Gaming is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, and for many of us, it's also the best one. But unlike many other forms of entertainment, gaming requires specific and often expensive hardware to enjoy. It can be hard to find something you like, and when you're spending upwards of $1,000, you want to make sure you're getting something that's just right for you. To help you out, we've rounded up some of the best gaming laptops you can buy today so you can rest assured you're making a good purchase.

While everyone has different needs, there are a couple of things that tend to be very important with gaming laptops — powerful specs, such as the CPU, GPU, and RM — and a high-refresh rate display that can run your games as smoothly as possible. Of course, there's a lot more you may want to think about, like webcam quality or overall portability. It depends on what you're looking for, but we've rounded up a few options so you can find just the right one for you.

Best overall: Acer Predator Triton 500 SE

Acer is a fairly popular brand, but the name may fly a bit under the radar compared to some others. That shouldn't take away from the fact that the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is an absolutely fantastic machine, though. If you want powerful performance and a great screen in a sleek and (somewhat) portable package, this is the laptop for you.

First off, in terms of performance, the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE comes with up to an Intel Core i9-12900H, which is a 45W processor with 14 cores, 20 threads, and boost speeds up to 5GHz. That's a fantastic processor for all things gaming, and it'll give you more performance than you'll probably need for most titles. You can also pair that with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU, so you can run just about any modern game you could want without any issues. Plus, up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB give you everything you need for a great experience across the board. You can also upgrade those things yourself later on.

One of the great things about the Predator Triton 500 SE is that it can also be good for more than gaming, and that has a lot to do with the display. Acer is using a 16-inch panel here with a 16:10 aspect ratio, so it's also great for getting work done. But if gaming is your focus, the Quad HD+ (2560 x 1600) resolution and 240Hz refresh rate will also give you crisp visuals and a smooth experience for almost every game you want to play. Plus, we even found color reproduction to be pretty good on this screen, with 100% coverage of sRGB and 99% of DCI-P3.

The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE also doesn't neglect the webcam, unlike many other laptops. It comes with a Full HD camera, and while there's no facial recognition support for Windows Hello, at least you get a fingerprint reader for that.

In terms of ports, the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE comes with a lot, which is what you expect in a gaming laptop. There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, RJ45 Ethernet, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader. You couldn't really ask for a lot more, and this should ensure all your peripherals will work without needing adapters.

This is a very sleek machine, in general. It comes in at 0.78 inches thick and weighs 5.28 pounds, which is obviously not super light, but considering the powerful specs inside, it's still fairly portable. Looks-wise, it's also very clean. It comes in a sleek silver chassis, and there isn't a lot of RGB lighting to make it stand out too much. The keyboard has RGB lighting, but that's it.

While it's not the cheapest machine around, the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is a fantastic laptop that's still priced fairly compared to many others with similar specs, and it doesn't make a lot of sacrifices in exchange for that. You can buy it below.

Best premium gaming laptop with an OLED display: Razer Blade 15 (2022)

If you have money to spend and you want an experience that feels premium across the board, the Razer Blade 15 might just be what you're looking for. This is a very high-end gaming laptop with a few configuration options so you can adjust it to your preference.

Starting with performance, the Razer Blade 15 comes packing up to an Intel Core i9-12900H CPU with 14 cores, 20 threads, and boost speeds up to 5Ghz, one of the most powerful laptop processors out there. Backing that up, you can get the Razer Blade 15 with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card with 105W of power, making for a fantastic gaming experience overall. You can pair that with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM (which is upgradeable up to 64GB) and a 1TB SSD, plus a free M.2 slot if you want to expand the storage later on. All of this makes the Blade 15 one of the best gaming laptops already.

The Razer Blade 15 Advanced gives you a few options for the display so you can choose something that fits your needs better. It's a 15.6-inch panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio, but you can choose a Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel with an ultra-fast 360Hz refresh rate, a Quad HD (2560 x 1440) model with either 240Hz or 165Hz refresh rate, or an Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. But the best option might just be the OLED model that was recently launched. This gives you Quad HD resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate, and ultra-fast 0.1ms response times that only OLED can deliver, making for a phenomenal gaming and media experience in general.

Adding to a complete premium experience, the Razer Blade 15 also doesn't sacrifice the webcam like most gaming laptops do. You get a Full HD/1080p camera here, so you can stream your games or make video calls and still look great. Plus, the camera even supports Windows Hello facial recognition. You won't find that combination on many more laptops on this list.

