Voting is now open for the Computing and Gaming categories in the TechRadar Readers' Choice Awards 2026, with readers choosing the winners across laptops, monitors, gaming accessories, services, and other technology categories.
This year's awards introduce a stronger reader focused format. The Readers' Choice section contains nearly 100 categories, and the winners will be decided entirely by public voting rather than editorial judging.
The Computing and Gaming ballot is one part of the wider awards program, which also includes categories covering phones, cameras, TVs, audio, streaming, fitness technology, and smart home products.
Voting closes on October 7, 2026, before the winners are announced during TechRadar Awards 2026 Week beginning October 19.
Readers will decide the winners
The shortlists were created by the editorial team using products that were either highly rated in testing or particularly popular during the year.
Once those shortlists were prepared, however, the final decision moved to readers.
That means the Readers' Choice Awards are separate from the Product of the Year Awards, where winners are selected by expert judges.
| Awards detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Awards | TechRadar Readers' Choice Awards 2026 |
| Total categories | Nearly 100 |
| Voting method | 100 percent reader voting |
| Computing and Gaming areas | Laptops, peripherals, monitors, gaming services, accessories and more |
| Voting deadline | October 7, 2026 |
| Deadline time | 00:01am PST, 03:01am EST, 08:01am BST |
| Winners announced | Awards Week beginning October 19 |
| Separate judged awards | Product of the Year Awards |
The split gives the event two different perspectives. One set reflects reader preferences, while another reflects the decisions of the publication's judging team.
That also creates the possibility that some products could win both awards if readers and judges independently select the same device.
Computing and Gaming covers a broad range of products
The dedicated Computing and Gaming ballot is aimed at readers who do not want to vote across every category in the full awards program.
It includes areas such as laptops, gaming peripherals, console accessories, monitors, and gaming services.
That gives voters a narrower set of categories focused on PC and gaming hardware rather than forcing them through unrelated areas such as cameras or home appliances.
Other category specific ballots are also available for people interested in phones and cameras, TVs and audio, or fitness and home technology.
There is also a complete ballot for anyone who wants to vote across the entire awards program.
Voting closes on October 7
Votes must be submitted before the deadline on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
The cutoff is 00:01am PST, 03:01am EST, and 08:01am BST.
After voting closes, the results will be counted and the winners prepared for the main awards period later in the month.
TechRadar Awards 2026 Week begins on Monday, October 19.
During that week, the Readers' Choice winners will be announced alongside the Product of the Year selections chosen by the judging panel.
The two awards programs remain separate, even though they are announced as part of the same broader event.
For readers interested mainly in computing and gaming, the current ballot provides a direct way to vote without going through all of the other categories. The final results will show which products and services earned the strongest support from readers during 2026.
Discussion (0)
Be the first to comment.