Best handheld gaming PC 2025

Valve has realized the full potential of its handheld with the Steam Deck OLED. The screen is bigger, brighter, and better than the original Deck in our number two spot, but the refresh is far more than meets the eye.

You get improvements to battery life for longer gaming sessions, a weight reduction for greater comfort, plus faster Wi-Fi for quicker s. The Steam Deck OLED is the best handheld PC gaming there is, with a few downsides. The APU inside the OLED is almost identical to the original Deck, save for efficiency, and that places this handheld significantly behind the curve in of power. Simply put, some AAA game releases will be out of reach to you on this device.

If you're looking for a well-priced handheld with a stunning display and access to your Steam library on the go, though, the Steam Deck OLED is the top choice.

Read our Steam Deck OLED review.

The Steam Deck wasn't the first handheld gaming PC, but it's certainly been the most successful. It gives you seamless integration with Steam and a console-like experience means it can be as plug-and-play as you like – with the benefit of having a completely -tweakable OS under the hood.

The lower-end 64GB model is now discontinued but you can still pick it up from retailers like Amazon, expand the storage, and pair it with the best Steam Deck accessories to bring it up to a usable capacity.

However, titles such as Remnant 2 all cause the Steam Deck to misstep. We're still some time away from all major AAA releases being unplayable on the Steam Deck – and there are thousands of other games still to play, but the clock is ticking and you may feel you get more value if you opt for a newer handheld.

The custom APU dubbed Van Gogh is still powerful enough for most games and if you mainly want to play retro games, 2D games, sidescrollers, or emulated titles then you will be more than happy with the performance. This is still a great-value handheld gaming PC.

Read our Steam Deck review.

The Asus ROG Ally X is a big and welcome update to the original ROG Ally that transforms one of the earliest and most successful Windows handhelds into the clear top choice in its class.

With 8GB extra memory, and faster memory at that, the ROG Ally X can outperform just about any like-for-like handheld gaming PC available right now. Asus' Armoury Crate software overlay is much improved, and while not perfect, its interface is easier to understand and navigate, which is huge for those who don't want to engage with Windows 11.

The $799 price tag is hard to swallow, but fair. One expected advantage of Ally X's release is that the base Ally Z1 Extreme has also seen its price reduced quite drastically. However, if you're chasing the best performance in games without being limited to Steam, the Ally X has the Steam Deck and all other Ally handhelds beaten hands down.

Read our Asus ROG Ally X review.

With its 8.8-inch display, the Lenovo Legion Go is the handheld for you if you want a big-screen experience. While its size naturally helps with immersion, it's also responsive, sharp, and vivid. With a native resolution of 2560 x 1600 and a refresh rate of 144Hz, the IPS is about as good as it gets for an LCD handheld.

There's some powerful hardware too. The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme puts the Lenovo Legion Go well ahead of the Steam Deck for raw power and on par with most other high-end Windows handhelds, but it's also one of the most versatile thanks to the detachable controllers and kickstand, which give you a unique experience, especially in 'FPS Mode' where the controllers convert to mice, just like the new Nintendo Switch 2.

The Legion Go does have a few flaws. It's much heavier than its competitors, weighing in at 854g, which can make using it for long periods a bit tiring. You'll also need to tinker with settings and resolution fairly frequently, as the screen's native 1600p resolution is far too demanding for the Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, and the software can be fiddly.

Read our Lenovo Legion Go review.

When the Ayaneo 3 is on form, there is no handheld that comes close to it for stability and performance. Its powerful processor and deep customization options for tweaking its power settings means you can really hone in on getting the right balance for your needs.

What's more, its display is stunning. Its 1080p resolution combined with its compact 7-inch size makes it super sharp while the fact it uses OLED means you get incredible contrast and punchy colors. This handheld's speakers are surprisingly loud and clear too, while its overall ergonomics are great as well.

It has an extra trick up its sleeve too, in the shape of modular controllers. You can swap out the little thumbstick/buttons sections and change between an Xbox-style layout or symmetrical controls or change a thumbstick for all buttons. It sounds like a gimmick but it's actually really useful.

The only trouble is, all these high specs and extra features add costs, with this handheld demanding an eye-watering $2,000 for the top-spec models. More than its price, though, its the clunkiness of using Windows that holds this handheld back. For pure gaming ease of use, SteamOS handhelds are still so much better.

