Best Gaming Tablet
Gaming on tablets is now more popular and accessible than ever. Here’s a look at some of the best gaming tablets available today
While gaming on a phone is great when you are on the go, you are limited when you have a smaller screen. If you are looking to play mobile games more frequently, you should consider purchasing a gaming tablet. Sure, phones are portable, and handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck feature better games, but tablets can do much more than just play games.
When you find the right tablet for your needs, it can be a game-changer. Not only can you play a lot of your favorite games while on the couch or while outside, but you can also get some work done and enjoy watching videos on a larger screen.
But, which tablet is the best for gaming? In this article, we have chosen five of the best gaming tablets for gaming in 2022. We will discuss them in enough detail for you to work out which one is right for you, focusing on the important specifications you should consider, like screen size, performance, and storage size.
Our Top Picks
Best tablet for gaming 2022
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In-depth Review
ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2022)
ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2022)
The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (and the AMD processor version: the X13) is a fairly unique offering: a gaming tablet that can actually has the power of a gaming laptop. This is the only selection here that has the option for a dedicated GPU: either the RTX 3050 or RTX 3050 Ti (or just the integrated Intel Xe graphics), and it differs from the other selections on this page in that it will be able to play full-on desktop titles. The Flow Z13 has superb build quality, a great keyboard, and can be equipped with a hugely powerful Intel Core i9-12900H as its maximum specced CPU: the best Intel laptop CPU currently on the market.
All that being said, you won’t be able to play the latest AAA titles on even medium graphical settings with an RTX 3050 Ti, but that’s where the optional extra for this tablet comes in: the ROG XG Mobile external GPU. Assuming you go with the RTX 3080 option, this gives you the equivalent of the most powerful gaming laptop performance once plugged into the Z13.
Whilst all this is very impressive, for many the Z13 fails to justify its cost. On its own, the Z13 simply doesn’t have the gaming power to make it a preferable pick over 14-inch gaming laptops. Combined with the ASUS ROG XG Mobile RTX 3080 external GPU it is very powerful, but in most cases you’d probably be better off buying a separate gaming laptop and tablet for the same price. The score we’ve given here is for the full ASUS ROG Flow Z13 plus ASUS ROG XG Mobile package.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is one of the best gaming tablets out there. While the Ultra might seem more appealing because of its bigger size, it’s not the most portable thing in the world. The Tab S8+ is the next big thing, and it’s remarkable just how good this thing is for gaming.
On its own, the tablet is certainly impressive in terms of hardware. You get a high-end premium all-metal design, a stunning high refresh rate display, great speakers, and fantastic performance. The Snapdragon chip inside this thing can handle games like Dead Cells and Genshin Impact with ease.
We’ve talked about Samsung DeX in previous guides, but it’s surprising how well it works here for gamers. You get a desktop-like interface, which makes file management much easier. If you are someone who wants to mess around with emulators, you’ll find that managing your ROM files is a breeze in this manner.
The Tab S8+ certainly is not all that affordable. However, considering it can play almost any game on the Play Store, and it’s a fantastic machine for emulation, it is worth the buy for serious gamers.
For performance and ease of use, we highly recommend this as the best gaming tablet.
iPad Pro 12.9″
iPad Pro 12.9″
Apple’s iPad Pro lineup has always certainly been impressive. There is a case to be made for the iPad Pro 12.9 as the best gaming tablet. Much of that is due to the excellent performance, fantastic screen, and excellent implementation of Apple Arcade. This one is truly impressive.
In terms of hardware, the iPad Pro 12.9 is truly a sight to behold. The 12.9-inch screen is truly fantastic and beats out many laptops at this price with its incredible quality. The 120Hz refresh rate, fantastic speakers, and a slick industrial design all come together as a great package.
Performance is incredible, thanks to the M1 chip inside here. This chipset blows the competition out of the water, whether that’s an Android tablet or a Windows one. Playing a game like Dead Cells on this gigantic display at 120Hz might just be the best way to play the game at all.
Apple Arcade works quite well, and it has a nice selection of games. Check out Bloons TD 6, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Alto’s Odyssey, and Mini Motorways. These are our favorite games, and make the subscription worth it. We just wish the iPad had better support for emulation.
So, if you care about a premium experience, then the iPad Pro 12.9 might be the best gaming tablet.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is hands down the best Windows tablet out there. That might also make it the best gaming tablet for many folks. Since this one runs on Windows 11, you get access to the biggest library of games out there.
Think of it this way, any game that you can find on the App Store or Play Store, you can easily play on the Surface Pro 8. You get access to your Steam Library, Xbox Game Pass, Cloud gaming services, Epic Games Store, GoG, and much more. If you like exploring different titles now and then, then this is the best gaming tablet for you.
It can handle indie games and select older Triple-A games quite well. Of course, you won’t be playing Red Dead Redemption 2 at a comfortable frame rate on this tablet, but within reason, you’ll find a lot of your Steam Library might be playable.
The hardware is great as well. You get a fantastic design, high-quality screen, good storage options, and a decent amount of RAM. One downside is the fact that the keyboard cover is sold separately, making this quite expensive.
If you can stomach the cost, then this Windows tablet might be the best gaming tablet experience out there.
Lenovo Tab P11 Plus
Lenovo Tab P11 Plus
For many budget-conscious buyers, the Tab P11 plus might be the best gaming tablet. It is certainly the best affordable Android tablet out right now, so Kudos to Lenovo on that front. While it may not compete with the options above, this budget tablet is certainly capable.
Design-wise, it is quite a good-looking tablet. We are a fan of the two-tone finish on the back, giving the tablet a unique look. It feels great in the hand, and the build quality is quite premium. For the price, the 11-inch display is quite good. Impressive, even.
Performance is handled by the Mediatek G90T that is under the hood of this thing. While it may not handle all games at 60fps, its performance is admirable. It can handle Genshin impact at medium to low settings, which is not bad at all.
If you use a cloud gaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, then that’s where a cheap tablet like this one makes sense. It does have its compromises, but none that stop it from being one of the best gaming tablets.
For the price, we think this might be the best gaming tablet on a budget.
Apple iPad (9th Generation)
Apple iPad (9th Generation)
On paper, the 9th gen iPad is not something you would immediately refer to as the best gaming tablet. However, considering just how capable the A13 Bionic is, and how cheap this iPads ends up being, we think a lot of people will enjoy this iPad for gaming.
You get access to Apple Arcade, which works well on this base entry-level iPad. While performance is not as good as the Air or Pro models, it plays Genshin Impact and Dead Cells admirably well. We reckon it can handle most games on the App Store without issue.
Considering the price, this works very well as a pickup and play kind of tablet. When that you would casually game on while lounging around. The dated design and lack of emulation support are a bit frustrating, but overall, the gaming experience is surprisingly quite good here.
For Apple fans, this is the perfect entry-level gaming tablet.
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Final Word
There are many different great tablets for gaming. The ASUS ROG FLOW Z13 is clearly the most powerful by some measure, but this is more akin to a gaming laptop than anything else. In terms of the more ‘typical’ gaming tablets, whilst the Apple iPad Pro came out on top overall, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ was close behind and features connections to Bluetooth controllers.
All of the tablets we have included are fantastic options if you are looking for a good gaming tablet. They are more than capable of running games well and all have good processors and screen displays. While the Apple products do not feature external storage options, they have good internal storage, which makes up for this.
The most important things to consider when purchasing a gaming tablet is specifications such as screen size, battery life, performance, and compatibility with styluses and other Bluetooth products.