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Great game development laptops help develop games, not frustration. The fact that you’re here not only means you’re at the stage where your game character is running faster than the progress bar in Unreal Engine…
But it also means that you’re ready for your new game development laptop for software like Unreal Engine, Visual Studio, Blender, AutoCAD, and Unity Development tools, etc., without lags or stutters.
Well, now that’s one less thing to worry about, as this guide is about finding:
So let’s begin!
Minimum & Recommended System Requirements
Here is a quick overview of the minimum and recommended specifications for your next game development laptop.
| Component | Recommended | Minimum |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 | Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 |
| RAM | 16GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 512GB SSD | 256GB SSD |
| Display | 17.0-inch | 15.6-inch |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX | NVIDIA GeForce GTX |
| Operating System | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
10 Best Laptops For Game Development
| ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo |
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| GIGABYTE AORUS 15P XD |
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| Lenovo Thinkpad P15s |
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| Razer Blade Pro 17 |
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| Acer Predator Helios 300 |
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| HP Omen 15 |
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| Apple MacBook Pro |
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| HP Envy 17T |
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| MSI GF75 |
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| ASUS TUF Gaming F17 |
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Let’s count our top picks for the best game design and development laptops.
1. ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo – Best Overall
- CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch 4K UHD OLED [3840 x 2160]
- GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
- Battery: Up to 5.5 hours
If you have the budget, then ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo laptop is the top option for high-end game production. In addition to its impressive 4K display, it has a secondary display above the keyboard called the ScreenPad Plus – a thoughtful innovation, especially for designers and developers.
Perhaps you can use this second screen to place your template or reference images while designing your game’s environment? Or maybe run two programs simultaneously on two different screens? All in all, it’s a pure productivity booster.
However, such productivity features are useless without the essential hardware, and ASUS knows that. With a 5Ghz i7 processor, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and 6GB NVIDIA RTX 2060 combo, ZenBook Pro Duo makes for one hot deal.
ASUS has engineered this laptop on par with a superior customer experience by including features that solve everyday problems. It offers the ErgoLift keyboard design, which raises the body at an angle whenever you lift the lid to provide a better view at both its screens. This also provides a comfortable resting position for your hands while offering enhanced ventilation.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo falls slightly on the heavier side weighing 5.5 lbs and has a decent 4-5 hour battery life. Overall, if you want only the best game development laptop, whether you work in Unity Pro or Unreal Engine, or something else, this is a great option.
- Powerful hardware mix
- Dual screen setup
- Diverse connectivity
- Premium build quality
- WiFi 6 supported
- Audio quality could have been better
- Average battery life
2. GIGABYTE AORUS 15P XD – Best Display
- CPU: 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-11800H
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD [1920 x 1080]
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
- Battery Life: Up to 8 hours
If your job is to design a video game’s look & feel, then this is a treat for you. A laptop GIGABYTE AORUS 15P XD created for real-time game-testing & development, the AORUS 15P XD is stocked with an efficient GPU set-up, vibrant display, and workstation capability.
To start with the display there is an FHD screen with a Delta E < 11 color accuracy. This makes it one of the most color-accurate laptops on the market with a 240Hz refresh rate screen, that allows you to test high-end games smoothly.
This Unity laptop’s performance is backed up by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB graphics card, a 2.3GHz 11th Gen Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Though 8GB is good to go for most professionals, the fact that it has double the RAM shows how it’s a step ahead.
For those of you looking for a workstation, this 4.8 lbs beast has an ergonomic keyboard with a comfortable key-spacing & travel and comes with a ton of connectivity ports. On top of that, you also get a massive battery backup to run it for up to 8 hours under mixed usage.
The only kicker would be its slightly hefty price tag, but still, it’s more affordable compared to others. Its simple & elegant design anyway speaks for the type of luxury item it is.
All in all, a well-crafted laptop that we can vouch for without hesitation.
