Find the best laptop for gaming in 2026
To find the best gaming laptop we recommend to focus on these characteristics:
- Graphics card - look for latest offering from Nvidia and AMD, make sure it's discrete and has enough VRAM
- Thermal performance - rule of thumb: opt for thick and heavy laptop as they tend to handle workload better
- Display - 2K display with fast response (1ms) and high refresh rate (120Hz+) is optimal
Best Laptops under £400 for gaming
Lenovo IdeaPad 14" 81VS009GUS Platinum Gray 2020
Great Alternatives
These options also score highly and may better suit your specific needs
ASUS GT730-SL-2GD5-BRK
OTVOC DGBook 15.6" DGBook A2 Gray 2025
UOWAMOU 15.6" BTC518 Gray 2025
ASUS Vivobook 14" X1404VA-I38128 Quiet Blue 2025
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15.6" 15IAN8 Arctic Gray
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook 14" 82XJ004AUS Abyss Blue 2025
ASUS Chromebook CM14 14" CM1402 Gravity Gray 2024
BLUEING 15.6" NS15Y Gray
SanDisk WD Blue SN5100 SN5100
HP Chromebook 14" 14a-ne1013dx Gray 2025
Acer Chromebook 314 14" CBO314-1H-C476 Black 2025
Acer Chromebook 15.6" CB315-4H-C8XU Silver 2022
ASUS Chromebook 14" Gray
Lenovo 100w 100w Gen 4 11.6" HD Gray
Best Laptops under £800 for gaming
HP ZBook Ultra 14" G1a Meteor Silver 2025
Great Alternatives
These options also score highly and may better suit your specific needs
MSI Thin 15.6" B13VE-1697CA Cosmos Gray 2023
Why we recommend this ▼
The 13th Gen Intel Core i5-13420H and RTX 4050 6GB GPU push a 144Hz 1080p display, keeping frame rates smooth in esports titles. At 1.90kg, it’s easily portable and drives two external displays via USB-C and HDMI for expanded multitasking. It’s best for budget-conscious gamers who want a light 1080p gaming laptop with enough power for entry-level content creation.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15.6" 82XM00LMUS Arctic Grey 2025
Acer Aspire 3 15.6" A315-24P-R7VH Silver 2023
Lenovo Ideapad 5 Pro 16" Ideapad 5 Pro Black 2021
MALLRACE 18.5 Inch Laptops Silver Gray 2026
Acer Aspire 5 15.6" A515-44-R4M5 Charcoal Black 2021
Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6" 15ABR8 Arctic Grey 2025
ASUS Zenbook 14" UX3407QA-DS52-CA Beige 2025
Acer Aspire 14 AI 14" A14-52M-72FH Steel Gray 2026
Rumtuk CM160 16" CM160-150 Gray 2025
AVENKA YEPBOOK-4 15.6" YEPBOOK-4 Gray 2025
Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G7 QOY Luna Gray 2024
Why we recommend this ▼
The Snapdragon X Plus chip and 84Wh battery deliver multi-day endurance in a 1.82kg chassis, making all-day productivity a reality. Its 16-inch 16:10 display and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity provide a spacious, future-proofed workspace at a competitive price point. This laptop is best for business users and developers who prioritize battery life and portability over color-critical screen accuracy.
NAIKLULU 15.6" AM01 Gray 2025
ASUS Vivobook 14" 2025 Ultra Portable Business Quiet Blue
Why we recommend this ▼
With 24GB of RAM and a combined 1TB of solid-state storage, this 6-core Intel i3-1315U laptop delivers strong multitasking in a sub-1.4kg chassis. It bundles a lifetime Microsoft Office 2024 license and offers four USB-A ports, a rare find in ultraportables. Best suited for business travelers and students prioritizing memory, legacy connectivity, and pre-installed productivity software over graphics performance.
Acer Aspire 16" A16-11MT-X669 Gray
Why we recommend this ▼
The Snapdragon X chip with a 45 TOPS NPU and Adreno GPU drives a 16-inch 1920x1200 120Hz touchscreen with 100% sRGB and Wi-Fi 7 for responsive AI tasks. Weighing 1.55kg with a backlit keyboard, HDMI 2.1, and dual USB-C ports, it delivers a well-connected portable design. This Copilot+ PC suits students and entertainment-focused users for everyday productivity and streaming, though its integrated graphics perform poorly in gaming.
Best Laptops under £1,500 for gaming
ASUS TUF 16" FX608JHR-DS74 Jaeger Gray 2025
Great Alternatives
These options also score highly and may better suit your specific needs
Acer Predator 16" PT516-52s Steel Gray 2023
Why we recommend this ▼
The 2560x1600 240Hz G-SYNC display covers 100% DCI-P3 at 500 nits, backed by an Intel i7-12700H and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti with 8GB VRAM. Liquid metal cooling with 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans and Killer DoubleShot Pro networking sustain performance under combined workloads. Best for video editors and 3D artists who require a color-accurate high-refresh panel for grading and GPU-accelerated rendering while gaming competitively.
