I've been chasing the best gaming laptops for decades, playing the latest PC games on over 100 beastly machines to push them to their limits. That's all to find out if they truly are worth their weight in gaming gold, as if there's one thing I've come to understand after years of testing, it's that these rigs are a major investment.
Whether it's a light yet powerful gaming laptop (check out the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14) or a full-blown desktop replacement rocking a heap of horsepower (the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is what you're after), there are a lot of factors that go into choosing your gaming laptop of choice.
That's why my team of experts and I have done the legwork; we have years of experience testing, benchmarking and, of course, playing games on a wide range of machines to help you find the best gaming laptop for you. So, let's dive in.
My top picks
The 2025 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 continues its reign as the gaming laptop we recommend for most because it delivers a potent blend of performance (thanks to RTX 50-series), portability and power efficiency in a svelte 14-inch chassis.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better gaming laptop for under $1k than this cyberpunk-inspired gaming machine, which comes with a capable Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, a fast 13th Gen Intel CPU and a solid 144Hz 15.6-inch display that won't let you down.
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is an RTX 5090 monster that is juiced to the max with the highest possible wattage going through its parts. What that means is not only silky smooth gameplay on its display, but buttery 4K gameplay, too!
That's just the starting lineup, as there are a wealth of gaming laptops that suit different budgets, performance needs, portability requirements and, of course, styles. That's why it's worth asking yourself the following:
What is the best gaming laptop for me?
Everyone has different needs, so think about the requirements that are essential to you.
Performance: Since recent gaming laptops hold a lot of power, you can expect them to manage any game you throw at them. But it's a matter of how much power you're getting. Generally, the higher the price, the more performance a laptop offers, meaning being able to turn settings in games to max without the system melting. With Nvidia's latest GeForce RTX 50-series and AMD's recent GPUs now here, though, you can also get a lot more out of a machine thanks to DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation. Essentially, more frame rates at higher resolutions, and a good middle-ground example is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. However, RTX 40-series aren't out of the game yet, as these can pull off some major performance gains in the latest PC titles, as we've found in the Asus TUF Gaming A16.
Portability & Battery: Plan on gaming on the go or sticking to your desk for gaming sessions with the ability to transport it? Gaming laptops are well known to lack strong battery life, but that doesn't mean there aren't any that can last a while. Take the Asus ROG Flow Z13 as an example, which is ultraportable and can last over 2 hours while gaming (and much longer while not). If you're more inclined to have a beast for your PC setup, laptops like the 18-inch Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 are it, just don't expect it to run long when it's not plugged in. Otherwise, if you're not planning on gaming just anywhere, you'll want to look at the best gaming PCs.
Productivity: The good thing about gaming laptops is that 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 duty as a gaming and work laptop. Machines like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 or the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra are good examples of this, offering a design that’s slim enough to easily take them to work, yet also have a powerful enough specification for AAA gaming.
How much should I spend on a gaming laptop?
Gaming laptops don't come cheap, but you don't have to empty your wallet to pick one up either. However, it's important to keep value in mind, as there's no point getting a barebones budget system if you plan on cranking up settings to max in PC games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Black Myth: Wukong.
Think about the types of titles you play most and how demanding they are, but also know that the latest and greatest — no matter the price — can hold their own in many AAA titles.
That said, if you're looking for more competitive multiplayer games or indie titles, the MSI Cyborg 15 will do the trick for under $1,000. Many laptops sporting an RTX 4060 and (especially) an RTX 5060 can blaze through these titles, offering super-smooth frame rates at high settings. But for monstrous power that can handle anything, including path tracing and the highest settings in games with high 240Hz frame rates even at 4K resolution, expect to pay at least $3,000 and over, like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18.
A good middle ground is something like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which can manage high settings and higher frame rates (with DLSS 4 turned on) at around $1,500-$3,000.
