To help you find the best gaming tablets for your money, we analyzed a wide variety of different products over the course of several hours. As a part of our evaluation, we measured each device based on its processing power, display quality, and battery life. We recommend choosing a gaming tablet that offers a good combination of all three of these categories. We also recommend identifying additional features and functionalities like cameras, attachable accessories, and biometric security that you might want or need, and purchasing a gaming tablet that offers them.
With all of these features in mind, we selected the Apple iPad Mini as the best gaming tablet available today. Keep reading to learn more about this powerful and user-friendly tablet, as well as the other best tablets we chose to include in this buying guide.
Top 10 Best Gaming Tablets
#1 Apple iPad Mini Gaming Tablet
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: With a powerful A12 Bionic processor, superb Retina display, and lightweight yet durable design, this tablet is the perfect all-around tablet for both casual and hardcore gamers. Plus, it offers a long-lasting battery with 10 hours of life and compatibility with the first-generation Apple Pencil.
- Snappy A12 Bionic processor
- Long-lasting, 10-hour battery
- Compatible with Apple Pencil
- Older iPad design
- No support for Face ID
If you want to combine portability with gaming prowess, then you can’t go wrong with the Apple iPad Mini. For starters, this device features a 7.9-inch screen size with Retina display technology and a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. The Retina display also features a wide color gamut with accurate color reproduction so all of your video games look visually stunning. Unfortunately, the only downside to the iPad Mini’s display situation is the fact that it still features a more traditional iPad design with larger bezels, which looks outdated when held up to the other new-gen iPad models. If you need a tablet for working outdoors, check out the best rugged tablets.
When it comes to performance, the Apple iPad Mini sports the A12 Bionic processor for smoother gameplay and more responsive controls. The A12 chipset also keeps everything else on the iPad running without a hitch. Apple’s operating system for tablets, iPadOS, is seamless and user-friendly. Plus, it gives you access to the entire Apple system and comprehensive App Store, so you’ll always have access to the latest and greatest in gaming technology. For these reasons, this 7-inch gaming tablet exceeds all expectations and easily earns our top pick ranking. As far as the best iPads go, put this on your list!
#2 Apple iPad Air 4 Gaming Tablet
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This gaming tablet is the result of years of fine-tuning and in-depth attention to detail, making it an excellent choice for gamers and casual tablet users alike. The powerful tab features an innovative A14 Bionic processor, extra-sharp Retina display, and durable, lightweight design.
- Lightweight, thin, and durable design
- Powerful A14 Bionic chipset
- Compatible with Apple Pencil
- No Face ID biometric security
- No headphone jack
The 4th-generation Apple iPad Air, also commonly referred to as the iPad Air 4, was an easy pick for our honorable mention award in the best gaming tablet category. This iPad comes as the culmination of three previous models of the ultra-successful Air line, and it keeps what’s successful while improving upon previous drawbacks. The iPad Air 4 still sports an extra-thin and lightweight design while maintaining its durable nature thanks to its aluminum body. You’ll also get a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with 2360 x 1640 pixels of resolution. As such, your gaming experience will be colorful, sharp, and more immersive than with other options.
With a powerful A14 Bionic processor, you won’t need to worry about performance issues on the iPad Air 4 either. Even the most recent mobile games will run well without freezing or stuttering. Plus, you’ll be able to use productivity and business apps on this tablet without a problem. Even better, the iPad Air 4 is compatible with the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, one of the best stylus technology available, and Apple’s new Magic Keyboard. With these additional accessories, you’ll be able to increase your overall efficiency in using the iPad, as well as give yourself some room to use it for drawing and other creative applications.
#3 Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Gaming Tablet
Award: BEST WITH STYLUS
WHY WE LIKE IT: This gaming tablet features a powerful Snapdragon processor, gorgeous LED display, and long-lasting battery life. Plus, your purchase includes the S Pen stylus, which is an excellent accessory that improves user-friendliness and efficiency in every way.
- Smooth 120Hz OLED display
- S Pen included in purchase
- Excellent 13-hour battery life
- DeX mode could be improved
- Disappointing Android tablet apps
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is one of the best Android gaming tablets to come out in today’s market. It improves upon a lot of the downfalls of modern Android tablets, especially in the battery life and display quality realms. This tablet is meant to be a workhorse, and its specs reflect that idea. For starters, the large battery can last you upwards of 13 hours on a standard use pattern. Of course, playing games or streaming 4K content will lessen that battery life, but it’s one of the better ratings available today. Plus, you’ll get a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor in this Samsung tablet, which keeps games and everything else moving smoothly.
