Best gaming laptops in 2025

Gaming laptops have evolved into carefully balanced devices that can deliver a quality gaming experience, and the mobility they afford is a huge boon for many people who can't always be seated at a desk. PC gaming is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, and just like you want the best possible TV in your budget for watching movies, you also want the best possible gaming laptop that money can buy.

Many of the best laptops on the market can double as gaming machines, but we're focusing here on laptops built specifically for having fun. While everyone has different needs, there are a couple of things that tend to be very important with gaming laptops, such as having a powerful CPU and GPU, along with plenty of RAM to handle demanding titles. We've reviewed many gaming laptops here at XDA< and we've compiled our absolute favorites here for you so you can make your purchase with peace of mind.

Our favorite gaming laptops in 2024

Lenovo has been making some of the best gaming laptops in the business for a long time now, and for 2024, the Legion Pro 7i is still one of the best options on the market. Our very own brady Snyder reviewed this fantastic laptop, and he called it "one of our favorite gaming laptops this year".

It's for good reason, too. This is a very powerful machine that comes equipped with a 14th-gen Intel Core i9 processor for terrific CPU performance,paired with either an nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or RTX 4090 to handle all your gaming. In both cases, you're getting 175W of maximum power, so gaming performance is amazing in either configuration. Add 32GB of upgradeable DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of storage, and you have a winning combination.

Lenovo also upgraded the display for 2024, which was one of our very few complaints with the previous model. This time around, color reproduction is much better, and with Quad HD+ resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate, the gaming experience here is absolutely fantastic.

This all comes wrapped in a very premium-feeling metal design that's got just the right amount of flair thanks to generous use of RGB lighting. It strikes a balance between flashy and muted, and it's a fun laptop to pull out in public. It is a bit on the heavy side, though this isn't unusual for gaming laptops. When you get this kind of performance, it comes at the cost of portability. That means battery life is also not great, especially if you're gaming. Again, that's par for the course. There are plenty of ports here as well, including Thunderbolt , USB Type-A, HDMI, and even Ethernet.

All in all, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is an amazing laptop for gaming, and it earns our top recommendation depsite some fierce competition.

Lenovo may have the absolute best gaming laptop, but the Alienware x16 R2 is almost just as good, dpeending on what you want. This laptop is also near the top of the food chaing when it comes to performance thanks to its Intel Core Ultra processors, which include an NPU to enable certain AI features like Windows Studio Effects. Most importantly, though, you still get a beat of GPU with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.

All of this is cooled by Alienware's exclusive Element 31 thermal interface combined with a quad fan system, which allows this laptop to be much thinner and lighter than you'd expect for something so powerful. You also get up to 32GB of soldered LPDDR5x RAM and a massive 8TB of storage, so you can't ask for much more here.

One area where the Alienware x16 R2 comes out ahead of Lenovo's laptop is the display. First off, you actually have choices here, so you can either get a Full HD+ panel with an ultra-smooth 480Hz refresh rate (meant for professional gaming) or a Quad HD+ panel with a 240Hz refresh rate (better for most people). In any case, you're getting great color reproduction, though, since both displays cover 100% of DCI-P3, making this a laptop that's great for gaming, watching movies, and more.

The design of the Alienware x16 R2 is also very cool. It has a silver exterior mixed with a black interior, which makes for a very unique look, and paired with the extensive RGB lighitng effects, it looks even more fun. At 18.57mm, it's thinner than most laptops in this class, but it still manages to fit an option CherryMX mechanical keyboard, which is one of the very best we've used in a laptop.

All of this makes the Alienware x16 R2 a top contender for one of the best gaming laptops you can get. We'd say it's almost a toss-up between this and the Legion Pro 7i, and you'll be well served either way.

Very few brands scream "gaming" the same way Razer does, and there's good reason for it. The company make ssome of the best gaming laptops in the business, and with the company entering the 14-inch laptop market, the Razer Blade 14 is an absolute standout.

Powering this laptop is an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor, which is already a super impressive chip with plenty of performance for gaming and day-to-day tasks. Add to it the powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 with up to 140W of total power, and you have a gaming rig that can handle all the latest games without issues, all while being realtively portable. This is also a laptop with upgradeable RAM, which isn't very common for a 14-inch laptop.

The display on the Razer Blade 14 is also great. It has a 16:10 aspect ratio and Quad HD+ resolution, a 240hz refresh rate, and it covers 100% of DCI-P3, making for an excellent visual experience despite its smaller size. Smaller can be better, too.