The best gaming laptops you can buy today
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The best gaming laptop overall
As the headline of my review suggests, I took the new Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 on a 5,000-mile journey with me. And from firing up Cyberpunk the first time and seeing that silky smooth OLED gameplay, I already knew this was going to be the gaming laptop I'd recommend to everyone who asked me.
A lot of it remains the same — an identical gorgeous CNC-milled aluminum finish that gives serious MacBook Pro vibes, a stellar typing and clicking experience with a tactile keyboard and glass touchpad, and that delicious 14-inch 2880 x 1800 OLED display.
But inside, Asus has vastly increased the horsepower pairing to an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and up to an Nvidia RTX 5080. These together unlock a true beast in both prosumer productivity and (most importantly) monstrous gaming performance.
Turn on DLSS 4 with multi-frame gen, and I was playing Cyberpunk at over 140 frames per second with max settings. When I remembered just the size and weight of this machine, it felt a little mind-bending to see just what it can do.
That being said, Asus hasn't managed to overcome the poor battery life of the G14's predecessor. Don't get me wrong, it did get an additional 45 minutes of playtime in my testing. But just like any gaming laptop, make sure you run games near a power outlet.
But with all that being said, this is a gaming laptop that doesn't forget about the "laptop" part of the equation, and that's why it keeps its position on top of this list.
Read our full Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) review.
The best gaming laptop under $1,000
The MSI Cyborg 15 is almost always available for under $1,000, proving you don’t have to break the bank just to own a good gaming laptop. It’s also an example that budget gaming laptops don’t have to look cheap. In fact, this notebook’s cyberpunk-inspired aesthetic gives it more flair than many higher-end options. If you want rock-solid gaming performance in a fun chassis, this machine satisfies both needs.
Component-wise, the MSI Cyborg 15 packs an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and 16GB of RAM. Those aren’t exactly high-end, but they’re more than enough to let you play games at 1080p and around 60 frames per second. Basically, you’re getting a console-like (or better) experience on this laptop. Of course, the MSI Cyborg 15 can play many more games than a PS5 or Xbox Series X, since you can access game launchers like Steam.
The 15.6-inch 1920x1080p display doesn’t get as bright or colorful as its competitors’, but it still lets you clearly see everything happening on the screen. The 144Hz refresh rate also ensures that things run smoothly on the display. We should at that the 18ms response time isn’t the greatest, but you probably won’t notice any latency in most single-player games. However, you might feel some lag when going up against others online.
Since this is a budget gaming laptop, the MSI Cyborg 15 makes some concessions — such as screen vividness, battery life and a plastic chassis. However, given the decent performance it delivers for under $1,000, we consider this machine an excellent way to get into the world of PC gaming.
Read our full MSI Cyborg 15 review.
The best value gaming laptop
We thought Asus couldn’t do any better than the ROG Zephyrus G14, but the team has truly outdone itself with the TUF Gaming A14 — sitting comfortably at the top of this list for plenty of reasons. Namely, the near-perfect balance it offers between price and performance, while also delivering a mindblowing battery life for this small gaming laptop.
Starting with the obvious, to get the price down to $1,499, Asus has made some compromises here. However, the company has done so in a way that doesn’t make it feel any less premium. The aluminum across the lid and plastic adorning the bottom deck feel great to the touch, while real attention has been paid to offering stellar ergonomics with a great keyboard and touchpad.
Next up, you may chuckle at the lack of the OLED panel that made the Zephyrus G14 so splendid, but don’t count out the 2.5K IPS panel here. It’s still plenty vivid, and it’s actually brighter with a faster refresh rate, too. But the real superpower comes in what lies under the hood.
That AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU and RTX 4060 GPU pairing delivers on performance that comes close to its more expensive competition, because of that finer power balance struck between the components. For example, you can easily hit 30 FPS on Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS turned off. But sip a little of that GeForce juice and turn on DLSS, and you can see that skyrocket to over 60 FPS.
And it does all of this while sipping on that battery life. If you have a day of using this for your productivity needs, you can easily get up to 12 hours out of it — astonishing for a gaming laptop! So, if you can look past the 16GB RAM maximum and a restricted number of ports on this shell, it’s easily the best gaming laptop I’ve ever tested.
