The 5 Best Laptops for Game Development Reviewed

Everybody knows that a laptop isn’t as powerful as a desktop setup, so finding a laptop that has enough juice for game development can be a struggle.

This is especially the case if you don’t even know what you’re looking for, so check out the attached buyers’ guide below if you’re interested in learning about the specs that make laptops powerful.

By knowing what to look for, you can find a great laptop even if you don’t like any of our recommendations.

If you’re not up to heavy reading, you should just check out the five laptops we’ve listed below.

The specs for each one should have both the processing power and the graphical fidelity to run popular game development software like Unreal Engine or Unity.

The power that you require will depend on the type of game you’re making, of course, with 3D games generally demanding more power to build than 2D games.

We’ve gone further than just the specs, too, reviewing every part of the laptop so you can be aware of what the overall experience with the laptop is like.

In a Hurry?

You don’t make a game by reading articles like this all day, so we understand if you know what you’re doing and just want to get our two cents.

Our favorite laptop for game development is the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581, which can safely be described as the best of both worlds.

It’s a workbook that’s fitted with some impressive graphical firepower, so it should work great for all elements of game design. See what we liked about it below:

The specs of this machine are impressive for what it is.

Buying this laptop will get you one of three powerful Intel Core processors along with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 that can tackle most video games currently available. You also get a whole terabyte of memory space and up to 32GB of RAM.

What sets the Duo apart from other models is its two displays. One screen is 15.6”, the other 14”, and both are touchscreen-compatible and capable of crisp 4K visuals. They are great for multitasking, and they come with a stylus to use with both.

The keyboard uses ASUS’ ErgoLift construction to remain comfortable when used. It also features an infrared camera that’s capable of recognizing faces, providing a nearly foolproof means of unlocking, and accessing this machine.

Best Laptops for Game Development

1. ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581

It’s no surprise that the best laptops to build games tend to be the best laptops for playing games, as you’ll see with the rest of this list.

Our number one option is something a little different, the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581.

If you’re familiar with the ZenBook line of ASUS products, then you know that they’re commonly marketed as a slim and strong workbook ideal for administrative tasks instead of playing games. If you squeeze an RTX 2060 in there, however…

That’s exactly what this ZenBook Pro Duo does, matching the sleek formality and superior processing of a workbook with a trove of graphical power that you can use when playtesting your project.

You have three choices of processor, either the 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H or the i9-9980HK, or the 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK if you need your machine to do some heavier lifting.

As we’ve already said, though, the real star of the show is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU stashed in this laptop.

The RTX is one of the newer graphics cards that NVIDIA has released, but that notwithstanding, it would have been impossible to pack this much power into a laptop like this a few years ago without getting a visit from the bomb squad.

It’s a great machine for office work and program development in equal measure, making it a secure investment for anyone who wants a laptop that can do more.

As for the other specs, you’ll find that they change depending on the specific model you want. The RAM will either be 16GB or 32GB, so decide how much you need and go with the best for your needs.

The memory between all three available models is the same however, a very generous 1TB SSD that can quickly load all the programs you need.

It’s important that you see how your game looks when tinkering with it, so the display needs to be up to scratch. The main display this ZenBook Duo works with is a 15.6” UHD NanoEdge touchscreen display that reports visuals in stunning 4K.

It’s called the Duo for a reason, that being because this model has the ASUS’ ScreenPad Plus, a second display that lies horizontally next to your keyboard.

It’s also touchscreen and 4K, and it makes multitasking a breeze. With these two screens, you can have the pretty visuals of your game displayed on the main screen and the more technical settings and sliders on your ScreenPad, allowing you to manage both at once.

The ScreenPad is part of the ErgoLift elevated typing and cooling system that’s built into many ASUS models. It intends to distribute heat while lying at an angle that’s comfortable to type with for extended periods of time.

There’s also a detachable palm rest and a stylus pen that you can use with both screens, for if fingerprint smudges aren’t quite your style.

If privacy is a concern, which it might be if you’re contracted to keep game-related materials on your machine a secret, then you can use the face-recognizing infrared camera that syncs with Windows Hello.

This lets you into the laptop, and only you, assuming you don’t have a twin or doppelganger running around.

2. Razer Blade Pro 17

This next laptop is one of those gaming laptops I mentioned earlier.

You’ve probably heard of Razer if you’ve searched online for gaming gadgetry in the last few years. The Razer Blade Pro 17 is one of their most impressive gadgets yet, a gaming laptop that has enough juice to birth kids of its own.

Just how much power you have is up to you, though there is a ballpark. You have a choice whether you want the GeForce RTX 2070 or the RTX 2080, as well as whether you want 512GB or 1TB of memory.

Speaking of memory, this laptop can support as much as 64GB too. Even if you’re a game developer, we can’t imagine many people needing that much RAM, but it’s a good thing to have and not need than need and not have.

With the three versions of this laptop that are commercially available, you’ll also have to choose whether you want a display that’s full HD at 300Hz or 4K at 120Hz.

You know your project better than we do, so we’ll leave you to decide on how important visuals are to you.

All these specs are regulated by their custom vapor chamber cooling system that exchanges heat into nothing but a slight airflow, keeping the overall temperature of this machine within acceptable limits.

3. Acer Predator Helios 300

Both of our options so far are going to put you back a few thousand dollars, which was to be expected when looking for a powerful laptop.

Nevertheless, this next one is one of the more affordable laptops on this list, perfect for those of you on a budget.

We’re talking about the Acer Predator Helios 300.

As far as specs go, you should find this laptop decently powerful in terms of processing power thanks to its Intel Core i7-10750H CPU.

It has the same graphical credentials as our number one model, sporting a GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, though it’s CPU is less powerful.

Still, it’s a gaming laptop designed to run videogames and should have no problem at all running most video games.

The storage is less than some of the previous machines displayed on this list, too, with the Helios 300 having a 512GB SSD.

This should be ample for many people though, especially if you use external storage devices so that the SSD doesn’t become cluttered and suffer slower loading speeds as a result.

This Predator model sports a classic RGB keyboard with a 15.6” FHD 144Hz display perched above it.

The specs of this model are set in stone, but you do have the option to get a peripheral with your purchase or just have this gaming notebook for your game development needs.

This can be a headset, mouse, or mousepad to aid in the operation of this machine, or you can get a backpack to carry this notebook in when you’re on the go.

4. New Apple MacBook Pro

At the fourth spot on our list is a laptop that’s at the top for many others.

We’re sure that Apple needs no introduction, so we’ll just say that we’d recommend the newer Apple MacBook Pro for paced and non-intensive video game design.

This means it should be fine with small to medium-sized games since the MacBook is more of a work-oriented notebook than a gaming machine.

It has a 9th Generation Intel Core i7 CPU inside it, which has six cores to its name so that this laptop can do more at once. For more cash, you also have the option to have an i9 processor too.

In terms of graphical power, it has an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M GPU. For you guys that are more familiar with NVIDIA graphics cards over AMD ones, this is roughly the power equivalent of an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti.

That’d be the older line of NVIDIA cards before their new RTX releases that the above laptops have, but we’ve already covered that this machine will be a bit weaker than the others we’ve featured.

The MacBook also has an Intel UHD Graphics 630 component to bolster its graphical capabilities.

Depending on the processor you choose, this machine will also have a 512GB or a 1TB SSD to store all your information in. One of the big draws for the MacBook, though, is that you can buy an upgrade kit that allows you to put a gargantuan 8TB SSD into your laptop.

The screen is Apple’s 16” Retina display, a larger display window that vividly shows whatever game you’re developing or running. It also uses its Touch ID system so that only your fingerprint can gain access to this laptop.

5. GIGABYTE Aero 15X

Our last laptop option isn’t one for the indecisive, since the Gigabyte Aero 15X laptop is a highly customizable machine.

It has different purchasing options for the graphical power and the display since they go hand in hand and there’s no use in having a powerful GPU with a lackluster screen.

The other options change the CPU and the SSD storage capacity. Between these two customizable options, you can swap out all four of the main specs that come into play when building and playing video games.

We don’t want to be here all day, so we’ll give you the minimum and maximum of each spec offered, and you can assume they’re bridged by intermediary options. All of the options are listed on the product’s Amazon page too.

In terms of processing power, it can have an Intel Core i9-10980HK to an i7-8750H, depending on how much you need. The SSDs come with either 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.

As for graphics, you can have between a GTX 1070 to an RTX 2080 S. Max-Q which, along with being a mouthful, is one of the more powerful and reasonably affordable graphics cards that are available right now.

The display can range in hertz factor and will either be an FHD or 4K IPS or OLED screen. Most variants of the Aero 15X come with 16GB of RAM, which should be more than enough for most, but there is an expensive 32GB option available for you guys that have more cash to throw around.

Laptops for Game Development Buyers Guide

Whether you’re unfamiliar with certain specs or just want to get our two cents, we’ve written this buyers’ guide to explain what we looked for when ranking our list.

By doing this, you’ll not only get an understanding of how we’ve made the list, but you can also use this knowledge to judge other laptops you may be considering.

We’re lucky because it’s easier to judge tech items by their specs. If you want the best, you can often find the objectively better piece of tech by looking at its specs and seeing how they compare.

You’ll obviously need to weigh these specs against your intentions with your products and how much cash you have to throw around.

With each subheading below, we’ve detailed what you should look for in each spec category, along with some other considerations.

Processing Power

Processing power is the spine of any good computer, laptops included.

In fact, the laptop space has been focusing on maximizing processing power for a few years now. This is why we’ve seen an explosion of sleekly designed notebooks that are made for computing work, all of which rely on processing.

Video Game designing also relies on processing power, so you’re in luck. Just a decade ago, or maybe half that, it’d have been inconceivable to design a 3D video game with modern (for the time) graphics on a laptop.

The norm for processors nowadays is i7 to i9, so we’d aim for one of those and take nothing less.

Graphical Power

Just like with processing power, laptop manufacturers have also started to add more powerful GPUs to their portable computer models.

Like with any computer, your graphical demands need to meet the activities you have planned. You’ll also want to overshoot it a bit, so your laptop is futureproofed against graphical innovations in the near future.

Most of the machines on our list have GPUs from the RTX range, so we’re talking about the GeForce RTX 2060, 2070, or 2080, along with Super Max variants.

Those are the ceilings for readily available graphics cards right now, especially for portable computers. If you don’t need as much power, we can suggest the GTX 1660 Ti and GPUs that are similar in power to them.

Storage Space

If you’re developing games, you should stay far away from HDD and reach for the SSDs instead. The big draw of SSDs is that they execute programs faster, and you’ll be doing that a lot with game development.

The size of your SSD should at least be 512GB, though we’d recommend a 1TB NVMe SSD component. It’s always better to have deeper storage pockets, especially as the size of apps and software is creeping upwards.

RAM Capacity

If you’ve owned a computer, any computer, then you know that you’re not likely to need more than 8GB or 16GB.

If you see a lot of multitasking and want to run multiple intensive programs in the future, we’d suggest overshooting it to 32GB of RAM too. Otherwise, you shouldn’t break the bank for RAM capacity.

Display

What’s the point in a graphically capable laptop if the display doesn’t let you appreciate it? If you’re shelling out on a high-powered computer, you’ll want to appreciate that power through some of the best displays around.

There are all types of screens, from IPS to OLED, but we’d advise you to pay more attention to the definition.

With definition, you have a choice between Full High Definition (FHD) or Ultra High Definition (UHD) and, on the higher end, those fancy new 4K screens floating around.

Laptop vs. desktop for game development

While desktops are usually more powerful, they aren’t always better for game development. If you travel for your game development job, you will be happy to have the portability of a laptop. Watch this video for more information:

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