The 3 Best Budget And Cheap Gaming Laptops of 2025

The MSI Katana A15 AI (2024) is the best budget gaming laptop we've tested. This 15-inch model is a great option if you just want something affordable that can handle AAA games but don't care too much about other aspects like build quality. It's available with an AMD Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9 CPU and various NVIDIA GPUs, from an RTX 4050 to 4070, so you can choose based on your budget. There are two display options: a 144Hz FHD and a 165Hz QHD panel. The latter will offer a superior visual experience, as its faster response time results in a cleaner image with less ghosting in fast-moving scenes. You'll have to pair it with the RTX 4070 GPU to get the most out of it, though, as the lower-end GPUs will struggle to push high frame rates at the QHD resolution.

As mentioned, there are a few compromises when it comes to the build quality and overall user experience, which is fairly typical for budget-friendly models. The laptop's plastic chassis flexes in certain areas, especially the display, and the hinges feel a bit loose. Additionally, this model generates significant heat under load, with the center of the keyboard reaching 49 °C (119 °F). While there's no Ethernet port, you do get Wi-Fi 6E; just make sure you have a router that also supports Wi-Fi 6E or 7 to benefit from the increased speeds and lower latency.

The best cheap gaming laptop we've tested is the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023). This 16-inch all-AMD system pushes high frame rates in demanding AAA games, giving you a smooth and immersive gaming experience. It's usually more expensive, but since it has been on the market for a little over a year now, prices have decreased considerably. The base configuration costs around $1,000 USD; you get a Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU, a Radeon RX 7600S GPU, a 165Hz FHD display, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Faster configurations are available if you're willing to pay more. Both the 165Hz FHD and the more costly 240Hz QHD panel support variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing.

This laptop feels sturdy and provides easy access to the internals for repairs and upgrades. There are two storage drive slots—upping storage capacity will probably be necessary since 512GB (or even 1TB) isn't a lot these days. You can also replace the wireless adapter, as the existing module only supports Wi-Fi 6. Ports include four USBs (two As and two Cs), a true HDMI 2.1, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and an Ethernet port. Thermal throttling isn't a problem, but the laptop gets hot and loud. Unfortunately, this is a rather bulky laptop, so it isn't the best for on-the-go use, and the battery lasts only a little over an hour when gaming.

The best gaming Chromebook we've tested is the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024). Unlike our picks above, this device runs Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system designed mainly for web browsing, light productivity, and media consumption. You can play mobile games from the Google Play Store, but those don't always run properly, as their titles are made for smartphones and tablets, with many lacking keyboard, mouse, or controller support. This is a cloud gaming device, meaning it relies on services like NVIDIA GeForce NOW, which does all the processing on its servers and streams the image to your device. The laptop comes with a three-month trial of GeForce NOW—you can continue to play for free after the trial period, but you'll have to pay if you want the best experience with higher frame rates and longer play sessions.

This laptop feels pretty sturdy for the price, and it's relatively portable for a 16-inch device. Its 120Hz QHD+ display's response time is a bit slow but still better than what you would get on most productivity laptops, so there isn't much ghosting in fast-moving scenes. You'll need a solid internet connection to get the best cloud gaming experience, and thankfully, this device has Wi-Fi 6E and an Ethernet port. As for battery life, you can get around five hours of runtime when playing a locally stored game, but you can likely get more when playing cloud games.