Design-wise, the Balde 14 is one of the more protable gaming laptosp you can get thanks to the smaller screens, coming in at just over four pounds of weight and under 18mm of thickness. It's alsoa more subdued laptop than many of its competitors thanks to the single-color chassis (whether it's black or silver), with the only hint of color being the Razer logo on the black version and the RGB backlit keyboard.

Our reviewer, Joe Rice-Jones said the Razer Blade 14 is "hands-down my favorite gaming laptop", and that's obviously very high praise. This is one to mkeep your eye on, and you might want to act fast since it seems to be out of stock at a lot of retailers.

Gaming laptops always seem to be either black or silver, so it's always nice to have some alternatives in this field. Lenovo stepped up to the plate with the Legion 7i this year, and everything comes together to make this laptop a home run.

First off,we're looking at 14th-gen Intel Core HX-series processors, which make this a very powerful laptop from the get-go, whether it's for gaming or anything else. Pair that with an nvidia GeForceMRTX 4070 with 130W of power, and you have yourself a spectacular gaming machine already. For a 16-inch laptop, it's definitely not the most powerful, but it can still run modern games with no issues. In fact, our reviewer said "might be one of the best gaming laptops of the year", and sure enough, here it is on our list.

What helps this laptop really stand out is its design, with this beautiful white finish that's accented by soime silver-like reflections along the edges, making for an incredibly sleek and modern-feeling laptop that doesn't really feel like a gaming rig, and we mean that int he best way possible. It does have some RGB lighting on the keyboard, though, if you fancy some special effects. This is also a relatively portable machine, starting at under five pounds of weight — not terrible for a 16-inch gaming laptop.

Let's not forget the display is also quite good. The base model has Quad HD+ resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate, and it covers 100% of sRGB, but if you want this to be a great laptop for video or image editing too, you can always opt for the extra-sharp 3.2K panel that has 100% coverage of DCI-P3 with a 165Hz refresh rate. Either way, you're going to have a great experience.

Asus' ROG brand is very popular among gamers, but the Zephyrus G14 is a little different than you may expect. Rather than focus on raw performance, this model is all about taking gaming on the go, and it knocks it out of the park. This laptop is perfect for anyone who wants that extra bit of power but still wants a laptop they can take to school or work. As said by our reviewer, Rich Woods, "it's a great all-around laptop for people that want both power and portability".

Driving that power are AMD Ryzen processors, up to a Ryzen 9 8945HS, and you can pair that with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 that can use up to 90W of power. That's noticeably lower than other laptops on this list, but this GPU will still be able to run all your games at fairly high settings, you just won't get the high framerates you might get with a beefier machine.

Whether you're gaming or doing anything else, you can rest assured it will look fantastic on this display, too. It's an OLED panel with a very sharp 2.8K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, which should tell you all you need to know. Everything looks simply amazing on this screen, which covers 100% of DCI-P3 and 96% of Adobe RGB, so you can ise it for photo and video editing without worries.

And of course, the highlight here is the lightness and portability. At 3.3 pounds, you might even question whether this is actually a gaming laptop, and you can easily slip this in a backpack while travelling. It's really nice to be able to pack this much power with you on a trip. Plus, the laptop looks great, so you're going to make a good impression whenever you pull it out in public.

It's not a performance powerhouse like some others, but the ROG Zephyrus G14 excels at what it sets out to do, and it's easy to see how it's a great product.

If you're an avid gamer, immersion is probably a big deal for you, and the Alienware m18 R2 delivers that in spades. This beast of a laptop comes equipped with a huge 18-inch display, on top of having the latest and greqatest specs with plenty of room for cooling. In our review, Brady Snyder said "the Alienware m18 R2 is an all-in-one package with a great display, refined design, and top-of-the-line components for excellent performance", and we can't argue with that.

Powering this laptop are Intel Core HX-series processors up to a Core i9, along with Nvidia graphics up to an RTX 4090 with the full 175W of power. There's a wide range of configurations and prices, but if you're willing to put in the money, you can get an absolute beast of a laptop here, meaning you'll be running all your games at high settings and with smooth framerates, too. You can even get up to 64GB of RAM a huge 8TB SSD, if you have really deep pockets.

All that size isn't just to house powerful specs, though. It also comes with a huge 18-inch display, the biggest you'll find on a modern laptop, and it's a great screen at that. You can choose between a Full HD+ 480Hz panel or a Quad HD+ 240Hz option (the latter being my personal recommendation), but both have 100% coverage of DCI-P3, so colors look great either way. For a screen this size, we definitely recommend the higher resolution, since things look much crisper this way.

