Android tablets are the perfect choice to play any of the best games on the Play Store. In 2024, there are more choices than ever. While all our favorite Android tablets have the hardware to handle light gaming, identifying the features suitable for gaming is difficult.
We’ve picked out the best gaming tablets by researching the ones that offer great refresh rates, battery life, resolution, and processing power. Best of all, the hardware found in these tablets means they are also suitable for web browsing and video streaming. Even if you’re gaming on a budget, you’ll find suitable options on this list for playing plenty of Android games.
Top tablets for gaming
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
All-around excellence, at a price
If your goal is serious gaming on an Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9 covers all the bases. Processing power, a killer display, and a long-lasting battery help this model live up to its price for gamers.
- Outstanding AMOLED display
- Excellent gaming performance
- Generous battery
- Pricey for a tablet
- Questionable haptics
- Bundled stylus unnecessary for gaming
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 is an impressive all-around premium tablet. It’s expensive but powerful enough to deliver the goods for any tablet-based Android gaming application. The 11-inch, 2560×1600 AMOLED display at 120Hz is well-suited to gaming, and there are excellent colors to boot. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU performs very well for gaming, and the base 8GB of RAM can be upgraded to 12GB if you’re truly hungry for memory.
Battery life also makes this tablet a contender; the Tab S9’s 8,400mAh battery is excellent and supports 45W fast charging. It also has 128GB of built-in storage that can be upgraded to 256GB or expanded via microSD. With a mouse and a keyboard, Samsung’s DeX Mode turns this tablet into something laptop-like — and, like the even pricier Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, the S9 is a strong multitasker (although the Ultra’s much bigger screen gives it a clear advantage when displaying two apps side-by-side). Water and dust resistance are a nice touch, too.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 review: Premium, powerful, pricey
With an AMOLED display and great performance, the only question surrounding the Tab S9 is whether it’s worth $800
Other than the price, the Tab S9’s few gamer shortcomings include poor haptics and no 3.5mm headphone jack. While it may be tempting to upgrade to the more powerful Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, you’ll struggle to notice a noticeable difference in gaming performance. If you want to save some money, the Tab S9 FE is cheaper, but its Exynos 1380 chipset can struggle with demanding games.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Spend big, get big
Android games will look phenomenal on this premium tablet’s humongous display, and there’s more than enough processing power to go around. But all that excellence comes at a luxury price, and this tablet might be too big for some to use comfortably.
- Giant display
- Superb speakers
- Excellent gaming performance
- Extremely expensive
- Large size could get awkward
- Poor haptics
The pinnacle of Samsung’s tablet line lives up to its price tag in many ways. Its massive high-resolution display and four built-in speakers pair well with gaming. A huge battery and 12 gigs of RAM don’t hurt either, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset can chew through any games on its plate.
The Tab S9 Ultra’s monumental, 14.6-inch, 1848×2960 AMOLED screen is a clear selling point for gamers. Ironically, however, certain Android games optimized for phones might look out of place on such an enormous screen. Other games might be hard to play on this expansive display, at least if you’re using the screen and not a controller. However, grab one of our favorite Android controllers, and you’ll have no trouble settling back in your chair while still being able to make out your game when resting on a table or your lap.
For multitaskers, the Tab S9 Ultra’s split-screen feature offers plenty of gaming possibilities while watching a video, reading a walkthrough, or chatting, especially with so much display. With a mouse and a keyboard, Samsung’s DeX Mode transforms this giant tablet into something approaching a large laptop. The 11,200mAh battery is appropriately hefty for this tablet’s size, although its 45W charging doesn’t live up to the much less expensive OnePlus Pad’s 67W charging.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review: The best big Android tablet
A killer media machine, but you’ll pay for the privilege
However, the haptic feedback leaves something to be desired, and there’s no 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, although the Tab S9 Ultra is water and dust-resistant like the Tab S9. For the price, we recommend making the most of the Tab S9 Ultra by pairing it with one of the most graphically demanding games for Android.