The Galaxy Tab S7 is also designed extremely well with an attention to detail that’s hard to find in other tablets. It features a thin metal body that’s lightweight and durable with a premium feel that’s easy to hold for longer periods of time. On top of that, Samsung’s 11-inch display is one of the best we’ve evaluated to date. Its standout feature is the 120Hz refresh rate, which keeps games looking smooth, even during the most intense action sequences. Plus, the display features a sharp 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution for even more detailed gameplay. We were also impressed by the inclusion of the handy S Pen stylus, which elevates the entire user experience on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7. It’s a wonderful option for gamers who are also in the market for the best tablets for note-taking.
#4 Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Gaming Tablet
Award: BEST WITH KEYBOARD
WHY WE LIKE IT: If you want to use your gaming tablet for both online entertainment and work purposes, then you can’t go wrong with this powerful option. Featuring a snappy 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, sharp PixelSense display, and the ability to add an excellent keyboard, this tablet will keep you gaming and working for longer periods of time in more comfort than its competitors.
- Supports Wi-Fi 6 connection
- Fast 10th-gen Intel processor
- Includes USB-C and USB-A ports
- No support for Thunderbolt
- Large bezels around screen
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a powerful gaming tablet that offers the best when it comes to internal performance hardware and external design quality. For starters, the Surface tablet offers powerful internal components with its quad-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and Intel Iris Plus Graphics chipset. These two combined give you a stellar gaming experience that will have no problem with the most recent video games like Fortnite and PUBG. Plus, with a 256GB SSD, you’ll have lots of room for storage and even more speed when loading and playing games. On top of all that, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is compatible with Wi-Fi 6 signals for even more reliable and fast internet speeds.
The Surface Pro 7 is also designed well, with a premium approach to details and aesthetics. With a metal frame and body, the tablet is more durable than its plastic counterparts while still maintaining a good level of portability, even with the keyboard attached. Speaking of the keyboard, it’s one of the best we’ve ever analyzed. It attaches and detaches from the Surface Pro with ease and provides an added level of comfort that you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. The Surface Pro 7 also features an extra user-friendly interface since it runs on the Windows 10 operating system. This also makes it the best tablet for emulation since Windows 10 can run most of the popular emulators available for download today. It’s one of the best tablets with keyboards on our list.
#5 Apple iPad Pro 11-inch Gaming Tablet
Award: BEST QUALITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: This gaming tablet comes to the table with a premium level of quality and performance that’s hard to find in its competitors. With its powerful A12Z Bionic chip, gorgeous 11-inch Retina display, and support for Apple’s best accessories, this tablet is an excellent bet for gamers who also want to use their tablet for art, work, streaming, and day-to-day web surfing.
- Blazing fast A12Z Bionic processor
- Excellent camera array for sharp pictures
- Stunning, color-accurate display
- Limited internal storage options
- Apple Pencil costs extra
The 11-inch Apple iPad Pro is the perfect combination of performance and size. While it’s slightly larger than most gaming tablets with its 11-inch display, it’s not overly cumbersome or hard to pack around. In fact, the tablet’s lightweight design is portable and durable, making it great for on-the-go gaming sessions. The iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina display is one of Apple’s best to date, and it gives you amazingly detailed and color-accurate image quality. You’ll get a pixel resolution of 2388 x 1668 pixels and compatibility with the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil for increased efficiency in navigation and artistic applications. Plus, the iPad Pro is compatible with Apple’s newest Magic Keyboard, which is an excellent accessory for using the tablet as a laptop replacement.
We were also impressed by the iPad Pro’s overall performance, especially when it comes to gaming and creative applications, thanks to its A12Z Bionic processor. While this isn’t quite as powerful as the latest A14 chipset, it still has more than enough juice to run resource-heavy applications like video games and creative applications like Photoshop. The iPad Pro also offers a hefty battery life, rated at 10-11 hours total. This is great for long gaming sessions, although games can drain the battery faster than other applications. All in all, the 11-inch iPad Pro offers the best combination of build quality and performance for gamers and creatives alike. It’s a great choice for anyone searching for the best drawing tablets.
#6 Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Gaming Tablet
Award: BEST AUDIO
WHY WE LIKE IT: If you need the best cheap tablet for PUBG and other gaming applications, then you can’t go wrong with this option and its overall responsive Exynos 9611 chipset. On top of that, this gaming tablet offers an outstanding battery life, S Pen stylus, and excellent speakers with Dolby Atmos support for more immersive gameplay.
