Gaming laptops have gone from being ugly bricks to sleek machines that can match the power of desktops. If you’re looking to get crazy high framerates, or if you just want to revel in the glory of real-time ray tracing, you’ll definitely be able to find a gaming laptop that suits your needs. And it’s also easier than ever to connect them to TVs and monitors for big-screen gaming.
One of the biggest advantages of a gaming laptop is its flexibility. You don’t need to worry about bulky setups or being tethered to one spot. Plus, with features like high refresh rate displays, powerful GPUs and cutting-edge processors, these machines are more than capable of handling AAA titles, eSports and even VR gaming. Many gaming laptops now come equipped with RGB-lit keyboards, advanced cooling systems and next-gen SSD storage to keep up with your gaming needs, too. We’ve tested a number of the latest gaming laptops to see which are worth your money.
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Best gaming laptops for 2025
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Read our full ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 review
CPU: Up to AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX | GPU: Up to NVIDIA RTX 5080 | RAM: Up to 32GB | Storage: 1TB | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Display: 14-inch 3K OLED | Weight: 3.3lb | Battery life: Up to 10 hours
Since its debut, the ASUS Zephyrus G14 has delivered the best balance of power, design and affordability we’ve seen in the gaming laptop arena. This year, ASUS has continued that trend, delivering a gorgeous notebook that can be equipped with NVIDIA’s RTX 5060 or 5070 Ti GPUs, as well as AMD’s modern AI CPUs. That’s enough power to play modern AAA titles at the G14’s full 3K resolution. The G14’s build quality now feels as solid as Apple’s MacBooks, thanks to its premium aluminum case, and its OLED screen is one of the best available for notebooks. And while the Zephyrus G14’s price has risen over time, so has its competition. It may not be quite the steal it was before, for most people the Zephyrus G14 will offer a ton of gaming value.
Pros
- Tons of power
- Premium design
- Gorgeous OLED display
Cons
- More expensive than earlier models
acer
CPU: Intel Core i7-13620H | GPU: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 1TB | Refresh rate: 165Hz | Display: 15.6-inch 1080p LCD | Weight: 4.6 pounds
The Acer Nitro V is a solid budget notebook with a 13th-gen Intel CPU, 16GB of RAM and NVIDIA’s still solid RTX 4050 GPU. It also comes with 1TB of storage, so you can actually install a few massive games all at once. Acer has plenty of experience building PC gaming machines, so this will likely survive years of extreme play. The Nitro V’s multi-colored RGB backlit keyboard and rear red accents give off a strong gamer vibe, but overall its design is fairly restrained.(Acer’s Nitro 16 may also be worth considering when it’s on sale below $1,000. It has a larger screen and newer RTX 5050 GPU.)
Dell
CPU: Up to Intel Core 9-270H | GPU: Up to NVIDIA RTX 5070 | RAM: Up to 32GB | Storage: Up to 1TB | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Display: 16-inch Quad HD+ (1440 by 2600) LCD | Weight: Up to 5.7lb
The Alienware 16 Aurora is the most basic notebook from Dell’s gaming brand, but it’s no slouch if you’re trying to save a few bucks. It features a simple sci-fi-inspired design, as well as the latest CPUs from Intel and NVIDIA’s latest GPUs. While it could use a brighter screen with more impressive specs, the 16 Aurora still has enough power to play most games beyond 60Hz. At the moment, it’s one of the best gaming laptops you can find under $1,000.
Pros
- Low base price
- Solid NVIDIA GPUs
Cons
- Heavy
- Screen could be brighter and faster
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
CPU: Up to AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | GPU: Up to NVIDIA RTX 5090 | RAM: Up to 64GB | Storage: Up to 4TB | Refresh rate: 240Hz | Display: 16-inch Quad HD+ (1440 by 2600) OLED | Weight: 4.7lb
If you’re looking for the best hardware around, Razer’s Blade 16 is the gaming laptop to beat. It can be equipped with NVIDIA’s top-end RTX 5090 GPU, as well as up to 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD. While we weren’t as impressed with Razer’s first Blade 16, the company has refined it to the point where it’s a solid successor to the beloved Blade 15. It’s still one of the most attractive gaming notebooks on the market, with a refined subtlety that also makes the Blade 16 just at home in classrooms and offices as it is in your gaming cave. Just be prepared to pay dearly as you spec it up – the Razer tax can be almost as brutal as the Apple tax.
Pros: Attractive design, Sturdy case, Powerful hardware, Excellent keyboard and trackpad, Fast OLED display
Cons: Price increases greatly with more powerful hardware
Pros
- Attractive design
- Sturdy case
- Powerful hardware
- Excellent keyboard and trackpad
- Fast OLED display
Cons
- Price increases greatly with more powerful hardware
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Read our full Razer Blade 18 review
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | GPU: Up to NVIDIA RTX 5090 | RAM: Up to 64GB | Storage: Up to 4TB | Refresh rate: 240Hz and 440Hz | Display: Swappable between UHD+ and 1080p+ | Weight: 7lb
If you need a ton of screen space and money is no object, the Razer Blade 18 will be your ideal gaming laptop. It features the same premium build quality of Razer’s smaller notebooks, but scaled up to a gargantuan size for its 18-inch screen. While it’s certainly hefty, weighing in at 7 pounds, it’s also not the sort of laptop you’ll be moving around much. The Razer Blade 18 is a true desktop replacement, especially when it’s equipped with NVIDIA’s top-end RTX 5090.
