The divide between the best pre-built PCs and today's best gaming laptop is certainly starting to narrow as we move further into 2023, and as always, that makes finding your perfect choice just a little bit harder.
Nowadays, gaming laptops pack a serious punch, often delivering the goods with superb graphics, high refresh rates, excellent battery life, and even more streamlined designs.
We've selected a number of laptops based on specs, price, reviews, and features they offer to give you a hand on your search.
Plus, we've even highlighted some brilliant recently released gaming laptops, like the Alienware x14 and Razer Blade 14 (2022), plus, we've answered some of the most common questions towards the end of the article.
Now let's get straight to it! Here are what we think are the top contenders for the best gaming laptop around.
Best Gaming Laptop
- Gigabyte AORUS 17G
- Alienware m15 R4 15.6 Inch FHD Gaming Laptop
- Razer Blade 15 Advanced Gaming Laptop 2021
- MSI Gaming CUK GE66 Raider
- ASUS TUF FX506
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G GA502DU
Best Gaming Laptop All-Rounder - Gigabyte AORUS 17G
click to enlargeWhen it comes to gaming laptops, we think the Gigabyte AORUS 17G is a fantastic all-rounder.
Under the hood, this laptop boasts an 11th Gen Intel i7 processor and up to a whopping 64GB of RAM which should be more than enough to run most modern AAA games.
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In terms of graphics, you're getting the NVIDIA RTX 3000 series, all the way up to the 3080, which should look fantastic on even the most graphically intense games.
The Gigabyte AORUS 17G also boasts a superb 300Hz refresh rate and full HD IPS display, which should help give you the edge in competitive play.
Best Gaming Laptop Premium - Alienware m15 R4 15.6 Inch
click to enlargeFor a properly premium gaming laptop with plenty of power underneath, look no further than the Alienware m15 R4.
You'll find a super-smooth 300Hz refresh rate in a similar vein to some of the best monitors for competitive gaming, alongside a powerful Intel Core i7-10870H processor and either 16 or 32GB of RAM.
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The real star of the show here though, is the graphics card though as the Alienware m15 R4 features one of Nvidia's most powerful cards with an RTX 3080 8GB ensuring this beast will run games rather well indeed.
Interestingly, this is also the first laptop from Alienware to feature a mechanical keyboard with CHERRY offering some Ultra Low Profile switches for the keyboard to provide what we think should be a cracking typing experience.
Best Gaming Laptop 360 Hz Display - Razer Blade 15 Advanced
click to enlargeThis Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model uses the Intel Core i7-10875H processor, which features eight cores and a max turbo clock speed of 5.10 GHz. This processor is paired with an RTX 3070 graphics card to allow for the display's 360Hz refresh rate.
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Plus, you're also getting a solid 1TB of storage, which should be plenty of space to store all your games, and you can always grab one of the best external SSDs for gaming if you need more.
This laptop also features Chroma RGB lighting, which is highly customizable using Razer's Chroma RGB software free to download.
The outer casing of this laptop is created from CNC Aluminium to allow for higher durability and helps to give that awesome Razer Blade look, too.
Best Gaming Laptop RTX 3070 - MSI Gaming CUK GE66 Raider
click to enlargeThis MSI CUK GE66 Raider utilizes an Intel 10th generation processor, has 64 GB of RAM, a 2 TB NVMe SSD, and a display that offers a refresh rate of up to 300 Hz.
To power this high refresh rate display, it also uses an RTX 3070 graphics card, which is currently highly sought after in the current market.
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In our view, the MSI CUK GE66 Raider is an absolute beast, not only amazing for gaming, but we think one of the best laptops to date.
Best Gaming Laptop Under 1000 - ASUS TUF FX506
click to enlargeThis ASUS TUF gaming laptop packs a 10th gen Core-i5 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti graphics card for some seriously powerful performance, which certainly makes it one of the best budget gaming laptops around.
Its IPS display also makes for an easy-on-the-eyes gameplay experience, as does the impressive 144hz - which we don't have to tell you is great for first-person shooters!
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And true to its name, the ASUS TUF actually has military-grade durability, meaning you can take it on the go with confidence.
Best Gaming Laptop Lenovo - Lenovo Legion 7 (Gen 6)
click to enlargeAnother excellent gaming laptop is the Lenovo Legion 7.
This premium model features some serious power under the hood with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor and up to 32GB of RAM.
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Plus, when it comes to graphics, you're getting up to an NVIDIA RTX GeForce 3080 GPU, which should allow you to experience maximum immersion while gaming.
The Lenovo Legion 7 also features up to 2TB SSD storage, which should be plenty of space to store all of your games and files.
Best Gaming Laptop Budget All-Rounder - ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
click to enlargeThis ASUS ROG Zephyrus ticks a whole load of boxes when it comes to finding that best budget all-rounder experience for laptop gaming.
It comes armed with an Nvidia RTX 2060 graphics card and AMD Ryzen 4000 processors, alongside a decent 60Hz refresh rate.
