Top 5 Budget Gaming Laptops in 2025

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Which laptops are the best budget gaming laptops?

There’s a surprising amount of budget gaming laptops on the market and with so many different laptop variations, it can be tricky to know which deal is best for you. I’ve looked over a ton of very reasonably priced gaming laptops with entry to mid-level performance. Let’s jump straight into our list:

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Acer Nitro 5 – Best laptop for gaming, performance and price

The Acer Nitro V is one of the best budget gaming laptops you can get in 2025 and it’s one of my favorites on this list. It really does tick most boxes apart from one main issue, the RAM, which I talk more about in next paragraph. But let’s look at the positives first. It comes with the RTX 4050 GPU with DLSS 3 support, which means it uses NVIDIAs AI Boosting tech to aid performance. It has a fast Intel i5-13420H processor, and a really decent 144Hz IPS display. And when you combine all of which it makes an excellent gaming laptop at 1080p, especially in fast-paced and AAA titles.

But one of the biggest drawbacks is the 8GB of RAM, which isn’t that much and limits its performance in more demanding games or creative tasks, so upgrading to 16GB is a must really, if your aim is to play AAA games. It’s also not the lightest or most premium-looking laptop, but for raw gaming power at this price point, it’s an amazing choice and is really hard to beat.

On this particular model you get 512GB SSD storage, Windows 11 home and it weighs 4.66 pounds. So it’s far from the lightest and its screen measures at 15.6inch, which I think it’s a good size for gaming and editing work. Anything bigger and portability can become an issue, especially when finding a laptop carry bag that fits and doesn’t take up too much space. The port range is excellent as well, including a HDMI, Ethernet, 2 USB-As, but only 1 USB-C.

Now, if you want this laptop in a higher spec and don’t mind paying a little more. You can get the Acer Nitro V paired with the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS Octa-Core AI Capable Processor, 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, an excellent 165Htz refresh rate and 1TB of SSD stroage. This model is more than capable of handling the more demanding games and it really is a stunning laptop but it’s heavier and less portable. This model varient is 5.51 pounds and has a 16 inch screen. The price is boardering onto mid-range though, and there are some other options available at that price range that you might want to consider instead.

Overall: So if you’re focused on getting a solid gaming laptop for a great price, and you don’t mind upgrading the RAM to play more demanding games, the Acer Nitro 5 is a really good option. Plus, it’s one best budget gaming laptops on this list, thanks to that 4050 GPU.

Lenovo LOQ Gaming Laptop – Best laptop for gaming and quality build

If you’re familiar with the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3, the LOQ is very similar but newer and comes with a have a better build. It’s Lenovo’s entry level gaming laptop and it’s not bad for the price!

This is the Lenovo LOQ 2024 model which for a similar price, comes with either the Ryzen 5 7235HS or the Intel i5-13420H. I’d recommend going for the Intel i5-13 in this case because the Ryzen 5 7235HS is a lower-tier CPU based on older Zen 3 architecture and may slow down performance in CPU-heavy games compared to newer chips like the Ryzen 5 7640HS or Intel i5-13420H just mentioned.

However, at a similar price range they both come with the RTX 3050. While the 3050 GPU is the base form of the 3000 series, it’s still good for entry level gaming. The graphics aren’t as good as the 4050 mentioned in the Acer Nitro V but this one is paired with 16GB of RAM so you’ll have more options for compatible games straight out the box.

You won’t be playing flight sim 2024 or Forza in ultra high settings at fast frame rates, but if you don’t mind lowering the setings then you’ll still have lots of choices for games like esports and many AAA games at low to medium settings in 1080p.

This Varient has 1TB SSD so loads of storage and windows 11 which is a must now. The battery life is also not bad for a gaming laptop where you can get around 4-6 hours on light use. It has an excellent port range including ethernet and hdmi which are positioned on the back. But again, like the Acer Nitro V, it’s even heavier in it’s base form at over 5 pounds and at 15.6 inches it’s not the most portable.

Overall: For the price, we think this is one of the best budget gaming laptops because you’re getting an awesome entry level gaming machine with a high refresh rate screen, decent GPU, and lots of memory and storage. Obviously don’t expect cutting-edge performance and power efficiency in newer AAA titles because the RTX 3050 is now an older GPU, and at this point, it lacks the advanced features like DLSS 3 and Frame Generation found in RTX 40-series cards.

Asus TUF gaming A15 – Best laptop for gaming, budget and durability.

This next option is a base model of the ASUS TUF Gaming A15. Yes, this laptop comes in many different varients but they can get pricy and some push more onto mid range. But the one I’m mentioning here really is a well-built budget gaming laptop with some respectable components. It’s packing the Ryzen 5 7535HS and that’s a solid 6-core, 12-thread CPU based on AMD’s Zen 3+ architecture.

