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Buying a gaming laptop is challenging as there are many options, with new models released every year sporting increasingly more powerful CPUs and GPUs. When shopping for the best gaming laptop, you'll want to focus on a few aspects, like its CPU and GPU performance, performance over time (thermal throttling), as well as the display's refresh rate, motion performance, and VRR support. A good keyboard helps, too, as you'llwant one that can give you clear tactile feedback and won't cause fatigue over long gaming sessions. If you don't plan on using a headset, you might want to look at the fan noise, as most gaming laptops can get pretty loud under load. If you plan on gaming on the go, you'll also want to look at the laptop's portability and battery life.
We've bought and tested over 115 laptops. Below are our recommendations for the best gaming laptops you can buy. You can also see our recommendations for thebest laptops, the best budget and cheap gaming laptops, and the best Windows laptops.
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Best Gaming Laptop
Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) 11
Gaming
9.1
Size
18"Refresh Rate
480 HzVariable Refresh Rate
G-SYNCTyping Quality
9.0
Ports
9.5
Thermals And Noise
5.4
Serviceability
9.1
See all our test results
The best gaming laptop we've tested is the Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024). This large 18-inchmodel deliversa fantastic gaming experience with high, consistent frame rates. It's available with fastIntel 14th Gen CPUs and discrete NVIDIA GPUs, up to a Core i9-14900HX and an RTX 4090, respectively. Display options include a 480Hz FHD+ and a 165Hz QHD+panel, so you can choose whether you want smoother motion and better responsiveness or a sharper image. Both displays have a fast response time and VRR support to reduce screen tearing. Online gamers willbe happy to hear it has Wi-Fi 7 and an Ethernet port to ensurea fast, reliable internet connection. Of course, the main downside is portability, as it's a bulky, heavy laptop that's more of a desktop replacement than a device for on-the-go use. It's also quite expensive. The upside is that the memory and storage drive are user-replaceable, so you can get a cheaper configuration to start and upgrade later, which might be cheaper.
Also worth mentioning is theDell Alienware m16 R2 (2024), a smaller, cheaper 16-inch model. It's very similar to its larger sibling design-wise; however, due to its smaller chassis, its configuration options are more limited, with the GPU topping out at an RTX 4070. It also uses Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, which are more power-efficient than the m18 R2's 14th Gen HX CPUs and a tad slower. It still delivers a great gaming experience; just know that you can't turn up the graphics as much as on the m18 R2's RTX 4080 or 4090 models. There's a single display option: a 240Hz QHD+ IPS display. Thankfully, it has a fast response time and VRR support.
See our review
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Best Mid-Range Gaming Laptop
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023) 11
Size
16"Refresh Rate
165 HzVariable Refresh Rate
FreeSyncTyping Quality
8.0
Ports
9.0
Thermals And Noise
6.7
Serviceability
8.6
See all our test results
If you want something a little cheaper, check out our best mid-range pick,the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023). Available with AMD Ryzen 7040-series CPUs and NVIDIA 40-series GPUs (up to an RTX 4070), this 16-inch model also delivers an excellent gaming experience. For the display, you can choose between a 165Hz or a 240Hz QHD+ IPS panel; both have a fast response time and FreeSync support.It has a tactile, full-size keyboard, Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, and tons of ports, including an HDMI 2.1 and Ethernet. Unfortunately, the USB-Cs only support USB 3.2 Gen 2 transfer speeds, which are much slower than the Thunderbolt 4 ports on the Dell Alienware laptops mentioned above. Wireless connectivity is also a slight downgrade, as it only supportsWi-Fi 6E instead of the latest Wi-Fi 7 standards.
See our review
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Best Budget Gaming Laptop
ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) 8
Gaming
8.6
Size
16"Refresh Rate
165 HzVariable Refresh Rate
FreeSyncTyping Quality
Ports
8.0
Thermals And Noise
5.9
Serviceability
8.4
See all our test results
The best budget gaming laptop we've tested is the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023). You can get this laptop in a Ryzen 7 7735HS or Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU configuration paired with an AMD Radeon RX 6700S or Radeon RX 7700S. Every configuration can deliver high, consistent frame rates in demanding AAA games at 1080p or 1440p. Display options include a 165Hz FHD+ or a 240Hz QHD+ panel; both are 16-inch panels that support variable refresh rates to reduce screen tearing.