- Best-in-class display
- RGB backlight
- NVIDIA DLLS GPU
- Extra storage slots
- Bezel-less design
- Slightly expensive
- Pretty heavy
3. Lenovo ThinkPad P15s – Best for Professionals
- CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD IPS [1920 x 1080]
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA Quadro T500
- Battery: Up to 10 hours
While most workstations aim to tackle multiple light processes simultaneously, game development requires running just a few but heavy operations together. Lenovo ThinkPad P15s is an unconventional laptop that helps you with that.
Packed with NVIDIA Quadro T500 with 4GB and Intel UHD Integrated Graphics, ThinkPad P15’s GPU is ballistic. Whether it is a resource-intensive software you’re running or ten lightweight ones, you’re in a seamless, uninterrupted experience.
But why does this laptop have integrated graphics when you already have a good dedicated GPU? Since many users have integrated graphics into their computers, this feature helps you to test if your 2D game designed on NVIDIA Quadro T500 will run on low-end devices or not.
Booting alongside the GPU is an Intel Hexa Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. We loved the internal composition so much that this computer earned third place on our list. For most users, it excels in all performance areas.
It also comes with additional impressive perks: a 15.6-inch IPS display, a fingerprint reader to ensure no one secretly sneaks into your private data, and a Mini-DisplayPort to easily connect your laptop to external screens when needed.
Again, the only little problem is the price. But when you need laptops for money-making purposes, such machines are investments that help you make an ROI. So, our verdict? It’s worth it: it speeds you up, gives the highest-end performance, and is future-proof.
- Slim travel adapter
- Fingerprint reader
- Plenty of connectivity options
- Sleek and professional design
- Backlit keyboard
4. Razer Blade Pro 17 – Best 17-Inch Laptop
- CPU: 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-10875H
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 17.3-inch FHD IPS [1920 x 1080]
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
- Battery: Up to 3 hours
Coming in at #4 with a world-class display and performance-capability packed in a classic black chassis: Razer Blade Pro 17 is capable of developing AAA titles, let alone play them.
It has a 15-inch 300Hz 4K UHD display with 100% color accuracy and almost zero bezels. This means you are getting a 17-inch screen size in a 15-inch body. This also puts the laptop at a mere 2.84 lbs weight range, which is new for workstations with such immense power.
Talking about power, the Blade Pro 17 is equipped with an Octa-Core i7 processor and the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX SUPER 8GB VRAM GPU that crunches the project compilation time in UE 4. It has an upgradable 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD that boots up your PC in less than 3 seconds. However, some credit also goes to the fact that it has zero bloatware.
While workstations get hot, Razer tackles this by using a custom vapor cooling chamber system. There are small sections within the laptop’s body that act as heat exchangers. They have unique fans that maximize heat dissipation by increasing the airflow.
So, if you want a wide-display laptop with powerful specifications and no thermal issues, Razer Blade 17 Pro is the best laptop for the game design you can have.
- Support fast charging
- Easy to upgrade
- WiFi-6
- Aluminum CNC unibody
- 300 Hz display
- Uncomfortable trackpad
- Average battery life
5. Acer Predator Helios 300 – Best GPU for Game Development
- CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD [1920 x 1080]
- GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- Battery: Up to 6 hours
Killer looks, fantastic display, and lightning-fast performance: Acer Predator Helios 300 is a gamer’s dream. After our review, we realized there’s so much more to this beast than meets the eye. Let’s take the GPU as an example.
This laptop has NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3060, which, unlike most GPUs based on Turing Architecture, is based on Ampere Architecture instead. It’s the latest cutting-edge innovation by NVIDIA, which allows the same GPU to run twice the number of processes parallel.
Interestingly, it is specially designed to help game developers overcome the extensive workload boundaries that they face while embedding Ray Tracing in their games.
Apart from the GPU, the Predator Helios 300 comes with an Intel Core i7 10th Gen Hexa-Core Processor, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. While this setup is just as impressive as most on the list, you might need an external storage backup for large game output files.
Alternatively, you can always upgrade the storage space using the two extra M.2 slots and an additional Hard Drive Bay. Some other fun things include a 4-zone RGB Backlit keyboard, a 4K display, and an efficient heat dissipation system called the AeroBlade 3D Fan Technology.
