The best gaming laptops are now sporting some serious specs and dedicated graphics cards aimed at laptop gamers. Believe it or not, the best laptops now offer a practical alternative to large gaming desktop PCs and custom-built PCs. As an all-in-one solution for the gamer on the go, you don't need to sacrifice speed, accuracy or performance just because you want to take your gaming out and about.
Much like when sizing up a standard gaming PC, the best gaming laptops need a bit of thought. There are often dozens of options all carrying similar specs and claims, often from the same brand, all vying for your hard-earned cash. Though labelled as gaming laptops, the processing power and GPU abilities found in these systems also make those great candidates for anyone looking to let their digital creativity flourish with image or video editing software. So, which one is right for you?
Best gaming laptops of 2023 at a glance
• Best overall gaming laptop: ASUS TUF A15 FA507NV - View at Amazon
• Best budget gaming laptop: HP Victus Gaming Laptop 15-fb0020na Bundle - View at Amazon
• Best high-end gaming laptop: ASUS ROG Strix G16 G614JZ - View at Amazon
• Best gaming laptop under £2000: Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop - View at Amazon
Thankfully, to help you choose, we’ve included a quick reference guide to some games' system specifications, including Fortnite and Call Of Duty Warzone. If you match your laptop specs to your games you could end up with a laptop that will outperform some of the best gaming PCs.
Drowning in tech jargon? No problem - we've put together a guide to some of the key computer terminologies too. Despite coming in at varying price points, we're confident that our picks are going to deliver the best PC games at staggering resolutions and framerates; whether you’re at home, on the train or in a hotel. So, having rounded up the very best gaming laptops, let's get ready for total domination on the only map that matters - the road to faster, better gaming.
Best gaming laptops of 2023
Best overall gaming laptop
Description
The ASUS TUF A15 is a tough and durable design and, for use, makes a perfect laptop choice for those in need of serious power. The hardware under the hood is equally impressive, thanks mainly to the very latest and greatest NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPU. This really is a beast of a graphics card, especially true considering the price point for the TUF A15.
Sheer graphics performance aside, there's also the AMD Ryzen R7-7735HS processor - largely unrivalled when it comes to laptop multitasking power. The RAM is a more than respectable 16GB, so you can expect top-notch performance with AAA games. And let's not forget the 500GB SSD to load and boot at lightning-fast speeds. And last, but not least, there's the Full-HD screen that runs at a beautiful 144Hz for super-smooth and responsive gameplay. With this much gaming grunt, the A15 is going to handle almost anything you can throw at it - from video editing and high-end media production to next-gen gaming. An astonishingly good laptop in every way.
Pros
- Extremely powerful hardware
- Gorgeous design
- Military-grade durability
Cons
- Lower battery life
Best budget gaming laptop
Description
The HP Victus Gaming Laptop 15-fb0020na comes as a bundle here, with a HyperX Pulsefire Mouse & HyperX Cloud Stinger Headset. So, if you're on a budget you'll be all set for serious multiplayer action right out of the box. It's powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor which is fine for most non AAA games. But, unlike many laptops in this price range, it does at least come with a dedicated graphics card - the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650.
All in all, that means the Victus can handle most modern games at medium settings. And the display is a 15.6-inch at full-HD resolution with a brilliant 144Hz refresh rate. That's as high as some premium gaming laptops, so you can expect super-smooth gaming. For the money this is a surprisingly good option for budget gamers who need to put their money into the core areas that gamers need - GPU, CPU and RAM.
Pros
- 16:9 ratio full HD display is ideal for most games
- A healthy level of RAM and SSD capacities for a budget gaming laptop
- Excellent HP build quality
- Has a solid GPU from Nvidia
Cons
- High-end gamers will want more RAM and GPU power - but at a higher price tag
- On the heavy side
Best high-end gaming laptop
Description
The ASUS ROG Strix G16 is one of the most seriously hardcore laptops on our list in terms of spec and build. There's not much doubt that the hardware really does lead the pack. A laptop with an NVIDIA 4090 GPU? Really? Yes, and also a 12th-generation Intel i7 CPU. You won't be running out of space for all of those games and update packs with the 1TB of fast SSD storage either.
Of course, you're also getting that whole Republic of Gamers finish with the G16, set off by the gunmetal coating and overall gamer appeal. Add to that the ultra-thin bezels and an ultra-wide display, ASUS has made sure that this is going to look just as good as it plays. With all that raw power you might expect the battery life of the ASUS ROG Strix G16 to be under 3 or 4 hours, so coming in at 8 hours under average use is a pleasant surprise. While it's large and heavy enough to need a sizeable backpack for on-the-go gaming, that's a testament to the quality and power of the components on offer here.
