This article ranks every gaming laptop I personally reviewed in January 2026, focusing on real performance, power limits, build quality, displays, pricing, and overall value. This is not a list of every gaming laptop released—only the popular, widely available models I tested hands-on.
Bottom Tier: Premium Looks, Disappointing Reality
Razer Blade 14
On the surface, the Blade 14 looks nearly perfect: an all-aluminum chassis, ultra-thin design, and a stunning display. Unfortunately, daily usage exposes serious flaws. Extremely tight power limits and firmware issues make it painfully slow on battery, while the CPU results in underwhelming performance. Combined with its high price, it simply is not competitive in the 14-inch segment anymore.
The Razer Blade 14 (2025) features an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor paired with an NVIDIA RTX 5070/5060 GPU, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, and a 1TB/2TB NVMe SSD, a 14-inch OLED display with a sharp 2880×1800 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 400 nits brightness
Razer Blade 16
The Blade 16 isn’t much better. It has the same core problems as the 14: performance swings all over the place. Sometimes it acts like an RTX 5080 powerhouse, other times it’s stuck in the slow lane with the 4070 crowd. The RTX 5090 model is supposed to fix some of this, but with prices already sky-high, it’s tough to recommend. Razer really dropped the ball this year.
Top Tier: Gaming Laptops Done Right
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
This thing is a game-changer. The Zephyrus G14 delivers top–tier performance in a 14-inch frame, up to RTX 5080, and it still stays thin and light. The display is stunning, with an anti-reflective coating that actually works, and the speakers are the best you’ll find on any Windows laptop.
The laptop features an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (24 threads) with up to 50 TOPS AI performance, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, a 14-inch 3K OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and G-SYNC, 32GB LPDDR5X RAM (8000MHz), a 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and runs Windows 11 Copilot+ in a premium CNC aluminum chassis.
Most laptops cut corners somewhere, but not this one. It easily takes the crown.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
Take everything great about the G14 and scale it up. The G16 brings extra cooling, higher power limits, and keeps the same fantastic screen, but with twice the refresh rate. Even though it’s bigger, it’s still one of the lightest gaming laptops out there.
It stands right alongside the G14 at the top. Excellent All-Rounders, With a Few Quirks.
Excellent All-Rounders with Minor Trade-Offs
Lenovo Legion Pro 5
A solid all–around gaming laptop: sturdy build, high power limits, that classic Lenovo keyboard, and plenty of performance. The only real gripe is the shiny, reflective screen that can get annoying in bright light.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IAX10 features an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX (20C/20T, up to 5.2GHz), NVIDIA RTX 5070 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR7), a 16″ WQXGA OLED 165Hz display, and runs Windows 11 Home with Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 4 support.
ASUS ROG Strix G16
This model earns its high ranking for one reason: it houses the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, the fastest laptop CPU available. In CPU-heavy games, its performance gap over competitors is massive. Combined with a reasonable price.
This gaming laptop features an AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU, 32GB DDR5-5600 RAM, and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD, paired with a 240Hz ROG Nebula display. It runs Windows 11 Home and includes advanced ROG cooling with liquid metal, a MUX switch with Advanced Optimus, and DLSS 4 support for high-end gaming performance.
This makes it one of the most powerful gaming laptops of 2025.
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 16 / 18
These are enhanced Strix models with Mini-LED displays and extensive RGB lighting. The display quality is outstanding, but pricing is extremely high, and the lack of AMD’s top CPU options limits their appeal.
This high-end gaming laptop runs Windows 11 Pro and is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU, backed by 32GB DDR5-5600 RAM and a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. It features a 240Hz ROG Nebula HDR Mini LED display with 100% DCI-P3, advanced vapor-chamber liquid-metal cooling, and a MUX switch with Advanced Optimus for maximum gaming performance.
Near-Perfect but Just Misses the Throne
HP Omen Max 16
An exceptional all-around machine. It features a gorgeous OLED display, excellent performance, solid build quality, good speakers, and deep performance customization. The only real drawback is mediocre software.