It’s efficient, cool, and capable enough for both gaming and productivity tasks. The RTX 2050 GPU, however, is where the limitations start to show: it’s essentially a rebadged low-wattage version of the GTX 1650 with modern features like DLSS, but performance is closer to entry-level, making it suitable mainly for esports titles and older or less demanding games on low to medium settings.

On the flip side, the 144Hz FHD display is a fantastic addition at this price point, just keep in mind the GPU may not take full advantage of it in newer games. It has 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, so depending on what games you want to play, you might want to upgrade the RAM especially. ASUS TUF laptops are known for durability, thermals, and expandability, so it’s a good choice for someone on a tight budget who’s okay with playing games at reduced settings and planning a RAM upgrade. Just don’t expect RTX 3050 or 4050-level performance.

That being said, this is the cheapest pick on the list. The Lenovo LOQ and Nitro V are still considered some of the best budget gaming laptops but they do cost a little more, and the ASUS TUF laptop has an upgraded varient matching their price point which includes the same CPU as the varient mentioned above but with the better 3050 GPU.

The build is where it’s at with this laptop, it features multible heat pipes for faster heat redistribution, carefully shaped self cleaning fans and a very durable housing for a laptop. It also features a good port range like most of these laptops on the list with HDMI and Ethernet ports. But for portability, this one is going to be heavy. Heaviest on the list in fact, at almost 8 pounds.

Overall: This is a strong, upgradable and very budget friendly gaming laptop that is known for it’s durability. But consider upgrading components if you want to play in higher settings.

Acer Aspire 5 14 Slim Laptop – Best laptop for light gaming, design work and portability

As I keep going on about how impracticle these gaming laptops can be, I took it on myself to find something that’s smaller, lightweight and still on a budget. But as expected, there aren’t many budget gaming laptops out there that focus on portability at this price. The Acer Swift Go and Swift X at 14 inches did come to mind when combined with their 3050 or 4050 GPUs but they are just a little out of budget.

Instead, this lightweight 14 inch Acer Aspire 5 slim laptop comes with some decent hardware for it’s price point and it ticks many boxes for portability. It’s packing the intel core i5-1335u processor paired with the RTX 2050, so yeah not amazing but it’s only a small machine and with that power output, it’s about all it needs to handle light gaming in low settings. It really is a special hybrid of being an ultraportable laptop alongside a gaming PC.

It weighs just 3.75 pounds and is just .7 of an inch in thickness, and with that it has a decent port range for its size. Including a hdmi, usbc and 2 usba ports. The Intel Core i5-1335U on this laptop is a 13th-gen efficiency-focused chip, solid for everyday tasks and light gaming, though it may slightly bottleneck the GPU in CPU-heavy titles, the 16GB of RAM is also a pleasant inclusion in this model. But if gaming is your main priority, a bulkier model on this list with an RTX 3050 or 4050 will give you better long-term performance plus better thermal management.

Overall: This Acer Aspire 5 at 14 inches fantastic portable laptop that is excellent for work and portability, and it can handle light gaming too. Great for the budget!

HP Victus – Best laptop for gaming and price

The HP Victus might be the best overall value for money budget gaming laptop on this list. It’s one of the cheapest on this list and it’s got an i5-12450H and RTX 3050 graphics. The Intel Core i5-12450H is a 12th-gen chip with 8 cores (4 performance + 4 efficiency), giving it solid multitasking capabilities and enough power to handle modern games without bottlenecking the GPU.

Paired with the RTX 3050, it delivers reliable 1080p gaming at medium to high settings in most titles and can push higher frame rates in esports games like Valorant, Fortnite, and Apex Legends. Yes, it’s the base varient of the 3000 series and it’s not as good as the Acer Nitro V with 4050 but considering that this laptop includes 16GB of Ram and 1TB SSD, it’s an amazing deal.

This one also features a 144Hz display which means smoother visuals and is a big plus for competitive gaming. But as mentioned, the RTX 3050 is now two generations old, and lacks support for DLSS 3 or frame generation, making it less future-proof than RTX 40-series options. The Victus design leans more toward a clean, minimal look rather than a flashy gaming aesthetic, and thermals are not as good as the ASUS TUF or Acer Nitro.

Overall: This is a balanced, dependable gaming laptop that’s ideal for gamers who want good performance without going over budget — especially if you’re not chasing max settings in the newest AAA titles.

Thanks for reading, I hope this review of the best budget gaming laptops helped you find the right one! If you’re on the lookout for a new laptop, make sure try our Laptop Finder Quiz. Otherwise, check out our similar tech reviews on the links below.