Read our full Asus TUG Gaming A14 review.
The best battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra isn’t marketed as a gaming laptop, but trust us, it can hold its own against any dedicated gaming machine. What it lacks in RGB lighting and other over-the-top accouterments that typically adorn gaming laptops, the Book Ultra can game thanks to its discrete Nvidia GPU and speedy Intel CPU. It also has excellent battery life.
To get specific, the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra packs an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, an RTX 4050 mobile graphics card, and 16GB of RAM—though you can upgrade to a more powerful Core Ultra 9 and 32GB of RAM like our review unit packed. At 1080p resolution, you’ll have no problems playing even graphically demanding games at medium to high settings. And thanks to that power, you can also edit videos on this machine.
The 16-inch 3K (2,880 x 1,800) OLED display helps every game you play look its absolute best. Everything appears sharp and in vivid color. The 120Hz refresh rate also ensures things on the screen move smoothly, even if there’s a lot of action happening at once. It’s easy to lose yourself in this gorgeous display.
But like other Samsung laptops, it comes with a lot of bloatware from Samsung that's pretty useless if you don't own other Galaxy devices. But if you are already embedded in Samsung's Galaxy ecosystem, this is a great gaming laptop that plays well with your other devices.
Overall, the Book 4 Ultra is a great laptop that may not run games as well as every other machine on this list, but will outlast them in a pinch.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra review.
The best ultraportable gaming laptop
Initially, I was nervous about the Asus ROG Flow Z13 — a gaming 2-in-1 that looks like a Microsoft Surface Pro 11 on steroids, which doesn’t have a dedicated GPU. But as I tested it for over a month, I realized just how insanely powerful this system is.
The secret sauce is the AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 chipset. Bear in mind that this is the lower end option of the two you can get, and in integrated graphics, you can get performance that is better than an RTX 4060 (without ray tracing turned on) and damn close to the 50-series… Yes, you read that right.
And since this APU is directly fused to the system’s RAM, that can be used as video memory — meaning that in the 32GB model we tested, you can get a GPU with up to 24GB of VRAM, which is 3x more than Nvidia’s mid-range dedicated card. If you max it out at the Ryxen AI Max+ 395 and up to 128GB of RAM, no AAA title will ever stress it.
Plus, with it being integrated graphics, you get way better battery life while gaming because of that lower demand. Just keep in mind that you're paying a pretty penny for this portability at over $2,000, and AMD’s weakness is still ray tracing (so turn that off).
Provided you’re comfortable with all this, you’re in for a stellar ultraportable gaming system.
Read our full Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) review.
The best desktop replacement
Desktop replacements need to do three things well: be powerful (duh), have a great screen and nail the ergonomics. For me, the new Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 ticked all those boxes.
With a total 255W of power being pumped through that Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5090, you're getting the best of the best when it comes to raw performance.
And it shows — not just in the insane frame rates you can get on that gorgeous 18-inch mini-LED display, but in how smooth you can play at 4K when connected to a monitor too. With maxed-out settings and all the DLSS trickery turned on, I was able to comfortably hit over 150 FPS without any serious latency in Cyberpunk.
Plus, when you put those internals to work on some serious productivity, they come together with a Pantone-validated screen to deliver something that really keeps up with you and your demanding workloads in the likes of Premiere Pro.
Of course, you're not here for the battery (it's a desktop replacement), so it should come as no real surprise that you're only getting 90 minutes of gameplay on one charge. Plus, at $4,499 for the one we tested, the price is steep.
But there's no mistake about it, if you want the most performance possible to give a gaming desktop-esque experience without taking up too much space with a tower, the Strix Scar 18 would be my choice.
Oh, and the wealth of ports and that sleeker chassis gives it pride of place on any desk (as well as unlocking great cooling).
Read our full Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 review.
Also tested
We test and review dozens of gaming laptops every year, and just because they don't all make this list doesn't mean they aren't good machines.
