It’s the holiday season, and gifting your tech enthusiast friend and/or loved ones is a great way to kick off the start of the year end, and handheld gaming PCs are a great option to consider.
Handheld gaming PCs have come a long way, especially after the release of Valve’s Steam Deck back in 2022. What used to be an otherwise super niche product has gained a bit of mainstream appeal, but at the cost of having the freedom of choice, and a market that still is admittedly very much in flux.
With that in mind, here is a curated list of the best handheld gaming PCs to get during this holiday season, in no particular order, ranging from the likes of the Steam Deck to the almighty GPD Win 5.
7 of the Best Handheld Gaming PCs to Buy In 2025
1) Legion Go 2
If you want the latest and greatest, there’s little reason to go beyond Lenovo’s Legion Go 2, set as the successor to the rather intriguing Legion Go. The Legion Go 2 features meaningful upgrades across the board, including a beautiful 8-inch+ OLED display and a massive 74 Whr battery that when paired with the efficient Ryzen Z2 Extreme makes for some seriously good battery life.
That being said, it is not without its issues, most notably with regards to pricing. At up to $1479, the Legion Go 2 is one pricey device that wades well into the territory of gaming PCs and laptops. Only consider it if you have the budget to supplement it.
2) MSI Claw 8 AI+
Representing Intel’s best in the handheld PC space, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ comes equipped with up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, an 8 inch 120 Hz display and an 80 Whr battery. This results in a beast of a machine that absolutely demolishes through every game you throw at it.
The Claw 8 AI+ still receives consistent updates to this very day, and has aged like fine wine in a way with more mature driver support from Intel. It’s a solid option and one that can take the fight to AMD.
3) Legion Go S
The Legion Go S is a lite version of the Lenovo Legion Go, and quite distinctly, lacks any of the unique features of the handheld (most notably, its ability to detach its controllers and enter a tablet-like mode).
That being said, the handheld is really, really good and has all the bells and whistles of a premium device, despite not costing all that much. At $449.99, the Z2 Go version of the Legion Go S is most definitely a great purchase, and objectively offers superior value when compared to the Steam Deck LCD.
The Legion Go S is also available in a Z1 Extreme version with 32 GB RAM, for a higher price and with a SteamOS variant.
4) Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED
The original, LCD version of the Steam Deck is still an amazing purchase in 2025, considering that you keep your expectations in check. This is not a very powerful machine, on account of the custom AMD SoC being quite a few generations old at this point.
However, the Steam Deck still offers the most cohesive, polished out of the box experience for most buyers, thanks to its running SteamOS instead of Windows. While you do lose some compatibility and performance when buying the Deck, it still is a joy to use and a great way to clear through your every growing Steam library backlog.
The Steam Deck OLED took everything that was problematic or inadequate with the original, LCD version of the Deck, and turned it around, making what is essentially a perfect handheld.
The LCD display has been replaced with a gorgeous OLED panel and certain changes to the battery and SoC mean that the OLED Steam Deck gets roughly twice the battery life of the original, which is a complete game changer.
There’s also a few tweaks to the look, feel and overall hardware of the device, and at $499 is your gateway to the world of PC gaming handhelds.
5) ROG Ally and ROG Ally X, and the Xbox versions of the same
The ROG Ally represents the best of what Windows has to offer in terms of mainstream appeal and affordability in the world of handheld gaming PCs. Released back in 2023, the original ROG Ally was a paradigm shift for handheld PCs, proving that there were beefier, relatively affordable options when compared to the Steam Deck.
While the Ally did compromise in terms of battery life, it certainly crushed it in terms of performance, and is still a viable option for many due to its discounted pricing.
The ROG Ally X is a further refined version of the original ROG Ally, and comes with a whopping 80 Whr battery that effectively solves all gripes we’ve ever had with the device.
Released later this year, the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are iterative upgrades to the existing ROG Ally lineup, but partnered with Xbox (and Windows) this time around. They feature updated chipsets (up to a Ryzen Z2 Extreme) and an initially controversial design that quickly grew to become a favorite.
That being said, these handhelds offer objectively poor value and you find yourself better off with a Z1 Extreme ROG Ally (with a battery mod installed), which offers a similar experience for a fraction of the cost.
6) Legion Go
The first gen Lenovo Legion Go is still a pretty capable handheld, even in late 2025 (and beyond). The handheld features dual detachable controllers like the Switch’s Joy-Con system, and a gorgeous 1600p display that scales up to 144 Hz.
It’s also powered by the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, and is a very capable machine. However, its weight and form factor might be too bulky for most, and there are newer options available now.
7) GPD Win 5
Often dubbed as the ultimate handheld gaming PC, the GPD Win 5 is very much a proof of concept and a handheld beast. The device comes equipped with up to an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPU which is something that has been locked to larger devices such as the ROG Flow Z13 (2025) and certain mini PCs.
The AI MAX+ 395 absolutely shreds through every game, and can run pretty much anything you throw at it, in High settings. It is equivalent to a mobile RTX 4060, after all.
That being said, the handheld is ridiculously expensive at $1700 and requires an external power brick to run without being connected to the power outlet.