Read our Ayaneo 3 review.

The Ayaneo Air stands out as among the smallest handheld gaming PCs around. With just a 5.5-inch OLED screen, it's a noticeable step down from the Steam Deck OLED and Asus ROG Ally X, let alone the much large Lenovo Legion Go.

This compactness makes it a great option for those seeking a handheld suitable for traveling light or using one of these devices on a regular commute where you're cramped for space and may have to stand. That's especially true as it's much lighter than others too, weighing in at just 398g compared to 640g for the Steam Deck OLED.

All that compactness comes with some obvious compromises, though. The AMD Ryzen 5 5560 chip in this handheld is considerably less powerful than most other handhelds. It can still play most games at low settings and 720p resolutions or lower but Steam Deck-level power was already right at the limit of what's useable for most games so the Ayaneo Air feels even more limited.

Battery life is limited too and the smaller screen means this feels less like a device you might want to use for other tasks such as watching video or browsing the web. Still, with a low asking price, it's potentially a great option for many buyers, if you can get hold of one, as stock seems to have mostly dried up since its launch in 2023.

We think Sony's PSP is one of the best-designed pieces of tech ever conceived and it's clear GPD has had similar thoughts, as its GPD Win 4 gaming handheld is effectively a Windows-powered equivalent. With a slide-up screen that reveals a full keyboard, it brings a whole new level of practicality to the gaming handheld space.

This novel construction really sets the GPD Win 4 apart from the rest, as despite touchscreen keyboards having taken over in the mobile phone and tablet space, physical keyboards just bring so much utility to devices of this size. Whether it's shortcuts for key Windows functions or just speedy typing on a device that's otherwise unwieldy for such use, it's ideal. That's not to say it's a keyboard on par with a laptop but it's better than none at all.

Powering the GPD Win 4 is the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, which is similar to the Ryzen Z1 Extreme chips of other handhelds with its Radeon 780M GPU. So, this isn't a meaningfully faster unit than most of its competitors.

The sheer amount of utility brought about by the design of the GPD Win 4 is what sets it apart, though, even if it only has a 6-inch 1080p screen. The real kicker for this handheld, though, is its price. At around $1,500 / £1,000 it's a very pricey handheld.

While not a PC gaming handheld in the traditional sense, the Razer Edge gives you access to your PC library via cloud streaming. You can link your Game , GeForce Now, and Steam s to stream games from anywhere and the Edge does it all with a stunning display and plenty of power to back it up.

Mobile games are also a breeze thanks to the Andriod OS, giving you the option to run games natively with its 128GB storage. When we reviewed the Razer Edge, we found the cloud streaming setup to have one notable flaw with its resolution output, but beyond that, it was a fantastic device with plenty of room to grow in the future.

Nexus is the trick that the Edge has up its sleeve, as it allows you to completely remap the button inputs to the included Razer Kishi V2 controller. You can then make these overlays disappear, leaving your gaming experience uninterrupted. This software is only for mobile titles though, as PC cloudy streaming s the Razer Kishi V2 as though it was a standard Xbox controller.

Read our Razer Edge review.

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 isn't at all a conventional handheld gaming PC. However, its tablet form factor means you can technically hold it in a similar manner to a gaming handheld and play some games in this way. Point and click adventures, city building sims, or any other games that only require single-digit touchscreen input can all be played in this way. Plus, the Flow Z13 also can be used like a conventional laptop, thanks to its keyboard/trackpad cover.

To get the most from it while gaming, you do need a mouse or controller. Plus, its battery life while gaming only stretches to a couple of hours, at least when gaming at decent detail settings on its large 13-inch screen. For non-gaming, though, its battery lasts over ten hours, so if you're happy to mostly watch video and browse the web on long journeys and only occasionally game, it's an interesting option.

Crucial to the appeal of this tablet is its AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 U that houses a very powerful integrated GPU. It's far, far more powerful than other gaming handhelds, enabling 1080p+ gaming at smooth frame rates and high detail settings. Effectively it's just a gaming laptop with an odd shape but if you like the idea of sometimes just using a tablet for handheld gaming, it delivers the goods, for a high price.

Read our Asus ROG Flow Z13 review.