Top 5 Best Gaming Laptops of 2026
It's been a tough year for gaming laptops, with constantly increasing RAM & SSD prices and no indication we'll see new laptop graphics any time soon. Despite this, there are still some great gaming laptops released that are worth considering.
These are our top 5 best gaming laptops available in 2026 that we've tested.
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 - Portability and premium build
- MSI Stealth 16 - Thinner 16" design with upgradeable RAM
- Lenovo Legion Pro 7i - High performance 16" gaming
- ASUS Scar 18 - Desktop replacement with Mini-LED screen
- Lenovo Legion 5i - Mid-range all-rounder
Note: Prices below show the cheapest available configuration in your selected region, which may differ from the configuration we reviewed.
1. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
The Zephyrus G14 had some excellent improvements this year.
The 2026 model significantly improves battery life, lasting for over 15 hours in our YouTube video playback test - 45% longer compared to the 2025 model. The OLED screen gets brighter, and performance in games competes with bigger 16 inch laptops. Like older versions, the G14 remains super portable, it has the best sounding speakers in any gaming laptop (you can hear a sample in our review at 5:47), and the all metal premium build feels solid.
Personally, I use the larger Zephyrus G16, which is quite similar but with a bigger 16" screen, and while I think it's a great laptop, it didn't see as big of an improvement this year as the G14.
The main downside of this smaller, thinner laptop is that it has soldered RAM that can't be upgraded, which can be hard to take given the higher price. If you want most of the benefits but want to spend a little less, consider checking out the 2025 model instead.
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CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 386H GPU: NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti - 12GB · 130W RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X-8533 Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Screen: 14" 2880 x 1800 120Hz OLED |
| Where it stands out | Where it falls short |
|---|---|
✔️Incredible battery life ✔️Above average OLED screen brightness ✔️Premium build quality ✔️Great performance for a 14" ✔️Good thermals, runs cooler than last gen ✔️Amazing speakers | ❌Soldered RAM can't be upgraded ❌Single zone of RGB keyboard lighting ❌Bigger 250W charger for a 14" laptop ❌Some issues staying asleep |
Want more details? See our full review:
2. MSI Stealth 16
It's been a while since an MSI laptop has made it into our top 5, but the MSI Stealth 16's complete redesign won us over.
The Stealth 16 has tough competition in the premium thinner and lighter 16" category, such as the ASUS Zephyrus G16 and Razer Blade 16, but there are a few areas where the Stealth stands out.
Unlike its competitors, the Stealth 16's slightly bigger size allows it to have upgradeable RAM and an Ethernet port. Along with good performance, great battery life and nice sounding speakers, it's a great alternative to the Zephyrus and Blade as the Stealth is considerably cheaper. When we reviewed the RTX 5080 config, we found the Stealth could be up to $800 USD less than the Zephyrus when on sale.
There isn't a lot to dislike here, but the Stealth is missing an SD card slot for creators, and the screen has a bit more screen wobble than I'd like if you bump it.
Overall, the Stealth 16 is an excellent thinner gaming laptop without the price tag of a Zephyrus or Blade.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 386H GPU: NVIDIA RTX 5060 - 8GB · 115W RAM: 32GB DDR5-5600 Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Screen: 16" 2560 x 1600 240Hz OLED $2,699.99 at Best Buy |
| Where it stands out | Where it falls short |
|---|---|
✔️RAM can be upgraded, unlike other thinner models ✔️Similar gaming performance as more expensive ASUS Zephyrus series ✔️Great battery life ✔️2.5G Ethernet in a thinner chassis ✔️Good speakers ✔️Lots of BIOS customization for tuning | ❌No Advanced Optimus or G-Sync ❌More screen wobble than I'd like ❌Some issues with palm rejection on large touchpad ❌No SD card slot or Thunderbolt 5 |
Want more details? See our full review:
3. Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
The Legion Pro 7i is the best performing 16" laptop we've tested. The RTX 5090 configuration we reviewed came close to topping all of our tests from gaming to creator workloads and has a brighter OLED display than many other gaming laptops.