Pros
- Excellent design
- Enormous screen
- Tons of power
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Read our full Acer Predator Triton 14 AI review
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 288V | GPU: NVIDIA RTX 5070 | RAM: 32GB | Storage: 1TB | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Display: 14.5-inch WQXGA+ (2880 x 1800) 16:10 CineCrystal | Weight: 3.5lb
For anyone in the market for a truly portable gaming laptop that you won’t mind carrying around, the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI is a revelation. At just 3.5 pounds and 0.71 inches thick, it’s actually thinner and lighter than some of the best similarly-sized productivity notebooks while still having room for up to an RTX 5070 GPU. It also has understated styling so you won’t be embarrassed to take it out in public, a colorful OLED display, tons of ports and per-key mini LED lighting on its keyboard. Plus, there’s a handy physical button for quickly changing performance modes.
But the Predator Triton 14 AI’s hidden party trick is that its touchpad has stylus support, so when paired with its included pen, it turns into something like a built-in Wacom tablet for drawing and note-taking. Granted, it’s a bit pricey at around $2,500. However, between its performance, above-average battery life and a ton of extra features, the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI is not only a great travel-friendly gaming PC, it’s also a true all-rounder that does a lot of things really well. — Sam Rutherford, Senior Reporter
Pros
- Super sleek design
- Innovative cooling
- Colorful OLED display
- Touchpad features stylus support
- Lots of ports
Cons
- Sub-optimal speaker positioning
- A bit pricey
Other gaming laptops we’ve tested
Framework Laptop 16
We were eager to test the Framework Laptop 16 since it promised both modular customizability and a decent amount of gaming power. But while we appreciated just how repairable and upgradeable it is, its actual gaming performance was middling for its high price. You could always buy it without the additional GPU, but that makes it more of a daily workhorse than a gaming system.
MSI Stealth Studio 14
On a brighter note, we were pleased to see MSI return to form with the Stealth Studio 14, which is far faster and more attractive than the previous model.
Razer Blade 16 and 18
We were amazed to see a genuine 4K/1080p native screen in the Razer Blade 16, but it’s far too expensive and impractical, even for such a pricey brand. Similarly, we found the Razer Blade 18 to be both oversized and overpriced.
What to look for in a gaming laptop
Price
Your laptop buying journey starts and ends with the amount of money you’re willing to spend. No surprise there. The good news: There are plenty of options for gamers at every budget. In particular, we’re seeing some great entry-level PC gaming choices under $1,000, like the Acer Nitro V. Some cheap gaming laptops may feel a bit flimsier than pricier models, and they’ll likely skimp on RAM, storage and overall power. But most cheaper laptops should be able to handle the majority of video games running at 1080p at 60 frames per second, which is the bare minimum you’d want from any system.
Things get interesting when you start looking at the best gaming laptops in the mid-range space, with prices around $1,500. At that point, you’ll start finding PCs like the ASUS Zephyrus ROG G14, one of our favorite gaming notebooks. In general, you can look forward to far better build quality than budget gaming laptops (metal cases!), improved graphics power and enough RAM and storage space to handle the most demanding games. These are the gaming machines we’d recommend for most people, as they’ll keep you gaming and working for years before you need to worry about an upgrade.
If you’re willing to spend around $2,000 or more, you can consider more premium options like the Razer Blade, which is on-par with some of the best gaming PCs. Expect impeccably polished cases, the fastest hardware on the market and ridiculously thin designs. The sky’s the limit here: Alienware’s uber customizable Area 51m is an enormous beast that can cost up to $4,700. Few people need a machine that high-end, but if you’re a gamer with extra cash to burn, it may be worth taking a close look at some of these pricier systems.
CPU and GPU
The answer to this question used to be relatively simple: Just get an Intel chip with an NVIDIA GPU. But over the last few years AMD has stepped up its game with its Ryzen notebook processors, which are better suited for juggling multiple tasks at once (like streaming to Twitch while blasting fools in Fortnite). Intel responded with its recent lineup of 13th-gen and Core Ultra chips, but it’s nice to have decent AMD Ryzen alternatives available, especially since they’re often cheaper than comparable Intel models.
When it comes to video cards, though, AMD is still catching up. Its Radeon RX 7000M GPU has been a fantastic performer, but it lags behind NVIDIA when it comes to newer features like ray tracing. At the very least, a Radeon-powered notebook can approach the general gaming performance of the NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPUs.
