Best Chromebook For Gaming (Top 5) Unbiased Reviews 2023

1. Acer – Chromebook Spin 713

As a gaming Chromebook, the Acer Spin 713 is one of the best in the market. In addition to an Intel Core i5 processor, the Spin 713 comes with Intel Iris Xe graphics. The video quality of this product is impeccable. An added 18% additional vertical display space is provided by the 2K IPS display’s unique 3:2 aspect ratio. It can operate as a laptop or a tablet since it is a 360-degree convertible notebook. Spin 713 is incredibly light and thin, weighing only 3.02 pounds and measuring just 0.67 inches thick. The Acer Spin 713 has a lightweight frame, but is also military-grade durable, meeting MIL-STD-810H. Connections are excellent.

Additionally, there is a microSD card slot, headphone jack, and Wi-Fi 6 support. Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort are both USB-C ports, and there are a pair of USB Type-A ports. This laptop comes with an SSD of 256GB and an 8GB RAM. Games can be stored on the microSD card slot, freeing the hard drive. Spin 713 features a stunning, bright, 2K (200 PPI) IPS display, aluminum chassis, and MIL-STD durability.

It is nice that the screen dimensions are not standard, but the 3:2 aspect ratio provides greater vertical space. You’ll be letterboxed regardless of how productive widescreen content is.  Furthermore, unlike the small bezels often found on laptops, monitors, and TVs, the Spin 713 features a large bezel. Although the Acer Spin 713 is the best Chromebook for gaming, productivity, and entertainment, it lags behind other Chromebooks in all respects.

2. HP X360 Chromebook

HP’s x360 Chromebook is an affordable Chromebook. It is faster than the Intel i5-7200U CPU when the optional Intel i3-10110U processor is selected. There are 8GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC on this laptop. HP’s x360 is a smart, slick laptop with USB 3.0, a backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and webcam. Game play is smooth with most Android games, and the Intel i3 model is excellent for gaming. An eMMC drive with 64GB of storage is nowhere near enough. Onboard storage can also be expanded using MicroSD cards. The backlit keyboard is the same as a Chromebook, and the top row has controls for brightness, volume, and a search/menu key instead of Caps Lock.

Inverted Ts are used instead of rows of clumsy keys for the cursor-arrow (a strong hint to HP laptop designers). The laptop is equipped with multiple USB Type-C ports to connect the AC adapter. The right and left edges of the laptop have USB Type-C ports. A volume rocker, a power button, and a tiny slider control the webcam are all found on the left edge. Right of the USB Type-A port is an audio jack, a microSD card slot, and a drop-jaw Ethernet port (similar to some notebooks’ Ethernet ports).

In addition to 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) and Bluetooth 5.0, the Chromebook x360 14c supports the latest wireless technology. With little wobble, the hinges that let you flip, fold, and flip again the display by tapping it while in laptop mode with a full HD touch screen (1,920-by-1,080-pixel resolution) hold firmly. However, the screen and base are separated by a substantial gap when the tablet mode is retained.

3. Lenovo IdeaPad 3 11

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an inexpensive Chromebook that is good for gaming. The display measures 11.6 inches with 1366 x 768 pixels. A dual-core Intel Celeron N4020 processor is paired with 4GB of RAM, and an eMMC module capable of storing 64GB. Despite its UHD graphics 600, it is capable of playing light video games. The IdeaPad 3 boasts impressive connectivity, especially in light of its price. Two USB Type-C ports and two USB 3.0 Type-A ports are included, as well as a microSD card slot, a headphone jack, and two USB 3.0 Type-A ports. Among the higher-end systems the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 can emulate are the PSP, N64, Wii, and some GameCube titles.

It is more than possible to play native Android games like Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, even on a low-performance tablet like the IdeaPad 3. Despite having an Intel Celeron N4020 processor and integrated Intel UHD 600 GPU, this laptop is not very powerful. Additionally, it has a limited amount of storage space of 64GB. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 still excels at native Android gaming, as well as Android emulation. The IdeaPad 3 does not have a large enough flash drive to hold large files, so you will need to back up your photos or videos as well as other large files to the cloud or an external drive. MicroSD cards can be inserted into the IdeaPad 3. If you need more storage, you can add it at very low cost.