- Edge-to-edge, colorful display
- Superb 13-hour battery life
- Includes excellent S Pen stylus
- Display could be brighter
- No fingerprint sensor
With the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, you’ll get a reliable gaming experience without paying an arm and leg for it. The 10.4-inch tablet offers a high-quality display with a 2000 x 1200 pixel resolution and vivid colors. Plus, the display area goes edge to edge with nearly invisible bezels, which is a nice design aesthetic. The brightness could be a little better, especially when compared to similar tablets, but this doesn’t detract too much from the overall experience with the Tab S6 Lite. The tablet also offers an all-metal design for added durability and more of a premium design aesthetic.
The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite sports the Samsung Exynos 9611 chipset, which offers a good amount of performance and a lot of reliability. It’s not the most powerful processor on the market, so you may notice some hesitation when switching back and forth between apps and games, but it does well enough running even the more intense games like PUBG and Fortnite. To top it all off, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite features a large, 7040 mAh battery that gives you around 13 hours of standard usage, which is impressive in its own right. No need for the best wireless speakers with this model.
#7 Amazon Fire HD 10 Gaming Tablet
Award: BEST FOR CASUAL ENTERTAINMENT
WHY WE LIKE IT: This gaming tablet offers a lot of versatility at an affordable price point, including long battery life, high-quality display, and compact design. Plus, the tablet has access to Amazon’s ecosystem, making it extra user-friendly and good for reading or watching Prime Video.
- Versatile USB-C port included
- Fire OS 7 is user-friendly, simple
- Battery can last for 12 hours
- Disappointing camera quality
- No access to Google Play Store
The Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is perfect for casual gamers who want a device to handle their gaming and other casual entertainment needs. With seamless access to Amazon’s entire ecosystem, you’ll be able to use Alexa voice commands, watch Prime Video, and read Kindle ebooks, all on this device alone. Each of these applications works well on the Fire HD 10, and gaming also works very well. All of this is made possible through Amazon’s excellent Fire OS 7 operating system, which is user friendly and responsive.
The overall design of the Fire HD 10 tablet is also worth noting here. As the product name implies, the tablet sports a large, 10-inch display so all of your video games and other entertainment is more immersive. The display gives you Full HD resolution with good brightness and accurate color reproduction. You’ll also get a 6300 mAh battery for upwards of 12 hours of operating time, which is much better than you’ll find on similarly priced tablets. Another positive design aspect here is the inclusion of a USB-C port, which enables faster charging and more versatility in connection options. It’s a great option for anyone looking for the best tabs for reading with added features.
#8 Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gaming Tablet
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: If you’re looking for a cheap gaming tablet with good all-around specs, then this option is an excellent choice with its stellar IPS display, a generous amount of RAM, and versatile functionality. Plus, it still features an all-metal back cover and slim bezels, both of which give the tablet a premium feel despite its budget price point.
- Wide viewing angles on IPS display
- Includes handy charging dock
- 4GB of RAM
- Camera quality could be better
- Tinny-sounding speakers
The Lenovo Tab M10 Plus is the best budget gaming tablet your money can buy today. Before you worry about performance issues, you can rest assured that the Lenovo tab can run most modern-day games with ease, thanks to its MediaTek Helio P22T octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM. It also sports 64GB of internal storage space plus the ability to add a microSD card for additional storage up to 256GB.
This budget gaming tablet also features a premium design quality, which is surprising in face of its more affordable price point. With a back cover made entirely of metal, the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus feels much more expensive than it really is, and it offers a high level of durability. It also offers a 10.3-inch display with Full HD resolution. This is the area we expected cutbacks to be made the most to achieve a budget status. Fortunately, despite the lower screen resolution, the Lenovo’s display is still bright and colorful, which makes for an excellent gaming experience. Make sure to invest in one of the best tablet cases to ensure your device is protected.
#9 Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Gaming Tablet
Award: BEST FOR CHILDREN
WHY WE LIKE IT: If you’re looking for a high-quality gaming tablet that your kids can use without worry, then this device is your best bet. With extensive parental controls, an extra-durable rubber case, and expandable internal storage, you’ll be able to give your kids a fun and safe gaming experience.
- Storage can be expanded up to 1TB
- Rubber case is tough and convenient
- Comprehensive parental control settings
- Not as many games as Google Play Store
- Lower display resolution
There are no two ways about it. Kids love playing games on their phones and tablets. Fortunately, mobile gaming has evolved to the point where there are plenty of kid-safe games available to play. And with the Amazon Fire HD 8, there’s also a portable device that can keep up with the demands and tumbles that are often associated with children. This unique gaming tablet offers comprehensive tablet functionality at a budget-friendly price point and with a kid-friendly design. The included rubber case is super durable and protects the Fire HD from drops and bumps without a moment of hesitation. The case even includes a kickstand for more user-friendly operation.