OnePlus Pad
Compelling budget proposition for tablet gamers
For a reasonable price, the OnePlus Pad has many attractive features for any tablet gamer: a high-resolution 11.6-inch screen, a fast processor, and an ample battery with fast charging. The Pad has a few quirks, but it also offers value.
- Great display
- Solid performance
- Powerful battery with very fast charging
- No headphone jack
- Some software quirks
The OnePlus Pad has plenty to like from a gaming perspective, especially in light of the tablet’s competitive price. The 11.6-inch display LCD sports a 144Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2,800×2,000 pixels. That 7:5 aspect ratio sets it apart from similar tablets on the market and could work well with certain games — or, it could be annoying for games optimized for 16:9.
Performance from the Dimensity 9000 CPU with 8GB of RAM is good for tablet gaming applications. Gamers will also appreciate the Pad’s capacious 9510mAh battery and 67W fast charging, which quickly fills that big battery backup. The four built-in speakers are powerful, but unfortunately, there’s no headphone jack.
OnePlus Pad review: A new challenger enters the ring
A welcome addition to the Android tablet market, despite a few questionable choices
OnePlus’ Oxygen OS has some quirks, but it does include a split-screen mode that could come in handy for gaming while multitasking. The Pad lacks a fingerprint sensor, and some might object to the unusual camera bump on the back. The pictured keyboard case is not included by default either, this will set you back an extra $150.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+
An all-around great, cheap tablet, although slightly underpowered
The first low-cost Galaxy tablet in over two years, the Tab A9+ delivers the signature OneUI experience that users love, on top of surprisingly good build quality for something so cheap. Taken as a whole, it’s one of the best entry-level options in a long time, and powerful enough for casual gaming.
- User-friendly, customizable OneUI OS
- Above-average display
- Doesn’t cost much
- Middling performance (especially the 4GB model)
- Lacks a fingerprint reader
Samsung doesn’t release many low-cost tablets, and the US had to wait even longer than the rest of the world for the Tab A9+. After such a long time since the Tab A8 and A7 Lite, we’re grateful to see Samsung move on from the now slow-as-molasses Unisoc and MediaTek SoCs, instead opting for the Snapdragon 695. The chip’s neither new nor high-end, but performs admirably in day-to-day use.
It’s even just powerful enough to take effective advantage of Samsung’s renowned Android implementation, which is better tailored for tablets than arguably any other. You can even do a little multitasking on the A9+ (although we do recommend the 8GB RAM version for that), something unimaginable with its predecessors.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ review: ‘Good enough’ is still pretty good
A midrange tablet that neither stands out in any one area nor falls completely flat — it’s just kinda there
Like many cheap Android tablets, it sports a headphone jack and microSD card slot. Unlike its most direct competitors, though, it actually looks and feels a lot like a premium device. And while it’s not explicitly clear how many OS upgrades it’ll get (which is a little odd, honestly), the Tab A8 got 3 new Android versions and at least 4 years of security patches, so you can expect the same for the A9+. It won’t do if you plan on playing resource-intensive 3D games, but it’s today’s best entry-level tablet and does just fine with less demanding titles.
Apple iPad Air (5th Generation)
Excellent performance, if you’re OK with the ecosystem
The 2022 iPad Air sports the company’s in-house M1 chip, which outperforms basically every competitor’s mobile systems-on-a-chip. Add in the premium display, svelte form factor, streamlined operating system, and long-term support, and it’s hard to argue against Apple’s midrange slate for general use and gaming.
- Can handle the most demanding games
- Will remain useful and fast for years
- Actually not terribly expensive
- Disappointing 64GB of base storage
- Limited to 60Hz
Apple’s boxing up its new, 6th-generation iPad Airs (there are two of them now) for initial shipment as we speak, but the 2022 version’s still an excellent buy, especially now that it’s consistently found at a discount. Chiefly, its apple M1 chipset blows nearly every Android tablet out of the water, especially those at comparable prices. That alone makes it worth gamers’ consideration, before even considering its other merits.
