I hunt down cheap gaming laptop deals every month, and I’ve noticed a not-so-surprising trend. Well, what do you know? Everything’s more expensive now.
I know, groundbreaking.
For most of the year, though, we’ve been somewhat buffered in the world of the best gaming laptops. Not by new releases, oh no. But older 2025 machines have stuck to their discounts pretty well, holding the line against the rising costs of new releases. The HP Omen Max 16 offered better value than the new HyperX Omen Max, and the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14’s 2026 price tag flew over the previous generation’s head. Something felt different about my most recent trawl, though. Where it’s certainly been tougher to find decent gaming laptop deals this year so far, this month those numbers are looking slightly tougher.
Not only are fewer discounts available, not only are the savings that are live still far away from the kinds of prices we were seeing in January, but industry-wide price increases have pushed those ‘previous’ prices further up the scale, skewing the value of any discounts applied. Thankfully, there are some outliers here – one is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 that, I’ll cut to the chase, is actually cheaper than it was in March at $1,574.99 (Best Buy).
Best Buy explains this on its site. Some of its gaming laptop deals are run alongside a ‘Comparative Value Price’, not an MSRP set out by the manufacturer. It’s essentially a leeway should demand surge and prices follow accordingly. The retailer states “[their] ‘Comparative Value’ (Com. Value) prices are based on the price at which the product, or a comparable item, was (or in the future will be) offered for sale by Best Buy, marketplace sellers, manufacturers, suppliers, or other retailers, online or in-store.” Newegg, however, doesn’t offer an explanation – relying more on its marketplace system to set price trends.
It’s a little get-out-of-jail free card for charging higher rates that’s sometimes warranted but nevertheless fuelled by marketplace sellers. What’s more interesting is where this ‘comparative value’ hasn’t been applied to the listing, and ‘MSRPs’ are still standing tall.
It’s unavoidable in the face of component shortages, sure, but it’s more important than ever to check your price history if you’re hunting down Prime Day gaming laptop deals this month.
I’ve been back through the gaming laptop deals I handpicked in January to see where they’ve ended up in June 2026. That means this sample size is more of a snapshot rather than an all-encompassing view of the market as a whole, and the fact that it’s already limited to gaming laptops under $2,000 is another factor to consider. However, as a snapshot, it works to show us just how high those prices have jumped and what to look out for what shopping yourself.
|
Laptop |
Spec |
Sales price (January) |
Listed MSRP / comparative value price (January) |
Listed price (June) |
Percentage change |
Listed MSRP / comparative value price (June) |
Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lenovo Legion 5i |
Intel Core i7-14700HX | RTX 5050 | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD | 165Hz QHD+ display |
$999.99 |
$1,559.99 |
$1,649.99 |
65% |
$1,649.99 |
Best Buy |
|
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI |
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | RTX 5060 | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD | 240Hz QHD+ OLED display |
$1,149.99 |
$1,599.99 |
$1,424.99 |
23.91% |
$1,724.99 |
Best Buy |
|
Lenovo Legion 7i |
Intel Core Ultra 7 255 HX | RTX 5060 | 32GB RAM | 1TB SSD | 165Hz QHD+ OLED display |
$1,234.99 |
$1,869.99 |
$1,929 |
56.2% |
$1,949.99 |
Best Buy |
|
Asus TUF A16 |
AMD Ryzen 9 270 | RTX 5070 | 32GB RAM | 1TB SSD | 165Hz FHD+ display |
$1,249.99 |
$1,699.99 |
$1,799.99 |
44% |
$1,799.99* |
Best Buy |
|
HP Omen Transcend 14 |
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H | RTX 5060 | 32GB RAM | 1TB SSD | 120Hz 2880 x 1800 OLED display |
$1,449.99 |
$1,829.99 |
$2,449.99 |
51.62% |
$2,449.99* |
Best Buy |
*Price listed as MSRP, not comparative value price
It’s easy to see why prices are surging – you don’t need me to tell you that everything in and outside of the tech world is having a particularly hard time keeping its cost down right now. This isn’t the fault of the retailer or the manufacturer, but it does mean I’d recommend taking extra steps to qualify the validity of any Prime Day gaming deals you encounter later this month.
The price difference between the actual cash you put down on a gaming laptop featured above, whether it’s on sale or not, averages out at 51.62% in the examples above from January. That’s not new information in the grand scheme of 2026. Where I’d urge you to take extra care is those ‘comparative value prices’ or MSRPs. A saving isn’t always as good as it looks.
An example from May demonstrates my point. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI was on sale for $1,199.99 last month, with a full price listed at $1,599.99. In June that’s moved up to a $1,424.99 sales price with a ‘comparative value price’ sitting at $1,724.99. Put that $300 ‘saving’ next to the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 ($1,574.99) and you’ve got two pretty good-looking discounts at first glance.
One is cheaper than it has been for most of the year, though, and one is more expensive than it was just a few weeks ago.
How to check your price history
I’ve used my own database of prices and discounts for this analysis, but the information is also freely available to you while you’re shopping. Between tools like Waybackmachine (use it on both retailer sites and our gaming laptop deal roundups) and dedicated price tracking sites (a quick Google will point you to the right ones) it’s pretty easy to see the rates from the last six to 12 months.
Obviously, we also have to acknowledge the time we’re living in. There’s no point in ignoring offers while holding out for a discount that’s simply unrealistic in 2026. This is the lay of the land now. However, knowing how much you’re actually saving compared to prices from the last few weeks or months can go a long way in determining the value of a discount.
To see what other brands are up to, check out the best Alienware laptops and the best Asus gaming laptops on the market. I’m also rounding up all the best Razer laptops available.
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