The best gaming laptops of 2025 for PC gamers

Read Mashable's full review of the Alienware m16 R2.

The Alienware m16 R2 gaming laptop is for gamers who don't need all the fancy bells and whistles but still value high performance. Quality over quantity, so to speak. It's not perfect, but we think it's the most impressive mid-budget gaming laptop. It's also going to be your best bet if you're new to the PC gaming realm.

Mid-budget shoppers rejoice, because your dream gaming laptop has arrived on the scene in the Alienware m16 R2. Yes, it has some drawbacks, but the positives far outweigh the negatives, and it serves as our top pick for the time being.

The newly redesigned gaming machine is much more minimalist than its predecessor, ditching the thermal shelf that normally juts out the back of the laptop and adding a hotkey for "Stealth Mode," which turns off that RGB lighting that isn't everyone's cup of tea. The m16 R2 can be used as an everyday laptop or a gaming machine thanks to its MUX switch, which allows you to jump between integrated and dedicated GPUs at a moment's notice. (You can also use NVIDIA's Advanced Optimus feature to do this automatically.)

Former Mashable Tech Editor Kimberly Gedeon applauded the laptop's performance at this price point, even running demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 without making a bunch of compromises in the settings menu. Framerates looked smooth on the 240Hz display, according to Gedeon, although the overall brightness could've used a boost. She also highlighted the machine's keyboard, which had clicky, tactile feedback and responsiveness.

Unfortunately, the Alienware m16 R2's speaker system isn't really up to par — volume is fine, but everything has a bit of a tinny sound that just isn't very pleasant. So, we recommend playing with headphones whenever you can. The webcam isn't the best quality, and battery life leaves much to be desired at just under an hour per charge (most will play plugged in anyway, though). But none of those setbacks could overshadow the best parts of the Alienware m16 R2 gaming laptop. It's a Mashable Choice Award winner and our top pick for the best gaming laptop you can get right now.

Read Mashable's full review of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a great mid-budget gaming laptop that has a little bit of everything. From the MacBook-like design (which kind of reminds us of Razer's popular gaming laptops), to the gorgeous display, to the top-tier keyboard and impressive performance, this laptop is our overall top pick for anyone looking to get into PC gaming on a portable level.

If you want a high-end gaming laptop that won't break the bank but also don't want to go the budget route, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a mid-point option that we think is a great value for the money. Gedeon, who reviewed the laptop, lauded the machine's MacBook-esque build. "The ROG Zephyrus G14 is perfect for those who want to bring a respectable, MacBook Pro-esque laptop to the office — before gaming at night with a beastly gaming rig," she wrote, referring to the computer's dual speaker grilles as CNC aluminum unibody chassis highlights that are similar to its Apple counterpart. Unlike a MacBook, though, the G14 actually has a decent variety of ports.

Gedeon also really enjoyed the laptop's OLED display, which produced extremely crisp visuals and colors. However, one knock against it is that the display just isn't bright enough overall — not a dealbreaker, though. The keyboard layout and feel are also high points, and the laptop's speakers sound good enough that we question if you even need a gaming headset while you play. As for performance, the ROG Zephyrus G14 easily passed our Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark tests with flying colors. Battery life is good, not great at one hour and 17 minutes.

When it comes to downsides, there aren't many. Aside from the display brightness, the most glaring issue with this laptop is that it tends to run extremely hot.

The Razer Blade 14 sits right at the intersection of gaming laptops and productivity laptops. The battery performs well in both departments, and we can definitely see it being a gamer's "do it all" machine. If you've got the budget and you want a gaming laptop that is both powerful and portable, the Razer Blade 14 might be your dream gaming laptop.

In a world filled with chunky gaming laptops, the Razer Blade 14 stands out. It is, by far, the best thin and compact laptop we've tested. Now, you'd probably think that the Blade sacrifices some power to get it as portable as it is, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. This laptop is an absolute powerhouse, and not just for its size, but for any gaming laptop. During our testing period, it ran beautifully whether we were streaming via the cloud or playing demanding titles natively. It stayed relatively cool throughout gameplay, too.

Another big highlight of the Razer Blade 14 is the device's battery life. Gaming laptops are known to have extremely short battery lives, but the Blade is well above average in that department. We got around four hours of heavy gameplay (non-cloud) before needing to recharge, which might not sound like a lot, but when most other gaming laptops are putting up numbers in the one- to two-hour range, it's a very welcome upgrade. When you do end up needing a charge, the device re-ups quickly and gets you right back in the game.

With the Blade 14, you'll also get access to the Razer Synapse app, which is a great tool for tailoring your experience with the machine. You can use it to further optimize your battery and component usage, which may get you some extra juice, as well as customization for RGB lighting, key mapping, and more. We also thought that the display was totally stunning.

Our gripes with the Razer Blade 14 come down to just two points. One might deter you from picking one up at all, and it's the cost. The build we tested — which was decked out with all the highest possible specs — comes in at a steep $2,699. While we absolutely loved this laptop, we hope the next iteration isn't so overkill on the sticker price. You can opt to go for the lower-level specs, but that'll come out to a total of $2,199. The other point, though much smaller, is the laptop's touchpad. It felt just a little too tough to press down, but you may not have the same issue.