An affordable price tag & immense graphics processing power – Helios 300 is our top choice for laptops with the best GPU for game development.
- Made for DirectX 12
- Comfortable keyboard
- Plenty of connectivity options
- Predator Sense RGB controls
- Superior audio quality
- Powerful GPU
- Average battery life
- Tad bit heavy
6. HP Omen 15 – Best From HP
- CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD + 32GB Optane
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD IPS [1920 x 1080]
- GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
- Battery: Up to 6.5 Hours
For professionals who need a more sober-looking laptop with robust performance, HP Omen 15 provides a simple and minimalistic look but packs a punch inside. Here’s how.
Its 10th Gen Core i7 processor can be boosted to a 5GHz frequency, in addition to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU with a 6GB VRAM. With this combination, you can speed up rendering & enhance gaming performance [even test it at higher frame rates].
Other than that, HP Omen 15 comes with 16GB RAM and a swift 512GB SSD + 32GB Optane Memory, which is a highlight feature in this laptop computer – let us explain.
See, Optane Memory acts as a buffer between the SSD and the RAM. It receives files from the storage and temporarily stores them instead of directly sending them to the RAM. This boosts rendering and compiling times and RAM efficiency taken by game engines like Unity and Maya. [Pretty dope tech, honestly!]
Expert reviewers wrote about this laptop’s 15.6-inch FHD screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, which can get exceptionally vibrant & vivid while watching movies. This is great not only for recreational use but for game development as well – you can add an extra level of detail.
Overall, HP Omen 15 is our favorite affordable game development laptop.
- 6.5 hours of battery life
- Optane Memory
- Solid build quality
- Easy to upgrade
- Narrow screen bezels
- Slightly heavy
- Thermal issues
7. Apple MacBook Pro – Best with MacOS
- CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-9750H
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 16-inch Retina IPS [3072 x 1920]
- GPU: 4GB AMD Radeon Pro 5300M
- Battery: Up to 11 Hours
It would be a crime if we were listing the best laptops for game developers and missed the Apple MacBook Pro. MacBooks have always been one of the top choices for professional game developers because of their power, durability, and build quality.
MacBook Pro comes with Apple’s signature 16-inch Retina display with True Tone technology making it one of the best displays ever featured in a laptop. It produces 500 nits of brightness, and the P3 Wide color gamut ensures accurate color reproduction.
This powerful machine is run by an Intel Core-i9 processor and an AMD Radeon Pro 500M that work together to deliver an unmatchable performance. That combined with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD with data transfer rates up to 3.2GB/s, creates a perfect setup for running software like Unity, Unreal Engine, and GDevelop without a hint of lag.
The new MacBook Pro boots up in a second and has a fingerprint scanner to authenticate the user before logging in. It draws power from a 100Wh battery that gives you an on-screen time of about 11 hours which is the best in its class.
Another highlight of this laptop is the Scissor Switch Keyboard that has a high traveling distance. This makes typing easy and comfortable while also making a very satisfying click sound. Despite having a massive battery pack, the MacBook Pro only weighs 4.3 pounds, making it one of the lightest laptops with a 16-inch display.
Honestly, for MacBooks, we don’t even need to give our verdict – they’re that awesome.
- Great battery life
- Sleek design
- Stunning display
- Comfortable keyboard
- Superior audio quality
- Expensive
- No room for an upgrade
8. HP Envy 17T – Budget 17-inch option from HP
- CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 17.3-inch FHD IPS [1920 x 1080]
- GPU: 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX450
- Battery: Up to 10 hours
Is HP Envy 17T not good enough which is why it’s #8? Not. Loaded with powerful specs and unique features, this is our best long-lasting Unreal Engine game development laptop.
To start with, the Envy 17T features an 11th Gen Intel i7 processor that can operate at a maximum 4.7GHz frequency and an NVIDIA GeForce MX450 graphics card.
You also get a 512GB SSD providing a short booting time and a 16GB SDRAM. If you feel like 16GB RAM is not enough for your needs, you can always upgrade it using the two extra slots. The laptop is also equipped with special vapor chambers that keep the thermals in check even under the intense workload.
