Best Gaming Laptops of 2024: Top Picks for Every Gamer and Budget!

Gaming laptops are where the technology evolves at breakneck speed, and it’s where it’s always on the front line, trying to push every bit of performance and design it can. 2024 has seen new and improved models with beautiful visuals, unmatched speed, and an array of features designed to drive the very best out of your gaming system. We take a closer look at the top gaming laptops of 2024 that are rewriting the rulebook in portable gaming.

If ever there was a time to spend the cash, it’s now that we’re cherry-picking Black Friday deals on all the latest gaming laptop models. We’ve also done years of research, reading in depth about more than 1,800 laptops, and with more than 15 years of expertise, we’re dedicated to finding the best gaming laptops of 2024.

Our recommendations focus on what matters most to gamers: value, performance, and key features. Each laptop is rigorously tested to ensure it will deliver. Whether you require an extremely portable 14-inch model or a powerful 18-inch powerhouse equipped with the newest processors and GPUs, you will find that this year’s best gaming laptops have all of that and more.

As high-end performance goes, the Razer Blade 14 stands out with powerful and clean design. On the other hand, budget-conscious gamers will be surprised at how good the models like the MSI Katana 15 will prove to be. To assist you in choosing the perfect gaming laptop for you, we have picked out top picks from renowned brands like MSI, Gigabyte, and Razer.

The best gaming laptops in 2024

1. Razer Blade 14 (2024)

Coming back for 2024, the Razer Blade 14 finally gets a new CPU but maintains the same classic style that’s loved by gamers. This is easily one of the best-built gaming laptops on the market, and yet the aluminum is one of the thinnest you’ll find on a gaming laptop, and you get to use the CNC block as it is, which makes it arguably the best fitted to transport.

The latest hardware refresh of this year’s Blade 14, while it doesn’t keep pace completely with its predecessor, wins by some distance over it and is ahead of every other 14-inch gaming laptop we’ve tested this year. What’s surprising is that considering Razer’s pedigree, I’m fairly certain Razer’s lead there will remain unchallenged for many months to come.

When it comes to actual performance, the RTX 4070 in the laptop I tested was able to run Assassin’s Creed Mirage at an average of 73 FPS at its highest settings on the Blade 14’s native 2560x1600p resolution. Cyberpunk 2077 wasn’t able to run past 30 FPS at native resolution, which stumbled a bit, but this is way more than competitors and DLSS 3 will be able to give you a framerate at native render.

The biggest disappointment here is the battery life, but that’s to be expected considering this is a gaming laptop. With light use, the Blade 14 (2023) only lasts around eight hours, but the Blade 14 (2024) only lasts around six and a half hours. Of course, as with all gaming laptops, battery life isn’t the laptop’s strong point, but its excellent performance makes it pretty easy to recommend if you’re interested. Cyberpunk 2077 averaged 23 FPS at native resolution, but that’s still higher than its rivals, and DLSS 3 will let you stream gameplay at native resolution.

2. Gigabyte Aorus 16X

If you need power over portability, the Aorus 16X is a high-performance midrange gaming laptop. Measuring in at just over 5 lbs (2.3 kg), chunky, yet still easy to carry in a bag.

The Aorus 16X offers up to an Intel Core i9-14900HX (5.8GHz, 24-core) CPU and the newest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GPU. It has a 16in display with 2560×1600 (165Hz refresh) at 100% sRGB covering a slim bezel and meager ports.

In addition, it has up to 32 GB DDR5 RAM, dual M.2 PCIe Gen 4×4 NVME SSDs (2x 1 TB), and a 99 Wh battery that charged to 50% in 30 minutes while in use. It includes Intel Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and more.

In games, performance is especially good; it gets north of 50 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 (and God of War: Ragnarok) on ultra settings at QHD resolution. But gaming at such high framerates certainly becomes hot and noisy.

Though the laptop performs well for productivity, USB-C charging is especially fraught, and you’ll need to rely on the included power charger for any intensive work. Day to day, this laptop got just over 8 hours on the battery, and impressively so, but if you start playing, your battery life will quickly drop thereafter.

3. MSI Katana 15 (2023)

Intensely aiming for affordability, the MSI Katana 15 (2023) hits 1080p gaming, especially within a budget from $1,000 and up for a gaming device. It looks similar to the gaming laptops of pre-pandemic times but is aimed at essential gaming performance. Some style and battery compromises, though, make it a top choice for budget gamers. It starts at $999 and comes with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, and a 1TB SSD, outpacing similarly priced laptops using older specs.