Pros
- One of the most powerful gaming laptops on the market
- Terrific design
- Solid battery life
Cons
- A heavier laptop isn't great for those in need of portability
Best gaming laptop under £2000
Description
While you might expect and gaming laptop costing over £1500 to be bulky, and powerful, the Acer Predator Helios 300 earns every bit of its price tag. One look at the spec and it's easy to see why: an 11th gen Intel i-7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and vivid 144Hz screen. Graphics aren't an afterthought either, as the Helios 300 sports an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU. Something with this much grunt needs a top-notch cooling solution too, so Acer has included a 'Quad-Exhaust' system to keep those temps in check.
So, how have they achieve this much performance as this price point? Well, there has been some corner-cutting here and there, but not in the core gaming performance areas. So, you have 512 GB of SSD storage - not 1TB, but enough. The battery life here is around 4.5 hours thanks to the demands of the rest of the hardware. But, for a complete and portable heavyweight gaming solution, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is a star performer.
Pros
- Fantastic graphics card
- Well-built and engineered
- Stunning performance on a laptop
Cons
- A little low on storage
- Battery life is middling
Best gaming laptop for storage
Description
HP's OMEN brand is a departure from the company's often office-centric machines, and that's a good thing. As a laptop with an excellent gaming specification, this doesn't skimp on memory or storage. The OMEN Gaming Laptop 17-ck2000na is clearly a gaming laptop, but the impressive processing and RAM included make it ideal for almost anything else too, packing a huge 32 GB of RAM, and a super-fast i9 CPU. And right at the top of the spec tree is the humongous 2TB internal SSD - you won't be struggling for space for quite a long time with this machine.
The design isn't an afterthought either, as everything is encased in a slim aluminium chassis. Connection wise you have plenty of options too, but the battery life is a little shorter than some others. However, we think that that's an acceptable downgrade considering the price and the core specifications for a gaming laptop. It's the best option here if you're all about taking your RAM and storage to the max.
Pros
- Huge 32 GB RAM
- Stunning QHD display
- Massive 2TB SSD
- Dedicated graphics card
Cons
- Low-ish battery life, but understood given the spec
Best gaming laptops of 2023: Buyer's guide
Set your budget wisely
Any newcomer to the gaming market who didn’t want to invest too heavily in their first system could go for the HP Victus gaming laptop. This is because the MSI is a great laptop for powerful multitasking as well as gaming. It’s versatile and doesn’t break the bank.
But, for any serious competitive gamer on the move, we would recommend the ASUS ROG Strix G16. It’s light and compact, but more importantly, it carries some serious gaming grunt from the CPU and GPU and crisp visuals on the screen. It has enough power for content editing, as well as some high frame-rate gameplay.
Don't forget peripherals and accessories
Once you’ve picked out your chosen gaming laptop, you will want the best gaming peripherals, like the best gaming mice. But, naturally, gaming peripherals that are worth splashing out on don't come cheap. You can easily overspend on these items, so weigh up whether they're more bling than function. Plus, for any aspiring pro gamers and multiplayer fans out there, there's even a huge array of gaming controllers and PC gaming headsets to choose from.
Protect your investment
If you have a gaming laptop you're going places, and we don't just mean your K/D ratio. Seriously invest in quality protection when travelling, even if it's a short distance to and from the same place. Accidents do happen, so we'd recommend a heavy-duty laptop backpack to keep things safe dry and secure.
Popular Game Specs Quick Reference Guide
Specifications as reported by wepc.com
Fortnite
CPU
Minimum: Core i3 2.4GHz / Recommended: Core i5 2.8GHz
RAM
Minimum: 4GB RAM / Recommended: 8GB RAM
HDD
Required: 16GB free space
GPU
Minimum: Intel HD 4000 (integrated graphics) / Recommended: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660, AMD Radeon HD 7870, or equivalent with 2GB memory or higher VRAM.
OS
Required: Windows 7, 8.1, or 64-bit Windows 10
Minecraft
CPU
Minimum: Intel Core i3 3210, AMD A8 7600 APU, or equivalent / Recommended: Intel Core i5 4690, AMD A10 7800, or equivalent
RAM
Minimum: 4GB RAM / Recommended: 8GB RAM
HDD
Minimum: 1GB free space / Recommended: 4GB RAM free space
GPU
Minimum: Intel HD Graphics 4000 or AMD Radeon R5 series, NVIDIA GeForce 400 Series, AMD Radeon HD 7000 series / Recommend: NVIDIA GeForce 700 Series or AMD Radeon Rx 200 Series
OS
Minimum: 64-bit Windows 7 or later / Recommended: 64-bit Windows 10
Call Of Duty: Warzone
CPU
Minimum: Intel Core i3-4340, AMD FX-6300 or equivalent / Recommended: Intel Core i5-2500K, AMD Ryzen R5 1600X Processor, or equivalent
RAM
Minimum: 8GB RAM / Recommended: 12GB RAM
HDD
Required: 10-20 GB of storage space
GPU
Minimum: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, AMD Radeon HD 7950, or equivalent / Recommended: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, AMD Radeon R9 390, AMD Radeon RX 580, or equivalent
OS
Minimum: 64-bit Windows 7 or later / Recommended: 64-bit Windows 10
Best gaming laptops of 2023: Jargon buster
CPU
A Central Processing Unit, or CPU, processes and executes instructions. Processors often consist of multiple cores, and the higher the number of cores the more processes it can carry out, improving performance. CPU clock speed is also important and is measured in GHz. While there are CPUs capable of great things, for a good experience your average player will typically want between 3.7Ghz and 5GHz.