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Nitro V 15.

There aren't many gaming laptops under $1,000 that are actually worth buying, but the Acer Nitro V 15 (formerly known as the Acer Nitro 5) is one of our favorites in this price range. (Plus, it recently dropped in price, and as of this writing, it's on sale for $799.99.) If you're looking to save some cash but still want a high-quality gaming laptop, this is the mid-range model you should buy.

The laptop's low price wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't also a rock-solid performer, which it totally is. In fact, it has a lot of the same inner components as a few of the more expensive options in this roundup, and it exceeded our expectations when running demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077. Gedeon praised the Nitro V 15's performance but also marked the laptop's thermals and quiet, balanced keyboards as highlights. We were also impressed with the device's wide variety of port options and enjoyed the overall design.

The Acer Nitro V 15 does come with some downsides, though. Most notably, the display doesn't get all that bright, which undercuts the laptop's great performance by hindering the visuals. It's also a bit of a fingerprint magnet, but a lot of laptops are these days. It runs pretty loud and the battery life isn't anything to write home about, but these cons are to be expected when picking up a budget-level device. All in all, the Acer Nitro V 15 is a fantastic choice for anyone who wants a high-performing laptop for under $1,000. 

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE.

The budget Acer Chromebook 516 GE promises its users a fantastic cloud-based PC gaming experience, and in our testing, it definitely delivers. At this price point, quality gaming laptops are hard to come by, but the Chromebook 516 GE breaks that mold by offering top-notch performance during gaming and general use, a beautiful display, killer perks, and more for $649. Thankfully, it regularly goes on sale for under $500 — especially at Best Buy, where it's currently sitting at only $419. If you're looking for the intersection of quality and value, you'll find it here.

If you're not familiar with cloud gaming yet, it's the equivalent of watching content through an app like Netflix: You'll be streaming games rather than downloading them or owning a physical copy. That means no load times to start playing, no downloads, and no updates. Sometimes, this can result in poor game quality and choppy performance, but this laptop doesn't have those problems. We used Xbox Game Pass as our cloud platform of choice during testing, and we had an overall great experience (we also used an Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, which connected easily).

We played single-player games like Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Rollerdrome, and Cyberpunk 2077, as well as online multiplayer games like Sea of Thieves, Mortal Kombat 11, and Fortnite — all of which require fast and responsive performance to play as intended. We're happy to report that every game we booted up ran swimmingly, save for a slight loss in fidelity (which is extremely common with cloud gaming). We also experienced zero input lag or stuttering, an impressive feat.

Luckily, you won't be beholden to Game Pass. Along with your purchase, you can redeem three free months of NVIDIA GeForce Now at the Priority level, which grants you access to NVIDIA's high-end cloud servers with enhanced resolution and frame rate. You get other perks, too, including three months of YouTube Premium, a year's worth of Google One cloud storage, and a month of access to Boosteroid. As we said, the value for your money here is stellar.

Aside from the gaming-centric features, the Acer Chromebook 516GE is also a really solid laptop in general. The build quality feels durable and sturdy like a gaming laptop should, and it features a nice RGB keyboard with anti-ghosting tech that's incredible to type on. You'll also get a bevy of ports, including USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet. The real showstopper is the laptop's display — the 16-inch, 1600p screen looks fantastic and boasts clear, bright, and vibrant colors. It also supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which is amazing for a budget gaming laptop (even though you can't drop it down to save some battery life).

Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry also enjoyed his time with the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE, citing display and performance as highlights as well. He used NVIDIA's GeForce Now app mostly during testing and said it performed better than Game Pass, at least at the Ultimate subscription tier. We can't speak to the free tier, but it's probably closer to the base Game Pass experience. All in all, Perry also agrees that this gaming Chromebook is a great value for the price, especially on sale.

Read Mashable's full review of the HP Omen 17.

If you're looking to get a gaming laptop that doesn't have the "Capital-G Gamer" aesthetic, the HP Omen 17's more minimalistic approach might better fit the bill for you. It doesn't ditch all the customization options that you'd expect to find in a gaming laptop, but keeps just enough to make sure the experience stays fun. That's what gaming is all about, isn't it? While the keyboard and speaker systems aren't going to knock your socks off, the performance, display quality, and superb thermal design make the HP Omen 17 a gaming laptop to keep your eye on.

Without even opening the lid, the HP Omen 17's sleek look is apparent, and a refreshing departure from the gaming laptops we're used to seeing — ones with flashy graphics and RGB lighting all over the place. While we don't hate that look either, there's a time and place for both. The minimalistic features continue once you take a look inside, where you'll find a keyboard that screams simplicity and a vivid display that exceeded our expectations. In her review, Mashable Contributor Sarah Chaney lauded the 1440p, 240Hz screen for its top-notch visuals during demanding gameplay (specifically Helldivers 2). Though the brightness was lacking a bit, the quality of this display at an under-$2,000 price point is a great value.

