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Playing mobile games on a smartphone is fine, but why stick to a tiny screen when you can amp up your gaming with a tablet? Some of these tablets can even run PC games, giving you a gaming experience that beats any phone. Plus, tablets come with bigger batteries, so you can game for longer, especially when you're on the move and want to turn a boring trip into an epic adventure.
So, which tablets are the top picks for gaming fanatics? How does the gaming experience stack up between an iPad and an iPad Pro? And what about Microsoft's Surface tablets? They run Windows, sort of bridging the gap between mobile and PC gaming. To help you out in your decision-making, we've put together a list of the coolest gaming tablets you can get in 2024. Bear in mind that the next batch of iPad Pro devices is coming pretty soon, so we expect these to climb to the top of our little list.
Gaming on mobile devices is synonymous with the ROG (Republic of Gamers) series that Asus maintains across different platforms. The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is a tablet that destroys the competition when it comes to gaming. And that's because it's technically a laptop with a removable keyboard. But we will let this one slide.
This beauty features a Nebula display (cool name, let's see what it really means), with some pretty nice specs: QHD 165Hz, 100% DCI-P3, Pantone Validation, and 500 nits brightness. You can configure one with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage, a Core i9-13900H processor, and an Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card.
It's a monster, and it runs Windows 11, which means games will be games, not some mobile nonsense. All this comes at a price, though, and it's pretty steep. But if you want the best tablet for gaming, you should check out the Asus ROG Flow Z13.
The Apple iPad Pro 11 (2022) is the epitome of mobile gaming. The 11-inch 120Hz ProMotion screen, coupled with the powerful M2 chipset inside, equals a buttery smooth, and eye-pleasing gaming experience.
Yes, the iPadOS is far from perfect for gaming and there are limited third-party peripherals to boost your gaming experience but at the end of the day, the “it just works” Apple philosophy really takes things to new heights.
Unlike the Surface line of tablets, with the iPad Pro, you’re getting a true mobile gaming experience, for better or for worse. We know we said the third-party peripherals are limited but the most popular ones are supported, so you can get a Razer Kishi controller or a Playstation DualSense and game on.
With the M2 processor and 16GB of RAM, the iPad Pro can rival dedicated desktop gaming PCs, if developers decide to play ball and create such games, that is. But you know, the iPad Pro is such a well-rounded device, and you can do so much more than play games on it that it deserves a lot of credit.
The only downside is the price, obviously. The top model pushes the $1000 mark and you can get a laptop for that kind of money.
Here's a strange one - the Microsoft Surface Pro 8! It's the closest thing to a full-blown laptop you can get, and it packs a punch with its Core i7 processor and lavish storage configurations. This machine also runs the latest Windows 11, and can get a lot of work done with a keyboard and a mouse (sold separately, of course).
There are different configurations and variants, and things can easily past the $1000 mark but if Windows gaming is your thing, and you want to take it with you on the road, there's no better option than this one.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is an amazing machine, a thing of beauty. It features a metal chassis, great screen - bigger than the one in the previous model, and can run your Word and Excel applications, along with practically every Windows app there is.
The downside is that you won’t be able to play mobile games. Yeah, the irony. There are ways to play Android games on the Surface but they’re complicated and on the border of being legal. Anyhow, it’s the odd one on our list, and if you don’t like mobile gaming as it is right now, you can get a Surface and PC game while being mobile. Or something like that…
The Honor Pad 9 offers something unique for its starting price of just 299 British pounds. For starters, it comes with a huge 12.1-inch IPS screen that looks great, and also supports refresh rates up to 120Hz, which can be crucial in some games. And moreover, the design of the slate is amazing, it looks and feels much more expensive than it really is.
Couple that with the optional Bluetooth keyboard, an ample amount of RAM and storage, and Google Services onboard, and you end you with a very potent tablet for not a lot of money. There's a hefty 8,300mAh battery to keep things going for hours, and you also get a fast charging brick in the retail box.
Granted, the Honor Pad 9 is far from a dedicated gaming tablet, but you'd be hard pressed to find a 12+ inch tablet that offers the same bells and whistles for the kind of money.
Pros
Big and bright 12.1-inch LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate
We know what you're thinking - "It's an Amazon tablet!" but hear us out. The Fire HD 10 Plus is actually a great deal if you're looking for something to play casual mobile games on. You're getting the big screen, which is critical for a great gaming experience, and at the other end of the spectrum - you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for this tablet.
The Fire HD 10 Plus comes with a 10-inch FullHD display (1920x1200), MediaTek Helio P60 chipset and 4GB of RAM. And while these specs won't light up the Universe, they're absolutely enough to run 99% of the mobile games out there.
Of course, one of the best features of the Fire 10 HD is its price - the tablet retails for around $179 but you can get if for a lot less if you manage to score a good deal (these are often discounted on Amazon).
