Best gaming laptops 2022

There’s a lot to like about the surprisingly affordable Asus ROG Strix G15. Despite its mid-range price, it includes up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card and AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor.

It’s well-placed to tackle triple-A games, fast eSports titles and tough content-creation workloads, and elsewhere this machine has a butter-smooth 300Hz display and a comfortable, crisp keyboard. It’s even pretty cool and quiet.

The relatively low price means that it misses out on some features and it’s a little thicker and heavier than other machines, but those are not dealbreakers on this excellent mid-range machine.

The m15 Ryzen Edition R5 is one of the most affordable Alienware models on the market right now, and that means it has to concentrate on the basics.

And, for the most part, this machine succeeds: it’s got solid mainstream gaming power alongside an excellent processor, and it has a great screen, a satisfying keyboard with Cherry MX option and good looks. Connectivity isn’t bad, either.

The relatively low price does mean compromise, though. The speakers and trackpad disappoint, battery life could be better and this machine does get hot. It’s missing a handful of features, too. That makes it a good mainstream laptop, but it won’t go further than that unless you spend more cash. 

It’s not a laptop in the traditional way but the Flow Z13 is certainly a fully-fledged gaming device, it’s just that the keyboard is removable. This Surface Pro-like design makes it incredibly portable and versatile, though not suitable for placing on your lap.

There’s not really anything else like it in the gaming world thanks to an optional XG Mobile GPU dock which gains you an RTX 3080 and plenty of ports. Even if you can’t splash out on that, the Z13 offers solid performance with an RTX 3050 Ti along with either a Core i9 or Ryzen 9.

The Mini-LED screen is great with a 120Hz refresh rate, and we’d avoid the 4K model at 60Hz. The main downsides of the Z13 are the battery life and price.

The ROG Zephyrus G14 marries gaming laptop clout with ultrabook sensibilities in one of the most compact and powerful gaming laptops we’ve ever seen.

A tip of the hat has to go to the thermal design of this compact machine, which can accommodate up to a Ryzen 9 4900HS, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, up to a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD and, most impressively, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics.

There’s also the matter of this machine’s ‘AniMe Matrix’ LED-laden lid, which can display images, text, equalisers and even animated GIFs – perfect for adding a touch of character and personalisation to your machine or as a means to silently trash-talk your competitors during competitions.

The Blade Stealth 13 has been updated late in 2020 to fit 11th-gen Intel chips.

As you might expect, Razer offers impressive mainstream gaming power inside a light, slim and sturdy case with a top-notch 1080p screen – if you need a lightweight machine for gaming and eSports, it’ll cope.

However, the concentration on svelte design means the Razer has an underwhelming keyboard, an Intel CPU that’s regularly beaten by AMD and a very high price – so you’ll get a more rounded machine if you’re not set on the black and green of Razer. 

The Helios 300 for 2020 is another well-rounded gaming laptop from Acer offering a nice mix of components and features.

If you just need the kind of pace for mainstream titles and eSports then the 10th Gen Intel and CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU is a solid combination. And games will be displayed on the smooth 144Hz display.

While the price undercuts many rivals there are a few downsides to consider including lower screen quality beyond that refresh rate, mediocre battery life and a pretty chunky design. If they worry you then look elsewhere for a little more finesse, although likely at a higher price.

If you’re looking for performance on a big laptop for a budget price then the Acer Nitro 5 is a great shout.

This offers an Nvidia RTX graphics and a large 17in display for under a grand meaning it can keep up with more expensive gaming laptops. There are plenty of ports and a nice keyboard too.

While the display is 120Hz, it lacks in colour so games can look dull. The chassis is chunky too so this is an affordable desktop replacement for those not too fussed about the colour accuracy of the display.

The addition of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 makes this one of the fastest notebooks on the planet, and the Intel processor, fast memory and storage and solid internal connectivity make this a barnstorming machinery.

Alienware bolsters the components with a stunning 360Hz display, a great keyboard (with optional Cherry MX switches) and an eye-catching design making it one of the best 17in gaming laptops you can buy.

That’s if you can afford it though and it has a middling trackpad and speakers. It’s also heavy and noisy – and battery life is poor. But none of that is a surprise, and it’s not unique to the m17. 

If you’ve got the cash, this is the fastest gaming laptop you can buy, and its design is superb. We’d only look elsewhere if you want more CPU power from an AMD processor.

It might not be marketed as a gaming laptop but the Aero 15 OLED has the components for it and then some – an RTX 3070 with a Core i7-10870H at the least – only with a display that’s designed for creative tasks.

This is an amazingly sleek and portable, yet powerful laptop which will suit those looking for a single machine to handle complex work tasks such as video editing and then, once work is over, some of the latest AAA games. That’s if you’re ok with a refresh rate of 60Hz.

You can drop down to a Full HD display with 144Hz refresh rate but we’d recommend going for an OLED model if you can afford it – especially if you need the performance of this stunning display which can achieve 100% of the P3 colour space.

It’s just very expensive, hence the position in this chart.

The HP Omen 15 (2020) is affordable, and it balances a decent GTX 1660 Ti graphics card with a superb AMD Ryzen 7 processor.

There’s plenty of performance here and you can jump to an RTX 2060 for not much more. We also like the new design and the range of ports on offer.

It’s a decent option for a portable gaming laptop without breaking the bank. The screen is mediocre, though, and other areas like the battery life and keyboard leave us wanting a little more. Buy it for the power hidden under the bonnet.