Only the best of the best can lead the pack and make our list, but there are lots of other great gaming laptops that are worth buying if you can't find your first choice in stock or at a price you like.
That's why we've gathered all the great gaming laptops we've tested which don't quite make this list in one easy-to-skim section, and you can click through to check out our testing results and read our full review!
How we test gaming laptops
To find the best gaming laptop, we run every machine through a rigorous suite of benchmarks and real-world tests to gauge how it will perform during everyday use. We measure the average brightness and color quality of each laptop's display using our in-house light meter and colorimeter.
For general performance, we run our machines through tests that include Geekbench 5 (CPU performance), as well as various 3DMark tests to measure graphics capabilities. We also run a file transfer test to measure how fast a machine's hard drive is, and a custom battery test that has the machine browse the internet over Wi-Fi until it runs out of juice.
We also run benchmarks for popular games such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2 on every gaming laptop we test. For more information on our testing process, check out our guide to how we test.
Performance test results compared
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Cyberpunk 1080p Ray Tracing: Ultra benchmark results (frames per second) |
Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 | 68.28 |
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | 49.67 |
Asus TUF Gaming A14 | 29.60 |
MSI Cybog 15 | 19.78 |
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra | 18.74 |
Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) | 14.46 |
When you're buying a gaming laptop, you want to know how well it can run the best PC games.
That's why we run every gaming laptop we review through a series of performance tests in 3DMark and a number of games, including Assassin's Creed, Doom: The Dark Ages and Grand Theft Auto V.
To help you better understand how the laptops on this list compare, I've listed all their performance scores in the one gaming performance test we can run on all of them: Cyberpunk 2077.
Not only does it offer a range of customizable settings, but it's also a popular AAA game that gives us a good judgment on how these laptops can handle its demands.
Battery benchmarks: comparison
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | PC Mark 10 gaming benchmark (hh:mm) |
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra | 02:27 |
Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) | 02:15 |
Asus TUF Gaming A14 | 01:47 |
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | 01:45 |
Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 | 01:32 |
MSI Cyborg 15 | 01:05 |
Battery life is a key concern for folks using laptops on the go, and gaming laptops are notoriously weak in this area because of their high-powered components.
That's why we run every laptop we review through battery tests which measure how long it can last on a full charge, both while gaming and while doing less demanding work like browsing the web.
Below you'll find a chart of how long these laptops last while gaming, which is typically far less time than they would while just browsing the web. So while these battery times are the most conservative, when doing less demanding work you can generally expect between 8-12 hours of battery life from these laptops on a full charge.
Ultimately, what you do on your laptop, how bright you set the screen, and what power settings you use will all affect how long your laptop lasts before running out of juice—but this chart will help you compare to find the best gaming laptop for your needs.
FAQs
How do I find the best gaming laptop deals?
For gaming laptops, there is an ocean of deals. We've already scoured the internet for the best savings on all our top recommendations up above, but if you want to shop for yourself, here are our top tips.
Set a budget — figure out what you're looking for: "What are you looking to do?" This is always the vague question customer service reps ask when you walk in the store. But let's get to the bottom of it. Are you a newcomer to PC gaming on the go? Then something cheap and cheerful is for you. If you have more enthusiast-pro level goals, then it's worth investing more into the configuration of your system.
Double check if that deal is actually a good deal: Download the Camelizer and thank us later. This is a Chrome extension that runs an extensive historical price check on any Amazon product, which stops any sneaky retailer tricks to raise prices just before big sales events to make that smaller discount sound better on paper.
What are your most important key features? Is it a good keyboard for working by day and playing by night? Maybe it's a super crisp display or a sleek design to throw in your backpack? Make a note of what the key priorities are for you in a gaming laptop outside of how much horsepower is under the hood.
Alex Wawro is a lifelong journalist who's spent over a decade covering tech, games and entertainment. He oversees the computing department at Tom's Guide, which includes managing laptop coverage and reviewing many himself every year.