The design of the Razer Blade 15 is clean and sleek, making this a laptop you can easily use in public without getting too much attention. It's an all-black chassis inside and out, aside from the green Razer logo on the lid. The keyboard features per-key RGB backlighting, but it only shines through the keys' labels, so it's not obnoxious like some other gaming laptops. The Razer Blade 15 is also fairly portable considering its specs, weighing just 4.4 pounds. Plus, it's less than 17mm thin. That's very impressive and contributes to the overall premium feel.

You're not missing out on ports, either. The Razer Blade 15 Advanced has two USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports (one on each side), three USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 2) ports, HDMI 2.1, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader. The only thing you might want to add is an Ethernet port, but this is still a great port setup, and with two Thunderbolt ports, you can add any connectivity you want using a Thunderbolt dock.

The Razer Blade 15 is a complete premium experience with high-end performance, a sleek design, great display options for different users, and even a Full HD webcam with Windows Hello. It's not a cheap laptop, but it's fantastic all around and you can't go wrong with it. You can buy it below.

Razer Blade 15

Razer's Blade 15 offers one of the most premium experiences you'll find in a gaming laptop, featuring specs and a design that can be great for anyone.

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Best mainstream laptop: HP Omen 16

If you want a capable gaming laptop that isn't ridiculously expensive, the HP Omen 16 is probably one of the best options you can find right now. It offers very good performance, so you can run just about any modern game at a reasonable price.

Focusing on performance first, the Omen 16 comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, a very fast processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, capable of boosting up to 4.7GHz. It also comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, so you can play almost any game you want without issues. More demanding titles may require you to tweak some settings to get higher frame rates, but this is a very capable GPU already. On top of that, the Omen 16 comes with 16GB of RAM, which should be enough for most games, and a 512GB SSD that can store a few games as well.

You also need a good display for gaming, and the Omen 16 delivers a pretty solid experience for most people. It has a 16-inch panel with Full HD resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is still the most common format for gaming laptops. That panel also has a 144Hz refresh rate, so you can enjoy smoother gameplay and have even faster reactions in games where quick reflexes are crucial. Sadly, one compromise here is the webcam, though that's fairly typical for gaming laptops. You get a 720p camera, which is serviceable in a pinch, but not ideal if you're using it frequently.

The Omen 16 features a fairly clean aesthetic, with a gray chassis and not much in the way of flair, which isn't a bad thing. It's a laptop that looks good anywhere you take it, and if you do want it to have a bit more personality, the RGB backlit keyboard lets you add a splash of color without being overly garish since the colors only shine through the key labels. It's a fairly heavy laptop, however, weighing 5.16 pounds, and it also measures 22.6mm thick.

Rounding things out is the port selection. Two USB Type-C ports, three Type-A ports, HDMI, RJ45 Ethernet, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader give you a very complete setup that can handle all your peripherals without much of an issue. Sadly, there's no USB4 support, but you should have enough ports so you won't need it.

All in all, this is a great laptop for the price, and it's bound to give you a solid gaming experience no matter what you play.

HP Omen 16z

This version of the Omen 16 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, and it can deliver a solid gaming experience without breaking the bank.

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Best gaming laptop for maximum power: MSI Titan GT77

Gaming laptops are all about performance, and if you want power, you can't get much more than what the MSI Titan GT77 offers. This is an absolute beast of a laptop in every way, to the point where you'd probably argue it's not really portable anymore, But it's still easier to carry than a desktop setup, and it gives you an incredible amount of power.

We're not joking when we say it's incredibly powerful. The MSI Titan GT77 comes with Intel's new HX series of CPUs, which have a base TDP of 55W. You can configure it with up to an Intel Core i9-12900HX, which has 16 cores and 20 threads, plus boost speeds up to 5GHz, By itself, the CPU can use 150W of power, but then there's the GPU. You can configure this laptop with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, and that can use up to 175W of power. Collectively, the two components can use up to 250W, with 175W for the GPU and 75W for the CPU. That's an incredible amount of performance for a laptop. You also get up to 32GB of RAM (upgradeable to 64GB) and a 1TB SSD, with an extra M.2 slot available if you want more. This is a beastly machine in almost every way.

