The Best Chromebooks for Gaming in 2022

Chromebooks are everywhere these days. As simple, inexpensive machines for everything from checking email and social media to writing papers and joining Zoom calls for classes and work, Chromebooks are proving themselves well-suited to today’s always-online life. But what about after class and outside of work hours? Can you play games on a Chromebook?

You won’t yet find a subset of Chromebooks made explicitly for gaming—and no Chromebook would ever qualify as a traditional gaming laptop. But that doesn’t mean your pastimes on a Chromebook have to be limited to social media scrolling, YouTube immersion, and Netflix binging. In fact, today you have several distinct approaches to playing games on Chromebooks, and even a couple of ways to enjoy today’s most popular games.

Even if you’re stuck using a locked-down system from school, or want to have more fun with a low-powered laptop running Chrome OS, you can leverage some fun options for every price point and level of hardware. Here’s a rundown of our best-bet Chromebooks for gaming, followed by a deep guide to all the aspects of gaming on Chrome OS and, finally, a spec breakout of our picks.

More About Our Picks

Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (2022)

Best Chromebook for Gaming on Steam

Bottom Line:

It’s pricey for a Chromebook, but Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713 remains a world-class alternative to Windows convertibles.

Pros

• Tall, high-res touch screen
• Snappy performance
• HDMI, Thunderbolt 4, and USB-A ports
• Roomy 256GB SSD instead of eMMC flash storage

Cons

• Rather costly for a Chromebook
• Half a pound overweight
• No stylus or fingerprint reader

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook

Best Chromebook Detachable for Android Gaming

Bottom Line:

Cool with Chrome OS in tablet form? A 13.3-inch OLED touch screen makes Lenovo’s second, bigger version of its Chromebook Duet a surprisingly nice 2-in-1 detachable for the money.

Pros

• Superb OLED display in an under-$500 detachable
• High-quality front and rear cameras
• Comes with keyboard cover and kickstand

Cons

• Ho-hum compute performance
• No audio jack, or 4G or 5G LTE option
• Stylus supported, but costs extra

A Solid Alternative to the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5

Bottom Line:

Its performance trails that of conventional Chromebooks, but HP’s Chromebook x2 is an attractive 11-inch tablet with keyboard, kickstand, and pen all in the box.

Pros

• Affordable price includes pen and keyboard cover
• Available 4G mobile broadband

Cons

• Tepid performance
• No headphone jack
• Wi-Fi 5, not 6 or 6E

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook (2021)

Best Rotating 2-in-1 Chromebook for Android Gaming

Bottom Line:

Chromebooks with poky processors and cramped flash storage dominate the market, but Lenovo’s fair-priced IdeaPad Flex 5 shows how a Chromebook can benefit from an Intel Core CPU and a “true” onboard SSD.

Pros

• Peppy performance
• Handsome design sneaks under 3 pounds
• Responsive keyboard

Cons

• No HDMI port
• Slightly dim display

A Solid Budget Alternative to the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5

Bottom Line:

The HP Chromebook x360 14a is a value-priced convertible kept from greatness by a dim display, poor speakers, and inconsistent trackpad.

Pros

• Responsive touch screen
• Snappy performance
• Good-looking design

Cons

• Low-resolution display
• Inconsistent touchpad
• Poor speaker quality

Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook

Best Chromebook for Linux Gaming

Bottom Line:

It’s priced above consumer Chromebooks, but the Lenovo C13 Yoga is every inch a ThinkPad and a terrific 2-in-1 for businesses choosing Google Workspace.

Pros

• Attractive, solid design
• Perky AMD Ryzen 5 processor paired with ample RAM and storage
• Four USB ports, an HDMI port, and a microSD card slot
• Above-average screen and keyboard
• Onboard stylus

Cons

• Somewhat expensive
• Subpar sound
• Pen lags behind rapid movements
• Poorly equipped base model

Best Big-Screen Chromebook for Gaming

Bottom Line:

Chromebook buffs need no longer be jealous of 17-inch Windows laptops—the Acer Chromebook 317 is a budget-priced, big-screen browsing machine.

