There's this idea that a gaming PC is inherently a giant tower of metal and plastic that takes up so much space that you need to have a dedicated desk to handle it. These days, you don't need a massive hog of a tower to get incredible gaming performance. Instead, the best mini PCs can take up as little space as a cable box.
TL;DR – These Are the Best Mini PCs for Gaming:
There are inevitably some downsides when going with a mini gaming PC instead of a full tower. For one, the smaller form factor means there's simply less space for high-end graphics cards and CPU coolers. As such, you probably won't find many mini gaming PCs out there with an RTX 5090 and an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, at least not at a price that doesn't rival a down payment on your house. Instead, you're more likely to find something like the GMKTec Evo-X2, which uses a powerful APU, rather than discrete graphics.
Different PC manufacturers deal with the space constraints in different ways. For instance, Asus bought out the NUC (next unit of computing) brand from Intel to make desktop PCs that use mobile hardware to fit into extremely small cases. Other companies, like Zotac, found a way to shove powerful desktop-class hardware into a tiny chassis. They'll be inherently harder to service or upgrade than other towers, and also much more expensive, but hey, at least they're tiny.
1. Asus ROG NUC
Best Mini PC for Gaming
When I first opened up the Asus ROG NUC, I was surprised by how small and light it was. Sure, it's using all mobile-class hardware, but for something I'm hooking into my TV, it has surprisingly little heft to it. Couple that with the fact that it looks exactly like a cable box, and this is a mini gaming PC that's perfect for blending into a living room. It's great for a media center PC already, but the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 means it's no slouch when it comes to gaming, up to a point at least.
The wall I kept running into again and again when I reviewed the Asus ROG NUC is that the mobile-class hardware is always a limiting factor, especially when it's connected to a 4K TV. Don't get me wrong: The ROG NUC absolutely can power through any PC game on the market, including demanding ones like Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong... at 1080p. If you connect this to a 4K TV, you will have to turn down some settings in some of the flashiest games if you want to maintain a solid framerate.
It is still quite a bit more powerful than the PS5 even with its limitations, and the Nvidia graphics do allow it to use DLSS to narrow the gap at 4K. Just keep in mind that you're not going to be maxing out Black Myth: Wukong with full ray tracing or anything, and you should be fine. To be clear, with how tiny the Asus ROG NUC is, there's no way a full desktop-class graphics card would even fit inside.
The Asus ROG NUC is probably one of the best mini gaming PCs you're going to find anywhere, but just like any mini gaming PC, you'll have to do some calculus about whether or not it's worth just going with a gaming laptop instead.
2. MinisForum X1-255
Best Budget Mini PC for Gaming
Ever since Intel first unveiled the NUC form factor more than a decade ago, it's been a blueprint for mini PCs. The Minisform X1-255 is a perfect example of that in practice. Right now, you can get this tiny little computer with a Ryzen 7 255 CPU – which has an RDNA 3 GPU similar to the Z1 Extreme you'll find in most handheld gaming PCs – for just $350. That seems like a really good deal, but there is a catch.
Most budget mini PCs are barebones systems, which means it's a box with a mainboard, a CPU, and not much else. You'll have to supply the RAM and the storage and install them yourself. That's not a terrible deal, however. In my experience, those components are usually cheaper to buy yourself anyway, as manufacturers tend to upcharge when you move up configuration tiers.
Keep in mind that I haven't reviewed this system myself. However, looking at the specs and the chassis, it seems like a solid little machine. The fact that it plugs into a wall instead of running off of battery also means that you can probably push a bit of extra performance out of the Radeon 890M GPU that's built into the processor, but you're going to want to pair it with decently fast memory.
Still, even if you do pair it with some pretty good RAM, you should still temper your expectations going in. This will run most games at 1080p – just like its handheld counterparts – but you'll likely have to compromise on quality settings. But, especially if you have some extra components lying around, this could be the cheapest way to add a mini gaming PC to your setup.
3. GMKTec Evo-X2
Best Mini PC Not Just for Gaming
The line between desktop hardware and mobile hardware continues to blur, and the GMKTec Evo-X2 shows exactly why. Because while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 – say that 10 times fast – is a chip ostensibly designed for high-end gaming laptops, it's still more than powerful enough to sit in a machine that's always plugged in. This little PC does use integrated graphics, to be fair, but the Radeon 8060S that's built into the chip is powerful. This is an RDNA 3.5 chip with 40 compute units, which is quite a bit larger than the RDNA 3.5 chip that's built into the Z2 Extreme that powers the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X.
This beefy integrated GPU isn't going to max out games at 4K or anything, but when we reviewed it, we were able to get 91fps in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 at 1080p with the Extreme preset. The PC was also able to run Cyberpunk 2077 with 47fps with ray tracing enabled, which is extremely impressive for a little integrated GPU. You could easily have it break60 fps by just turning ray tracing off.
However, the price is the elephant in the room. This machine costs $1,499, which is a lot of cash for a 1080p gaming rig. But keep in mind that the GMKTek Evo-X2 is tiny, and you can easily shove it in a backpack to move from place to place. Also, that Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip is extremely powerful in productivity workloads and AI, which makes this a great machine if you need something primarily to get work done, with some gaming on the side. And honestly, that's how most people should look at mini gaming PCs anyway.
4. Corsair One i600
Mini PC With the Best Graphics
While most true mini gaming PCs will be running mobile-class hardware – especially with today's power-hungry components – there are still machines out there that can find a way to stuff high-performance components in a small chassis. Clasically, the Corsair One has been one of the best. While I haven't reviewed the latest model, I've reviewed plenty of them in the past and they've all been incredible.