Gigabyte AERO X16 16" AERO X16 Black 2025
Why we recommend this ▼
Combining an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor with RTX 5050 graphics, it delivers a 2560x1600 165Hz IPS panel with 400 nits and 100% sRGB for fluid, color-accurate work. Weighing 1.90kg, it offers portable 16-inch computing, though its overall compactness is limited; the 76Wh battery supports decent unplugged usage. This is best suited for content creators who need accurate color grading and AI acceleration, and also want the option for high-refresh gaming.
Dell Alienware 16 Aurora 16" LAC16250-7193BLU-PUS Blue 2026
ASUS TUF Gaming 14" FA401WV-WB94 Black 2024
ASUS ROG Strix 16" G16 Gray 2025
MSI Thin 15.6" Thin A15 Gray 2025
Acer Swift X 14.5" SFX14-72G-77NJ Gray 2024
Why we recommend this ▼
The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor with dedicated NPU powers AI-accelerated workflows, while the RTX 4060 GPU and 14.5-inch 2880x1800 120Hz OLED display deliver sharp, color-accurate visuals. The vibrant CineCrystal OLED panel offers deep blacks and high contrast, complemented by a portable 1.5kg design and a 76Wh battery for extended on-the-go use. This laptop is best for content creators and entertainment users who need GPU acceleration and a premium OLED screen for color grading or media consumption.
Lenovo LOQ 15.6" 83JC00LYUS Luna Grey 2025
Why we recommend this ▼
The RTX 4050 with 8GB VRAM and a 144Hz 100% sRGB display delivers smooth 1080p gaming with accurate colors, avoiding the common 6GB bottleneck in this price tier. At just 1.36kg, this Lunar Grey chassis is exceptionally portable for a 15.6-inch gaming laptop, though the 39Wh battery limits unplugged use. It's best for budget-conscious gamers who prioritize frame rates and color accuracy over battery life.
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 15.6" G533QS-DS94 Black 2022
Why we recommend this ▼
Powered by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 and AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, the 15.6-inch 300Hz FHD IPS display ensures minimal motion blur in fast-paced titles. Its opto-mechanical per-key RGB keyboard provides tactile, clicky feedback rarely found in gaming laptops. This machine suits esports competitors who need 300Hz refresh rates and responsive mechanical inputs above 4K resolution.
ASUS TUF Dash 15.6" FX517ZR-F15.I73070 Off Black 2022
Why we recommend this ▼
A 10-core Intel Core i7-12650H processor and GeForce RTX 3070 GPU drive a 144Hz 1080p display inside a thin 2.00kg chassis. With 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 144Hz refresh rate, it provides strong value for its budget-friendly design. This laptop is ideal for budget-conscious gamers who prioritize portability and high-frame-rate 1080p gaming.
Acer Nitro V Nitro V 16 AI Black 2026
Why we recommend this ▼
Pairing an AMD Ryzen 5 240 6-core chip with GeForce RTX 5050 8GB graphics, this laptop pushes smooth frame rates on its 16-inch 180Hz IPS panel. Its 421 AI TOPS-capable GPU and Thunderbolt 4 port provide headroom for accelerating AI tasks and connecting high-speed peripherals. It’s a solid pick for esports gamers wanting high refresh rates on a budget and for entry-level creators who need CUDA cores for light rendering work.
MSI Thin GF63 15.6" 12UCX Black 2024
Why we recommend this ▼
The 144Hz anti-glare IPS display teams with an RTX 2050 GPU and a cavernous 2TB SSD for fluid, glare-free entry-level gaming and rapid load times. At just 4.1 pounds with a backlit keyboard and 24GB of DDR4 memory, it packs ample multitasking muscle into a portable chassis. This laptop suits students and budget gamers who need one machine for classwork and high-refresh esports titles like Valorant.
Lenovo Legion LOQ 15.6" LOQ Luna Gray
Lenovo ThinkPad 16" E16 Gen 1 Gray 2026
Why we recommend this ▼
The Ryzen 7 7730U with 40GB DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD delivers uncommon multitasking headroom for a business laptop, paired with a matte 16-inch 1920x1200 IPS display. Its extensive port selection—including Thunderbolt, Ethernet, and dual USB-A—and 1.81kg weight suit desk-bound workflows, though the 52Wh battery limits all-day portability. This is ideal for enterprise users and developers who need hefty memory, a large screen, and wired connectivity in a no-nonsense chassis.
HP OmniBook X Flip 16" 16-ar0013dx Meteor Silver 2025