Best laptops for playing Minecraft in 2024

The best laptops for playing Minecraft don't need to be particularly powerful or expensive, which is part of the reason the game is so accessible. It allows players the freedom to experiment in endless blocky worlds, gather resources, build shelters, and eventually create complex automated machines.

Whether you're looking to upgrade your laptop to be able to enjoy ray tracing and shaders in Minecraft, or you just want to start exploring the base game without bumping system requirements beyond what integrated graphics can handle, we have something to recommend. All devices have been tested and reviewed, ensuring that they're the best laptops for Minecraft available today.

The quick list

Cale Hunt

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.

The best laptops for Minecraft in 2024

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 their ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review, Windows Central's Zachary Boddy 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 they tested has an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor (CPU), 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 $1,600. If you're only playing Minecraft, it might seem a bit overkill. You can always check out the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16, which at the time of my latest update on December 9 is down to $1,150 at Best Buy.

👀Read our full ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review

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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 starting at $1,600 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

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Best for kids

Despite the name at the top of this website, we can appreciate that Windows laptops sometimes aren't the solution. In the case of buying for kids, especially if your kids want to play Minecraft, a Google Chrome OS-powered Chromebook is actually the best solution. The Lenovo Flex 5i is the one I recommend, having spent over a year using an older version. Our pals at Laptop Mag have a review of the newest refresh of the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook if you want to check out the latest.

It ticks all the boxes we're looking for when buying for kids. It's affordable, regularly available for under $500, yet still powerful enough with a 13th Gen Intel processor and 8GB of RAM. The display is touch and can be folded around for tablet-style use. Since ChromeOS uses the Android version of Minecraft, you can play this way with touch control, too. Battery life is very good, able to last all day off the charger in real-world applications. And since it's a Lenovo laptop, the keyboard and trackpad are fantastic.

For parents, ChromeOS has robust and easy-to-use parental controls to keep tabs on what the little ones are doing with their laptops. While the hooks into the Google ecosystem are obvious, it's not the only way to go. Microsoft and Google have worked together, and it's now possible to hook OneDrive natively into the ChromeOS Files application.

Setting up and installing the Microsoft 365 web apps is a breeze. The same applies to Adobe's creative apps, like the web version of Photoshop, and any other popular service with a web app. While you can't use the native Windows apps you may be used to, there are so many great web apps out there these days that there's no big shortfall anymore by giving your kid a Chromebook over a Windows laptop.

Best of all for a little parental peace of mind, new Chromebooks come with a guarantee of 10 years of OS updates, so you won't be stuck with any Windows 11-esque roadblocks over installing newer versions in years to come.

👀Read Laptop Mag's full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review

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Best premium gaming laptop

Razer's Blade gaming laptops have always been top premium options, with its 2024 models continuing the trend of offering a plethora of high-end features at a high asking price. If you don't mind paying thousands for a great gaming laptop, this should be at the top of your list. It will crush Minecraft, and you'll be able to enjoy any other demanding games that you wish to play.

Windows Central's Zachary Boddy reviewed the Razer Blade (2024), stating:

"The latest iteration improves over the former with a new base display that's actually marvelous and the latest Intel CPUs, but it fails to shore up the weaknesses that many have already critiqued about the 2023 model."

One of those weaknesses is the design with sharp edges, which can become uncomfortable during long play sessions. Another weakness involves the laptop's thin design, which doesn't allow the performance hardware inside to run full-out. These are typical trade-offs when shopping for a thin gaming laptop with a modern design.

The Blade 14 (2024) is nevertheless a sleek gaming laptop available with the most powerful mobile hardware on the market today. The display options are what really push the laptop beyond its competition; you can choose from a QHD+ OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate and all the high-end features you can think of, but there's also a dual mini-LED option that allows for quick switching between UHD+ at 120Hz and FHD+ at 240Hz.

👀Read our full Razer Blade 16 (2024) review

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Best convertible laptop

The HP Spectre x360 14, updated for 2024, is one of our favorite 2-in-1 laptops, along with its 16-inch sibling. If you want a laptop that can convert into tent, stand, and tablet modes — with an active pen for inking thrown into the mix — it should be a top consideration.

We reviewed the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024), with Staff Writer Zachary Boddy stating:

"[It] gets everything right, with a focus on comfort, responsiveness, and efficiency. You'll never get tired of using it, you'll never have to wait for it to catch up, and you'll never have to stress about leaving the house without your charger."

The laptop is powered by Intel Core Ultra CPUs, with integrated Intel Arc graphics that will easily handle unmodded Minecraft. The 14-inch touchscreen has a 2880x1800 (2.8K) resolution, OLED panel, 120Hz variable refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, and HDR support, which will make anything look gorgeous.

For maximum versatility, a superb keyboard and haptic touch, and a near-flawless design, this should do the trick.

👀Read our full Spectre x360 14 (2024) review

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Best 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, at the time of writing my latest update, buy it for as low as $350, it's the best way to give the gift of Minecraft to your loved ones.

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 if more power is required. The display remains the same across models, coming in at 7 inches with an FHD resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.

👀Read our full ASUS ROG Ally review

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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.

This collection of the best laptops for playing Minecraft will land you something that can handle the blocky world, though if you're still wondering where to turn, we can offer further guidance.

If you're shopping for a laptop that you can hand off to a young one for some Minecraft time, you might not want to stick within the realm of Windows. Something like Lenovo's IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus will do a great job of running Bedrock Minecraft, and it's far more affordable than the other options in this list.

If you'd rather shop on the cheap, a gaming handheld like the ASUS ROG Ally starting at about $350 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 14 (2024) is also a top option. It's dripping in high-end features and has the most impressive display options out there, plus it offers the most powerful mobile hardware on the market today.

Laptops that can run Minecraft are also good for productivity

In most cases, you won't buy a laptop to run only Minecraft. OK, maybe some diehard fans see no reason to do anything else on a laptop besides mine and build, but most people will want to use their PC for other purposes.

The gaming laptops I've included here, including the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, Alienware m16 R2, and Razer Blade 16, all have what it takes to realize your gaming ambitions beyond Minecraft. If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, which includes countless great games, you'll be able to play anything on the list with these laptops.

Because unmodded Minecraft really doesn't take a lot of power to run well, you can buy a laptop for general use and still enjoy some mining. HP's Spectre x360 14 (2024) is an outstanding laptop that has enough power to run basic Minecraft, and it'll also deliver a top-notch computing experience whether you're watching videos, tackling productivity work, or studying for your next exam.