1. The list in brief
2. Best overall
3. Best budget
4. Best under $1,500
5. Best under $2,000
6. Best performance
7. Best battery life
8. How we test
9. Also tested
10. Find your perfect gaming laptop
11. Why trust Laptop Mag
I’ve been a technology journalist for well over a decade. And one of the things that always brings a big smile to my face are gaming laptops. They come in a multitude of sizes with a range of designs that go from understated to over the top. And speaking of over the top, many gaming laptops allow you to adjust the lighting, create macros and overclock the CPU and GPU.
But like other laptops, consumers are spoiled for choice. Do you go for broke with a $3,000 RTX 4090 rig with all the bells and whistles, or do you want something a bit more tame and cost effective? After all, 14th Gen Intel gaming laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16 are coming in. What about screen size and resolution? Never fear dear reader, I’m here to walk you through the ins and outs of gaming laptops and have a list of some of my favorites.
You might be asking how I narrowed down our best gaming laptop list. A lot of testing. Over the course of a year the Laptop Mag staff reviews over 100 laptops covering every budget and use case. Each system undergoes rigorous benchmarking, testing everything from overall performance to battery life. Gaming laptops undergo an extra set of tests designed to test gaming performance, heat (or lack thereof) and endurance.
Once all the testing is done, the actual reviewing begins, where the staff adds their anecdotal experience. If the system is indeed exceptional, earning four stars or higher or our Editors’ Choice award, the system will then earn a spot in this guide. Here are the best gaming laptops right now.
Rami has been swimming in gaming laptops for most of his adult life, which is wild to think about, but excellent for you, those of which that need a new gaming rig in their life. Rami knows that budget shouldn't compromise on quality, and that you deserve the most for your coin. Extensive testing and hands-on has taught Rami which are the best gaming laptops for every budget.
The Quick List
Best Overall
The Asus ROG is large and in charge with its overclockable Intel Core i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU. This beefy desktop replacement can handle all your gaming needs and then some.
Best budget
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE is proof that you don’t have to choose between performance and affordability. The laptop delivers strong gaming and overall performance in a sleek 14-inch chassis.
Best under $1,500
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is one of favorite gaming laptops because it offers mid-tier specs, which depending on the game, can consistently deal out high frame rates. It’s also under $1,500 which is music to our ears.
Best under $2,000
Looking for a 40 Series Nvidia GPU without breaking the bank? Then we highly recommend the MSI Katana 15 which offers a powerful Intel Core i7 CPU and RTX 4070 which delivers powerful overall and graphics performance.
Best performance
The MSI Titan 18 HX is stacked. Not only does it have a beautiful display and a mechanical keyboard, it also has a Core i9 CPU and Nvidia 4090 GPU. It’s a beast of machine that destroyed everything we put in front of it.
Best battery life
The Razer Blade 14 is the best gaming laptop for battery life, but not only that. You get powerful gaming and productivity performance, a vivid display, a sleek aluminum chassis and intense audio.
Recent updates
Updated March 7 to change our best under $1,000 to best budget, mention upcoming 14th Gen Intel gaming laptops, and tweak headline.
Best Overall
Our favorite config:
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is my first taste of the new chips from Intel and Nvidia and I’ve got to say, it’s absolutely delicious. The Strix Scar 18 is an unmitigated beast, running with Intel’s 13th Gen Core i9-13900HX processor and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. Both are uber-powerful and highly overclockable so you can squeeze every bit of power out of the system. Plus, the notebook has this Blade Runner vibe that I’m very much into along with its 18-inch, QHD+ (2560 x 1600), 240Hz display that serves up a beautiful picture with buttery smooth rendering.
So onto the tests. There were very few places the ROG Strix Scar 18 missed the mark. The laptop easily trounced everything we threw at it. During gaming tests, it was rare the Strix Scar 18 fell below a three-digit result. We saw a scorching 154 fps on the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla benchmark while it reached 181 and 152 fps on Rise of the Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto V. How about overall performance?
The 13th Gen CPU smoked the competition, scoring 19,233 on Geekbench 5.4; that’s more than double the premium gaming laptop overall performance average. This system completed our video transcoding test in just 2 minutes and 49 seconds (more than a minute faster than the MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Pro Max, while its pair of 1TB SSDs dominated our file transfer tests.
