Minecraft is hardly the world's most intense game, so the best Windows laptops for playing it on the go don't have to be the most powerful or expensive. On the other hand, taking advantage of all the best community mods may take a little more firepower.
Whatever your needs, I've put together a list of our top-rated Windows laptops for playing Minecraft, whether you're looking for something compact and affordable or large and premium. More stationary players can always consider one of the best pre-built PCs for playing Minecraft.
Recent updates
Apr. 11, 2025 — I updated this with a fresh new look, replaced the Razer Blade 16 with the latest version, and replaced our value pick with a laptop we've actually reviewed (the ASUS Zenbook 14).
The quick list
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 for 2024 is the best 14-inch gaming laptop you can buy today. Its compact aluminum chassis is easy to carry, and it holds a killer 120Hz display and strong performance hardware capable of keeping up with all versions of Minecraft.
Dell's Alienware m16 R2 offers "one of the smoothest gaming laptop" experiences our reviewer has ever seen, and it's a great choice if you crave more screen space and a ton of power for all versions of Minecraft.
ASUS is well-known for delivering great value with its products, and any version of the Zenbook 14 powered by Intel or AMD will be a quality PC capable of handling Minecraft, but without breaking the bank.
The newly redesigned Razer Blade 16 is just as powerful as ever, but it's thinner, lighter, and smarter than before. It also runs cooler, helping you get the absolute most out of Minecraft without worrying about performance over time.
HP's OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is a nearly flawless convertible with premium style and features, including an OLED touch display. The Intel Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs with upgraded Arc integrated graphics can handle a standard Minecraft experience, and it's otherwise ideal for work and casual use.
The ROG Ally from ASUS remains our favorite gaming handheld of the year, and it might just be the perfect way for you to take Minecraft everywhere you go. The price keeps dropping, especially with frequent discounts, but it's just as good as ever.
My favorite laptops for Minecraft in 2025
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Best 14-inch gaming laptop
If you're looking for one of the best 14-inch gaming laptops on the market, whether for Minecraft alone or any other title, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 for 2024 should be seriously considered.
In my ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review, I remarked:
"It's more than powerful enough to play all the latest and greatest PC games but trades top-end performance for a stunning, impeccably constructed aluminum chassis."
The review unit I tested had an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor, NVIDIA RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, and 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, which is enough to handle a rather demanding Minecraft experience with extra mods and even some shaders. It might run a bit hot due to its compact design, but the aluminum chassis is relatively thin and light with a fetching redesign.
The display, too, is quite impressive. It measures 14 inches with a 2880x1800 (2.8K) resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility, Dolby Vision, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification. Minecraft (and any other game) is going to shine on this laptop.
The only drawback is the price, which starts at around $1,599.99 at Best Buy, but you can often find this model on sale. Still, if you're only playing Minecraft, it might seem a bit overkill.
This laptop is about to be updated with AMD Ryzen AI and NVIDIA RTX 50-series hardware, too, giving you an even more powerful option (or some nice discounts on the 2024 model).
👀 Read our full ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review
Best 16-inch gaming laptop
Windows Central Editor Rebecca Spear was wowed when she reviewed the Alienware m16 R2 for 2024. And not only on the side of gaming, as Spear remarked in the review:
"If you tend to play graphically intensive games and want a laptop that can keep up with your gaming sessions, you should consider getting the Alienware m16 R2. Its performance and how long the battery can last when running average office programs thoroughly impressed me. For this reason, the laptop will serve you well if you need to use it for work, school, and video games."
It will easily handle any version of Minecraft even with the most affordable specs, and you'll be able to play practically any other title with high frame rates on the built-in QHD+ display with 240Hz refresh rate. The only drawbacks that Spear noticed were loud fans under load and limited display brightness (300 nits). If you aren't gaming outdoors it shouldn't be much of a problem.
This being one of Dell's flagship gaming laptops, it doesn't exactly come cheap with a starting price of around $1,599.99 at Dell when there aren't any running discounts. However, it's built to a high standard throughout, with a sleek design, customizable RGB lighting, a comfy keyboard and precise touchpad, and great battery life when you aren't gaming.
The inclusion of Intel's Core Ultra Series 1 CPUs makes it an AI PC, and it can be configured with up to an NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and 8TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage. Like the ROG Zephyrus G14, the Alienware m16 R2 is reserved for serious gamers who want to push the limits of Minecraft and other modern games.
👀 Read our full Alienware m16 R2 review
Best value laptop
There are honestly plenty of great value laptops nowadays, but if you want you know will truly last (and gives you a taste of luxury without breaking the bank), the ASUS Zenbook 14 always scratches that itch for me.
There are plenty of Zenbook 14 models, but in my review of the ASUS Zenbook 14 (Q415M), I concluded:
"The ASUS Zenbook 14 (Q415M) sits lower on ASUS' premium ultrabook line, scaling back certain features to achieve a more enticing price point. ASUS compromised in all the right places, as you still get a gorgeous OLED display, plenty of ports, and a solid aluminum design."
This laptop punches above its weight in terms of design, display, and the keyboard experience. It also boasts more than enough power to play Minecraft, although you can certainly find the limitations of its RAM if you try to push the game with mods and shaders.
ASUS is also know for relatively frequent sales, too, so you can look out for sweet discounts on this version of the Zenbook 14 or any other (except for the Zenbook A14 — as amazing as that laptop is, Minecraft doesn't currently run on Windows on ARM laptops).
You can pick up the ASUS Zenbook 14 from $799.99 at Best Buy for the exact model I reviewed. If you need more power, memory, storage, or features, you'll find plenty of other Zenbook 14 options, too.
👀 Read our full ASUS Zenbook 14 (Q415M) review
Best premium gaming laptop
The Razer Blade 16 is one of the most premium gaming laptops every single year, but 2025 is different.
Razer finally redesigned its flagship laptop, and it's now thinner, lighter, and smarter than ever before. For the first time, Razer also switched to AMD Ryzen AI instead of using Intel's latest and greatest.
I talk about the results of this redesign in my Razer Blade 16 (2025) review, concluding:
"The Razer Blade 16's long-awaited redesign results in a dramatic year-over-year improvement, helping elevate the ultra-premium gaming laptop back to the top. New AMD and NVIDIA hardware also deliver excellent and reliable performance, but the Blade 16 is still consistently outmatched by more affordable laptops — because you're paying a lot just for the design."
This laptop may pack the latest AMD and NVIDIA hardware, but it's not actually all that more powerful than the previous generation. Don't let that fool you, though — this laptop can still handle every version of Minecraft at its most intense, and can do so with better sustained performance over time, thanks to improved thermals.
The Blade 16 is the laptop for those who want the best of everything (except battery life, of course), but it's expensive, starting from $2,999.99 at Razer. Recent developments with tariffs have also made the Blade 16 hard to get in the USA, so you may have to wait to get one for yourself.
👀 Read our full Razer Blade 16 (2025) review
Best convertible laptop
HP's Spectre x360 14 was the previous convertible pick, but HP's consumer PC rebrand in 2024 has paved the way for the new OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 to take its spot. The OmniBook is thinner and lighter than the Spectre, it continues to offer one of the best keyboard and touchpad combinations on the market, and it's been updated with the latest Intel CPUs.
It's a convertible PC, with 360-degree hinges that allow the screen to rotate around, turning it into a tablet. You can play Minecraft with touch controls, though you'll have to use a keyboard and mouse or controller for other versions.
I reviewed the OmniBook Flip 14, stating:
"If you're looking for the best and aren't concerned with how much it costs to obtain it, the OmniBook Ultra Flip deserves to be on your shortlist. That's especially true if you actively value the 2-in-1 form factor, as there are few laptops that are this versatile without compromising on performance, features, or the traditional clamshell experience."
The 14-inch touch display has an OLED panel for exceptional color and contrast, and the 2.8K resolution is plenty crisp for the size. A 120Hz refresh rate makes it easy on the eyes, and 500 nits of brightness prevent glare. The Core Ultra Series 2 CPU options have integrated graphics powerful enough to run the base game, but don't expect any strong performance with shaders involved.
HP's OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 typically starts at about $1,350, with my personal recommendation going to the middle-of-the-road model for $1,599.99 at HP. Keep an eye out for frequent discounts, though, often knocking hundreds off the retail price.
👀 Read our full HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 review
Best gaming handheld
The ASUS ROG Ally isn't a laptop, but it's so good at handling games like Minecraft that I can't exclude it from this list. And considering you can often find it on sale, it's the best way to give the gift of Minecraft to your loved ones on a budget.
Why is the ROG Ally so popular? Windows Central Editor Rebecca Spear explains it perfectly in her ROG Ally review:
"I personally like the ROG Ally quite a lot and find myself wanting to play with it every day. It gives me plenty of freedom to get the Ally doing exactly what I want and access any gaming service I want. I love how light and balanced it feels in my hands, and the fact that it's the only modern gaming handheld that doesn't make my hands cramp up is enormous. Plus, it can run my best PC games rather easily."
I love playing Minecraft on my Steam Deck, but it takes a few extra steps to get it running due to the SteamOS software. The ROG Ally, thanks to it running Windows 11, can access Minecraft much easier (as well as any other games on Xbox Game Pass).
The most affordable model comes with an AMD Ryzen Z1 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It'll handle Minecraft, but you can always upgrade to the Z1 Extreme processor for $649.99 at Best Buy if more power is required. This is another product that enjoys regular sales, sometimes dropping as low as $350-400 for the base model.
👀Read our full ASUS ROG Ally review
I've been playing Minecraft longer than I've been testing laptops, and the combined experiences allow me to make some informed PC recommendations. These are all laptops that have been favorably reviewed, and there's a variety to fit different budgets and alternative uses.
I started my career at Windows Central as our "Minecraft Expert," and my responsibilities covering everyone's favorite blocky game haven't really changed. When it comes to knowing what hardware will run Minecraft best, you can rely on me.
How to choose the best gaming laptop for Minecraft
Minecraft exists in a couple of flavors, with the original Java Edition still offering the most flexibility when it comes to modding and enhancements. It's the way to play if you want to make Minecraft look as realistic as possible or if you want to transform the base game into something almost unrecognizable.
In these Java cases, a more powerful gaming laptop is recommended; a lot of mods, especially those that change the way the game looks, require a lot of power, and a standard laptop running integrated graphics won't be able to keep up.
The Bedrock Edition of Minecraft runs on just about anything with a processor (though it also supports ray tracing), and you can play with friends across platforms. While Java and Bedrock are both available on Windows PCs, Bedrock is much better suited to beginners and younger users who aren't worried about deep customization.
If you'd rather shop on the cheap, a gaming handheld like the ASUS ROG Ally is an easy recommendation. It's our favorite gaming handheld in 2024, and it allows you to take your games everywhere you go. If mobility is key, the ROG Ally beats any laptops in this list.
When it comes to gaming laptops that can handle Minecraft with mods and shaders, we love the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) and Alienware M16 R2. These laptops are competitively priced, they have the right performance hardware to handle just about any game on the market, and they offer a modern design that can fit into situations beyond the gaming world.
If you're feeling particularly rich, the Razer Blade 16 (2025) is also a top option. It's dripping in high-end features and has the most impressive display out there, plus it offers the most powerful mobile hardware on the market today.
