The best gaming laptop can mean different things to different people, but it’s something we spend a lot of time thinking about and testing ourselves on PC Gamer. In fact, of all the hundreds of products we prod, poke, and benchmark throughout the year, gaming laptops make up around 10% of the total we test.
So, we know our silicon onions when it comes to mobile machines for making good with the gaming. Each and every gaming laptop that crosses our path gets put through the same rigorous process, where we test gaming and productivity performance with a curated set of benchmarks, and monitor power and thermals, too. And, because we test a ton of them, we can compare each against all the gaming laptops that have gone before.
In this list right here are all the highest-rated machines we’ve scored over 80% so far this year, with links to their full reviews, and all the benchmarking data you could wish for. And we’ll keep adding them as they keep on making good ones.
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 or AI 9 365 | GPU: RTX 5090, RTX 5080, or RTX 5070 Ti | RAM: Up to 64 GB DDR5 | Screen: 16-inch 2560 x 1600, 16:10 aspect ratio | Storage: 1 TB, 2TB, 4 TB (2+2 TB) Gen 4 SSD | Battery: 90 Wh | Dimensions: 14.9 ~ 17.4 x 250.5 x 355 mm / 0.59 ~ 0.69 x 9.86 x 13.98 inches | Weight: 2.14 kg / 4.71 lbs
Far slimmer than last-gen model
Great performance
Can run cool and quiet
GAMING ON BATTERY?!
Stunning screen
Great keyboard
Size still holds back the RTX 5090
Hugely expensive, especially in the US
RTX 5080 will get you the same frame rates, though might hurt your ears
Dave’s verdict: 90%
“This is the first gaming laptop that has been able to deliver the sort of all-round PC experience that would have me consider ditching both my work laptop and my desktop gaming PC. And that is saying something. The Blade 16 is a genuinely lovely device, that can deliver whether plugged into a wall socket or running on its battery.”
Surprisingly great performance from this sleek 14-inch machine.
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI/Ryzen series | GPU: Nvidia RTX 5050, RTX 5060 | RAM: Up to 16 GB LPDDR5X 7500 | Screen: 14-inch 2560 x 1600, IPS, 16:10 aspect ratio | Storage: Up to 2 TB Gen 4 SSD | Battery: 73 Wh | Dimensions: 31.1 x 22.7 x 1.69 ~ 1.99 cm (12.24″ x 8.94″ x 0.67″ ~ 0.78″) | Weight: 1.46 Kg (3.22 lbs)
Subtle premium chassis
Great trackpad and keyboard
Impressive RTX 5060 performance with Frame Gen
Stellar battery life
Portable 14-inch form factor with usable 16:10 screen
Expensive
Mediocre productivity performance
Speakers get covered when it’s on your lap
Jacob’s verdict: 89%
“This gaming laptop is ideal for those who want to be able to take their laptop around with them and use it for more than just gaming. Its subtle design and form factor make it very portable, and its RTX 5060 GPU has surprisingly strong gaming chops, especially with frame gen enabled. You can probably get a little better performance for cheaper, but probably not in such a great form factor and premium chassis.”
The most performant gaming laptop of this generation, and RTX 5090 be damned.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX series | GPU: RTX 5090, RTX 5080, or RTX 5070 Ti | RAM: Up to 64 GB DDR5 | Screen: 16-inch 2560 x 1600, OLED, 16:10 aspect ratio | Storage: Up to 2 TB Gen 4 SSD or 1 TB Gen 5 SSD | Battery: 99.9 Wh | Dimensions: 21.9 ~ 26.6 x 364 x 275.9 mm / 0.86 – 1.04 x 14.33 x 10.86-inches | Weight: 2.72 kg / 6 lbs
Top gaming performance
Stylish new chassis
Lovely OLED screen
Excellent power customisation options
Battery life is weak
Price is higher than RTX 5080 Razer Blade 16
It’s a big boi laptop
And a fingerprint magnet
Dave’s verdict: 87%
“The new Legion chassis looks good, and the performance is absolutely top-notch. But it’s the level of customisation that sings to me, allowing you to create a gaming profile that at once delivers the frame rates and the noise level you desire. Just a shame the battery life is still so weak.”
The 2025 update for Razer’s micro machine has pretty much made it my ideal gaming laptop.
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 or 5070 | RAM: Up to 64 GB LPDDR5X-8000 | Screen: 14-inch 2880 x 1800 @ 120 Hz / OLED | Storage: 1 TB SSD NVMe PCIe 4.0 | Battery: 72 Wh | Dimensions: 31.1 x 22.4 x 1.58 ~ 1.62 cm / 12.23 x 8.83 x 0.62 ~ 0.64-inches | Weight: 1.63 kg / 3.59 lbs
That new chassis is fire
Doesn’t sound like a jet
Lovely OLED display
Good battery life
It’s a genuinely portable gaming laptop
Lower spec Blade costs more than higher spec alternatives
880M iGPU is a miss
No upgraded Blade 16 keyboard
Dave’s verdict: 86%
“Razer’s “aggressively priced” Blade still manages to be frustratingly pricey, especially in the face of cheaper, more powerful competition. But when it comes to actual use, it’s a huge improvement over last year’s model and there’s now no other gaming laptop I’d want to have my digits on or spend my money on.”
