If used to be a case that choosing from the best gaming laptops was an undertaking fraught with compromises; you could get a lightweight laptop with anaemic performance or a powerful machine that really pushed the boundaries of what can really be called a laptop. But gaming laptops have improved a lot over the past few years, most notably thanks to Nvidia and its Pascal architecture GeForce graphics cards that bought graphics performance to laptops that weren’t left in the dust by gaming desktops.
Now thanks to Nvidia’s Max-Q technology you can even get gaming laptops that are almost as slim and slick as the Dell XPS 15 2020 or 16-inch MacBook Pro for example, yet can still run modern triple-A games at high settings. Of course, if you still want a very powerful gaming laptop that’s designed more as portable gaming station than a machine that you’ll actually use on your lap, then they are still available only with seriously improved components.
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In short, it’s now easier than ever to pick one of the best gaming laptops around. Granted, there are still some things to weigh up, but take a look at our picks below and you’re sure to find a machine that suits your needs.
Black Friday 2020 deals
If you're angling for a new gaming laptop, you might consider waiting until Black Friday. Black Friday sales this year will run through most of November, and will almost certainly feature some powerful gaming laptops at much lower prices than usual. Sales could start as early as November 1 this year. If you need a laptop right now, check out our best laptop deals page instead.
What are the best gaming laptops right now?
Our pick for the best gaming laptop is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which packs class-leading battery life and powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics into one of the slimmest and lightest gaming laptop designs we've ever held. It's extremely rare that a gaming laptop lasts more than a few hours, but the Zephyrus holds out for more than 11, all while looking and performing great in the process.
If money is no object, the Alienware Area 51m is our favorite high-end gaming laptop. This portable monster can be oufitted with up to an Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 graphics, and has a ton of RGB customization options that make it truly deserving of the Alienware name.
Some of our other selections include the petite and portable MSI GS65 Stealth Thin as well as the MSI GT75VR Titan, an expensive laptop known for its otherworldly keyboard and 4K display. We also have some smart budget options, like the Acer Nitro 5, listed for frugal folks.
The best gaming laptops you can buy today
One of the most challenging aspects of making a gaming laptop is to create a machine that packs in enough power for true gaming performance but also is actually slim and light enough to be easily transported around and even used on your lap. It’s here that the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 come into play. It achieves this balance by making use of the AMD Ryzen 9-4900HS processor, a new laptop-grade CPU that comes with AMD’s latest tech to deliver power without draining a battery pack in moments. Add-in the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU and you’re looking at a very powerful 14-inch laptop.
It delivers the goods in gaming but also delivers 11 hours of battery life when you’re not gaming, so makes for a decent workhorse machine as well. And at a price that ranges from $1,049 and ranging up to $1,999, the ROG Zephyrus G14 is pretty affordable depending on the spec you opt for. And even in its top specification, it’s still cheaper than other gaming laptops. You don’t get a webcam and the keyboard backlighting has some issues, but other than that this is our number one pick for the best gaming laptop.
Read our full Asus ROG Zephryus G14 review.
If you think ‘gaming laptop’ then it’s very likely that an Alienware laptop will pop into your mind. That’s because the Dell sub-brand has been creating impressive gaming machines for years. And the Alienware Area 51m is no exception. While this machine stretches the definition of what a gaming laptop is, with its huge footprint and bulky chassis, it can be specced to have a load of very powerful componente. For example, you can get it with a Core i9 processor and a top-end Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card.
Of course, this power comes at a price as well as a hefty bulk. But for several thousand dollars, you'll get a machine with a suite of components that should keep you gaming at impressive settings for years. And while it’s not the most portable gaming laptop, you can see the Alienware Area 51m more as a desktop replacement that’s easy to move from desk to desk rather than a laptop to pop out on long commutes. Interestingly, the CPU and GPU are both upgradable, something that's not common in a lot of laptops, though you will have to opt for Alienware upgrades when it comes to getting a new GPU.
The Lenovo Legion Y7000 is one of the best gaming laptops for hardcore gamers not looking to break the bank. This machine's Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU will ensure you can play most modern games on max settings with silky smooth frame rates, and you'll be able to play virtually all games on some mixture of medium and high. The Legion Y7000 also packs enough RAM (16GB) to keep the system relevant for a few years.
