The Best Game Consoles of 2026

• Outputs to your TV in 1080p or plays as a handheld system at 720p
• 7-inch OLED handheld touchscreen
• 64 GB of internal storage
• Adjustable stand for a wide variety of viewing angles
• Online and local multiplayer, plus wireless system link

Nintendo’s flagship console got some important quality-of-life upgrades with the arrival of the Switch OLED model. Available in a stylish white-and-black design or red-and-blue “neon” version, it offers a seven-inch OLED screen in handheld mode, along with 64 GB of storage—double that of the original Nintendo Switch.

The catalog of games is superb, ranging from the 2017 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to the near-perfect Super Mario 3D World remaster.

Another big selling point for the hardware continues to be its playful versatility: You can play it on the go as a handheld by taking it off the dock.

You can play it on your television with a controller; you can share one of your Joy-Con with a friend and enjoy hassle-free “couch co-op” in games like Mario Kart and so on. You can also use the built-in stand to prop it up for use as a shared screen when you’re playing multiplayer away from your TV.

Every Switch available is at risk of developing the same “Joy-Con drift” problem, but Nintendo has promised free repairs for Joy-Con controllers that stop working properly and you can even upgrade them yourself. Having a Joy-Con fail certainly isn’t ideal, but it’s a risk worth taking for a console with exclusives like Super Mario Wonder, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

If you just want a great video game console, and you aren’t too fussed about having it hit specific performance benchmarks or serving as a be-all-end-all entertainment system, the Nintendo Switch OLED model is a perfect choice.

It offers all kinds of unforgettable gaming experiences, from single-player adventures and RPGs to Mario Kart to unique multiplayer titles like Splatoon 3 and Nintendo Switch Sports. Unless your kid wants to play Spider-Man 2, Elden Ring, or Destiny 2, the Switch is hard to beat.

Read our full review of the Nintendo Switch OLED.

• Native 4K output with a full library of 60 fps and 120 fps games
• Best-in-class accessibility and accessory customization
• 1 TB SSD for internal storage
• 4K UHD disc player and robust backward compatibility
• Online and local multiplayer

The Xbox Series X is the console I use the most in my free time at home. Its social features, multiplayer systems, and game selection are great for a wide range of players—though it may seem more appropriate for teens and adults compared to the all-ages appeal of the Switch.

The two newest Xbox consoles look great in any living room, have the biggest library of games available on any one system, and work great with all your favorite streaming services, Blu-rays, and a wide variety of entertainment apps. If you haven’t owned a Microsoft console since the Xbox 360 days, they’ve come a long way in terms of both power and dependability.

If you want maximum value, Xbox has that. If you want performance, the Xbox wins that one nine times out of ten. If you want to play new multiplayer games with friends online, and you don’t want to fool around with a big expensive gaming PC, the Xbox is probably your ticket. It doesn’t have Zelda or God of War, but it’ll make you a very satisfied customer.

Read our full review of the Xbox Series X.

• Native 4K output with support for up to 120 fps
• 4K UHD disc player and immersive controller haptics
• 825 GB SSD for internal storage
• Enhanced compatibility with loads of PS4 and VR titles
• Online and local multiplayer

The Sony PlayStation 5 is the console of choice for many people who prefer single-player, cinematic games. If you’re looking for a good story and some peace of quiet to yourself, chances are you’ll love the PS5. It’s a significant upgrade from the PS4 Pro, it comes with a 4K UHD disc drive, the haptics built into the DualSense controller make for next-level immersion, and the games are great.

It doesn’t have quite the games library that the Xbox and Switch have as of yet, but when you add in the PS4 titles that are compatible with it, there’s still a lot to keep you entertained. There’s a digital-only edition out there, but it might be worth using the Blu-ray drive for all your movie viewing.

PlayStation recently revamped its subscription service models with additional tiers and more classic games, but it lacks the backward compatibility of the Xbox ecosystem. (It’s similar to the Nintendo Switch in that way; you can play some of the classics, but you’ll have to buy them again or subscribe to one of Sony’s online services.)

If Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy VII Remake, or God of War: Ragnarok look appealing to you, the PS5 is a great way to experience them without having to pony up for a powerful gaming PC. Most of your favorite multiplayer titles are here, too, and they’re adding more retro classics all the time. It can even do ray tracing, and it’s easy to upgrade the internal storage yourself.

Read our full review of the PlayStation 5.

• 4K upscaling with support for up to 120 fps
• Best-in-class accessibility and accessory customization
• 512 GB SSD for internal storage
• Full next-gen catalog and robust backward compatibility
• Online and local multiplayer

If you’re looking to maximize your options—next-gen games, every generation of the Xbox catalog, 4K video playback, and all the streaming apps you can handle—the Xbox Series S is an unbeatable value. Paired with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription (and games like Forza Horizon 5 or Halo Infinite), the Series S will provide high-performance gameplay and entertainment for years to come.

All your favorite video and music apps are here, along with thousands of games, and the next era of first-party Xbox titles is only just beginning. This is a great way to enjoy favorites like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, GTA Online, and Minecraft.

