The Best Gaming GPUs of 2025 — This Year’s GPU Battle Was Insane

This year turned out to be a particularly interesting one for current-gen GPUs, as we witnessed major releases from AMD and NVIDIA, starting at CES 2025, but apart from that, there were significant strategy changes implemented by these companies that proved to be quite pivotal for the rest of the year in terms of consumer adoption and market interest. We saw AMD focusing entirely on the mainstream gaming GPU segment, leaving NVIDIA to compete for top-tier performance on its own. However, the decision turned out in the company’s favour, and we’ll discuss why ahead.

Retail availability was a significant concern in 2025, as during the early days, GPUs were mostly out of stock, and when units were available, they were sold at prices significantly above MSRP. Gamers suffered at the hands of supply chain constraints, but apparently, it didn’t influence adoption at all. And more importantly, with AMD focusing on the mainstream market, the budget segment proved to be the most attractive this year, as we had amazing options available from all manufacturers.

Here are our GPU rankings for this year, arranged into different tiers. It’s essential to note that the placements are determined not only by raw performance but also by consumer feedback and retail availability.

Best High-End: NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090

NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090

NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 is the company’s flagship Blackwell consumer GPU, offering the best performance in the entire segment.

There’s no doubt that in the high-performance consumer GPU segment, NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 had to take the lead, mainly because it’s the only GPU competing for this title in 2025. Since AMD didn’t compete in the flagship segment, NVIDIA gained the leverage here, and on paper, the RTX 5090 dominates. With its gigantic 32 GB GDDR7 VRAM onboard, coupled with the new and advanced Blackwell GB202 silicon, NVIDIA did manage to squeeze out top-tier performance, ample for 4K and even 8K gaming scenarios.

The only downside to the RTX 5090 this year was its pricing, as we rarely saw the GPU around its $1,999 MSRP, and more importantly, retail availability for this model was also limited. Ultimately, several consumers were deprived of NVIDIA’s flagship GPU due to supply chain issues, but when performance is factored in, the RTX 5090 does dominate across all tests. It delivered excellent gaming and AI performance, which is one of the reasons why it was also a highly sought-after model this year.

Best Overall: AMD’s RX 9070 XT

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AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT

AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT is the flagship RDNA 4 GPU, being one of the best options for the mainstream segment.

While AMD didn’t compete in the flagship segment, Team Red has unveiled one of the best options for the mainstream GPU segment, with the RX 9070 XT delivering impressive performance figures, considering its price tag and in the midst of ‘pricey’ NVIDIA GPUs, the RX 9070 XT stood out among the competition, offering solid 1080p and 2K gaming performance, which is one reason why the GPU was a highly popular choice among gamers and system integrators alike. It is only recently that the Radeon RX 9070 XT has started to retail below its MSRP; previously, it had been priced higher.

When comparing the Radeon RX 9070 XT with NVIDIA’s counterpart, the flagship RDNA 4 GPU manages to give tough competition to the RTX 5070 Ti. However, when it comes to Path Tracing, the RDNA tech stack falls behind. However, when you factor in the pricing of the Radeon RX 9070 XT, along with its extensive availability, the GPU becomes a more attractive option for gamers.

The Navi 48 silicon, although not yet fully powered up to its potential, still delivered impressive performance. To top it all off, AMD has massively improved its RT tech stack over the year, introducing technologies like FSR 4, FSR Redstone, and numerous other enhancements. For budget-oriented gamers, the Radeon RX 9070 XT was indeed the ‘best overall’, but when you compare the GPUs on a flagship level, NVIDIA did manage to dominate this year.

Best Budget: AMD’s RX 9060 XT 16 GB

AMD’s Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB was one of the most attractive options in for budget gamers, credited to the enhanced RDNA 4 architecture and sweet pricing.

The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB was a ‘sigh of relief’ for gamers looking for something in the sub-$400 price segment, mainly since past releases from both AMD and NVIDIA for this segment were disappointing ones. AMD’s goal with RDNA 4 was to regain the price-to-performance edge with its GPUs, and the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB certainly achieves that. The GPU, with its $349 US price and 16 GB of VRAM, solidifies that claim and offers excellent performance, which is on par with the 5060 Ti 16 GB, a graphics card that retails for $80 US more.

With the abundant 16 GB of VRAM at its disposal, the 9060 XT provides a very playable experience at 1440p and an even better experience at 1080p. However, if you intend to scale beyond these resolutions, the performance does deteriorate, considering that it has a 128-bit memory bus onboard. Yet again, the primary concerns gamers have with AMD’s GPU ecosystem are that it still lags behind NVIDIA’s offerings. Although FSR 4 saw significant improvements this year, it still trails behind DLSS 4, not just in performance, but also in support for a broader range of titles.

Now might be one of the best times to get the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB, as it is hovering around its MSRP. For a sub-$1000 PC build, the GPU is a great choice, considering you are willing to support AMD’s RT ecosystem.

Best Mid-Range: NVIDIA’s RTX 5070

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NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070

NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070 is a compelling option if you are eager to harness the power of DLSS 4, that too with solid on-paper specifications.

Well, there’s no GPU list without having an NVIDIA 70-class model included, mainly since when you prefer getting the most performance without worrying much about the price tag, the RTX 5070 does a great job. Gamers have relied on Team Green’s GPUs for several years now, even if they don’t offer the best price-to-performance figures, as NVIDIA’s RT and software platform has consistently dominated. The GeForce RTX 5070 stood out in the crowd, offering consumers an intermediate option that didn’t require a highly priced purchase, yet still utilized DLSS 4 and frame generation technology at its full potential.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 isn’t a significant upgrade in terms of performance. Sometimes, it’s 5% faster than the RTX 4070 SUPER, which isn’t a substantial upgrade for existing RTX 4070 owners. On a few occasions, it even outperforms the RTX 4070 Ti. NVIDIA took a hit in the price-to-performance department this year, especially since the RTX 5070 retailed above its MSRP for several months due to supply constraints. However, the ongoing deals season is yet another great time to snag the RTX 5070, as it is now available at a relatively appealing price.