However, all that power comes at a cost. The Scar 18’s battery life is on the short side at 4 hours and 26 minutes. Another con is the 720p webcam; we would expect 1080p at this eye-watering price. . But overall, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is the gaming laptop to beat and has also earned its way onto our Best Asus Laptops page.
Read our full Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 review
Best budget
Our favorite config:
The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE is a revelation. Our reviewer put it best as it sits in a “cozy spot where the company offers its best quality components packed into a relatively affordable package.” The slim, 14-inch beauty only weighs 3.8 pounds and a good grouping of ports. It’s also got a lovely, bright 1080p panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for gaming.
Speaking of gaming, the Triton’s RTX 3060 GPU is more than enough to handle most games on high or medium settings. The Predator Triton 300 SE consistently beat the category average on AAA titles such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Shadow of the Tomb Raider. For instance, during the Far Cry New Dawn benchmark, the Acer scored 73 fps which was enough to match or beat most of the competition.
The Triton’s Core i7 processor didn’t do as well on our overall performance test, scoring 5,234 which beat the category average but not any of the rival systems. On the Handbrake video transcoding test, the Acer turned in a rather slow time of 11 minutes and 36 seconds. We got a rosier picture on the battery life where the system lasted 6 hours and 41 minutes.
Other cons include weak audio and a mushy keyboard, but for the price, these are small quibbles.
See our full Acer Predator Triton 300 SE review.
Best under $1,500
Our favorite config:
Need a gaming laptop that’s affordable without making too many sacrifices? Then the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is just the system for you. Beneath its understated yet elegant design is a laptop that’s chomping at the bit to lay waste to the big bad in whatever game you’re playing and their minion horde. Despite its office-ready appearance, the Lenovo still has some gamer cred thanks to its vibrant RGB backlighting. And it’s got plenty of ports to create a formidable battlestation.
The Legion 5i Pro marches onto our Best Lenovo Laptops and Best Lenovo Gaming Laptop pages with its last-gen RTX 3070 Ti GPU. While it’s not the latest 4000 series GPU, the Legion 5i Pro shows that the 3000 series still has plenty of punch, delivering an impressive 81 fps on Red Dead Redemption 2 and 132 fps on Grand Theft Auto V. The notebook’s 12th Gen Intel processor is also not to be underestimated as it crushed on both Geekbench 5.4 and our video transcoding tests.
As good as the Legion 5i Pro is, there are a few hiccups, namely a lackluster webcam and a sluggish SSD. However, the gorgeous 16-inch, QHD display with its 165Hz refresh rate coupled with everything I mentioned above makes the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro an absolute win of a value buy.
Read our full Lenovo Legion 5i Pro review
Best under $2,000
Our favorite config:
Why pay more for an Nvidia 4090 GPU when the 4070 GPU exists? MSI seeks to answer that question with the excellent Katana 15. A laptop that kept pace with more powerful competitors without breaking a sweat. For those who prefer a more understated look, the Katana 15 exterior is done in all black aluminum chassis with the company’s logo engraved at the top of the lid. The interior’s a lot more colorful with its comfortable, 4-key customizable RGB keyboard. It’s on the heavier side at 8.8 pounds, so you’ll need a backpack with strong straps to tote this system around.
But let’s talk performance. Our reviewer reported the Katana 15 consistently gave between 50 and 55 fps on Elden Ring at 2K resolution. The Katana also dominated on the Borderlands 3 benchmark at 99 fps (1080p, high) as well as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (106 fps), Dirt 3 (103 fps), Far Cry 6 (94 fps) and Red Dead Redemption (72 fps). Long story short, the Katana gave a master class in gaming performance. The MSI kept up the pressure during the overall performance. The system’s Core i7 CPU hit 11,581 on Geekbench 5.5 test and smokey the competition on the Handbrake benchmark with a blistering time of 5 minutes and 4 seconds.
But there are a few places where the Katana 15 could stand for improvement. The 2 hour 48 minute battery life is abysmal in this day and age. And we wish MSI could have found a better panel compared to the dim, lackluster display its stuck with. But coming in at $1,600, it’s a much better value than the RTX 4090 systems that cost upwards of $4,000.
See our full MSI Katana 15 review