The miniscule storage space (256GB) is a big drawback, especially since certain modern games suck up 100GB by themselves. But the Y7000 offers a decent overall value that makes it one of the better gaming-laptop options for economical techies.
If you're looking for a premium gaming laptop with great performance — and an especially killer display — the Acer Predator Triton 500 is one of the best gaming laptops you can buy. The latest Triton 500 stands out with its 15.6-inch 1080p screen, which not only looks great, but packs a blistering 300Hz refresh rate for playing the top PC games at the fastest framerates possible.
The laptop's Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU can handle the latest AAA titles at high graphical settings, and its 10th Gen Core i7 CPU blows through everyday productivity tasks with ease. There's also its elegant black design, which packs in plenty of ports for connecting peripherals and external monitors. While its performance comes at the cost of battery life and heat, the Triton 500 is a great premium buy for folks who want great performance and an even greater display.
Read our full Acer Predator Triton 500 review.
MSI has gotten pretty good at making ultrapowerful portable gaming laptops — just take a look at the GS65 Stealth Thin. It's under 5 pounds and less than an inch thick, all while packing GPUs like Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2080. That's an achievement.
The drawbacks of this strong-but-slim design are twofold: Not only is the Stealth Thin priced at a premium for its compact nature (with only a 1080p display, no less), but the machine also runs hot enough to burn your bare skin. So, either place this laptop on a desk or put a fire blanket on your lap before using this machine.
The Razer Blade Pro 17 is the answer to the question: “what do you get if you cross a MacBook Pro with a gaming laptop?”. Featuring a slim design, the 17-inch laptop blends portability with power in a way few other laptops offering a screen of this size can. Despite being a mere 0.8 inches thick, it still manages to pack in GeForce RTX graphics card options, as well as powerful Intel processors and plenty of RAM.
Its powerful hardware and slick design are supported by solid audio and build quality. It does get a little hot when running at full pelt, with it getting up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit on its bottom side during high-intensity gaming. That means you’re better off putting it on a desk when playing demanding games than leaving it in your lap. It’s also far from cheap, with prices starting at $2,499 for a model with a reasonable GeForce RTX 2060. And prices can sail beyond $3,000 for a high-end specification. But you’re paying for the design and portability as much as the power. So for that, the Razer Blade Pro 17 is hard to beat.
If you’re after an affordable but well-specced gaming laptop, the Dell G5 15 SE 2020 is well worth your consideration. Its distinctly un-flashy name hides a very capable machine clad in a rather neat if unassuming chassis, for less than $1,000. And despite its price, it can keep up with some of the more expensive gaming laptops, especially at 1080p. You can expect very playable frame rates in the likes of Shadow of the Tomb Raider when running at max settings.
Dell has opted to go with an all AMD configuration, with a Ryzen 5 4600H or 4800H taking care of processor duties, and the Radeon RX 5600M handling the graphics. With up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD space, the Dell G5 15 SE 2020 is a very capable gaming laptop. You'll have to pay $1,049 for the best specs, but that price also gets you a speedy 144Hz refresh-rate display. A plastic build might not scream ‘premium’ but it still looks rather sharp and could even pull double duties as a powerful work machine if needed.
Read our full Dell G5 15 SE (2020) review.
Like all of Alienware's gaming laptops, Alienware m17 R2 is expensive. However, for the price points of the fancier m17 R2 models, you'll get top-of-the-line GeForce RTX GPUs, Core i9 CPUs and more storage space than a U-Haul facility.
What differentiates this laptop from the others we've listed is its best-in-class battery life, clocking in at roughly 4 hours. For RTX-carrying hardcore gaming laptops, hitting the 4-hour mark is an accomplishment. Plus, at under 6 pounds, the m17 R2 isn't impossible to lug around in a backpack, making it an option worth investigating for traveling gamers who demand ultra-high graphics on the go.
