Here's how to buy a gaming laptop that isn't a rip-off this Labor Day — I've found 6 machines that offer up to $800 off

MSI Stealth 16 AI+ — (Image credit: Future)

On the lookout for your next gaming laptop? Today is a good time to consider picking one up, as most big specialist retailers are currently hosting Labor Day sales with decent price cuts. Price cuts that help offset the spiralling costs of components and PCs, at least.

I've been looking through various retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Dell, and a few others to try and find the best deals. While the annual Labor Day sales are usually associated with grills or appliances, I've actually found some great discounts that can save you some serious cash today. Check out my full list just below.

Highlights include these Gigabyte A16 laptops for $1,159 (was $1,299) and $1,518 (was $1,849) at Best Buy and Walmart, respectively. Both of these are very, very strong contenders right now if you're looking for outright value, as you get 32GB of RAM right out of the box alongside one of the latest RTX 5000 series graphics cards.

Another great, albeit high-end option, is this Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S for $1,899 (was $2,199) at Best Buy. It's pricey, but you get 32GB of RAM, a high-end RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, and a 240Hz OLED display, which really justifies the hefty price tag. If you want a no-compromise machine for playing all the latest titles smoothly, then this is a great option.

Labor Day gaming laptops — quick links

Best Buy: gaming laptops starting at $699
B&H Photo: up to $1,000 off Lenovo, Acer, Asus
Dell: up to $600 off premium Alienware laptops
HP: 34% off HP and HyperX Omen laptops
Lenovo: 10% extra off with code BUYMORELENOVO
Walmart: up to $600 off MSI, Gigabyte, Acer

This week's best Labor Day gaming laptop deals

Graphics card: RTX 5050
Processor: Intel Core i5-13420H
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

It's tough to find a good, cheap gaming laptop these days — really tough, in fact. This MSI Cyborg at Walmart is a rare example of a sub-$1,000 machine that doesn't suck, however. With a Core i5 and RTX 5050, it's good enough to tackle a wide range of games, granted you're modest with your performance expectations. The RTX 5050 is capable of playing the latest games, but you'll likely have to tweak your graphical settings down a little on the most intensive titles.

Graphics card: RTX 5060
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7-255H
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

Newegg's sale has a ton of discounted machines right now, but my favorite is definitely this MSI Stealth 16 AI. It's on the pricey end for a machine with an RTX 5060, but this particular configuration features an OLED display and 32GB of RAM, which are two massive bonuses. You'll not only get as much performance as possible out of the graphics card, but all your games will look great on this machine's premium display.

Alex is TechRadar's retail editor, specializing in buying advice and general tips on how to save our readers as much cash as possible. He's covered major retail events in some capacity for over seven years now; both in editorial and other ecommerce adjacent roles on TechRadar, T3, GamesRadar, and other Future PLC sites. Alex's expertise touches on most areas, but he has a particular love for phones, laptops, and cameras, being an avid photographer.