The Legion Pro 7i is an excellent choice for gaming, though it is a little on the heavier side and the battery life was about middle of the pack. Although the Legion may not be a great option if portability is your top priority, it's perfect for those seeking top-end performance.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus GPU: NVIDIA RTX 5080 - 16GB · 175W RAM: 32GB DDR5-6400 Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Screen: 16" 2560 x 1600 240Hz OLED |
| Where it stands out | Where it falls short |
|---|---|
✔️Excellent high-end gaming performance ✔️Bright, fast OLED screen looks great ✔️Full powered GPU options ✔️Good upgrade options ✔️Lots of BIOS tuning available | ❌Less portable with bigger 400W charger ❌Performance on Type-C charge is bad ❌No IR camera for face unlock |
Want more details? See our full review:
4. ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 or 16
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 dominated our performance testing while maintaining extremely impressive thermals.
While we tested the bigger 18" version with maxed out RTX 5090 graphics, the smaller 16" model offers the same key features if you're after a bit more portability.
Keyboard temperatures were some of the coolest we've ever measured, even when under heavy load without the fans running ridiculously loud compared to other laptops. It's also one of the few laptops with toolless upgradeability, making it super easy to swap the RAM or SSDs. To top it all off, ASUS's Scar series has one of the best Mini-LED screens available in a laptop.
The Scar is a beast for sure, but it's also quite thick and heavy compared to most other laptops we've tested in the last few years. It also has the worst battery life score we've seen in a while, which is fairly typical from these bigger, powerful laptops - but if you're buying this, portability probably isn't your priority.
If you’re after high levels of performance while the laptop feels cool, ASUS’s Scar series is worth considering. Based on our testing, these laptops have fewer compromises compared to most others, and as a result that comes with a higher price tag.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus GPU: NVIDIA RTX 5080 - 16GB · 175W RAM: 32GB DDR5-6400 Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Screen: 18" 3840 x 2400 240Hz Mini-LED $4,299.99 at Best Buy |
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX GPU: NVIDIA RTX 5090 - 24GB · 175W RAM: 32GB DDR5-5600 Storage: 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Screen: 16" 2560 x 1600 240Hz Mini-LED |
Check prices & availability for all configurations of all Scar 18 we track, or for the smaller Scar 16.
| Where it stands out | Where it falls short |
|---|---|
✔️Toolless upgradability ✔️Excellent gaming performance ✔️Impressive CPU performance ✔️Very bright Mini-LED screen ✔️Keyboard stays extremely cool under load | ❌Small halo effect with Mini-LED panel, but can be avoided in "one zone" mode ❌Port layout not good for left handed mouse users ❌Poor battery life ❌Other 18" models have more RAM/SSD upgrade options |
Want more details? See our full review:
5. Lenovo Legion 5i
The Legion 5 has been a solid mid-range gaming laptop for years now - this isn't the first time it's appeared in our top 5 list.
The Legion offers decent build quality, a clean, sleek design, Intel or AMD processor options. The OLED screen looks great, and the keyboard and touchpad feel nice to use.
Graphics have been upgraded to the RTX 5070 12GB this year. When we compared the RTX 5070 8GB against the 12GB version, we found the newer 12GB version to perform better in a number of games. This is likely to continue in future, as modern games start requiring more resources.
There are some minor downsides such as the pretty average sounding speakers, and we found it could feel quite warm when under load. However, we reviewed the highest spec version with Intel HX processor, so this may not be the case with an Intel Panther Lake or AMD processor, both of which should also offer much better battery life too (based on our testing from other laptops with these processors).
Overall, the Legion 5 is a solid mid-range laptop.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 251HX GPU: NVIDIA RTX 5070 - 12GB · 115W RAM: 16GB DDR5-5600 Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Screen: 15.3" 2560 x 1600 165Hz OLED |
| Where it stands out | Where it falls short |
|---|---|
✔️Great gaming performance ✔️OLED screen looks good ✔️Solid all-round laptop ✔️RTX 5070 option has 12GB VRAM, not 8GB | ❌Smaller M.2 drive (Intel HX CPU) ❌Battery drains a lot while asleep (Intel HX CPU) ❌Slow file copy over Wi-Fi ❌Keyboard can get warm under load (Intel HX CPU) |
Want more details? See our full review:
Which gaming laptop should you buy?
Unfortunately, no gaming laptop is perfect, it's all about finding the laptop with the least amount of compromises for you and how you'll use it.
If you're still unsure which gaming laptop best fits your needs, our Laptop Finder recommends gaming laptops based on our real review data after just three simple questions.
If you'd prefer to see these laptops in action, you can watch my top 5 best gaming laptops of 2026 video here: