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Whether you’ve been shopping the best gaming PC deals or already have a lot invested in one of the best gaming PCs, some antivirus software is the first step in keeping it secure. With a lot of games accessible through online means, and with multiplayer action taking place primarily online nowadays, securing your setup is important. There is a lot of antivirus software out there, and while many of them offer similar features, their differences are important to note. We’ve tracked down the antivirus software we feel is the best for gamers to consider, and we’ve even narrowed the selections down into specific use case scenarios.
The best antivirus software for gaming PCs in 2024
Buy
Webroot
if you want the best antivirus software for customized protection.
Buy
Aura
if you want the best antivirus software for multiple gaming device coverage.
Norton Security 360 for Gamers
Best antivirus software for gaming PCs
Norton
Pros
Cons
Coverage for up to 3 devices
Somewhat pricey
Game optimization
50GB cloud backup
Dark web monitoring for gamer tags
Norton Security 360 isn’t just the best antivirus software for gamers, but some of the best antivirus software for Windows and Mac in general. Its gamer edition is particularly impressive, however, offering features like dark web monitoring for your gamer tags and personal information. It’s designed by PC gamers for PC gamers, so features like Notification Optimization and Full-screen Detection Mode are expert inclusions.
Bitdefender îs a popular antivirus software option amongst gamers.Some of its gaming-specific features include a full-screen mode that temporarily halts pop-ups, adjusts visual settings, and pauses unimportant background activities to allow you to enjoy the full power of your gaming PC without distraction. It also offers webcam and microphone protection to prevent eavesdropping. Bitdefener has had the industry’s best detection rate for the past five years.
McAfee has been providing antivirus software for almost as long as the PC has been. It’s knowledgable across all use-cases, but gamers should be particularly interested in McAfee because of its Game Mode. This offers optimized gaming and ensures the antivirus software doesn’t bog down your system while you play. It also includes an App Boost feature that recognizes which apps require the most resources at any given time.
Webroot is another antivirus software option a lot of gamers lean toward. This is mostly due to its speed, as it offers blazing fast scans without interruption and fast install times. But something Webroot offers that you won’t find among many antivirus software options is several different plans that each improve on feature offerings over one another. This effectively makes your plan selection customizable, the base plan offering basic coverage and the premium plan including everything Web root has to offer, and the Webroot’s middle plans covering all of the ground in between.
Best antivirus software for protecting multiple gaming devices
Aura
Pros
Cons
Protects minimum of up to 10 devices
No gaming-specific features
Premium identity theft protection
$1M identity theft insurance
Well priced
Aura offers a range of protection services, and among them is antivirus software. It allows you to protect your digital footprint from multiple threats, and many gaming PCs and laptops are now coming with Aura pre-installed. Aura is also a great option if you’re hoping to cover multiple gaming devices, as its Individual Plan will protect up to 10 devices, and its Family Plan will cover up to 50 devices.
How we chose the best antivirus software for gaming PCs
When it comes to choosing antivirus software, most options offer a wide range of features. When it comes to narrowing things down to the best antivirus software for gaming PCs specifically, there are a few things you need to pay more attention to. These include things offerings like game optimization and protection for peripheral devices such as webcams and mics in addition to ensuring protection is provided during online gaming sessions. We took all of these things into account in narrowing down antivirus software into the best options for gaming PC users, and we factored in things like pricing and the number devices covered with each option as well.
This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.
Best Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals: From $523
While the MacBook Air has become synonymous with being a high-quality and lightweight laptop, it does mean that you'd have to be part of the Apple ecosystem. Luckily, there are some great alternatives out there, and Microsoft's Surface lineup is made specifically to compete with MacBook deals. While the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 aren't quite here yet, at least at the consumer level, you can still grab the latest models with some pretty great deals. That's why we've gone out and looked for our favorite Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals and compiled them all here for you to save you the hassle, although if these don't quite do it for you, be sure to check out other great laptop deals and 2-in-1 laptop deals as well.
Microsoft Surface Go 3 -- $523, was $550
Functioning as a 2-in-1 laptop that can switch between tablet mode and laptop mode, the Microsoft Surface Go 3Â won't have trouble dealing with basic tasks as it's equipped with the Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor and 8GB of RAM. The 10.5-inch touchscreen with 1920 x 1080 resolution is bright and colorful, and its 128GB SSD is more than enough for your documents. The Microsoft Surface Go 3 ships with Windows 11 Home in Mode, so you can start using it as soon as you unbox it. The device also promises up to 11 hours of battery life before requiring a recharge.
As recently as a decade ago, you would most likely be using HDDs for storage, which tend to be quite slow and take up an absolute tone of space, even the smaller form factor ones made for laptops. If you wanted something a bit more fancy, like a modern M.2 SSD, you'd be paying a huge premium even for smaller sizes like 256GB and 512GB. Luckily there have been huge leaps in technology and manufacturing, and these days you can get your hands on the best SSDs for a pretty good price. Not only does that mean that you can save space, but you can also load Windows and your applications a lot faster, something we expect to see in the best gaming PCs and gaming laptops. If you need a new SSD to upgrade a gaming rig, check out RAM deals and GPU deals as well. If you need something that can swap between multiple devices, you'll prefer checking out external hard drive deals.
Our favorite SSD deal
If you're looking for something that's top-of-the-line and won't break the bank, then the Samsung 990 PRO is probably the way to go. It has the newer PCIe 4.0 standard, which makes it a great PS5 SSD if you can get it a heatsink, and it has a read speed of 7450 Mbps and a write speed of 6900 Mbps, so it's lightning fast. The 2TB model here has been discounted down to just $190 from the original $250, so you're saving a pretty solid $60 in the process. There is a 1TB version that's cheaper if you don't think you need that much, as well as a 4TB model that's great for those who have a tendency to hoard data.
Best MacBook deals: Get an Air for $605 and save on M3 MacBook Pro
Apple has been in the laptop game for quite a while now, and its MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lineups are some of the best laptops on the market, especially since Apple has started using its own chips. Of course, you do have to pay a premium for the brand name and the product, and if you're thinking of grabbing one of these, then you may need to rely on some solid Apple deals to get you through. That's why we've scoured some of the biggest retailers online and found the best deals we could, whether you want an early-model MacBook Air M1 or the latest M3 MacBook Pro. That said, if you're not really feeling any of these MacBooks, be sure to check out these other great laptop deals instead. To complete your full Apple suite, pair a new MacBook with AirPods deals, Apple Watch deals and iPhone deals.
Best MacBook Air (M1) deals
The Apple MacBook Air (M1) started a seismic shift for Apple being the first of its Airs to have an Apple-based processor. We took a look at the differences between the M2 and M1 and the M1 is still looking pretty great. It's also a touch nearer to affordable than anything else here. Fast yet fanless so it's silent to use, you gain an 18-hour battery life, a gorgeous looking 13.3-inch Retina display along with all the effortless style you'd expect from an Apple device. These laptops are best for students or those who want something stylish yet reasonably powerful to use on the move. Nowadays, deals are becoming a little harder to come by unless you're willing to consider a refurbished/renewed model.