Because of its massive size, this laptop can weigh up to 9.32 pounds, so portability is definitely not a priority. On the flip side, you get a plethora of ports, with three USB-C ports (two supporting Thunderbolt 4), three USB Type-A ports, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, RJ45 Ethernet, a headphone jack, and an SD card slot. Alienware wasted no inch of this laptop, so even though it's huge, it all feels justified.

This truly feels like a desktop PC you can use on the go, and while it's not for everyone, it's definitely one of the best laptops out there.

We've already mentioned the Zephyrus G14 on this list, but if you want a larger screen, this bigger sibling is the perfect laptop for gaming and working. It features OLED displays and a powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, plus other high-end specs.

The Core Ultra 9 CPU is joined by up to a Nvidia RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, 32GB of LPDDR5x-7467MHz RAM, and dual 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs. The only downside is that the GPU is limited to 115W of power due to the thin design, so you won't get the same performance here as you would on a chunky laptop like the Alienware m18. Still, what you're getting is more than capable enough for gaming.

The 16-inch OLED display hits a 2.5K resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, and 100% DCI-P3 color. It comes with G-Sync compatibility, VESA DisplayHDR 500 certification, and Dolby Vision. Aside from the bump to performance and screen, the chassis has been redesigned to be made completely out of aluminum. The body is squared off and looks a lot like Razer's Blade lineup, measuring just 14.9mm at its thinnest point. It looks a lot more modern than previous generations, blurring the line between gaming and professional work. In our review, Cale Hunt said this "is one of the best built laptops" out there, so the build quality is definitely one of the highlights, as is the portability considering its size.

Improved speakers with Dolby Atmos tuning deliver an excellent sound experience, and the keyboard has larger keycaps. The touchpad is massive, and there are plenty of ports for connecting your accessories. It includes Thunderbolt 4, USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2), two USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), HDMI 2.1, a UHS-II SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

All of this makes the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 an easy recommendation if you want power and portability in one sleek package.

While we would all love to have the latest and greatest laptop, that's not something everyone can afford, so for those with a more constrained budget, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is an excellent option. This laptop is very confusing because it comes in a lot of variants, and most of them don't ahve the latest Intel processors, despite being released in 2024. so picking the right model can be difficult.

The Intel version can be found with 12th-generation Core HX-series processors paired with either Intel Arc A530M graphics or Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics (ranging from an RTX 2050 to an RTX 4050). We recommend the latter if the price is the same, though a discount could make the Intel version more appealing. There are also models with AMD processors, which tend to be cheaper. Regardless, you're getting solid performance for gaming here. This laptop can run most, if not all of your games, as long as you're willing to accept lowering some settings here and there to make sure it all runs smoothly. You also get upgradeable RAM starting at 12GB, which is solid for the price. Our reviewer brady Snyder tested the model with an Intel GPU, and found it to perform better than expected.

Often, the display can suffer a lot in these cheaper laptops, but the Full HD panel here is still pretty solid. It's a 15.6-inch 16:9 panel, as you might expect in this price range, but it does cover 100% of sRGB, so colors look much better than a lot of low-end gaming laptops. It also has a 144Hz refresh rate, and it's an IPS panel, so at least the viewing angles should be solid, too.

The design is where the laptop feels the cheapest, with the plastic build often being creaky and not feeling particularly well done. We noted some issues with the Ethernet port being too tight, for example. It also won't win awards for being particularly thin or light, but it does look fairly subdued, which is nice for a gaming laptop, since they can often be a bit too garish.

It's hard to put the Lenovo LOQ 15 against the laptops we mentioned above and make it look good, but considering the price of this unit, it's really hard to ask for much more.

Choosing the best gaming laptop for you

Gaming laptops come in all shapes and sizes, and they vary greatly in price. This gives buyers a lot of variety, but it can also make it tough to find the perfect gaming machine for you. If we're making one suggestion where price doesn't matter, it has to be the Legion Pro 7i from Lenovo. It's a powerful laptop with a great display and a simply great experience across the board. That being said, the Alienware x16 R2 is also phenomenal, and you could argue it's better in some scenarios, so it's definitely worthy of attention, too.

Relistically, every laptop on this list is fantastic and does a great job of catering to a specific audience. It's just a matter of finding the right laptop for your use case and budget.