Here at Pocket-lint, we strive to test all the best gaming laptops as they are released throughout the year, whether they’re chunky desktop replacements or slim and portable options. Now, as the year draws to a close, we’re celebrating the very best gaming machines of 2023.
There were plenty of exceptional gaming notebooks released this year, which meant that the comeptition was fierce. However, there can only be one winner, and this is the gaming laptop that impressed us the most in 2023.
Gaming Laptop of the Year: Asus ROG Strix Scar 17
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023)
With a combination of AMD’s powerful Ryzen 9 7945HX and Nvidia’s beastly RTX 4090 inside, there’s no game that the Strix Scar 17 can’t handle.
TheAsus ROG Strix Scar 17is an absolute powerhouse of a machine, and it was the top performer that we tested in 2023. It sports an AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, in the configuration that we tested, and that meant it could chomp through the most graphically intensive games with relative ease - even when outputting to a 4K TV over HDMI.
It’s a sizable machine, but that means you get a spacious 240Hz WQHD panel to enjoy your games on, and plenty of cooling to keep it running at its best. The laptop is solid on all fronts, with a robust build quality, a fantastic keyboard, and plenty of attractive RGB touches.
We were impressed by the balance of specifications, the display matches the hardware perfectly and the memory is suitably configured, too. It’s a brilliant machine for anyone seeking the utmost performance from their laptop.
Highly commended: Razer Blade 14
TheRazer Blade 14was another close contender for the top spot, and it tips the scales in the other direction. It’s one of the slimmest high-end gaming laptops that we’ve ever tested, measuring in at just 18mm thick and weighing a mere 1.8kg.
Rather than aiming for desktop-class performance in a bulky chassis, the Razer Blade 14 is a laptop that you might actually want to take with you. However, despite its slender build, it provides an excellent gaming experience with its RTX 4060 GPU and 240Hz 2560x1600 IPS display.
The best of the rest
Acer Predator Helios 16
TheAcer Predator Helios 16is a well-priced gaming laptop with a luscious 240Hz WQXGA Mini-LED display. We tested the most affordable variant, with an RTX 4060 on board, but it’s also available with up to an RTX 4080 if you want to crank up those graphics settings.
It should handle these beefier GPUs with ease, as we found the cooling to be very impressive on this model. The areas you touch always stay comfortably cool while all the heat dissipates behind the display.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
While many gaming laptops perform well, they’re also mostly chunky and heavy machines that you won’t want to carry around all the time. However, theAsus ROG Zephyrus G14brings that power to a more portable chassis.
It weighs in at just 1.8kg, is under 2cm thick and still packs an RTX 4090 and a Ryzen 9 7940HS. This laptop impressed on all fronts; it has a rock-solid build, a lovely 165Hz Mini LED display and a full-bodied speaker setup.
Lenovo LOQ 15
TheLenovo LOQ 15stands out as an affordable model that makes the right sacrifices to keep costs down and performance and quality high. It feels like a more expensive machine, and a plays like one, too.
Our test unit was configured with an RTX 4060 and an Intel Core i7 13620H, and it packed a punch, able to play the latest AAA titles with ease. Elsewhere, the keyboard was great, the 165Hz 1440p IPS display impressed, and the cooling worked well if a little on the noisy side.
HP Victus 16
TheHP Victus 16is positioned as HP’s mainstream gaming offering, frequently available for under $1000 but still packing plenty of power to play all of the latest games. The tested model came with an RTX 4050 and a Ryzen 5 7640HS processor.
The Victus 16 is not only impressed with its gaming performance, delivering 139fps in Rise of the Tomb Raider at max settings in 1080p but also with its battery life, providing almost 8 hours of use in non-gaming workloads.
How the EE Pocket-lint Awards judging works
The winner for the Best Gaming Laptop category was decided by the Pocket-lint team, along with a panel of expert judges from publications across the industry. Following a rigorous scoring process, the Best Gaming Laptop winner for 2023 was announced at an in-person event on 04 August 2025, along with the winners from the other 20 categories.
A Product of the Year winner was also announced, chosen from the winners of the 21 categories.