So, long-lasting we said. Well, HP Envy 17T has a 10-hour battery life, under mixed usage, which is quite rare in workstations, and especially on this list. It also supports HP fast charge, which can fully charge your computer in 90 minutes.
Overall, the HP Envy 17T is a fantastic laptop that can support heavy usage without bounding you to a charging port. It has a sleek and simple design, and despite having a massive battery pack, it only weighs under 5.95 pounds.
- Good speakers
- Expandable RAM and Storage
- Long battery life
9. MSI GF75 – Best For 2D Game Development
- CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i5-10300H
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 17.3-inch FHD IPS [1920 x 1080]
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
- Battery: Up to 7 hours
For entry-level game developers or programming students, the MSI GF75 has the perfect hardware mix at an affordable price tag! It’s equipped with a 10th Gen Intel i5 processor that operates at 2.6GHz and supports a turbo boost of 5 GHz.
Matching up with the processor’s speed is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 1650 Ti graphics card, a great GPU that can be used to play all of the newest titles in 1080p.
The highlight feature of this device is its massive 17.3-inch FHD IPS LCD. It has a 144 FPS refresh rate, allowing you to test high-end games at excellent quality. The screen has an 88% screen-to-body ratio which provides it a sleek and classy design.
MSI always focuses on crafting laptops with the solid build quality, and the MSI GF75 follows the same sentiments.
This machine is packed in an aluminum chassis, and the plastic used for the deck feels very premium and robust. It weighs 4.85 pounds which is the standard for laptops of its class.
Great value for money – the MSI GF75 is a device with all-rounded usability for game developers to lay hands on.
- Budget-friendly
- Decent performance
- Upgradeable RAM and SSD
- Vivid display
- Sturdy keyboard
- Average battery life
- Gets hot on continuous use
10. ASUS TUF Gaming F17 – Best Value For Money
- CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i5-10300H
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 17.3-inch FHD IPS [1920 x 1080]
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
- Battery: Up to 6 hours
The ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is the most unique laptop on this list. That’s because it can stay relevant for years as you can easily upgrade it with aftermarket components simply by unscrewing the back cover. You can install two additional RAM sticks, two SSDs, and even a hard disk.
TUF Gaming F17 delivers the best specs in the market for its price range. You get a 10th Gen Quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, an 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics card, 8GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. This hardware mix is powerful enough to run both 2D and 3D game engines and easily compile small to mid-range projects.
ASUS TUF Gaming F17 comes with a 17.3-inch Ultra HD display with a 144Hz refresh rate. This configuration is future proof so you won’t feel the need to upgrade it anytime during the laptop’s lifetime.
F17 offers a lot, especially for its price range. However, there are a few trade-offs for the specs it provides. This laptop weighs 5.73 pounds, making it the heaviest laptop on our list. It also tends to get pretty noisy whenever its powerful fans kick in.
If you are just getting into game development and you don’t want to invest in an expensive machine just yet, ASUS TUF Gaming F17 is a perfect computer to start with. It’s powerful, has a great display, and you can always upgrade it according to your advancing use case.
- Decent battery life
- Superior audio quality
- Decent performance
- Comfortable keyboard
- Abundance of ports
- Slightly heavy
- Average display and color accuracy
Buying Guide – How to Choose the Best Laptops For Game Development
The best laptop for game development isn’t the priciest or highest-end one, but the one that suits your needs and budget. Assess your situation using the factors below to see what kind of user you are and what laptop you’ll need.
RAM
Software like Unreal Engine, Unity, and Visual Studio are always hungry for more RAM, and the situation becomes worse when you have to use both simultaneously.
If you are a student or a beginner, then your projects are likely not large enough to require 16GB or 32GB RAM to compile. In that case, you can go for a laptop with even 8GB. However, the same can’t be said for professional game devs. With every newer IDE version, RAM requirement increases.