The HP Omen 16 packs an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, RTX 5080 (16GB GDDR7), 32GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB + 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, and a 16″ WQXGA 240Hz display, running Windows 11 Pro with Wi-Fi 6E support.
It ranks just below the Zephyrus models.
Alienware Aurora 16X
Built like a tank, this laptop delivers impressive performance—its RTX 5070 performs nearly as well as a 5070 Ti due to aggressive tuning. However, its size, weight, massive charger, and lack of higher GPU options hold it back.
The laptop features an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSD, RTX 5070 (8GB GDDR7), and a 16″ WQXGA 240Hz G-SYNC display, running Windows 11 Home with Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 4 support.
Missed Potential Due to Power Limits.
Best Budget Gaming Laptops of 2026
ASUS TUF A16
The ideal budget gaming laptop. While it cannot be configured with top-tier GPUs, its RTX 5060/5070 variants offer excellent performance for the price. Lightweight, well-built, and reliable, it punches well above its cost.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 packs an AMD Ryzen 9 270, RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, and a 16″ FHD+ 165Hz G-SYNC display, running Windows 11 with Wi-Fi 6E and Advanced Optimus support.
Lenovo Legion 5i
A fan favorite for good reason. Strong performance for its class, decent speakers, an excellent keyboard, and aggressive pricing make it one of the best value options in the gaming laptop market.
The Lenovo Legion 5i features an Intel Core i7-13650HX, RTX 5050 GPU, and a 15″ 2K WQXGA IPS display, with AI Engine+ performance tuning, Coldfront cooling, and USB-C fast charging for gaming and student use.
Creative-Focused and Niche Devices
ASUS ProArt P16
At its best, the ProArt P16 comes with the best laptop display you’ll find, thanks to its tandem OLED panel. But the cheaper models are just overpriced Zephyrus G16 clones with almost nothing extra to offer. In the end, it sits a notch below its gaming sibling.
This system is powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (12 cores / 24 threads, up to 5.1GHz) paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (8GB GDDR7), featuring 64GB LPDDR5X RAM, 8TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD storage, and a 16-inch 4K OLED touchscreen. It runs Windows 11 Pro and includes enhanced liquid-metal thermal upgrades for sustained high performance.
MSI Stealth A16
This one’s tricky. It runs cool, feels fast, and the keyboard’s great. But then you hit that ultra-glossy screen and the charging port, who thought that was a good idea? It’s almost perfect, but some strange design choices hold it back.
The MSI Stealth A16 AI+ features an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, and a 16-inch QHD+ OLED 240Hz display, paired with Windows 11 Pro, Wi-Fi 7, Thunderbolt 4–compatible USB4, HDMI 2.1, and 2.5GbE LAN in a slim, lightweight design for high-end gaming and creative workloads.
ASUS V16
There’s no nice way to say this: the V16 misses the mark everywhere. It feels cheap, the keyboard and trackpad disappoint, the display’s bad, and performance is kneecapped by power limits. All that, and it’s overpriced. It lands dead last.
This laptop features an Intel Core 7 240H processor (10 cores / 16 threads) paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (8GB GDDR7), 32GB RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. It includes a 16-inch WUXGA (1920×1200) 144Hz display, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and a 63Wh battery rated up to 15 hours, complemented by a backlit keyboard with numeric keypad for gaming and productivity.
The Most Unique Device of 2025
ASUS ROG Flow Z13
The Flow Z13 is basically a tablet on steroids. It’s the fastest tablet ever, with an integrated GPU that keeps up with RTX 4060 laptops. Shared memory means it handles VRAM-heavy tasks easily. Sure, it’s a niche form factor, but with this performance and price, it deserves a high spot.
After testing several gaming laptops in January 2026, this tier list ranks the best and worst models based on real-world performance, thermals, and value.
Final Verdict
The Zephyrus G14 and G16 still rule the gaming laptop world in 2025, no question. They lead on power, portability, and polish. But plenty of other laptops came close this year, and with a few tweaks, some might steal the crown in 2026.
More competition only helps, and if this year’s anything to go by, gaming laptops have a bright future ahead.