The display is also made to take advantage of this immense power. It's a large 17.3-inch panel, and it comes in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) resolution, making for a very sharp screen. Plus, that display covers 100% of DCI-P3, so color reproduction should be excellent, making this a fantastic laptop for gaming, media consumption, and content creation. On top of all that, you get a 120Hz refresh rate, so you can still enjoy smooth gameplay at this resolution.

The large size makes room for a lot of power, but sadly, not for a fantastic webcam. You get a 720p camera you can use for video calls and streaming, but you might need to buy an external webcam for the best results. Thankfully, at least you get Windows Hello facial recognition, which is always nice to have, and not always a guarantee with gaming laptops.

As you'd probably expect, this kind of power doesn't fit in a small chassis. The MSI Titan GT77 is up to 23mm thick, and it weighs 7.28 pounds, so it's not easy to carry around. It's a fairly flashy laptop, too, with per-key RGB lighting and a light strip running across the inside of the fan exhaust. This creates a big light bar on the back of the laptop that's bound to catch some attention, but when you're carrying around a laptop like this, that was probably unavoidable in the first place.

Rounding things out with ports, the MSI Titan GT77 has a great supply of them - two Thunderbolt ports, three USB Type-A ports, RJ45 Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, mini-DisplayPort, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader make for one of the most complete setups you could ask for. And if you somehow need more, Thunderbolt support also makes it easier to expand.

It's undoubtedly a pricey laptop, but you won't find this kind of performance on any other laptop, and for some gamers, that might be worth the asking price. You can buy it below, and other configurations are also available on Amazon.

Best compact AMD gaming laptop: Razer Blade 14

AMD processors have caught up and sometimes outpace Intel's hardware for performance. If you're a fan of "team red", the Razer Blade 14 is one of the very best AMD-powered laptops you can get today, and it comes with the benefit of being quite portable, too. This is the 2022 refresh, and it comes with a few changes.

The Razer Blade 14 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor, a very powerful CPU with 8 cores, 16 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.9GHz. That's the only processor available with this laptop, so at least you know you're getting a top-of-the-line CPU. For graphics, you can go up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, and the laptop can give it up to 100W of power. It's not as powerful as the bigger laptops on this list, but for this size, that's actually great. It also comes with 16GB of RAM (which is soldered) and a 1TB M.2 SSD.

The Razer Blade 14 comes with a 14-inch panel in a 16:9 aspect ratio and two configuration options. Like the previous model, you can get Quad HD (2560 x 1440) panel, which also has a 165Hz refresh rate, giving a great balance of image quality and smooth gameplay that should also be a great fit for the GPUs inside. The 2022 model of the Blade 14 added a new cheaper option for the display, so you can choose a Full HD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, but this option is only available with the GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, which is also a new option this year.

The webcam on the Razer Blade 14 is similar to what's on the Blade 15 we mentioned above. Razer has made 1080p webcams with Windows Hello support the standard in its Blade laptops, which is great to see. It's another nice addition that helps this laptop stand out.

True to Razer's usual approach, the Blade 14 is fairly subdued for a gaming laptop. It's an all-black aluminum chassis with a green Razer logo on the lid. The only hint of RGB lighting is on the keyboard, with per-key Razer Chroma RGB, but the light is only visible through the key labels, so it's not overly flashy. Thanks to being a 14-inch laptop, this is also one of the lightest gaming laptops around, weighing 3.92 pounds and measuring 16.8mm in thickness. This is a gaming laptop you can easily take to school or on a trip, though it's still much heavier than an ultrabook.

As for ports, the Razer Blade 14 packs two USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 2) ports, two USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 2) ports, HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Some bigger laptops have more ports, but for a 14-inch laptop, this is a very solid setup, plus all the USB Type-A ports are fairly fast. Of course, there's no Thunderbolt support because of the AMD processor.

If you want a powerful laptop in a relatively portable package, or if you're just a fan of AMD processors, the Razer Blade 14 is a phenomenal gaming laptop and one of your best options. You can buy it below, or check out other configurations here.

Razer Blade 14

The Razer Blade 14 is a compact and powerful gaming laptop powered by AMD processors and NVIDIA RTX graphics.