Cheaper but less powerful alternatives include the Acer Nitro 5, which sports slightly out-of-date components. Even pricier versions exist for the MSI Katana 15, with the highest model at $1,899 equipped with an Intel Core i9, 32GB of RAM, and an Nvidia RTX 4070 that still falls short of a 4K display. The region and their processor generation and price points vary.

The Katana 15 may be big, and its design definitely dated, but at least it emphasizes gaming performance. Thermal design is good enough to keep the CPU and GPU cool at the same time. It impresses performance-wise as it handles demanding games such as Control and Far Cry 6 without any serious hitches, just small changes in tuning notes needed for games like Cyberpunk 2077. While not an infallible performer by any means, the Katana 15 embodies just how power and affordability can play nicely together.

4. Origin EON 16SL

There aren’t many custom-built gaming laptops on the market, but the base EON 16SL is the best of the bunch, offering a great combination of performance, design, and value that’s essential in a crowded business where the competition is better than anything else in its class. The ability to customize the front panel to your liking is a beauty that sets it apart from other gaming laptops.

Overall, the laptop performs well, scoring better than 90 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p high settings and happily reaching 90 fps at 60 fps with Ray Tracing Overdrive. The 16-inch display is QHD+ with a 240Hz refresh rate, ensuring games run smoothly and without interruption.

The Origin EON 16SL is a great gaming laptop, but it has two issues. The first is the actual webcam’s hub, which provides good lighting for quality images; the ventilation is solid for normal gaming sessions but not perfect, and it overheats rapidly on the underside of the device during lengthy and vigorous gaming sessions.

5. Acer Nitro 16

The Acer Nitro 16 is one of the best gaming laptops around for a midrange machine, but just enough to not be in the upper end of the category and offer an amazing mix of specs, a speedy display, and a good price if you can.

If you’re looking for a step up, the Nitro 16 will get you excellent 1080p gaming performance, particularly given its speedy 165Hz display, which is perfect for esports and other competitive titles. I mean that there just aren’t a lot of gaming laptops you can say do that for under $1,500/£1,500/AU$2,100.

But of course, there are trade-offs, and if the Nitro 16 needed more to differentiate it from the gaming laptop herd, it desperately needed more innovation, rather than just following the current course of gaming laptops. They also don’t have a great webcam, and the machine is very bulky in that it could’ve been a replacement for your desktop if they hadn’t had the grossly inferior specs. But if you’re just strolling further past the ‘budget’ look ahead for your following computer game laptop, well, that is a superb choice.

6. MSI Titan 18 HX

The MSI Titan 18 HX is the absolute monster gaming laptop of this size, easily besting any and all competition with specs on specs and a gorgeous 4K+ mini LED display—it’s easily the best 18-inch gaming laptop I’ve ever tested.

The nearly $5,000/£5,000/AU$7,000 price tag for the MSI Titan 18 HX means that it’s easily the most expensive gaming laptop I’ve come across this year. Is it worth it? And it’s entirely your call, but if you’re looking for gaming performance that can be better than a lot of the best gaming PCs out there today, you won’t find much better than this.

The Titan 18 HX in my testing was easy to hit 60 FPS at 4K in several of the best PC games, like Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and at 4K you can even get near or above 60 FPS on games like Cyberpunk 2077 and F1 2023 with DLSS 3 and ray tracing max’d out.

However, that battery life is terrible, and it’s understandable, but that shouldn’t be a problem unless you’re going into another room of your house with this beast.

However, if you’re seeking the very best desktop replacement out there, there’s really no competition.

Conclusion: The Ultimate Gaming Laptops of 2024

This can be proven by the gaming laptop market in 2024, which is a showcase of how much technology has evolved, capable of providing a good variety of devices that suit every kind of gamer. Whether you want portability, raw power, or affordability, you have a lot of options.

The sleek and powerful Razer Blade 14, the budget-friendly but powerful MSI Katana 15, and all the way up to the robust trio of components in the ASUS ROG Strix Hero 500, you are sure to find the perfect gaming companion you can enjoy until the end of time. And it’s boasting MSI Titan 18 HX, a stand that offers the ultimate performance in gaming.

Ultimately, your choice comes down to your priorities (frame rates, screen quality, portability, or budget). All that is for sure, however, 2024’s gaming laptop makers have rewritten the rules of what portable gaming can be. This is undoubtedly the right time to buy one of these technological wonders and advance your gaming experience to the next level.

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