4. Google Pixelbook Go

Chromebooks are perfect for gaming, especially Google’s Pixelbook Go. A 256GB SSD, 16GB of RAM, and an Intel Core i7 processor are included in the Google Pixelbook. Battery life is 12 hours with this device. Power and portability are balanced in the Pixelbook Go. With this backlit “Hush” keyboard, you can type in comfort and quietness. A touchscreen display is also a feature of the Pixelbook Go. Linux and Android apps run very smoothly on the Pixelbook Go. Pixelbook is more than capable of handling gaming with Google Stadia. Its 1080p webcam stands out higher than that of most Chromebooks and laptop bezels, which have 720p cameras. 

Google Pixelbook Go features a stylish design and a sturdy, attractive build. It is unfortunately quite expensive. Even so, for the cost, you get a fairly robust machine. For your money, there are budget gaming laptops with much more power available.

5. Lenovo ThinkPad C13

AMD’s performance is normally excellent for the price. That holds true for the Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga as well. Featuring up to a 256GB SSD and up to 8GB of RAM, the C13 is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3500C processor. For advanced networking, there is Wi-Fi 6. You’ll enjoy typing on the backlit keyboard. It also has plenty of inputs/outputs (I/O), including a full-size HDMI jack, two USB Type-A connectors, two Type-C connectors (one is a power delivery port), and a microSD card slot. With a weight of 3.3 pounds and a thickness of 0.61 inches, it’s thin and light. Although the C13 Yoga is certified to MIL-STD-810G, it can withstand harsh environments.

IPS or OLED displays are available, both measuring 13 inches. Widescreen content displays beautifully with the 16:9 ratio. Ryzen 5 3500C, its optional chip, has excellent graphics performance for such a budget model. Due to the integrated Vega graphics, every Android game runs smoothly even the most demanding ones. As a result, these versatile laptops are ideally suited to tasks like photo editing, for example. Adobe Lightroom or Google Photos can be used to edit your photos.

A single-core Geekbench 5 test on the C13 Yoga rendered a score of almost 900, and a multi-core test produced about 3000. Acer Spin 713 comes in second, but Samsung Galaxy Chromebook and flagship Pixelbook Go both fall short. Some users may find the 16:9 aspect ratio cramping since it has a 13-inch screen. Due to its small size, its battery life is underwhelming at only six hours. Its potent AMD Vega graphics make it an excellent gaming Chromebook.

What to Look for in a Chromebook for Gaming

Almost any Chromebook can be used for basic web browsing such as office productivity and school work. For gaming however, you will want a Chromebook that is powerful and has large storage space for your games and apps. You should consider these features when choosing a gaming Chromebook!

GPU: 

Chromebooks generally feature integrated graphics cards, although some Chrome OS laptops feature dedicated graphics cards. Embedded AMD Ryzen processors provide awesome gaming performance, and many Acer Spin 713 models feature an Intel Xe dGPU for excellent graphics processing.

CPU: 

You’ll need a decent processor for gaming and emulation since these activities require a lot of hardware. You can find Chromebooks that are powered by AMD Ryzen embedded chips for better graphics performance with an Intel i5 processor. Streaming game content from the cloud, native Android gaming, even emulation are possible with Intel Celeron-based machines. Chromebooks with an improved CPU, however, are better for serious gamers.

RAM: 

Multitasking requires memory. Ideally, you should get a Chromebook with 4GB or more RAM but even better if it has 8GB or more.

Storage space: 

The games and ROMs you install will require a lot of storage space. Having 64 GB of hard drive space is the absolute minimum you need. You should opt for a 256GB or 128GB SSD instead.

Connectivity: 

Identify which peripherals you desire to purchase. Game controllers can either be wired or wireless, so you’ll probably need a gamepad when playing. In order to be able to store ROMs and apps on a microSD card, it is essential to have a microSD card slot. For big-screen gaming, your Chromebook can be connected with HDMI or USB-C for video output. You’ll probably want a Chromebook with Wi-Fi 6 compatibility, if you’re streaming video from the cloud.

Display: 

A Chromebook at 1080p will look just fine for most games, and most Chromebooks are ideal for 1080p. While some game streaming platforms have deployed 4K capabilities, ones like Google Stadia are at the forefront. Streaming video buffs will appreciate the stunning picture quality of a 4K panel.

Price: 

An important aspect to consider is the cost. Make sure that the Chromebook you choose fits your budget. You can purchase Chromebooks for as little as $130 USD or as much as a $1,000 USD.