The classic image of a gaming laptop being a chunky, Lamborgini-inspired wedge with RGB lighting is practically extinct. These days they’re sleeker, more portable, and classier looking than ever. They’re also more powerful thanks to the latest CPUs and graphics cards. That extra prowess makes for an actually playable 4K gaming experience on a portable rig – something previously only achievable with a desktop gaming PC. And, nothing beats playing games at silky frame rates on a quality display.
There are loads of gaming laptops out there. Some go for a big screen and high-end internals, replacing your desktop, while others keep it a bit more modest for ultra-portability. After comprehensive testing and research, we've narrowed down our picks so you can be sure the gaming laptops you're looking at are the best of the best – and click here to find them in the UK.
TL;DR – These are the Best Gaming Laptops
1. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Best Gaming Laptop
- See it on Best Buy (Sold Out)
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the absolute best gaming laptop you can get for performance, battery life, and general overall value. Coming in at a reasonable price, this machine still plays Call of Duty: Warzone at max settings and its full 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. Beyond that, we experienced silky smooth 60-140Hz gameplay in a variety of games running at 1080p with Ultra settings. What’s even more amazing is all of that is pulled off with a less traditional pairing of a Ryzen CPU with Radeon graphics.
Besides being plenty powerful for all your AAA games, the lightweight build and compact size make the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 perfect for toting along to school or work. That AMD combo also manages to keep running almost all day with nearly 10 hours of battery life. It’s truly a fantastic setup all-around with an ample 1TB of storage and a 16:10 display that makes everyday tasks more manageable.
2. MSI Sword
Best Gaming Laptop Under $1,000
You'll be hard-pressed to find an affordable gaming laptop, as most cost well over $2,000. Luckily, MSI has you covered with the Sword, which will set you back around $950. If you're worried the low-cost means lost performance, you still get a pretty spiffy setup complete with an Intel Core i5 processor and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics. This is a great platform to get your toe into PC gaming, especially with competitive online titles like Apex Legends and Overwatch. The Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti, is also more than capable of handling indie games and smaller single-player experiences.
On top of the MSI Sword’s capable processors, it comes packing 8GB of memory to keep you cruising through games and tasks even with loads of tabs open. Plus, the 512GB SSD storage is a great starting point. However, you may want to add a second stick of memory if you plan to keep a big gaming library on the device. Finally, the Full HD display with a 144Hz refresh rate should provide fluid, pleasant gameplay.
3. Alienware x15 R2
Best 15 inch Gaming Laptop
The Alienware x15 R2 is the pinnacle of what an ultrathin and ultra-powerful 15.6-inch gaming laptop should be. At just 0.63-inches thick, our favorite model of this svelte machine packs in a ton of power on an impressive QHD display. Most games can run at over 60fps at a 1440p, and most competitive games like Warzone and Apex Legends will run at 240Hz and full resolution. And with G-Sync loaded in, you’ll be in for some stutter-free, butter-smooth gameplay to keep you immersed in the action.
The display on the Alienware x15 R2 is able to impress thanks to its components chugging along inside. A 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU combined with a 16GB DDR5 RAM provide this machine with plenty of oomph to tackle just about any game. And Alienware places a focus on cooling, so it overengineered the thermals with vapor cooling chambers, a custom Element 31 thermal paste, and four cooling fans. That makes it easy for this laptop to overclock the 14-core processor and push the GPU to operate at 110W.
4. MSI GE76 Raider
Best 17 Inch Gaming Laptop
Having a thin-and-light laptop is nice, but if you want a true desktop replacement the MSI GE76 Raider is the way to go. This 17-inch gaming laptop is large and in charge with the latest Intel Core i7 processor and an impressive Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card under the hood. Combining those processors with the impressive 32GB DDR5 memory and a 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a game that this beast of a machine can’t chew through.
The MSI GE76 Raider is packed to the brim with power, so it’s easy to take advantage of its QHD display with a 240Hz refresh rate. And, you’re in for some super smooth, tear-free gameplay, thanks to the G-Sync tech loaded in. Of course, all that power also comes in handy for streaming, video editing, and plenty of other creative pursuits beyond gaming, making it easy for you to kick your desktop to the curb.