RAM
Random Access Memory, or RAM, is a component that temporarily holds bytes of information for quick and random access by the CPU. The information will be related to programs and services that are in use. The more RAM available, the more quick-access information there is available to the CPU, thereby improving computer performance.
Gamers will want no less than 8GB of RAM.
DDR3 RAM versus DDR4 RAM
DDR3 and DDR4 are generations of RAM. DDR3 was introduced in 2007, and DDR4 in 2014. The main differences between the two relate to the voltage used, latency times, clock speeds, and overall performance. For most entry-level users, the variations between the two will not matter, as both perform very well. The difference becomes more important when upgrading motherboards, CPUs, and RAM, as the two types cannot be interchanged or exchanged. Newer machines tend to use DDR4, though DDR3 is still readily available and can be more affordable.
Graphics Cards
A graphics card’s job is to convert CPU data into visual output. There are many types, specifications, and sizes available. Typically, the best graphics cards have dedicated RAM and processor(s), and fans and heat-syncing solutions. Sometimes graphics cards are referred to as GPUs, which is just an abbreviation of the card's processor name, a Graphics Processing Unit.
Dedicated graphics cards improve the visual experience and improve a PC’s overall performance – they are seen as essential components for gamers.
Some CPUs and motherboards have in-built graphics cards. While acceptable for standard computer usage, these in-built options are insufficient for high-performance gaming, especially when compared with dedicated graphics cards.
Storage: HDD vs SSD
Hard drive disks (HDD) are mechanical, writing, and reading information on spinning disks (or platters) via an actuator arm, which moves across the platter. The platters are broken down into a series of tracks and sectors. It's within these that data is stored and addressed with a location.
Solid State Drives (SSD) write and read using flash memory, much like USB flash drives. Data is stored in grids and blocks, and though the process is more complicated than in HDD, the available space is utilised more efficiently thanks to a series of processes that go on behind the scenes.
HDD is reliable, though they are large and rely on mechanical procedures to store, write and read memory. However, SSD is a newer technology and uses no moving parts: it's far quicker at data retrieval, is smaller in size, and runs more efficiently. SSDs are popular within the gaming community due to their rapid load times. HDDs are cheaper and are available with much larger storage capacities.
It is common practice within the gaming community to have both an SSD and HDD in a build.
Refresh Rate
Refresh rate is to monitors and screens what frames per second is to film. The higher the refresh rate, the smoother the image – thus, low refresh rates can make fast-paced displays appear to jump, stutter and jolt. Refresh rate is measured in Hertz (Hz), and most monitors will sit at 60Hz. This is fine for most situations, but as games - particularly first-person shooter games - are increasingly more graphically intense, 144Hz gaming monitors are quickly becoming the minimum standard for high-quality, stutter-free displays. If you’re into Counter Strike: Global Offensive or Apex Legends, you’ll certainly want a higher refresh rate – it’ll really help with scoping in. For players who prefer single-player campaigns, a higher refresh rate is an acceptable compromise for a monitor with greater definition.
Panel Type
The panel type used in a monitor and screen will effectively dictate the display’s quality, clarity, and response time, amongst other things.
TN – Twisted nematic panels typically have narrow viewing angles and reduced colour depth. However, they have great response times and refresh rates, and are often more affordable.
IPS – In-plane switching panels have large colour depths and viewing angles. However, this quality of image can sacrifice response time and push up the price.
VA – Vertical alignment panels have large colours depth and a viewing angle that typically sits between TN and IPS. The response times tend to be less than impressive.
Best gaming laptops of 2023: Frequently asked questions
Are gaming laptops worth it?
This all depends on how much you enjoy your gaming, how often you play, and how seriously you take your hobby. We'd say that if you don't want poor or middling hardware to limit your experience when gaming, definitely invest in the right gaming laptop. Most laptops don't come with the best internal speakers though, so definitely look for some of the best laptop speakers too.
Also, you might want to think about one of the best gaming chairs too, if you're planning on long sessions. Perhaps most importantly, look at the recommended specs of your favourite games (as in the three examples we listed above). Then make sure your new purchase is up to it.
Is a gaming laptop good for coding?
Yes, there's nothing about a gaming laptop that would limit its use for the usual things laptops get used for. Actually, if anything the extended graphics and processing capabilities will help you if you're testing code for 3D applications or game development.
Are gaming laptops good for everyday use?
As we mentioned above, they're perfect for everyday use. Although, if you aren't a gamer you probably won't want to spend quite as much on a machine that is probably heavier and less portable than more lightweight options such as some of the best laptops for students.
William Lobley is a Senior Content Writer and reviewer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in technology, gaming and outdoors. He also writes for Empire Online.
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