The new one is powered by an RTX 5080 and an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, along with 64GB of memory. That's a high spec for a full tower, so it's impressive that Corsair was able to build it into a chassis that's only 15 inches tall, 11.8 inches long, and 7.2 inches thick. Now, that does make it the largest system on this list by quite a bit, but this is about as small as you're going to get for this level of performance without building something crazy yourself.
However, with this kind of performance in such a small chassis, you're going to be paying a premium. At the time of writing, this PC will set you back $4,499. You could definitely get similar specs for less money, but it would likely be in a chassis that'd take up much more space. Whether or not that's a sacrifice you're willing to make is up to you, but either way, you're edging closer to a full gaming PC with the Corsair One.
5. Mac mini M4
The MacOS Option
You might not think of gaming when you think of the Mac mini M4, but it delivers surprisingly good performance, allowing you to play a wide range of games at a decent frame rate. Given its cost, it’s hard not to consider the Mac mini M4 as a capable gaming mini PC. With a noticeable performance increase over the M3 chip, the M4 chip comes with 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores, supporting strong performance, whether you're playing games or getting work done.
Thanks to its many ports, the Mac mini M4 supports up to two 4K displays at 120Hz, and because the M2 natively supports Thunderbolt, you can even back it up with an external GPU later down the line. It also comes with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, so you can plan to game online, even if Wi-Fi 7 would have been a nice touch.
For pure gaming performance, a Windows PC is a better option, but Macs have been getting better at actually playing games. More and more game developers have been launching games on macOS, and the Metal API is getting more powerful every year. Still, the Rosetta translation layer isn't quite as reliable at getting things running as Proton on Linux, but that likely has more to do with Apple being more picky about the games it allows to run on its operating system.
What About the Steam Machine?
Valve just announced the new Steam Machine last week, a tiny gaming PC with the equivalent of a Radeon RX 7600M running SteamOS. In a lot of ways, I expect the Steam Machine to do for mini gaming PCs what the Steam Deck did for handheld gaming PCs. Because just like handhelds, mini PCs have been around for a while, but they've lacked a budget-friendly entry point, at least if you want to get some serious gaming done.
While we still don't know how much the Steam Machine is going to cost, it's probably going to be much more affordable than something like the ROG NUC, despite having very similar specs. It's still early, and I need to get it in the lab to benchmark it, but if you've been thinking about getting a super living-room-friendly mini PC for gaming, it's probably best to wait a couple months for the Steam Machine – at least just to see how expensive it will be.
Even beyond the Steam Machine itself, I expect other manufacturers to start taking mini PCs more seriously. Over the next few years, I wouldn't be surprised to see more mainstream options from manufacturers like Lenovo, Asus, or MSI.
How to Pick the Best Mini PC for Gaming
Just like with any gaming PC, finding the best mini PC for gaming is all about what games you're looking to play, and at what resolution. Mini PCs are much smaller compared to desktop PCs, and even some laptops, and size constraints naturally limit the components included.
GPU
If you want to play the latest titles without any hiccups, you'll want to aim for a mini PC with a solid GPU. Look for models that come equipped with modern graphics like the Nvidia RTX series or AMD Radeon cards rather than integrated graphics. However, if you’re on a budget and you’re not fussed about playing games that have just been released, you could get away with something less powerful.
CPU
A good CPU is crucial for gaming performance and overall system responsiveness. Aim for mini PCs with mid-to-high-end CPUs, ideally with around 4 cores, 8 threads, and a high clockspeed – around 4.0GHz or higher – just so your computer doesn't grind to a hault when you're trying to multitask. Similarly, you’ll need a decent amount of RAM (at least 16GB) and storage (at least 512GB SSD) to run and store your games smoothly.
Ports
Once you’ve nailed down the specs, make sure the mini PC has enough ports for your peripherals, as well as HDMI or DisplayPort outputs for connecting to external monitors or TVs. Thunderbolt ports are also a nice bonus if you plan on connecting high-speed external storage or other devices.
Mini PC FAQ
Are mini PCs good for gaming?
It kind of depends on what you mean by "good for gaming." It's unlikely that you're going to find any mini gaming PC that's going to be great at 4K gaming, but lower your expectations a bit and these tiny machines can surprise you. If you mostly play games at 1080p, especially if you play a lot of indie games, even mini gaming PCs with integrated graphics are good enough these days to give you a solid gaming experience. We're entering an age of PC gaming where basically any PC can play PC games to some extent and mini gaming PCs are certainly no different.
What is better: mini PC or PC?
Again, this depends entirely on what you're looking for. Because, yeah, a full-sized gaming PC with a Ryzen 9 processor and an RTX 5090 is going to wipe the floor with every mini gaming PC on the market when it comes to pure performance numbers. But no matter what you've heard on Reddit, performance isn't everything. Take it from someone that lives in a tiny NYC apartment: Sometimes having a small gaming PC is extremely important and can make up for the lack of performance, especially if you're pairing it with a lower-resolution gaming monitor.
What are the downsides to a mini PC?
When you're getting a mini gaming PC, you're going to have to make compromises in at least one of three categories: price, performance, and upgradability. There are some tiny gaming PCs that pack high-end desktop components, but you're going to have to fork over a huge wad of cash for them. On the other hand, there are some really affordable mini gaming PCs out there, but those are mostly using integrated graphics and are really only good for playing PC games at 1080p with medium-high settings. If you want a PC with swappable components, you really only have a few options in a small form factor, though these tend to be more powerful (and expensive) than other mini gaming PCs.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
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