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Best lightweight gaming laptop: ASUS ROG Flow X13

Gaming laptops usually come in pretty hefty packages, but if you don't need bleeding-edge performance, the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is a fantastic gaming convertible that's also very light. This is the only laptop on this list I personally bought and own, and as an occasional PC gamer, I absolutely recommend it.

Starting with performance, the ROG Flow X13 is powered by up to an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS. This is a 35W processor with 8 cores, 16 threads, and boost speeds up to 4.9GHz, making this a very powerful laptop processor, but also an efficient one with its lower power consumption. That processor is paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (with up to 40W of power), which gives you baseline RTX support and solid performance overall. You should be able to run almost any modern game on this hardware, though you'll probably need to turn down a few quality settings. Beyond that, you get up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for storage.

If you want to add more power to your rig, you can buy the ROG Flow X13 alongside the ROG Xg Mobile, an external GPU enclosure that's available with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 (Laptop) GPU or an AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. The external GPU also adds an array of ports to the laptop, including multiple USB-A ports, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

The display on the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is also interesting. It's a 13.4-inch panel, and it comes in a 16:10 aspect ratio, which you don't see very often on gaming laptops. This taller screen means it's also great for productivity, though, so this is a versatile laptop. The base model uses a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, but there's also an Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) configuration with a 60Hz refresh rate. This is a convertible laptop, too, so the screen also supports touch and pen input, and a pen is even included in the box in some models.

The webcam is one area ASUS did cut back on, and you get a fairly basic 720p camera in this laptop. There's no Windows Hello facial recognition, but if you want an easier way to unlock your PC, there is a fingerprint reader built into the power button on the side.

Design-wise, the ASUS ROG Flow X13 truly shines for its portability. It weighs just 2.87 pounds, which is lighter than even some regular convertibles without dedicated graphics, and it's also impressively thin at 15.8mm. Otherwise, it's a fairly subtle-looking laptop with an all-black chassis with engraved stripes running across the lid, and not much in the way of visual flair. Some models do have RGB lighting for the ROG banner on the lid, though. The keyboard is backlit, but only in white, so it looks fairly professional.

As for ports, you get most of the basics covered, though the supply isn't as expansive as with other laptops on this list. There are two USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 2) ports, one USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 2) port, HDMI 2.0, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. For a laptop of this size, that's not a terrible setup, and at least the USB ports are relatively fast. Of course, Thunderbolt support isn't included, but the ROG Xg Mobile GPU uses a proprietary connector and also serves as a docking station.

For users who only do gaming on the side and don't need the fastest gaming experience, the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is a fantastic choice. It's a lightweight yet decently powerful laptop that can handle most modern games while also being versatile. And for at-home use, the ROG Xg Mobile accessory can add a lot of power, too.

ASUS ROG Flow X13

The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is a thin and light convertible with the guts to run most modern games.

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Best 17-inch laptop: Alienware x17 R2

Games can be incredibly immersive experiences, and that's even more true when you're looking at a big screen. If you want a 17-inch laptop, Dell's new Alienware x17 is one of most powerful gaming laptops out there, but it's also very compact, something the Alienware X series is all about.

In terms of performance, the Alienware x17 is ahead of the class. It comes with up to a 12th-generation Intel Core i9-12900HK processor, with 14 cores, 20 threads, and boost speeds up to a whopping 5GHz, easily one of the fastest laptop processors right now. Backing that up, you can get up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card with up to 175W of power, making this one of the most powerful laptops on this list. And, just like the Alienware x15 R2, it uses a thermal solution with an exclusive thermal compound that allows it to be relatively thin. Rounding things out, you can get up to a massive 64GB of RAM and 4TB of SSD storage. This is a beastly machine through and through.

That continues with the display. There are three major versions of this 17.3-inch panel: the first is a more budget-conscious option with a Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel and a 165Hz refresh rate; another is a Full HD screen with a 360Hz refresh rate and support for NVIDIA G-SYNC and Advanced Optimus technology; and the last one is a super-sharp Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, 100% coverage of Adobe RGB, and 500 nits of brightness. That last option is almost overkill, but you can go that route if you want the best of the best.

Unfortunately, the webcam is still a 720p sensor despite all the other extremely powerful specs. However, the laptop does include Windows Hello facial recognition, so it gets points for convenience on that front.

