Best Gaming Gear of 2026: Top Picks Across Every Platform

Credit: Amazon

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Like gamers themselves, 2026’s gaming gear is all over the place. The lines between PC and console are blurring like the lines between hardcore gamers and casuals. Handhelds run full Windows and that little old lady you assumed was playing Candy Crush is smoking you at Counter-Strike. Whether you’re trying to push as fast a frame rate as possible on your PC or you just want to kill a little time when you’re waiting for the bus, the gaming gear below is the best 2026 has to offer.

Best Overall: Steam Deck

The Steam Deck is the Swiss Army Knife of gaming — a single device that will please portable gamers, PC gamers, and console gamers alike. It’s a PC in a slip-it-in-a-backpack form factor, and it can be plugged in to play on your TV. Handheld gamers will like the portability and the touchscreen display. The no-nonsense UI and Xbox games will make console gamers happy. PC fans can escape their desk and play their backlog of Steam games while sitting on the couch or waiting for a bus. Even game haters could wipe the drive, install Windows, and have a spare portable PC. You can buy the Steam Deck exclusively on Valve’s website.

Best Gaming Headset: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni Wireless Headset

Whether you play on a PC or console, a decent headset will improve your gaming life. In terms of quality, features, and price, the Nova Pro Omni wireless headset hits the perfect sweet spot. Built from the ground up for immersive sound, the Nova Pro Omni can handle up to four audio sources at once. It has a hot-swappable battery so you’ll never run out of juice, a high-quality omnidirectional mic so you won’t have to repeat yourself as much on Discord, and the pedigree of an established audio company that has earned the respect of both reviewers and users.

Best Gaming PC of 2026: iBuyPower Element 9 RTX

This powerhouse prebuilt PC from iBuyPower features an AMD Ryzen 9 processor, 32GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card. In other words, it’s a beast that will handle any PC game you throw at it. The price is reasonable too: it fluctuated between $1,899.99 and $2,262.44 over the past few months on Amazon. It comes without bloatware — only Windows Home 11 installed — and includes a keyboard and mouse so you can start playing while you decide which high-end controllers to add later. The aquarium-style glass chassis shows off the liquid cooling system. Yes, you could build a better PC yourself for less, but this is a no-hassle option within a realistic price range.

Best Console of 2026: ROG Xbox Ally X20

The ROG Xbox Ally X20 may not technically “count” as a console, but the distinctions between PC, portable, and console gaming are awfully blurry these days thanks to devices like the ROG Ally and the Steam Deck. It’s a full-blown Windows 11 PC disguised as a portable gaming system that can hook up to your TV for full console gaming too. The ROG Ally X20 lets you play Xbox Game Pass games and Steam games right out of the box on a portable system, making it all things to all people.

Best Mobile Controller of 2026: Razer Prio

Cool innovations tend to miss people who game on mobile devices, but the Razer Prio is the exception. It weighs only 100 grams and folds to the size of a credit card. When you want to play, unfurl it and it surrounds your phone. Plug in the USB-C connection and you have a controller with a full console layout: thumbsticks, face buttons, triggers, and all. If you’re looking for a real gaming experience on a mobile device, the Razer Prio is the gear to have.