Best Gaming Laptop 2023: Our favourite laptops for gamers 

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 is our pick for the best overall gaming laptop you can buy. We’ve reviewed a lot of laptops and some are more stylish than this machine, better for creators, or more portable. However, the ROG Strix Scar 16 nails what this guide is all about–gaming.

This gaming titan has processing power that will leave you floored–eating up high-end gaming demands with a combination of Intel’s latest 13th Gen chips and Nvidia’s 40-series graphics cards. This laptop has a ridiculously high 244Hz refresh rate display but, remarkably, our review model combination of an Intel Core i9 chip and RTX 4080 almost hit that mark at the 2560 x 1600 resolution. Max settings on titles that focus more on detail and quality were a breeze for this monster too, surpassing 120Hz comfortably.

All of this is presented on a luxurious 16-inch Mini LED panel. This glorious display provides impressive brightness and pristine contrast. The 16-inch size gives you more than enough room to truly appreciate AAA titles and get the most out of the graphics this hardware can offer.

Rounding out what makes this the true top gaming laptop pick is the excellent keyboard. Asus has showcased great gaming keys on its portable machines for several years now and the ROG Strix Scar 16 is the pick of the bunch. Bags of travel and feedback that offers a satisfying crunch under your fingertips.

Reviewer: Stuart Andrews
Full Review: Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) review

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 has been one of our favourite laptops ever since it burst on the scene several years ago. And, notice there’s no qualifier there, not “favourite gaming laptop,” but “favourite laptop,” full stop. What we love is the raw gaming performance it manages to pack into such a small body and reasonable price, and in stylish fashion too.

The lightweight and trimmed-down design really is the star. The ROG Zephyrus G14 will slip into any average backpack and you’d be hard-pressed to know it was there. We’re a big fans of the White colour option, offering something different to the typical greys and silvers you find on many a laptop. Asus goes even further to catch your eye too, with a clever customisable light-up lid too. It’s got tough competition in the style stakes, up against rivals like the Razer Blade 14, but the edginess of the G14 wins the day.

The performance of the all-AMD model we tested was more than up to standard, expectedly dominating productivity tasking while also nailing gaming. Expect the AMD Radeon RX 6800S GPU to close in on 60fps in quality-focused titles and float around the maximum capability of this 120Hz panel in games that favour high frames per second.

The cherry on top is strong battery life, a box rarely ticked by gaming laptops. The ROG Zephyrus G14 comes with a 76Wr battery and allowed for around 6 hours and a half in our testing, meaning you could push this to a full workday if you’re using it for light productivity. For gaming, expect around an hour, which isn’t half bad either for such a pocket rocket.

Reviewer: Gemma Ryles
Full Review: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) review

Many modern gaming laptops feature membrane keyboards, but we find these to have shallow keystrokes and poor tactile feedback. Our testing shows that’s fine for typing out essays, but it pales in comparison to the experience we’ve had with some of the best gaming keyboards with mechanical switches. 

Fortunately, there are a select few gaming laptops that feature mechanical keyboards, including the Gigabyte AORUS 17G. We were really impressed with the keyboard during testing, as we found the crunchy tactile feel to be incredibly helpful for letting the user know when a key has hit its actuation point.

The Gigabyte AORUS 17G is no one-trick pony either, as it posted impressive performance results in our benchmark test. The screen also excelled in our review process, with our colorimeter showing it to have above-average brightness and great colour accuracy. There’s also plenty of screen space thanks to the 17-inch panel, while we found the high 300Hz refresh rate to be great for multiplayer shooters where fast reactions are essential. 

There are a few other superb gaming laptops with mechanical keyboards, including the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (2021), so it’s worth looking around if that’s your priority. But after reviewing a number of gaming laptops, we’ve found that mechanical keyboards are generally only found on large and heavy laptops, and so aren’t very portable – so make sure you factor that into your final decision.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full Review: Gigabyte AORUS 17G (2021) review

The Acer Nitro 5 is a gaming laptop that excels at 1080p gaming. It has everything you’d want from a mainstream gaming portable, including a high 165Hz refresh rate and enough power to play any PC game with a smooth performance.

We were really impressed with the laptop’s performance, packing the new 12th Gen Intel Core chip, as well as a generous selection of Nvidia GPUs. Our review model featured Nvidia’s RTX 3070 Ti graphics, and was capable of running games such as Rainbow Six Siege at up to 314fps, making it a good option for online multiplayer.

When activating the performance mode, the Nitro managed to play both Horizon Zero Dawn and Borderlands 3 at over 90fps. However, boosting the performance in this way will see the laptop fans become distractingly noisy. We were also impressed by the SSD speeds, ensuring this laptop can blaze through loading times.