Thankfully, it seems that the battery life on this machine is also a winner, as is the unique 'desktop-inspired' keyboard.
It's also worth mentioning that if you're interested in a gaming laptop that looks a little more understated, then the ASUS ROG Zephyrus may likely be up your street!
Best Recently Released Gaming Laptops
Alienware x14
click to enlargeThe Alienware x14 was announced at CES 2022 in early January and is now available for purchase from Amazon.
The new gaming laptop is Dell's thinnest model to date and yet it still manages to pack some impressive power under the hood.
A 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H processor is backed up with NVIDIA's 3000 series GPUs, making the x14 capable of running pretty much any intensive game with ease.
Razer Blade 14 (2022)
click to enlargeThe Razer Blade 14 has also received an upgrade for 2022 and it looks like it is more powerful than ever before.
There are three editions of the new laptop available for purchase ranging from $1,999.99 / £2,199.99 to $3,499.99 / £3,799.99.
The most premium edition features an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU for some serious gaming power.
All three laptops are available directly through Razer's website.
ASUS ROG Flow Z13
click to enlargeThe ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is a gaming laptop and tablet rolled into one, boasting a lightweight and portable design alongside powerful gaming performance.
The new 2-in-1 laptop was released in most regions in April 2022 and has a starting price of around $1,799 / £1,899.
Acer Nitro 5 (2022)
click to enlargeOne of the best budget gaming laptops, the Acer Nitro 5 line is also receiving a significant upgrade for 2022.
Similarly to before, the Acer Nitro 5 is available with either an Intel or AMD processor and will feature either a 15.6 or 17.3-inch display.
Read More: Acer Nitro 5 (2022) Laptop: Release Date, Price And Specs
There are four different versions of the Acer Nitro 5 in the 2022 lineup, some of which are already available via Acer's website.
MSI Stealth GS77
click to enlargeThe MSI Stealth GS77 was recently announced at CES 2022.
While the new laptop is already available in some regions, it is a little tricky to find stock available.
The laptop will feature up to a 360Hz display and up to an NVIDIA RTX GeForce 3080 Ti Laptop GPU.
Read More: MSI Stealth GS77: Release Date, Specs, Price, And Everything We Know
This could be an excellent choice for the competitive gamers out there.
The MSI Stealth GS77 is currently available in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Malaysia, and Indonesia from MSI's website.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few questions that pop up when on the hunt for the best gaming laptop, and we're here to throw in our two cents.
Are gaming laptops a waste of money?
It's a valid question, especially when some gaming laptops really do tip the scales compared to even the best business laptops out there.
But it really comes down to needs and how much usage you're going to get out of it.
Read More: Are gaming laptops worth it?
We'd say gaming laptops are great if you find yourself on the move quite often, but want a high-quality gaming experience anywhere you go.
Sure, there are even more portable gaming options out there, like the Nintendo Switch, but they're limited in terms of game selection and graphics when compared to the best gaming laptops.
Do gaming laptops overheat?
Gaming laptops can get put through their paces and can get quite hot, but overheating is a different thing.
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To prevent your gaming laptop from overheating, you can do a number of things, such as buy a cooling pad or ensure your gaming laptop's fans are clean.
Should you buy a gaming laptop or PC?
There are some amazing pre-built gaming PCs out there today, and also the option to build your own, so why go for a gaming laptop?
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The main reason would be portability and space-saving in our eyes, as there are several features on gaming PCs, especially airflow and cooling, that work in their favour.
What is the best budget gaming laptop?
If you're looking for something more on the budget end of the spectrum, you may have to redefine what you'd consider 'budget' when it comes to gaming laptops.
Typically, due to the minimum requirements needed for gaming, you'll find gaming laptops from around 600 - 800 at the entry level.
You can check out some of our best budget gaming laptop picks here.
Are gaming laptops good for everyday use?
Whether a gaming laptop is good for everyday use will depend largely on exactly what you'll be wanting to use it for.
If your everyday use involves just gaming, then absolutely a gaming laptop would be ideal, however, they can also be great if you're looking to do more.
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Gaming laptops tend to come with a higher level of power and performance which means they are often capable of handling demanding tasks such as video editing or design.
How much RAM do I need for a gaming laptop?
Nowadays, 8GB of RAM is the benchmark requirement for most AAA games released today, therefore we'd recommend this as a minimum.
If you're looking to run games at their highest performance, you may need more than 8GB, for example, Red Dead Redemption 2 recommends 12GB for optimal use.
While at the moment there are no games that require upwards of 16GB of RAM as a minimum, it may be worth investing in a laptop with more memory for future-proofing.
What screen size is best for a gaming laptop?
The most common screen size for a gaming laptop is 15-inch. If you prefer a bigger screen, you can go for a 17-inch laptop, but note that the weight will increase with the screen size. A 13-inch laptop will be much lighter, but it may be too small for some gamers.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Deals and PC Gaming page.