If you want to future-proof your purchase, or you’re just eager to see how much better ray tracing can make your games look, you’re probably better off with an NVIDIA graphics card. They’re in far more systems, and it’s clear that they have better optimized ray tracing technology. NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs also feature the company’s DLSS technology, which uses AI to upscale games to higher resolutions. That’ll let you play a game like Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K with faster frame rates. That’s useful if you’re trying to take advantage of a high refresh rate monitor.
You’ll still find plenty of laptops with NVIDIA’s older RTX 40-series GPUs these days, and they’ll still give you tremendous performance. But to be safe, it’s probably worth opting for the newer RTX 50-series systems, since they support the newer DLSS 4 technology and offer a wealth of performance upgrades. The entry-level RTX 5060 is a solid start, but we’d suggest going for a 5070 if you’re aiming to maximize your framerates on faster screens. The RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 are both incredibly powerful, but they typically make systems far too expensive for most users.
It’s worth noting that NVIDIA’s mobile graphics cards aren’t directly comparable to its more powerful desktop hardware. PC makers can also tweak voltages to make gaming performance better in a thinner case. Basically, these laptops may not be desktop replacements — don’t be surprised if you see notebooks that perform very differently, even if they’re all equipped with the same GPU.
Screen and refresh rate
Screen size is a good place to start when judging gaming notebooks. In general, 14-inch laptops offer the best portability, while 16-inch models are a bit more immersive. And of course, you can go all the way up to an 18-inch screen to maximize your real estate.
There’s also plenty to consider beyond screen size — like refresh rates. Most monitors refresh their screens vertically 60 times per second, or at 60Hz. That’s a standard in use since black and white NTSC TVs. But over the past few years, displays have evolved considerably. Now, 120Hz 1080p screens are the bare minimum you’d want in any gaming notebook — and there are faster 144Hz, 240Hz and even 360Hz panels. All of this is in the service of one thing: making everything on your display look as smooth as possible.
For games, higher refresh rates also help eliminate screen tearing and other artifacts that could get in the way of your frag fest. And for everything else, it just leads to a better viewing experience. Even scrolling a web page on a 120Hz or faster monitor is starkly different from a 60Hz screen. Instead of seeing a jittery wall of text and pictures, everything moves seamlessly, as if you’re unwinding a glossy paper magazine. Going beyond 120Hz makes gameplay look even more responsive, which to some players gives them a slight advantage.
Not to make things more complicated, but you should also keep an eye out for NVIDIA’s G-SYNC and AMD’s FreeSync. They’re both adaptive sync technologies that can match your screen’s refresh rate with the framerate of your game. That also helps to reduce screen tearing and make gameplay smoother. Consider them nice bonuses on top of one of the best gaming monitors with a high refresh rate; they’re not necessary, but they can still offer a slight visual improvement.
It’s also worth paying attention to a gaming laptop’s display technology. The cheapest models will have basic LCD screens, but as you step up in price you’ll find brighter and bolder Mini LED and OLED displays. OLED will cost the most, but it offers the best contrast and extremely dark black levels. Mini LED laptops can get brighter and they’re typically cheaper than OLED.
See Also:
Other things to remember when buying a gaming laptop:
Get at least 16GB of RAM. If you want to future-proof your system a bit, go for 32GB of RAM (memory is a lot cheaper than it used to be).
Storage is still a huge concern. These days, I’d recommend aiming for at least a 1TB M.2 SSD, and ideally a 2TB model if you can swing it. (4TB SSD are also a lot more attainable these days.) Some laptops also have room for standard SATA hard drives, which are far cheaper than M.2s and can hold more data.
Try out a system before you buy it. I’d recommend snagging the best gaming laptop for you from a retailer with a simple return policy, like Amazon or Best Buy. If you don’t like it, you can always return it.
Don’t forget about accessories! For the best performance, you’ll need a good mouse, keyboard and a headset — these are some of the best gaming accessories for gaming PCs and laptops.
How we test gaming laptops
We review gaming laptops with the same amount of rigor as traditional notebooks. We test build quality by checking cases for any undesirable flexible spots, as well as the strength of screen hinges during furious typing and Call of Duty sessions. We benchmark every gaming notebook with PCMark 10, a variety of 3DMark tests, Cinebench and Geekbench. We also use NVIDIA’s Frameview app to measure the average framerates in Cyberpunk 2077, Overwatch 2 and other titles. For media creation, we transcode a 4K movie clip into 1080p using Handbrake’s CPU and GPU encoding options.
Displays are tested under indoor and outdoor lighting with productivity apps, video playback and gameplay. We also try to stress the full refresh rate of every gaming notebook’s screen by benchmarking Halo Infinite, Overwatch 2 and other titles. Laptop speakers are judged by how well they can play back music, movies and the occasional game session with detail and clarity, and without any obvious distortion.
When it comes to battery life, we see how long gaming systems last with a mixture of real-world productivity apps and gameplay, and we also test with PCMark 10’s “Modern office” battery test. In addition, we’re judging the quality of a machine’s keyboard with typing tests as well as relative accuracy and comfort during extended gaming sessions.