A rarity in the gaming laptop scene, the Acer Nitro 5 offers good performance for a price that's actually reasonable to regular people: under $900 for the model with the Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, and under $700 for the model with the weaker AMD parts. Either model can handle most modern games at max settings with frame rates near the magical 60-frames-per-second mark, and they do this at a ridiculously small fraction of the cost of other gaming laptops on this list. Check out all the positive user reviews cheering on the Acer Nitro 5 for these reasons and more.
For laptop gamers who support only AMD, the Nitro 5 also presents the rare opportunity to ditch Nvidia and Intel entirely. So, whether you're a thrifty buyer who demands good value in your technology or an ardent AMD fan who refuses to convert to the opposition, Acer's Nitro 5 has something to offer you.
Though its specs aren't comparable to those of the GeForce RTX 2080-equipped, wallet-munching machines on this list, and though it isn't even close to "budget friendly," some unique benefits give the MSI GT75VR Titan an edge in an otherwise crowded marketplace. Chiefly, it's a laptop with a configuration that can net you an Nvidia G-Sync-enabled 4K display, meaning screen tearing will be a thing of the past while you enjoy the bleeding-edge resolutions of modern gaming.
Another big advantage for the Titan is its comfy keyboard. With this machine's 2.6 millimeters of key travel and 81 grams of actuation force, your fingers glide across the keyboard with just enough touch resistance to feel satisfying while typing. So, if you want the best gaming laptop for typing, the Titan just might scratch your particular itch. However, keep in mind that with its sub-3-hour battery life and 10-plus-pound weight, you won't want to be stuck with this machine while on the go.
OK, it’s not a gaming laptop per se, but the Dell XPS 17 can come with a decent gaming spec. Its lower-end specification comes with a 10th Gen Core i5-10300H CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, which can run games but isn’t exactly a gaming beast. But opt for a model with the Core i7-10875H and the GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card, and you’re looking at a machine that will run modern games at 1080p resolution with relative ease.
And with the Dell XPS 17, you’re getting a rather neatly designed and portable big-screen laptop that doesn’t scream gaming machine; it’s quite the opposite in fact, sporting a premium design that’s up there with the likes of the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The downside is such a specification in such a premium body will cost you a fair bit of cash, with the top-spec XPS 17 going for $2,792.
But for that money, you’re getting a machine for work and play and anything in between. And you also get a rather high-end 4K touchscreen display with the virtually bezel-less InfintyEdge design.
How to choose one of the best gaming laptops
Power or portability? You’ll need to consider what type of gaming and where you’ll be doing it before you decide what’s the best gaming laptop for you. Do you plan to mostly play triple-A demanding games at home and on a desk, but have the scope to occasionally move your machine, then a chunkier and more powerful gaming laptop, like the Alienware Area 51m might be best. But if you plan to carry your gaming laptop around a fair bit, say for LAN parties, then a thinner and lighter laptop like the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin could be for you.
Display: These days there’s a wide range of display choice for gaming laptops. You can get a standard 60Hz 1080p panel that might come with built-in anti-screen-tearing features like Nvidia’s G-Sync. But if you’re willing to pay more, you can get gaming laptops with high refresh-rate displays, often sitting at 144Hz. But the latest machines can hit 240Hz, with those on the cutting-edge sporting 300Hz displays. HIgh refresh-rate displays are great for people who play fast-paced games such as Overwatch or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. But if you mostly plan to plug in an external monitor, then you might be better off saving money by going for a 60Hz Full HD screen.
Budget or high-end? If you don’t want to break the bank by paying for a gaming laptop, then a budget machine, like Acer’s Nitro 5, could be for you. It won’t run the very latest games at the best frame rates, but will be more than capable for decent 1080p gaming. But if you want a real monster of a gaming laptop that’ll easily chew through the most demanding games, then a laptop like the MSI GT75VR Titan is worth checking out, but do be prepared to pay quite a bit for a high-end laptop.
Gaming only, or work as well? The good thing about gaming laptops is they have plenty of power for professional tasks as well, such as video rendering or CAD work. As they can be an expensive purchase, it might be worth looking at getting a machine that can pull double duties as a gaming and work laptop. Machines like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 or the Razer Blade Pro 17 are good examples of this, offering a form-factor that’s slim enough to easily take them to work, yet also have a powerful enough specification for triple-A gaming.
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