In-game performance, in general, was impressive, with the HP Omen 17 scoring high marks on all of our benchmark tests. It was able to handle multiple AAA titles at high graphical settings with no issues, as long as we played with the laptop plugged in — the battery life is expectedly short at a little over one hour without being on a charger, so we recommend keeping it chained to an outlet during use. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the laptop, though, is its thermal design. We never felt like the computer was overheating, even during intense gameplay sessions, so we really feel that you can push this machine to its limits without risking a crash or starting a fire. We also liked the laptop's suite of ports, including a 3.5mm headphone jack, ethernet, three USB-A connections, USB-C, DC-in, and HDMI-2.1.

As for the cons, there aren't many. We weren't in love with the keyboard — it didn't have as much feedback as we would've liked, and the keys felt a bit "mushy." When it comes to audio, the Omen 17 is a bit of a flop due to its tinny speakers, but this can be remedied with a good gaming headset. In her review, Chaney concluded that the HP Omen 17 is a great gaming laptop for the price. "Its minor flaws and low battery life are easy to overlook if you’re the type of gamer who knows they’ll be connecting headphones, a mouse, and other peripherals for a better experience and won’t play unplugged because it often means sacrificing higher frame rates. If all you care about is overall performance and you’d prefer a gaming laptop with a minimalist look (and you don’t mind a plastic chassis), I’d say the HP Omen 17 is worth it."

Read Mashable's full review of the MSI Cyborg 15.

The MSI Cyborg 15 is a great gaming laptop for those who fall in the middle of the road when it comes to budget. Meaning, you don't want to get the cheapest laptop possible, but you don't necessarily want to shell out for the priciest one, either.

We should note that the version we tested had 2TB of SSD storage, but the available versions for sale have only 512GB.

Gedeon reviewed the MSI Cyborg 15, scoring it a 4.2 out of 5. Highlights from her hands-on review include the device's surprising performance for the price, variety of ports, cooling ability, and halfway-decent keyboard. While most gaming laptops at this price point will struggle with ultra-demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2, the Cyborg 15 had little issue.

"I’ve seen machines buckle under the great stress Cyberpunk 2077 puts them through," wrote Gedeon in her review of the machine. But after running a few benchmark tests, she came to the conclusion that the MSI Cyborg 15 can "handle some complex graphics rendering, particularly if you toggle on the right settings." That's great news for those who want to run processor-heavy games without having to stream via cloud, and also don't want to spend over $2,000.

Gedeon encountered two snags in the review process: the laptop's display and speakers. The display's max brightness was simply too low, which is a bummer for those who want to see their games in full, vivid color. The speakers' max volume was also a bit too low, but if you're playing with a gaming headset, you shouldn't have any issues.

Ultimately, if you're OK with not shopping from the top shelf, the MSI Cyborg 15 is a more than solid choice. As Gedeon put it, "If you’re a practical gamer who wants bare bones specs — acceptable frame rates, a 1080p display, and a comfortable keyboard — the MSI Cyborg 15 is ideal. Plus, you get it all for a great price."

Here’s some good news: virtually every gaming laptop worth its salt can now handle virtual reality gaming. If you’re playing VR through a PC, you’re likely going to be using a Meta Quest 2, Valve Index, or HTC Vive Pro 2. Thankfully, none demand particularly high PC specs.

The Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 are standalone headsets that can render games using its onboard processor. However, you can wire it up to a computer if you want to play PC VR games, too. To do that you’ll need a USB-C cable and a computer powerful enough to support the tech. The exact PC requirements are listed here, but every laptop on this list meets them.

The same goes for the Valve Index, which requires at least a GTX 970 and a dual-core processor, as well as the HTC Vive Pro 2, which asks for a slightly beefier Intel Core i5-4590 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060. Again, these picks sail past those requirements.

There’s one other obvious difference between a gaming laptop and a gaming desktop: portability. Gaming laptops have all the usual benefits you’d expect of them, alongside powerful hardware that’s capable of rendering and running games. But you pay for that expanded portability with a higher price tag. A gaming laptop will always be more expensive than an equivalent desktop PC, as manufacturers have to redesign graphics cards and all the other stuff to fit inside a small chassis.

That price difference doesn't necessarily apply to custom-built gaming computers, however. Even the most specced-out gaming laptops will save you money compared to a powerful custom PC gaming rig. The average custom PC gaming setup costs more than $3,500, and prices just keep going up. The best pre-built PC gaming computers are much more affordable, but they also take a lot of the fun out of building your own.

There’s nothing a gaming laptop can’t do that a desktop can, and vice versa. However, you may want to opt for a desktop for longevity’s sake.

You can find great gaming laptops at pretty much any big-name retailer nowadays. Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, GameStop, B&H, and others all have large selections of gaming laptops.

However, there is often a benefit to shopping directly with gaming laptop brands — their sites often offer a lot more customization, letting you pick out the exact specs you want. At bigger retailers, most off-the-shelf gaming laptops are already pre-specced (often by sketchy third-party sellers if you shop at Amazon), making it harder to find the right configuration and price.