Three things go into choosing the best gaming laptop: performance, portability, and price. So, whether you need a colossal workstation or a sleek, ultra-thin gaming notebook, your future gaming laptop should find a way to fit perfectly into your daily life. As much as most of us would love the best gaming PC (opens in new tab), the reality is that some people don't have the room (or the need) for a full-size PC and monitor set-up.
Thanks to the constant CPU tug-of-war between AMD and Intel, it's a good time for laptop shopping. No, seriously, gaming laptops are some of the most heavily discounted items currently, and the specs on most are really impressive.
AMD's Ryzen 6000-series processors and Intel's 12th-Gen Alder Lake chips seem evenly matched on performance. On the GPU front, the Intel Arc mobile GPUs are starting to provide some healthy competition to Nvidia and AMD, at least for entry-level gaming laptops. If you're looking for a gaming laptop with a bit more horsepower, Nvidia's RTX 30-series mobile GPUs have been tough to beat despite AMD's best efforts.
Consider picking up a gaming laptop with a speedy NVMe SSD (at least 512GB) if your budget allows it. Even if you're opting for an entry-level GPU/CPU spec, SSDs provide a fast and reliable storage solution that also cuts down on game loading times. Some laptops even have high refreshment displays, which could pique your interest if you're a competitive gamer looking to hone your skills from practically anywhere.
Throughout the year, we test dozens of gaming laptops. The ones that make it to the list provide the best bang for your buck. They offer your budget the best balance of performance, price, and portability. We have our favorite gaming laptops as well as the best configs for each of our entries.
Best Gaming Laptops