Gaming laptops are more expensive than ever, and it's not Amazon solving the problem this Prime Day

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Prime Day gaming laptop deals have a tough task ahead of them this year. 2026 has seen component prices (and therefore laptop prices) surge incredibly quickly, and the last few weeks have incurred a serious lack of credible discounts. That's all changed today, with early discounts hitting a number of our favorite models - just don't expect Amazon to have anything to do with it.

Both Newegg and Best Buy are running their own competing Prime Day gaming laptop deals this week, and they're offering far better discounts overall. In fact, of my eight top picks today Amazon only features once.

While prices on some of the best gaming laptops aren't going to rival those of previous years, there are still RTX 5060s for the low $1,000s and RTX 5070s at the $1500 mark - and that's not something I've been able to celebrate for a few weeks now.

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Why are gaming laptop prices higher in 2026?

HP Omen Max 16 gaming laptop on a wooden desk with RGB lighting on — (Image credit: Future)

The current component crisis and RAM shortages are to blame for increased gaming laptop prices. As AI manufacturers hoover up all the memory, consume-facing brands are being squeezed. With higher demand comes higher prices, and it's the final product that sees the biggest sacrifice.

I'm seeing a number of gaming laptop deals working to circumvent these issues; dropping their memory sizes from 32GB to 16GB, reverting back to cheaper graphics cards, or dropping display specs. However, most of the rigs that have already left the factories in 2026 are seeing a serious upcharge.

Thankfully, there are still a few 2025 machines still kicking around - and they haven't felt the same purse pinch. While I've noticed slightly higher rates even on these older rigs, their numbers are much easier to stomach. Indeed, most of my top picks up above are a year old now.

If you're after something more substantial, we're also getting you ready for this year's Prime Day gaming PC deals and Prime Day monitor deals. Or, take a look at the Prime Day tablet deals we're expecting for something lighter.

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Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I've written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i'm focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.