Pros

• Jumbo 1080p display
• Comfortable-feel keyboard
• Two USB-C and two USB-A ports, plus a microSD card slot
• Low price

Cons

• No HDMI port or backlit keyboard
• Tepid performance
• Screen could be brighter
• Weak sound

Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1W)

Best Premium Chromebook for Gaming on Google Stadia

Bottom Line:

Acer’s Core i3-based refresh of its Chromebook 514 blends luxury with robust performance and features, and tops it off with great battery life.

Pros

• Peppy performance
• Excellent battery life
• Luxurious, yet sturdy, design
• Robust port selection
• Touch screen

Cons

• Expensive for a Chromebook
• Weighty lid and lighter base cause weight imbalance

A Solid Alternative to the Acer Chromebook 514

Bottom Line:

The Google Pixelbook Go is a well-built and stylish ultraportable, albeit one that costs far more than most of its Chromebook brethren.

Pros

• Chic styling.
• Magnesium alloy body.
• High-quality 1080p camera.
• Good audio output.
• Long battery life.

Cons

• Expensive for a Chromebook.
• No digital stylus support.

Dell Chromebook 11 (3100)

Best Small Budget Chromebook for Browser Games

Bottom Line:

Designed to withstand the rigors of daily life in the classroom, at home, and in between, the Dell Chromebook 11 hits a trifecta: rugged, affordable, and great for kids.

Pros

• Compact
• Sturdy, kid-friendly design
• Spill-resistant keyboard
• Optional LTE
• Plenty of USB ports
• Reasonably priced accidental damage coverage

Cons

• Poor Wi-Fi signal reception
• Display limited to 1,366 by 768 resolution
• No SD card reader
• Clumsy touchpad

Chromebooks for Gaming 101: How to Choose the Right Model

In case you’re not familiar with Chromebooks, they’re simply laptops that run Google’s Chrome OS instead of Microsoft Windows or Apple macOS. If you’ve used a web browser, you’ll be able to work with Chrome OS just fine. 

Chrome OS is built around the same Chrome browser you’ve likely used on other laptops. Google’s approach to software is simple: Offer just enough of an operating system to get online, with everything else built on top of the basic browsing experience. For many users, that’s enough for everyday computing, providing all the tools they need to engage in hours of Facebook, YouTube, and Gmail.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

But you can do a lot more on Chrome OS if you want to. Google has developed a number of helpful cloud-based productivity tools. Google Drive offers online storage, and Google Workplace delivers Docs, Sheets, and Presentations to match the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps you might be used to. And plenty of other tools are now available in the cloud, from Adobe Photoshop to those same Microsoft Office apps. You can also run browser extensions to add functionality to Chrome OS, as well as Android apps, opening up thousands of smartphone and tablet apps to use on current Chromebooks.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

And the browser-based OS isn’t going away any time soon. In 2021, Chrome OS surged to second place among major operating systems, topping macOS for the first time. With millions of consumers, students, and businesspeople using Chromebooks, they have evolved into great options for anyone who wants a simple way to get online and get work done, but who doesn’t demand all the functionality of a powerful Windows machine.

So, Wait: Can You Really Game on a Chromebook?

While the term “gaming” may call to mind high-powered gaming laptops or Microsoft’s and Sony’s dedicated consoles, the reality is that the gaming world is much larger than the so-called AAA or big-budget titles that major studios release. From retro games to the casual games that make smartphones so entertaining, plenty of gaming opportunities don’t require an expensive GPU or a single decorative LED.

At your disposal today are four main ways to game on Chromebooks, each with unique considerations for what kind of hardware you have:

• You can rely on browser-based games that need nothing more than visiting a website.

• You can run Android games, giving you all of the best games in the Google Play store.

• You can stream games through Google Stadia or similar streaming services. (There’s a catch with Stadia; more about that in a moment.)

• You can install a handful of Linux games directly onto your Chromebook, if you’re willing to do some work.

Our How to Play Games on Your Chromebook guide has more detail, but we’ll briefly discuss your options here.

Browser-Based Games: Play It Straight in Chrome

The simplest options for Chromebook gaming are browser-based games. These work right in the Chrome browser, without requiring a download or particularly powerful hardware. They range from basic versions of chess and checkers to old-school classics like Pac-Man and Doom, along with a huge number of indie games that are free to play online.

