The Best Action Cameras for All Your Craziest Adventures (2026)

Key points

• Choosing the best action camera used to be simple: Go with GoPro.
• That's still good advice, as the GoPro ranks high on our list, and its forthcoming Mission 1 cameras could potentially top this list again, but there are also some worthy competitors that beat the current flagship GoPro Hero 13 Black on several fronts.
• The decision is not easy, so to figure out what exactly makes the best action camera, we dove with them, climbed with them, surfed with them, and handed them to reckless 13-year-olds on bikes.
• We found several great options that will survive your adventures on the ski slope, at the beach, or at the skate park.
• Be sure to also read our guide to the Best 360 Cameras, as there's considerable overlap these days with action camera, and in some cases, for some people, they might be the better option.