Google Stadia, we hardly knew ye
Among those merits, the display’s as good as anything on the market (other than the iPad Pro), with one caveat: It can’t exceed 60Hz. So you might as well crank up the graphics quality settings in most games, because you won’t have to worry about hitting the 90FPS setting that some titles offer.
iPad Air (2022) review: Making $1,000 Android tablets look silly
A superb value — if you can live with limited storage space
If you’re OK with the iOS experience, the 2022 iPad Air is still a great investment today, due largely to the long support lifespan Apple typically offers. And it’s no fluke that iPads have consistently outsold other tablet lines — Apple’s had slates down since the original iPad changed the game. The Air’s biggest drawback is its subpar 64GB of internal storage, plus the relatively high price required to upgrade to 256GB. But if cloud gaming’s your thing, or if you’re OK bumping up to the higher-capacity model, it’s hard to beat Apple’s midlevel offering.
Razer Edge
Designed for gaming, but an awkward design holds it back
If the prospect of using a well-designed attachable controller on a high-performance device excites you — and the unorthodox aspect ratio and relatively small screen size don’t bother you — the Razer Edge is worth considering as a mobile gaming device. On the other hand, many high-end Android phones would perform similarly if paired with the Razer Kishi V2 controller.
- Outstanding controller included
- Expandable SD
- Pro controller has headphone jack
- Small screen for a tablet
- Non-standard aspect ratio
- Phone-compatible controller available separately
The Razer Edge is engineered for gaming, with good performance and an excellent attachable controller included, but the reason this gaming tablet doesn’t top our list of the best gaming tablets is that it struggles to function as a regular Android tablet. The bundled, high-quality Kishi V2 Pro controller with pass-through charging is the biggest point in the Edge’s favor and places it in a category of its own compared to competing tablets — although it’s expensive compared to some other Android gaming handhelds. No other tablet on this list offers snap-on controllers, so this offers a fantastic gaming experience straight out of the box.
Performance for native Android games is very good, thanks to the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1. The more expensive 5G model also has 8GB of RAM instead of 6GB. In terms of storage, the Edge holds 128BGB out of the box, with microSD expansion capacity up to 2TB. Its 5,000 mAh battery is smaller than many of the other batteries on this list, but then again, so is the display. One standout feature worth mentioning is that the Kishi V2 Pro controller includes a headphone jack.
Razer Edge review: Thanks, but I already have a phone
For a purpose-built gaming device, it’s lacking
The Edge’s 6.8-inch OLED display runs at an attractive resolution for the size — 2400×1080 — with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and well-defined colors and blacks. However, the 6.8-inch screen is tiny compared to other Android tablets; it’s not a good choice if you enjoy playing strategy games like Civilization VI or Total War: Medieval II. Many games also don’t support the Edge’s 20:9 aspect ratio, making an already small screen smaller by adding black bars on either side of the game. Plus, the Edge’s curved screen corners can cut some content off at the 20:9 aspect ratio.
Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2
The display you want at an affordable price
The Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 has a first-class display at a fair price and reasonable gaming performance to boot. Expandable micro SD storage is another plus for gamers.
- Top-notch display
- Micro SD expandable
- Enormous battery
- Less RAM than competitors
- No headphone jack
If an excellent display is your biggest ask for tablet gaming, Lenovo’s Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 has you covered. For just a wallet-friendly price, you’ll get an impressive 11.2-inch OLED display at 2560×1536 pixels running at 120Hz with excellent contrast and color. That’s hard to beat for the cost, although display visibility drops off in direct sunlight.
The Tab P11 Pro’s four built-in speakers produce solid sound output, although (like so many other tablets these days) a 3.5mm headphone jack is nowhere to be found. Other gaming-friendly features on this modestly priced tablet include a generous 8,200 mAh battery that fully charges in less than two and a half hours with the included 20W charger, as well as a microSD slot that allows expanding the 128 GB of built-in storage to 1TB.
Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 review: A tablet worthy of your next bingewatch
Your eyes will thank you after your next 8-hour marathon
The Tab P11 Pro can handle demanding games, although you may have to turn down your graphics settings. However, the MediaTek Kompanio 1300T CPU may experience some slowdowns under heavy load. The base model’s 4GB of RAM is reasonable for the price point, but this tablet has some trouble with multitasking. An extra 2GB of RAM is available, but our review discovered a CPU bottleneck that prevented that upgrade from achieving its full potential.