Let’s take UE 5, for instance, which is scheduled to roll out in late-2022. The current version barely manages to compile large projects with 8GB RAM, and with Ray Tracing features, the RAM requirements are expected to be at least 16GB.
That said, it is wise to future-proof your laptop by getting 16GB RAM, if not higher. But if you get a great deal with 8GB, it’s fine as well.
CPU
Though CPUs are not as crucial as GPUs for video game development, it doesn’t mean you can ignore them. Lower-end CPUs become a bottleneck while compiling and rendering your projects. This is why it’s best to choose a computer that places a multi-threaded processor at high priority.
We can’t name the exact processor, as it again depends on your project type [2D or 3D]. But long story short, if you’re making 2D projects on Game Maker 2.0, then an i5 is a great option. However, if you use UE 4 as your daily driver for 3D game development, go with an Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7.
Graphics Processing Unit [GPU]
For 2D projects on Game Maker 2.0, a simple Integrated Graphics card would do. But it’s always better to have more than needed, and that’s why we recommend choosing at least a GTX 1650 Ti GPU with 4GB GDDR5 RAM.
Using Integrated Graphics for 3D game development is out of the question. It’s a common belief among game devs that you can never have too much GPU power for anything related to developing 3D models. To render objects and textures smoothly and to use advanced features like light tracing or auto shadows, having at least an 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q is almost considered a necessity.
Pro tip: We all know Ray Tracing is BIG, and in the next few years, it’s going to be the default way of adding shadows and motion blurs. So if you want your laptop to stay relevant shortly, it’s best to dish out a few extra dollars and get a machine with a powerful GPU that can handle the hefty workload.
Display and Screen Resolution
Your laptop’s screen can significantly affect the project you are working on – how? The simple answer is color accuracy. The resolution or the screen size of your laptop depends on your preferences, but make sure to choose a computer that has a color-accurate display to avoid any mismatch in your end project.
Storage
If your laptop uses HDD-based storage, it’s not suitable to be a game development laptop. HDDs bottleneck the laptop’s performance while rendering and compiling, causing serious heating issues. Aim for an SSD-based device with high reading and writing speeds instead. The size, again, depends on your needs and preference.
Weight
If you purchase a laptop considering the specifications that we’ve discussed, you’ll probably land up with either a high-end gaming laptop or a workstation. Either way, be ready for some shoulder workout because of their sheer weight.
So if you are a college student and need to travel a long way to get there, you might want to be picky with your choices here. Even though you can’t avoid buying a heavy laptop, you can always choose the lightest among the available options.
FAQs About Laptops For Game Development
Here are answers to a few commonly asked questions related to game developer laptops.
Game Developers use gaming laptops or workstations to design games. The main idea behind a good game dev laptop is to have a powerful combination of CPU, GPU, and RAM to execute highly resource-demanding tasks.
You should at least have a computer with 8GB RAM for game development. However, we recommend you to go for 16GB RAM for a smoother video game design experience.
With 8GB RAM, you can run Unreal Engine 5 smoothly. However, if you’re working on mid to large-size projects, you should go for 16GB.
The MacBook is a great game development laptop. It’s got the power, speed, and efficiency that game engines need. All MacBooks are incredible at 2D game development, but for 3D, the MacBook Pro is the best.
If it fits your budget, the Intel Core i9-10850K is the best processor for game development. It has ten cores that operate at a max frequency of 5.2GHz and can run 20 threads simultaneously. It’s one of the best processors that Intel offers and is perfect for developing AAA games.
Verdict
What’s the best game design and development laptop? It depends on how you will use it. For college students who are just getting started with software like Unity or Unreal Engine, a decent gaming laptop with a minimum of 8GB RAM, i5 processor, and a GPU equivalent to the NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti like MSI GF75 can easily glide through the workload.
But for 3D game developers, we recommend buying a computer with at least 16GB RAM, an i7 processor, and a GPU equivalent to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q like Razer Blade Pro 17. These specs will ensure you have a future-ready game development laptop.
So, which laptops did you like? Hit us up in the comments below. To browse through a few more affordable options, make sure to check out top picks for the best gaming laptops under $1,000.