5. Asus ROG Flow Z13
Best Gaming Tablet
You probably think any tablet that you grab isn’t going to the powerful gaming rig, but the Asus ROG Flow Z13 might just change your mind. Sure, it doesn’t have as much gaming prowess as some of the other options on our list, however, that’s made up for in extreme portability. You get a device weighing slight over 2.5 pounds with a 13.4-inch full HD display that totes a 120Hz refresh rate All you have to do is kick out the kickstand, pair a controller or keyboard, and you’re free to game while lounging on the couch, laying in bed, or wherever else you choose.
This portable slate pairs an Intel Core i9 CPU with Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics to let you play AAA and indie games almost anywhere. And if you’re looking for a bit more power, you can also opt to buy the Asus’ eGPU module, the XG Mobile that packs up to an Nvidia RTX 3080 for a serious graphical bump at your gaming desk. Between, the Asus ROG Flow Z13’s function as a true gaming tablet and support for external graphics, this is one of the most versatile gaming laptops around.
6. Razer Blade 14
Best Gaming Ultrabook
Razer’s immaculate build quality elevates the Razer Blade 14 premium gaming laptop to Ultrabook status. It packs some powerful parts despite weighing under four pounds and being slightly over a half-inch thick. Of course, the 14-inch QHD display also delivers plenty of eye candy and you get tear-free gameplay at 165Hz thanks to its baked-in G-Sync support.
This machine runs on an AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics. That combo of internals plus the16GB DDR5 RAM allows the Razer Blade 14 to cruise through even your most labor-intensive games with ease. You even get 1TB of SSD storage for speedy system boots and room for a decent gaming library. Overall, this is the perfect system if you’re looking for something small, light, and powerful.
Where to Get the Best Gaming Laptops in the UK
We've managed to find the vast majority of very best gaming laptops available in the UK, with all our favourites ready and available to buy from retailers such as Amazon, while other brands can be found elsewhere such as Dell, Currys PC World, or Scan.
What to look for in a Gaming Laptop
The best gaming laptops have come a long way in relatively little time. Power, portability, and price have all seen dramatic improvements in just the last 5 years, and somehow gaming laptops are getting thinner and adding even more features.
The first thing you’ll want to ask yourself is where will you be taking this gaming laptop. If you imagine yourself taking it out every day you’ll want something portable, so you may prefer getting a 15-incher or something smaller. Users who just want a laptop to live at home as more of a desktop replacement should go for a 17-inch rig for the larger screen size and greater power.
The newest gaming laptops come equipped with the latest Nvidia RTX or Radeon RX graphics chips. These mobile chips are nearly as capable as their desktop version, plus they support the latest ray tracing and DLSS technologies.
Choosing the latest processor isn't quite as necessary, but it's nice to have. When shopping for a gaming laptop be sure the Intel processor has a model number of Intel Core ix-12xxxH (i.e. Intel Core i7-12700H or Intel Core i9-12900H), this denotes that it's one of Team Blue's latest Alder Lake H-series processors. If the gaming laptop you're eying has an AMD processor, ensure its model number has a six at the start of it—such as AMD Ryzen 7 6900HS—as it lets you know its one of AMD's latest 6000-series processors.
The portability is a huge advantage, as is a ready-to-go display, often equipped with variable refresh rate technology or better-than-HD resolutions. The disadvantage is most gaming laptops are only as portable as the nearest electrical outlet. All that power comes at a price, after all, and while there are a few exceptions, like our top choice, the general rule of gaming laptops is battery life stinks.
Another big disadvantage a gaming laptop has compared to a gaming desktop is its price. It costs quite a lot more to stuff all those components (i.e. the built-in trackpad, keyboard, speakers, and display) into an easy-to-carry shell. When considering a gaming laptop over a gaming desktop, ask yourself, is the premium in price worth it over, and would it be cheaper to buy these all separately?
From our experience, it's always better to stick with the least amount of memory and storage on checkout, and then upgrade it yourself with higher capacity components that are much cheaper to buy on their own. A 1TB SSD might sound tempting as it'll help get your system boot instantly and store all your games, but a high-end upgrade like that can often cost half or a quarter as much as the whole machine.
However, upgrading leads directly to another consideration, how easy it to swap out components. Whereas it's usually a snap to add or replace a component in your desktop rig, upgrading anything in your gaming laptop, other than RAM, will often mean having to buy a whole new computer.
For more helpful guides, be sure to check out our guide to the best gaming chairs, gaming desks, and the best gaming headsets.
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