Google Pixel Tablet
Home hub with gaming potential
Google’s Pixel Tablet is optimized more for service as a smart home hub than a gaming device. Even so, several features are gamer-friendly, like a fast processor and a high-resolution display.
- Good performance
- Nice display resolution
- Optional mated dock
- Only 60Hz refresh rate
- No headphone jack
The Pixel Tablet is a smart home hub designed to hang out in its included magnetic charging speaker dock and control your smart devices. Even though this tablet isn’t designed specifically for gaming, the Google Tensor G2 processor and 8GB of RAM can handle games smoothly. (However, it might warm up a bit during long sessions.) Storage space can also be upgraded from 128GB to 256GB at a cost.
The tablet’s resolution on the nearly 11-inch LCD is 2560×1600 pixels, which works for gaming. Unfortunately, the refresh rate on the screen is limited to 60Hz, while several less expensive tablets in this guide are 120Hz. Audio from the built-in speakers is underwhelming, and audio from the dock isn’t phenomenal either. Charging through the dock is also slow, although that might not be a big issue if the Pixel sits in its dock most of the time. However, the dock is a brilliant platform for gaming; charging your tablet while holding the screen at the perfect angle, all you need is a controller.
Google Pixel Tablet review: That first-gen feeling
It’s a fine midranger, but the Pixel Tablet’s best ideas are half-baked
Originally, the dock was included with every Pixel Tablet purchase, which seemed a bit wasteful given its relatively limited functionality. Since then, however, Google’s knocked $100 off the base price and made the slate available sans charging dock, helping it compete more closely with value-oriented options like the OnePlus Pad.
Tablets that provide the best gaming experience
There are very few gaming-first tablets — The Razer Edge is the only current one, and its actual tablet experience isn’t anything to write home about. There’s also a much larger selection of phones with high-end processors. And there’s an ever-expanding selection of gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally.
There’s no such thing as a perfect gaming handheld, and I’m okay with that
In a constant search for perfection, there is peace to be found in imperfection
So we don’t foresee a lot of people buying an Android tablet exclusively for playing games. And instead of rounding up exclusively slates that can push the most polygons, we put these recommendations together to help people track down a supremely useful tablet, first and foremost, that also offers the performance for the level of mobile gaming you engage with.
Which Android tablet’s best for gaming?
Unsurprisingly, Samsung’s Tab S9 and S9 Ultra top our list. They’re nearly perfect as Android tablets go, with barn-burning performance, fantastic displays, and an excellent software presentation. They’ll both get 4 years of Android updates in total, with at least an additional year of security patches. If you’re looking for a pure tablet, get the smaller Tab S9. In contrast, the S9 Ultra and its 14.6″ screen can essentially replace a full-size laptop, given the right accessories.
You can spend considerably less and get almost comparable performance, though, if you opt for the OnePlus Pad. We’re big fans of OnePlus devices’ typically great price-to-performance ratio, and its top-level tablet’s no exception. And while its OxygenOS Android skin hasn’t always been stellar, it’s notably better now than it was.
Ayaneo Pocket Air review: The pinnacle of handheld emulation
This Android gaming console is well worth the price
Recently, we’ve bumped a few poor-performing or overpriced options, in favor of one entry-level model and one that sits right between midrange and high-end. Samsung’s long-awaited Galaxy Tab A9+ is the tablet to buy if you only have about $200 to spend, and its Snapdragon 695 SoC does well with games that don’t ask too much of it.
Apple’s 5th-gen iPad Air is a different story, as few competitors come close to its performance. There are two new iPad Airs available now, in 11 and 13 inches, and they might well make their way onto our list once we get a chance to review them. For now, though, the 2022 model’s a great choice that you can readily find priced below MSRP.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
All-around excellence, at a price
If your goal is serious gaming on an Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9 covers all the bases. Processing power, a killer display, and a long-lasting battery help this model live up to its price for gamers.