When it comes to performance, you aren’t getting the fastest processor. However, the Amazon Fire HD 8’s quad-core internal processor offers more than enough power to play most games geared for kids. The streamlined, simple user interface also adds to a seamless and responsive experience for your kids, which leads to less frustration. We were also impressed by Amazon’s inclusion of extensive parental controls on this gaming tablet. With them, you’ll be able to set age limits on apps your kids can download and set schedules to limit screen time. The Fire HD 8’s display is also decent, although it does feature a resolution of just 1024 x 600 pixels, which isn’t as clear as other competitors. It’s still the best kid tablet on our list.
#10 Microsoft Surface Go 2 Gaming Tablet
Award: BEST PORTABILITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: This gaming tablet offers a lightweight design and detachable keyboard for the ultimate experience in portability. Plus, its large display is bright and colorful with integrated graphics for a more immersive and detailed gaming experience.
- Bright colors, powerful graphics
- Rich audio from strong speakers
- Handy, built-in kickstand
- Battery life could be improved
- Lower-resolution display
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 tablet offers a best-in-class experience for gaming and productivity on the go. It features 10.5 inches of display real estate with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The display is also bright and colorful, which works well to display vibrant details in any of the mobile games you’re playing. The Surface Go’s design is streamlined for added portability, with just 1.2 pounds of weight and 0.33 inches of thickness. The detachable keyboard, if you choose to use it, doesn’t hinder that portability, either.
We were also impressed by the Microsoft Surface Go 2’s overall performance, especially with gaming. The tablet features an Intel Pentium Gold processor and the Intel HD Graphics 615 chipset. These two internal components combined make for a stellar gaming experience that’s hard to beat. Like other Microsoft tablets, the Surface Go 2 runs on the Windows 10 operating system, which is user-friendly and versatile, especially when it comes to games and productivity. All in all, if you want to combine gaming with portability, then you can’t go wrong with the Microsoft Surface Go 2 tablet. It’s one of the best tablets for travel on our list.
How We Decided
After identifying the top-rated gaming tablets, we set out on our research and ranking process by first analyzing each option’s overall performance. We preferred options with processors that were powerful enough to keep any game running smoothly, without lag or freezing. We gave more points to tablets with newer chipsets that were paired with higher amounts of RAM. Tablets with 4GB or 8GB of RAM earned the most points in this regard.
Next, we considered each tablet’s display. Video games are made better with sharp, detailed, and high-resolution displays. As such, we preferred tablets with high-quality displays and at least full HD resolution. The higher the resolution, though, the better we ranked the tablet. We also ranked tablets higher if they were able to more accurately reproduce colors with more brightness and vividness.
Finally, we ranked the gaming tablets in this buying guide based on their design and battery life. Tablets that were more comfortable to hold got more points in our analysis and the best options are lightweight and durable. When it comes to battery life, you should expect at least 10 hours of use, but devices with larger batteries were awarded more points.
Best Gaming Tablets Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- Processor and Performance
One of the most important features to consider when purchasing a gaming device is how well it performs with resource-intensive applications, like video games. Fortunately, most mobile games are made specifically for the mobile processors found in tablets and smartphones and don’t need as much power or performance. However, it’s still worth noting that the more powerful processor you have combined with a higher amount of RAM, the better gaming experience you will have, every time. - Display Quality
If you want to see your games in stunning HD quality and seamless graphics, then it’s important to purchase a tablet with a good display. When considering display quality, look at things like pixel resolution and pixel density. The higher these numbers are, the sharper and more detailed your display will appear. You should also consider color reproduction and brightness when looking at tablet displays. More vivid colors and brighter displays make for better gaming experiences. - Battery Life
Mobile video games are some of the most battery-hungry applications you can use on tablets, which is why it’s so important that you purchase a device with long battery life. The amount of battery life you need can really depend on how often you play games on your tablet, and even on how often you use your tablet for other things. In general, it’s a good idea to find an average battery life of 10-12 hours. Of course, if you’re constantly gaming, then that battery will go a lot faster, so you may want to supplement your tablet with a portable power bank. - Durability
Gaming sessions can get intense, and with handheld devices like tablets, you may experience more drops and bumps than you’d prefer. This is why it’s important to consider your gaming tablet’s overall durability. Devices with metal bodies are more durable than those with plastic bodies, so that may be a better choice for you in the long run. You may also be able to find a tablet with a durable, shatter-resistant display. This can improve your chances of experiencing little to no damage if you were to ever drop your tablet.
