Gaming handhelds were all the craze back in the ’90s and early 2000s. Many adults would remember playing games on the likes of Nintendo Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, and Sony PSP while growing up. These devices eventually lost their popularity, but in the last few years, gaming handhelds have been going through a bit of a resurgence.
Modern gaming handhelds are more powerful and feature-rich than ever. They can run PC games, including AAA titles, without any major hiccups. If you are in the market looking for the best gaming handhelds, we are here to help.
Best Gaming Handhelds to Buy in 2025
Steam Deck OLED
The Steam Deck OLED is the best gaming handheld for anyone looking to play their PC game library on the go. This Valve hardware lets you access and play your Steam library from anywhere you want. Its 7.4-inch OLED HDR 90Hz display with 1,200 x 800 pixels resolution ensures you enjoy what you see. Everything from characters to the environment looks vibrant and punchy on this panel.
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This is now a three-year-old machine featuring a custom 6nm AMD APU and 16GB LPDDR5 RAM. While it can play most games well, you are likely to find it struggling with modern AAA titles. It is packed with a 50Wh battery that can deliver anywhere between three hours and 12 hours of playback, depending on the game you are playing. It runs Valve’s SteamOS, which I have found to be a lot more suitable for gaming handhelds than Windows in terms of performance and power efficiency. It is also easier to check if a particular game is Steam Deck optimized or not.
If you want the Steam experience on a tight budget, you can go for the original Steam Deck with an LCD display. The trade-offs would be a smaller and less vibrant display, a smaller battery, a 60Hz refresh rate, and more performance struggles.
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 is the newest and best gaming handheld for Nintendo fans. Some might even argue it is the best gaming handheld console overall. It improves upon the first-generation console in multiple areas. You get a bigger and more vivid 7.9-inch Full HD LCD display with 120Hz refresh. The docked video output now supports 2K and 4K resolutions. There are performance improvements, including faster load times.
Joy-Con 2 controllers come with a new mouse mode that lets you interact in a new and more convenient way. They are also bigger and more comfortable to hold. You get a new GameChat feature that lets you chat with family and friends while gaming.
However, the console has two major drawbacks at the time of writing this. Its exclusive games are quite limited and a lot expensive. Its real-world battery life is very disappointing considering the claims made by Nintendo.
For those who want a Nintendo gaming handheld but not the latest and greatest, you can still go for the Nintendo Switch OLED.
ASUS ROG Ally X
The ASUS ROG Ally X should be on your list if you want a Windows gaming handheld console. It sports a 7-inch Full HD IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate and VRR support. Under the hood, you get an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and a whopping 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM. This is the machine to get if your priority is the best performance possible on a gaming handheld. However, do remember that playing games at the highest performance will result in shorter battery life.
Another good thing is that it is available in higher 1TB and 2TB storage options. It offers complete Windows 11 compatibility and is packed with an 80Whr battery. One of its biggest drawbacks is its steep pricing, which is as close as it gets to buying a gaming laptop.
Analogue Pocket
The Analogue Pocket is a gaming handheld that lets you enjoy retro video games on the go. It is capable of running Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges natively. You can use adapters (sold separately) to play Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Atari Lynx, and more. The device has a 3.5-inch LCD display with 1,600 x 1,440 pixels resolution. This is a 10 times sharper display than the original Game Boy, along with better color accuracy and dynamic range.
It has a design identical to classic handhelds, where you have a small display at the top and buttons at the bottom. You can choose to buy the Dock if you want to play retro games by connecting the console to your TV. The Pocket supports custom ROMs, in addition to cartridges, for retro games that can be run via microSD card. Although you may have issues with the stock availability, it usually sells out pretty quickly.
MSI Claw 8 AI+
If you want the biggest display on your gaming handheld, the newly launched MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the way to go. It brings noteworthy upgrades over the original Claw, which did not prove to be a success. It offers a massive 8-inch Full HD+ IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate and VRR. Under the hood, it is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 processor with 32GB LPDDR5 RAM. You can expect some serious gaming power from this machine.
You get the latest WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a fingerprint scanner for security. The device runs Windows 11 with Copilot integration. The only thing to keep in mind is that it does not come cheaply. You will have to shell out over $1,000 to bring one of these to your place.