Retro games are freely available for playing in your browser via several legitimate websites, from Classic Games Arcade(Opens in a new window) to the Internet Archive’s coin-op arcade(Opens in a new window). Google even has its own collection of browser-based games, called GameSnacks(Opens in a new window), that run in HTML 5.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

While many of these games can be accessed just by navigating to the right website, you can enable some games for play in the Chrome browser via installing a browser extension. These are the simplest game options on this list, and most game extensions are free. And an important perk: They also have the benefit of letting you play offline.

For these games, you need nothing more than a Chromebook that can go online. The selection is a bit limited, but you might recognize a few titles, like FlappyBird and Temple Run. Most work with a keyboard and mouse, but they may also offer support for game pads and touch-screen input.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

These games are the perfect option for the average Chromebook, because they don’t rely on local processing power, large install files, or special input devices. And since they’re browser-based, they’ll work on any Chromebook, including school-issued systems.

Android Games: Play Phone Apps on Your Chromebook

Next are Android games, played using the support for Android apps built into newer Chromebooks. (Almost all Chromebooks from the last few years will support them; be sure to check if you have an older model.) From simple clickers to complex RPGs and action titles, the Google Play store is chock-full of games that can now be enjoyed on any Chromebook, with a couple of caveats.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Two things are important to note. First, you may not be able to play some Android phone games properly unless your Chromebook has a touch screen. Second, students may be out of luck, since most school districts disable Android support by default. But if you’re one of the millions of Chromebook owners who can freely use Android apps, you can enjoy a wealth of gaming options through the Google Play store, from viral hits like Among Us and Wordle to a wealth of games in every genre.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Really, any of the best Android games we recommend for phones will work just as well on Chrome OS—but there’s a catch. As noted, with Android games designed for phones and tablets, you’ll definitely want to get a Chromebook that offers touch capability. We’d strongly suggest a convertible or detachable 2-in-1 design.

Streaming for Fun: Gaming With Stadia and Steam

If you want to play more mainstream games and AAA titles, you’ll need to use a game-streaming service like Google Stadia. In fact, Stadia comes preinstalled on many new Chromebooks, though you’ll pay $9.99 per month to use it after the free trial period. The upside? You can play AAA games (often free with your membership) like Saints Row IV, Darksiders III, Control, and Far Cry 6. Just check out the Stadia games list(Opens in a new window) to see the hundreds of titles available. The downside of Stadia in particular, though, is an existential one: It won’t last much longer. Stadia is shutting down in January of 2023.)

Of course, other game streaming services exist, ranging from Steam to personal online services like Shadow(Opens in a new window) and Parsec(Opens in a new window). However, you may not be able to run these services on every Chromebook.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Steam for Chrome OS, for example, is available only on models that meet certain hardware parameters. Because gaming requires ample CPU and GPU power, Steam on Chrome requires an 11th Generation Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics and at least 8GB of RAM—and those are relatively high-grade components for a Chromebook. With those limits in mind, we’ve included our favorites in this list.

A More DIY Approach: Linux Gaming on Chrome OS

Finally, because Chrome OS is built on the foundations of the Linux kernel, you can try running Linux games on your Chromebook. This opens up a whole range of software, much of it available for free.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Once you shift to storing and running programs locally, however, you need a machine with more processing power and roomier storage than your typical Chromebook. That means something running on an Intel Core or AMD Ryzen chip rather than the low-powered ARM processors common among budget Chromebooks. You’ll also want to step up to more memory and larger, faster solid-state drive (SSD) storage instead of the smaller eMMC flash memory of economy models.

That settled, there are two paths to take on the Linux front: You can go the official, Google-approved route and install Linux apps using Crostini(Opens in a new window), or you can install a full Linux desktop using Crouton(Opens in a new window). Both options are explained in our guide How to Install Linux on Your Chromebook, and either will let you access the Linux game catalogs on Steam and GOG(Opens in a new window).

Gaming on Chrome OS: Still a Stretch, But Plenty of Fun

We’ve covered several options for enjoying games on a Chromebook, from a round of Pac-Man in your browser to popular Android phone games, and from streaming through Google Stadia to installing the Linux operating system just for games.

But at the end of the day, it’s worth pointing out that not even the best Chromebook will match the cheapest of our choices for the best cheap gaming laptops. Instead, Chrome OS gaming is all about giving you some fun ways to use what you already have, or need to buy for other, more critical purposes. Still, if you want to go Chrome and play, check below for a spec breakout of our current Chromebook favorites.