Similar to its smaller relative, the Alienware x17 R2 embraces its gaming spirit, and that's obvious just looking at it. The laptop is littered with RGB lighting, from the Alienware logo on the lid, a ring of multi-color RGB on the back, a backlit keyboard, and in some models, even an RGB touchpad. You get many lights to play around with if that's something you like. Beyond that, the Alienware x17 tries to be fairly compact. Depending on the display you choose, it's either 20.9mm or 21.4mm thick, and the weight starts at 6.65 pounds. That's far from light, but for a 17-inch laptop with specs as powerful as these, it's not too bad. And it's unlikely portability is a priority for you if you want a 17-inch gaming laptop in the first place.

As for ports, the Alienware x17 is packed. It has one Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 2) port, two USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1) ports, HDMI 2.1, mini DisplayPort 1.4, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. There really isn't anything else you could ask for here, it's simply a great setup of ports.

If you want the ultimate gaming laptop, the Alienware x17 R2 is almost that. It's got the performance, the display, the RGB lighting, the ports, and even a surprisingly compact design, everything you could want in a gaming laptop. Of course, all of that adds up to a very expensive machine, but if you can afford it, you can buy it below or check out the range-topping configurations on Dell's website.

Dell Alienware x17 R2

For the ultimate gaming performance, the Alienware x17 has range-topping CPUs, GPUs, and everything else you could ask for in a gaming laptop.

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Best budget gaming laptop: MSI Sword 15

If you want a good gaming experience without having to spend over $1,000, the MSI Sword 15 is a great option right now. Finding a cheap gaming laptop that's still good often requires looking for deals, and that's why this is the best option right now.

Let's start with performance because that's what matters most. The MSI Sword 15 is powered by an Intel Core i5-12450H CPU, which has 8 cores and 12 threads, and it should give you very good performance for both gaming and general daily tasks. You also get an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, meaning you should be able to play most modern games as long as you're willing to tune some settings. This model also has 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, so you have a solid amount of storage to start.

For the display, the MSI Sword 15 makes do with a 15.6-inch panel with Full HD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, which is about what you can expect from a gaming laptop in this price range. The aspect ratio is 16:9, which is also very typical of gaming laptops, and still the most popular aspect ratio overall. Of course, there's nothing fancy like touch support. The webcam also doesn't stand out, being a 720p camera that should be fine in a pinch, though it won't give you mind-blowing quality.

In terms of design, the MSI Sword 15 looks pretty clean for a gaming laptop. It has a dual-tone look with a white lid and keyboard cover, while the base and bezels are black, so it looks pretty different from other laptops out there. That design is accentuated by the blue keyboard backlight, which contributes to a modern and fresh-looking laptop overall. Of course, it's still a gaming laptop, so it's a bit on the heavier side at 4.96 pounds, and it measures 24.9mm in thickness, but there heavier laptops out there, too.

Coming around to the ports, there's a solid supply here. You get one USB Type-C port, three USB Type-A ports, RJ45 Ethernet, HDMI, and a headphone jack. You should have no problem plugging in peripherals like a mouse or keyboard for gaming, and you can also hook up an external monitor if you want to play on a bigger screen eventually. Of course, there's no Thunderbolt support at this price, but you have quite a few ports already.

Typically, the MSI Sword 15 costs $950, which isn't a terrible price, but at the time of this writing, you can grab it for just $750. For that price, you're getting a very good gaming experience already, and you can potentially upgrade the RAM later if you want to improve performance a bit more. While that sale won't last, we expect it to get discounts again, so be on the lookout.

MSI Sword 15

The MSI Sword 15 is a relatively affordable gaming laptop that can still handle most modern games. Since it's frequently discounted, it's an easy choice for budget gamers.

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Those are, in our opinion, the best gaming laptops you can buy today. The top spot goes to the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE because it gets so much so right. It has very powerful specs and a good cooling system, plus a very high refresh rate display. But it's also a tall 16:10 display with great color coverage, so it's great for productivity, too, it has a 1080p webcam for video calls, and it has a sleek design, all for a price that's quite reasonable. It's very hard not to love it. With that said, technically speaking, the most powerful laptop on the list is the MSI Titan GT77, so that's where you should go if you want power above all else.

If you want to look at some more affordable options for gaming laptops, check out our list of the best cheap gaming laptops to find some great options. And if you don't care about gaming at all, why not check our general roundup of the best laptops you can buy right now?