• Compatible with the vast majority of Switch games
• Comes in violet, yellow, turquoise, and pink
• 32 GB of internal storage
• Lightweight design for maximum portability
• Online multiplayer (Wi-Fi) and wireless system link

If you don’t need all the features of the OLED Model, you’ve got another great Nintendo option. Priced at $199 or less, the Nintendo Switch Lite is an elegant, all-in-one solution to the problem of wanting to play the latest Animal Crossing, party game, or indie sensation and not having a Switch.

It’s a gorgeous, sturdily-made system that plays almost any game—the exception being that you can’t remove the controllers from the handheld configuration, so motion controls and other features are somewhat limited.

Otherwise, the other main compromises you’ll find are its somewhat smaller screen and lack of TV (“docked”) mode. And its battery may not hold up quite as long as the larger, standard OLED Switch. It’s available in a fun array of colors: turquoise, yellow, coral pink, indigo blue, and gray.

You’ll find yourself wanting to play this all the time, wherever you go. It offers the same 32 GB of storage as the original Switch, expandable with any standard microSD card.

For PC gamers looking to play their favorite games on the go, the Valve Steam Deck OLED is arguably the best handheld console. With up to 1TB of local storage and the option to expand even further, and backed by a custom Linux operating system, the Steam Deck will run thousands of PC games from the Steam storefront.

The Steam Deck also supports many game emulators and can run games from older console generations, like the GameCube and PlayStation 2, up to the Nintendo Switch. It’s also super comfortable to hold for hours on end and the Steam Deck OLED is noticeably lighter than before. (We were particularly impressed with the button layout and how friendly it is to people with small hands.)

What was once the Steam Deck’s weakest features—the battery life and screen—have been remedied by the Steam Deck OLED. The new 50Whr battery and more efficient processor means you’ll be playing games for 30% to 50% longer than on the Steam Deck LCD, and the fan is now whisper-quiet.

The screen has been buffed to a 90Hz OLED display and is the first on any gaming handheld capable of HDR. Valve claims the Steam Deck OLED can hit 600 nits in SDR and 1,000 nits when HDR is enabled, and that the new screen covers 100% of the sRGB color space. It’s an impressive technical accomplishment, and the icing on top is that the Steam Deck OLED is only $549 for the 512GB model.

Because you can install games directly onto the Steam Deck, you don’t need Wi-Fi access to play them, which makes it a better travel companion on flights or car trips compared to something like the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld. While other handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally might be more powerful, the Deck has them beat for battery life and useability.

Read our full review of Valve’s Steam Deck OLED.

The Steam Deck is far from the only handheld gaming PC on the market. Enter the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, a Windows 11 alternative to Valve’s Linux machine. Although it’s pricier than even the most expensive tier of Steam Deck OLED at $700 for the model with 512GB of internal storage, the Ally regularly goes on sale for $600 or less.

Unlike the Steam Deck, the Ally uses an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor with integrated 780M graphics (like the Lenovo Legion Go and Ayaneo devices) for raw horsepower. It bests the Steam Deck in most games, which is good because the Ally packs a 7-inch, 1080p, 120Hz screen, and requires more to drive games at their native resolution. That screen looks fantastic and the additional pixel density makes games pop, even if it lacks the infinite, inky blacks that an OLED panel can provide.

The speakers are another high point and deliver a good spatial experience in games as well as movies, and can get much louder than the Deck. This all complements a smaller, lighter (about 10% smaller) build than the Steam Deck, so even if the ergonomics are different, it isn’t a pain to hold for long periods of time.

Unfortunately, one area the Ally can’t compete on is battery life. We logged two to five hours of playtime depending on how demanding the game was, which doesn’t hold a candle to the Steam Deck OLED’s eight hours when playing 2D games.

Still, despite its shortcomings, the ROG Ally is a valid competitor to the Steam Deck that can play your PC games from any distributor without needing workarounds. Just make sure you buy the Z1 Extreme version, not the Z1 non-Extreme model. Despite the lower price, it’s underpowered enough to not be worth it.

Read our full review of the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme.

If you mostly game from your couch or bed and need a device with at least eight hours of battery life, check out the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld. Don’t let the “cloud gaming” part put you off; if you have a reliable internet connection, you won’t be able to tell the difference between gaming on the Logitech G and other handhelds like the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch.

The Logitech G’s 7-inch, 1080p display not only produces vivid colors, but its physical size and maximum resolution make the text in games like Cyberpunk 2077 much easier to read without adjusting the UI settings in-game. It’s also a tad lighter and more comfortable to hold than the Steam Deck.

The Logitech G can run cloud gaming services such as GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming, the indie game-focused Utomik, and any other cloud-gaming app that is available on Android. You can also connect the Logitech G to your local gaming PC via Steam Link and play that way.

One downside is that the Logitech G doesn’t come with a cellular chip. So, if you want to cloud game over a 5G cellular connection you’ll need to have a hotspot-capable cell phone to connect the device to. This can work seamlessly, but if there are too many people in your vicinity or if you are too far away from a 5G tower, it won’t.

Logitech designed this handheld to use at home or anywhere with a stable Wi-Fi connection and it passed our tests in that regard with flying colors. It’s not a direct competitor to the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Switch, and other gaming handhelds, but if you don’t want to be locked into a single ecosystem, the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld lets you play both PC and console games from a single device without having to mess around with bulky hardware.

Read our full review of the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld.