like the most recent Floor Professional
- Energy / sleep button is just too flush
- No auto-brightness
- Keyboard case typically not detected after waking from sleep
- Single-zone keyboard RGB appears fundamental
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI Max 390, Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 / GPU: Built-in / RAM: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB / Storage: 1TB SSD / Show: 13.4-inch IPS, 2560 x 1600, 180Hz, touchscreen / Dimensions: 11.81 x 8.03 x 0.51 to 0.59 inches / Battery: 70Whr Weight: 2.65 kilos
Asus’s ROG Move Z13 gaming pill has at all times been a distinct segment gadget, however the newest technology with AMD’s new Strix Halo APU is one of the best model but. That’s proper, Asus switched from a discrete GPU to built-in graphics, however surprisingly, the chunky “Floor Professional for players” is definitely higher for it.
It could sound a little bit reckless to spend $2,100 or extra on a gaming pill, however the Z13 and its new Ryzen AI Max chip provide sufficient graphical prowess to make most video games look nice on its 2560 x 1600 / 180Hz IPS show. And it even has the battery chops to squeak via an eight-hour work day, making it a powerful multi-purpose gadget.
An everyday clamshell laptop computer could make extra logical sense for most individuals, however the ROG Move’s kind issue simply makes it kinda enjoyable. With the ability to take away the keyboard fully lets you comfortably plop it in your lap and recreation away with out feeling such as you’re going to set your legs on hearth. And should you’re a mechanical keyboard nerd like me, you’ll be able to join your favourite board with out the underside half of a laptop computer in your manner (that is surprisingly helpful for utilizing the Z13 as a second display screen under a giant monitor.
Learn our Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) review.
Monica Chin and Joanna Nelius additionally contributed to earlier variations of this shopping for information.
Replace, June twenty seventh: Overhauled shopping for information with new picks and a revised intro in addition to up to date “What we’re on the lookout for” part.