Best Gaming Laptops (2026): Razer, Asus, Dell, and More

Published 8 August 2026 · tech

Beyond handhelds, there are other interesting gaming laptops that play with form factors. My favorite is the Asus ROG Flow Z13 (7/10, WIRED Recommends). This

Beyond handhelds, there are other interesting gaming laptops that play with form factors. My favorite is the Asus ROG Flow Z13 (7/10, WIRED Recommends). This is a 2-in-1 gaming laptop, meaning it's essentially a Windows tablet with a detachable keyboard cover. All the guts of the device are behind the screen, which, in the case of the 2025 model, includes the AMD Ryzen Max+ chip. In other words, it's a Surface Pro designed for playing games. Nearly every gaming laptop I've ever used gets warm on the palm rests and keyboard while gaming, leaving you with sweaty hands after a few missions of Arc Raiders. But not so with the Flow Z13; because it's a tablet, your hands are never near vents and warm surfaces. It’s also one of the smallest and most compact gaming devices you can buy. Asus has also been experimenting with dual-screen gaming laptops for years, with the most interesting edition out later this year: the ROG Zephyrus Duo.

I saw it at CES a few months ago, and it was one of the most exciting new gaming devices I've seen in a while. Many laptops that aren't necessarily marketed as gaming products can play games. Some laptops with discrete GPUs are oriented toward content creators, like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (7/10, WIRED Recommends) or the Asus ProArt P16 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). I like both of these options, particularly given the new version of the Yoga Pro 9i with an RTX 5050 for $2,400. Not bad. For something a bit more grounded, I'd consider the Dell XPS 14 (8/10, WIRED Recommends). While it doesn't have a discrete graphics card, you can configure it with Intel's latest X7 integrated graphics, which are surprisingly powerful. While I wouldn’t buy the XPS 14 mainly as a gaming device, like a 16-inch MacBook Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends), it's absolutely capable of running AAA games on the side.

I was able to average 56 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 with the settings at medium. For a laptop without a discrete graphics card, that's kind of mind-blowing. When you need it, Intel offers both a low-latency mode and XeSS upscaling. When used together, you get faster frame rates without too much visual distortion or input lag. Your battery will also benefit if you go with a non-gaming laptop. Unlike many of the gaming laptops on this list, it actually gets fantastic battery life, competitive with the 14-inch MacBook Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends). Other Good Gaming Laptops I’ve Tested Photograph: Luke Larsen Alienware 15 for $1,160: For the price, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is a better buy, given it offers both more power and a better display. It's the screen, in particular, though, that keeps the Alienware 15 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) from being a full recommendation, as the colors look desaturated.