Pros
Decent screen
Good battery life
Wireless charging
Cheap
Cons
Not very powerful
Runs on Fire UI over Android 9.0
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
The best Android gaming tablet
9.0
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
The Good
Premium, sturdy build
Great front cameras and mic
Huge, beautiful AMOLED display
S Pen stylus included
Samsung DeX
Has a vibration motor
MicroSD card slot for expandable storage, up to 1 TB
The Bad
With bezels that slim accidental touches are a problem
Disappointing rear cameras
Expensive accessories
No charger in the box
There are no offers available in your area.
Moving on to Android mobile gaming. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the best Android tablet for mobile gaming you can get right now. It has it all: super-sleek and stunning design, 5G connectivity, a gorgeous and super-smooth 120Hz display, top-of-the-line processor, a functional S Pen with lower latency, Samsung DeX support, vibration motor, microSD card slot (up to 1TB), you name it.
It doesn’t get much better than that, on the Android front. Let’s talk about the display - it’s a gorgeous Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. You won’t get a better visual gaming experience anywhere else, including dedicated PC gaming rigs. Unless you cough up thousands of dollars for an OLED monitor. And it's huge - 14.6-inches rivals most laptops out there!
The base RAM and storage configuration is 8GB/128GB but you can go up on both, and the only drawback here is the price, as the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra can easily cross that psychological $1000 threshold.
Now, if you don’t have $1000 to spend on a gaming tablet, there are more budget-oriented options out there. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is your budget Android tablet that will give you amazing value.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 features a Snapdragon 662 processor, 3GB RAM, and either 32GB or 64GB expandable storage. Also, it comes with a 10.4-inch display, Dolby Atmos surround sound, and a great price tag.
It’s true that the Galaxy Tab A7 doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles of its bigger and more expensive sibling but it will get the job done. If you want to try out mobile gaming on a tablet but you’re not sure about spending a lot of money, the Galaxy Tab A7 is a great choice.
Pros
The price
Good performance
Big screen
Good battery life
Stereo speakers
Cons
Display a bit dim
Base storage is on the lower side
Apple iPad Mini 6 (2021)
Apple gaming tablet on a budget
9.0
Apple iPad mini 6
The Good
Perfect size and weight for reading and jotting down notes
Unrivaled performance on a small tablet
Punchy stereo speakers
USB Type-C
2nd-gen Apple Pencil support
The Bad
Unimpressive display, wavy scrolling in portrait mode
There are no offers available in your area.
The same applies to the Apple iPad Mini 6 (2021). Apple’s last-generation iPad is a great budget choice for iOS fans. You get all the signature Apple features in this tablet. The design is sleek and stylish, the tablet itself is lightweight and comfortable, and it’s pretty powerful as well.
The price is the biggest pro here, as the last-gen iPad can be found at around $400. And for that kind of money, you get Apple's A15 Bionic chip, making the iPad Mini 6 one of the most powerful small tablets out there.
The speakers are also quite good for a tablet of this size, which is integral for a good gaming experience. The tablet also supports 2nd gen Apple pencil, which is an added bonus, even though gaming with a pencil is something close to unheard of.
That's a tricky question because it depends on several things. If you're going with a Windows-based tablet, you probably need at least 8GB of RAM to be able to comfortably play games, with 16GB being the better choice.
Now, if we're talking about Android gaming, things are a little different, as Android games are not that demanding on RAM size as their Windows counterparts. You can get away with 4GB, but the more the better - 6, 8 or 12GB are all fair choices, no need to go extreme here.
If you're gaming on an iPad, there's no RAM constrains, as apps are already fairly optimized to work well on the system. That's one less thing to worry about.
What size tablet do you need for gaming?
Again - the bigger, the better but there are some exceptions. Sometimes bigger tablets come with high-density screens, and all those pixels need to be pushed by the video processor. This might cause lag and other issues. It's not a coincidence that pro gamers would rather opt for a fast 1080p display, than go for a 4K one. Frames per second matter!
That being said, bigger tablet almost always equals bigger battery, so if longevity is the thing your going for, you should aim for the largest one. The exception here being the weight - if you travel a lot and want something portable and light, you need to make some compromises.
How to choose the best gaming tablet?
Well, as we've already touched on the subject in the lines above, it depends on your use case. If you travel a lot, then go for a lightweight tablet, if you want the best gaming performance and experience, a Windows tablet is probably the best choice, or if you want trouble-free mobile gaming without the need to put much though into the process, then get an iPad.
Conclusion
With that, we've come to the end of our current list of the best gaming tablets. However, this list is by no means final and we anticipate many new entries in the future. Regrettably, dedicated gaming tablets like the Acer Predator 8 and the excellent NVIDIA Shield K1 have become outdated, and there are no real successors on the horizon. Nevertheless, we will continuously update this list as new tablets emerge. So, keep an eye out for updates, as there's always something new waiting to pop out in the fast-paced tech world.
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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