This laptop sports a solid port selection for peripherals and external displays, including an Ethernet and HDMI 2.1 port. The RAM and storage are user-replaceable, providing a clear upgrade path down the line. Thermal throttling is minimal under load, but the laptop does get hot and loud. Thankfully, there aren't any hot spots around the WASD keys. This laptop also isn't particularly portable as it's relatively bulky, and you'll need to carry along its fairly beefy charger for use on the go as its battery life lasts a little over an hour when gaming.
See our review
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Best Cheap Gaming Laptop
Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023) 11
Gaming
8.7
Size
15.6"Refresh Rate
144 HzVariable Refresh Rate
FreeSyncTyping Quality
7.5
Ports
8.0
Thermals And Noise
7.2
Serviceability
7.6
See all our test results
The best laptop for gaming we've tested in the cheap category is the Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023). This 15.6-inch model is available with an AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS or Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU and various NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs ranging from an RTX 3050 at the low end to an RTX 4060. These GPUs deliver high and consistent frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. We recommend going with an RTX 4060 for 1440p gaming, as the RTX 4050 only has 6GB of VRAM, which will likely cause pop-ins and stutters.
For the display, you can choose between a 60Hz or 144Hz FHD panel or a 165Hz QHD option, with the latter two being your best bet for gaming, as they'll provide better responsiveness and support VRR to minimize screen tearing. Just note that the response times on these displays are on the slower side, so you can expect to see some ghosting behind fast-moving objects. As far as downsides go, while this laptop feels sturdy for its price point, its all-plastic construction sets it apart from some of the more expensive options on this list. It also has a relatively small 60Wh battery that struggles to provide a full hour of gaming time, so you'll need to ensure your charger is handy.
A quick FYI: this laptop may be hard to find via marketplaces and third-party sellers. You can get it directly from Lenovo if you have trouble finding it.
See our review
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Best Gaming Chromebook
Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022) 13
Gaming
5.1
Size
16"Refresh Rate
120 HzVariable Refresh Rate
NoTyping Quality
7.5
Ports
7.0
Thermals And Noise
9.1
Serviceability
6.0
See all our test results
The best gaming Chromebook we've tested is the Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022). Unlike our picks above, this device runs Chrome OS, an operating system that isn't typically associated with gaming, and it runs on its Intel CPU's integrated graphics. It's because it's made for cloud gaming services like NVIDIA GeForce NOW. Cloud gaming means the processing takes place on NVIDIA's server—or whichever company provides the service—and the image is streamed to your device, alleviating the need for powerful hardware. GeForce NOW is a paid subscription service; the laptop comes with a three-month trial.
The overall build quality is good, and while it's on the bulkier side, it isn't too heavy, so it's still portable. Its 16-inch QHD+ display has a 120Hz refresh rate and a good response time, resulting in a clear image with minimal ghosting in fast-moving scenes. You get Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity and an Ethernet port, which is great, as cloud gaming performance highly depends on your internet connection. The keyboard feels spacious and tactile, doesn't get hot under load, and has RGB backlighting. Unfortunately, its battery life is very short, at around six hours of light use or an hour of gaming.
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Recent Updates
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May 28, 2024: Replaced the Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) with the Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) because the m16 is an older model and getting harder to find. Added the HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024) as a Notable Mention.
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May 01, 2024: Small text edits for clarity. Added the Dell Alienware m16 R2 (2024) as a Notable Mention.
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Apr 04, 2024: Small text edits for clarity. Added the Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) as an alternative to the Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023).
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Mar 04, 2024: We've replaced the ASUS TUF Dash F15 (2022) with the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023), as the F15 is discontinued and hard to find. We've also replaced the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021) with the Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023) as our cheap pick because it's available with faster Ryzen CPUs and NVIDIA 40-series GPUs, providing significantly better gaming performance. Removed the HP Victus 15 (2022) as a Notable Mention because it's getting hard to find. Added the ASUS TUF Dash F15 (2022) as a Notable Mention.
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Feb 08, 2024: Minor text edits for clarity. No changes in product picks.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best laptops for gamingto buy. We factor in the price (a cheaper laptop wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you prefer to make your own decision, here's the list of all of our laptopreviews, sorted by price from low to high. Keep in mind that most laptops are available in various configurations, and the table only shows the results of the model we tested, so it's best to see the full review for information about other variants.