But with great power comes great heft, as the laptop weighs 2.4kg which isn’t ideal if you wanted this machine to double up as a productivity portable. Still, if you’re craving a great value laptop for 1080p gaming, you’ll struggle to find a better option than the latest Acer Nitro 5. And if you want an even cheaper gaming laptop, we suggest checking out the Lenovo Legion 5 (Advantage Edition) instead.

Reviewer: Stuart Andrews
Full Review: Acer Nitro 5 (2022) Review

The Gigabyte G5 is an unusual gaming laptop, as it packs an outdated 10th Generation Intel Core processor, despite most modern portables now moving onto the 12th Gen. But while that does see performance speeds compromised, it also means Gigabyte has been able to push the price far below the $1000 mark, making it the most affordable gaming laptop on this list.

Despite our benchmark tests showing the CPU speeds to be behind the competition, this laptop arguably makes up for that with the inclusion of Nvidia’s RTX 3060 GPU. Our testing showed this laptop to be a fine choice for 1080p gaming. You will see higher frame rates with the Acer Nitro 5, but those who just want a casual gaming performance will benefit from the more affordable price.

Bargain laptops usually have poor screen quality, but that’s not the case here. During testing, we were impressed with contrast and colour accuracy, as well as the fact you get a 144Hz refresh rate. Our only major concern is the poor battery life, lasting for only 2hrs and 44mins in our benchmark test. But that shouldn’t be an issue if you plan on using this laptop within reach of a power source. Plus, its 2.1kg heft rules this out as a laptop for on-the-go use anyway.

So if you want the cheapest gaming laptop possible that still provides a good 1080p performance, we recommend checking out the Gigabyte G5. You only really need to look elsewhere if you crave a higher resolution, faster refresh rate or a more portable and premium design.

Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full Review: Gigabyte G5 Review

The Razer Blade 15 has long been the obvious pick for an accolade such as this–the closest thing to a gaming MacBook around. But, the phenomenal Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) is now deserving of the accolade, with the caveat of it having a stonkingly high price.

The skinny is that, as a straight-up gaming laptop, the performance is top-drawer. The model we tested was sporting the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 so big results were expected, and the ROG Zephyrus M16 delivered incredible gaming performance. This is another typically excellent gaming keyboard from Asus too, with tons of travel and pleasing feedback. Whether you’re an eSports fan or a player of lushly-designed AAA games, this laptop will surpass your expectations.

This wondrous gaming power is presented on a 240Hz QHD+ Mini LED display. The reality of these specs is a display that, like the performance on offer, is great for any type of gaming and invites you to marvel in bountiful colour and deep blacks.

All that’s great but what truly makes it the luxe pick is the stealthy black design, which also has an edginess to stand out. The Razer Blade 15 is gorgeous but it’s straightforward. This Asus offers a brave angular look that deftly toes the line between unassuming and eye-catching.

Reviewer: Mike Jennings
Full Review: Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) review

The Asus ROG Flow X16 is a remarkable gaming laptop, featuring a 180-degree screen hinge that allows you to flip the device into a tablet form. This enables you to use the laptop like a 16-inch tablet, or even prop it up in tent mode to continue gaming with a controller.

The screen looks lovely too, with a sharp 2560 x 1600 resolution and speedy 165Hz refresh rate. We were impressed with the results when testing the screen too, with an incredibly high brightness that enables you to use the laptop outside without fear of sun glare impairing your view.

This 2-in-1 laptop is packing powerful specs too, including an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU. Our performance tests show that you can find more powerful systems for less money (such as the Razer Blade 15 and Alienware x15 R2) but then you’d be missing out on that versatile screen hinge.

There are a couple of noticeable omissions such as Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, while the laptop can get hot and noisy when under stress. But if you’re really keen for a hybrid gaming laptop, those minor blemishes are easy to forgive.

Reviewer: Mike Jennings
Full Review: Asus ROG Flow X16 review

The Alienware x17 R2 (2022) is a fantastic gaming laptop for several reasons. It has a huge 17-inch screen with speedy 360Hz refresh rate, and packs some of the most powerful laptop specs currently available with the option of a Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU paired with an Intel 12th Generation (Alder Lake) CPU.

During testing, we found this behemoth a laptop to be capable of playing Horizon Zero Dawn at 120fps in Full HD at max graphics settings, and a jaw-dropping 226fps average in Rainbow Six Siege. That leaves sitting the Alienware x17 R2 right near the top in our benchmark scores, second to only the Razer Blade 17 (2022) – the Razer is another superb option, but costs considerably more.

We also loved the Alienware’s fast and crisp keyboard, and the design is one of the snazziest we’ve seen from a gaming laptop in recent years.

The Alienware x17 R2 is admittedly very expensive, while the weight and battery life limits the laptop’s portability, but this is nevertheless our absolute favourite high-performance laptop right now.

Reviewer: Mike Jennings
Full Review: Alienware x17 R2 (2022) review

One of the biggest issues we’ve found