A classic gaming laptop that delivers on the frame rate promise of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series, but not on the battery life.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 200HX series | GPU: RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5070 | RAM: Up to 64 GB DDR5 | Screen: 16-inch 2560 x 1600, IPS, 16:10 aspect ratio | Storage: 1 TB, 512 GB Gen 4 SSD | Battery: 90 Wh | Dimensions: 22.2 ~ 28.5 x 357 x 284 mm / 1.12 x 14.05 x 11.18 inches | Weight: 2.7 kg / 5.95 lbs
Excellent RTX 5080 performance
Actually decent price point
Speedy CPU chops
Balanced mode is quiet and performant
Though it’s offensively loud at top speed
Chonky, choppy chassis
Weak battery performance
Dave’s verdict: 83%
“A classic gaming laptop, that makes up for its lack of battery performance or pencil-thin chassis design with serious gaming frame rates even outside of its cacophonous Extreme Performance mode.”
Still a great compact gaming laptop, but the grating fan noise and sharper Blade 14 relegate it into second place.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 270 or Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | GPU: RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 | RAM: 32 GB LPDDR5X-7500 or LPDDR5x-8000 | Screen: 14-inch 1800p @ 120 Hz / OLED | Storage: Up to 2 TB | Battery: 73 Wh | Dimensions: 311 x 220 x 15.9 ~ 18.3 mm / 12.24 x 8.66 x 0.63 ~ 0.72 inches | Weight: 1.57 kg / 3.46 lbs
Delightful form factor
Lovely OLED screen
Sometimes cheaper than a Blade 14
Not far beyond RTX 5070 performance
Saw-tooth fan curve grates
Fan noise means I’d never use the performance presets
Dave’s verdict: 83%
“The strangely inconsistent fan noise really takes the shine of this generation’s G14, despite it still being a delicious device, with a beautiful OLED screen, and decent gaming performance. But with a new Blade 14 rectifying all the issues Razer’s compact machine has had over the past couple of years, it certainly suffers by comparison.”
A sturdy 16-incher that delivers a lot for the price.
CPU: Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | GPU: Up to Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti | RAM: Up to 64 GB DDR5 | Screen: 16-inch 2560 x 1600, OLED or IPS, 16:10 aspect ratio | Storage: Up to 2 TB | Battery: 90 Wh | Dimensions: 24 x 366 x 275.5 mm / 1.05 x 14 x 10.8 inches | Weight: 2.7 kg / 5.95 lbs
Well-priced
Very bright screen
Decent gaming performance
Low battery life
No Thunderbolt/USB4
Ian’s verdict: 81%
“A relative bargain among today’s top-end gaming laptops, the 2025 Acer Predator Helios 16 offers solid performance and exceptional screen brightness with the usual drawbacks of running hot and having almost no battery life.”
CPU: Intel Core i5 13450HX / AMD Ryzen 7 250 | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 or 5060 | RAM: 16 GB DDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 | Screen: 15-inch 1920 x 1080 @ 144 Hz IPS | Storage: 512 GB SSD NVMe PCIe 4.0 | Battery: 60 Wh | Dimensions: 15.6 ~ 23.9 mm x 359.9 mm x 258.7 mm / 0.94 x 14.17 x 10.19 inches | Weight: 2.3 kg / 5.07 lbs
Great 1080p performance
Solid hardware pairings
Sleek refined design
RAM and SSD config is frustrating
Battery life underwhelming
Zak’s verdict: 81%
“Lenovo’s hit the mark just right on three things in particular. The graphics card. The screen. The build quality. It’s exceptional in those elements and delivers excellent 1080p gaming performance. Sadly, however, due to what are assumedly cost-cutting measures on the RAM and SSD front, it doesn’t quite nail the landing with its entry-level model.”
An excellent Alienware chassis over top-tier components.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX / Ultra 9 275HX | GPU: Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 | RAM: Up to 64 GB LPDDR5X-8000 | Screen: 16-inch 2560 x 1600 @ 240 Hz IPS | Storage: Up to 12 TB SSD NVMe PCIe 4.0 | Battery: 96 Wh | Dimensions: 28.5 x 365 x 290 mm / 1.12 x 14.37 x 11.41-inches | Weight: 3.4 kg / 7.5 lbs
Gorgeous finish
Three NVMe slots
Plenty of speedy storage
175 W RTX 5080 Mobile
Strong CPU
No OLED
Temps could be lower
Small trackpad
Jacob’s verdict: 80%
“The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a great pick for someone looking to game primarily on a laptop and still have some semblance of portability. It lacks an OLED panel, which is its biggest miss, and performance is a touch slower than some we’ve seen. But it more than makes up for these with a price tag lower than others offering the same level of quality.”
With a better screen and keyboard, this could have been Alienware’s best-ever laptop.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX or Ultra 9 275HX | GPU: From RTX 5060 to RTX 5090 inclusive | RAM: Up to 64 GB DDR5-6400 | Screen: 18-inch 2560 x 1600 @ 300 Hz IPS | Storage: Up to 12 TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD | Battery: 96 Wh | Dimensions: 410 x 320 x 24.3 mm / 16.14 x 12.6 x 0.96 | Weight: 4.34 kg / 9.57 lbs
RTX 5090 performance
Luxurious chassis
Great cooling
Three M.2 SSD slots inside
Ultra-high price tag
Cheap-feeling keyboard
Display is 500 nits and yet no HDR
Performance when unplugged
Nick’s verdict: 80%
“With such a high price tag, you’d expect Alienware to pack this laptop with all the best goodies. For the most part, it has, and the performance and general experience are great. But the screen is disappointing, the unplugged performance isn’t great, and the keyboard feels cheap. At least this gives Dell plenty of scope to make next year’s version better.”