While this take is debatable, there’s a stereotype that NVIDIA’s GPUs are the safer bet out there, considering the maturity of the company’s software ecosystem, and if someone is looking to build a PC within the $1,200 to $1,500 price range, integrating the GeForce RTX 5070 is a viable option if you are an all-NVIDIA fan.

Honorable Mention: Intel’s Arc B580

Intel’s Arc B580

Intel’s Arc B580 was the underdog in this year’s GPU releases, since the company managed to push out a great product for its price tag, yet it lagged behind due to XeSS being immature.

Well, it’s surprising that an Intel GPU made it to the list, but excluding the Arc B580 wouldn’t do justice to this year’s launches. The Arc B580 turned out to be an excellent option for gamers, considering its price tag was a standout among relatively expensive options from AMD and NVIDIA. More importantly, the Arc B580 features 12 GB of VRAM onboard, which is great for modern-day AAA titles and also makes the GPU relevant for at least two years ahead.

In terms of performance figures, the Intel Arc B580 competes well against the products it is designed to tackle, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, and even outpaces the Arc A770 16 GB graphics card in some titles. The graphics card is designed as a 1080p gaming solution, but it also performs well at 1440p, thanks to its 12 GB of VRAM. For consumers willing to take a ‘bold’ approach with their next GPU upgrade, the B580 is undoubtedly a great option, as it has positioned itself as the favoured option for a $800 to $1,000 PC build.

The primary downside of opting for an Intel GPU is the lack of XeSS support in modern gaming titles, as the software stack hasn’t been on the market as long as DLSS and FSR. While Intel has released updates to XeSS over the past year, it still isn’t as mainstream as its competitors, which hinders gamers from considering the Arc B580 as a viable option. Hopefully, moving into next year, we could see Intel ramping up the competition in the mainstream consumer segment.

Here’s How to Choose Your Next Gaming GPU: A Few Pointers

Well, 2025 did come with awesome GPU options across the board, especially in the mainstream segment, but given the diverse competition this year, many consumers were confused about which model to opt for. Setting aside the pricing, here’s what every buyer should look for when purchasing a GPU to ensure the best experience for the money you are spending.

Determine the GPU power needed: When you are in the consumer market for a GPU, it’s essential to have a clear set of requirements in mind. The key metrics to consider are the resolution you intend to play on and the refresh rate. For most gamers, the sweet spot is 1080p at 144Hz, or even 1440p at 144Hz. Of course, this could vary based on the consumer themselves, but once you have decided upon a configuration, it makes picking up a GPU a lot easier. Typically, for high-resolution gaming, GPUs with higher VRAM and a wider memory bus are the best choice.

Future-proofing: This is one aspect that gamers often overlook when making their purchase decisions, mainly because it is more driven by pricing rather than considering the long-term prospects of a GPU. It’s essential that if you are a casual user intending to build a system that you probably won’t upgrade for at least a few years, you should look towards a mid-to-high tier configuration, which won’t render the GPU obsolete soon.

An important parameter for this is the VRAM capacity on the GPU, given that 8 GB models are already becoming obsolete, and modern-day AAA titles now require gamers to have more GPU memory onboard. The optimal configuration is to obtain a model with at least 16 GB of VRAM or more, as this will make your GPU relevant for at least the next two to three years, depending on how titles scale up.

Choosing the right software ecosystem: This is probably one of the major decisions you will be making when getting a GPU, since the software ecosystem has taken a massive role over the years to ensure that you get the best gaming experience. Deciding among technologies like NVIDIA’s DLSS, AMD’s FSR, and Intel’s XeSS might be a lot difficult, especially for consumers who are new to PCMR, but we have summed it up for you here:

Common FAQs:

Are 8GB GPUs dead in 2025?

Well, calling them ‘dead’ would be an exaggeration, but there’s no denying that the minimum requirements across multiple gaming titles out there are increasing at a rapid pace, which ultimately means that getting a playable experience on 8 GB VRAM could get a lot more difficult. You could probably get away with a year or two of baseline 1080p gaming, but moving forward, the best option is to have a 12 GB or even a 16 GB VRAM GPU onboard, to be on the safe side.

Are Intel Arc GPUs safe to buy relative to AMD/NVIDIA GPUs?

Intel’s Arc GPU platform hasn’t yet reached a maturity level comparable to that of NVIDIA and AMD counterparts, primarily because the company hasn’t been as dedicated as it initially promised when the GPUs were first introduced. However, with Battlemage, particularly with the B580, we did see a higher commitment level from the company in terms of offering a competitive product, so it would be wrong to say that the Arc lineup has no future. However, for Intel GPUs to actually be a viable competitor, Team Blue needs to accelerate the development process.

What is the best ‘Bang for Buck’ GPU right now?

This question does hold subjectivity, mainly since you could opt for several options right now that could give a competitive price-to-performance figure, but based on what we have seen over the year, the Radeon RX 9070 XT managed to dominate the retail markets, not just in terms of consumer adoption, but also in how it was readily available for prices around MSRP. One of the major reasons AMD made a strong showing in the market this time was due to the impressive RDNA 4 architecture and significant improvements within the FSR tech stack.

Well, this is it for 2025, as we intend to close out another progressive year for the GPU market. It would be interesting to see how 2026 turns out, but this year has made us realize the massive potential that exists when GPU manufacturers actually deliver products that offer tremendous value and performance.

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