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We’ve been testing the best running shoes for over a decade and it’s fair to say right now Asics is on a hot streak. The best Asics running shoes include one of our favourite carbon plate running shoe in the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, one of our favourite all-rounders in the Megablast, and a host of other excellent options to suit a range of runners including the popular Novablast 6.
Asics were our brand of the year in 2025, and have impressed with their launches in the first half of 2026, which include excellent updates to both the Superblast and Novablast lines.
You’ll find reviews of the best Asics running shoes we’ve tested below, and if you head to our YouTube channel you’ll get more in-depth takes on each shoe plus comparisons with rivals from within the Asics range and other brands.
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The Run Testers are a team of experienced journalists who have been running for decades, and testing out running shoes for just as long. You can find more info on the team here, and if you read around you’ll find it easy to spot our bylines on articles covering running and running gear on a wide variety of websites.
All of our reviews are completely independent and impartial, and we’re confident that our advice can steer you in the right direction because we’ve spent years accumulating knowledge by testing everything we can get our hands on, so we can compare the latest releases to the best options already on the market.
The Best Asics Running Shoes 2026
Asics Novablast 6
Price: £140/$155 | Weight: 253g/8.9oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Asics Novablast 6 feels like the most complete and versatile version of the Novablast yet. It still leans into that big, cushioned daily trainer identity, but the update to the midsole noticeably changes the ride.
The combination of FF Blast Max Plus with an FF Turbo Squared forefoot insert gives it a softer, more comfortable base than the Novablast 5, but with a noticeable lift in energy when picking up the pace.
We found that it’s a shoe that works best in the middle of the pace range. Easy miles feel cushioned, smooth and protective, while steady and marathon-pace efforts really bring out the bounce from the forefoot. It’s not the most impressive speed shoe out there, but it’s far more capable than previous versions, which makes it feel more fun and more engaging day to day.
Overall, this is a much more modern, versatile Novablast. It’s still a comfort-first shoe, but now with enough pop and responsiveness to handle a wide range of training runs, making it a strong one-shoe option for many runners.
Read our full Asics Novablast 6 review
Asics Megablast
Price: £210/$225 | Weight: 241g/8.5oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Megablast is an outstanding all-rounder that offers a lot of comfort thanks to the towering stack of cushioning in its midsole, but also a lot of versatility thanks to its light weight and the springy FF Turbo Squared foam used.
It’s a shoe we’ve used for everything from relaxed recovery runs to hard sessions, and while it can feel a little blocky at faster speeds at times, the Megablast is great for longer reps and tempo efforts, while also being highly comfortable for easy and long runs.
The only real downsides to the Megablast are that some runners might find it a little unstable, and it’s incredibly high price. As much as we love the shoe, it’s certainly true to say there are better value options available from Asics and other brands.
Read our full Asics Megablast review
Asics Superblast 3
Price: £200/$210 | Weight: 232g/8.2oz (UK 8) | Drop: 8mm
The ASICS Superblast 3 marks a major shift from its predecessor, delivering a softer, more energetic ride. The key upgrade is the new FF Leap foam blended with FF Blast Plus, creating a noticeably bouncier underfoot experience, especially for easy runs and comfortable long runs.
One downside is that the softer foam reduces the planted, stable feel of the Superblast 2 and lacks the sharp responsiveness needed for fast interval sessions. Overall, the Superblast 3 is best suited to runners seeking a premium, cushioned trainer for long runs, steady efforts, and comfortable marathon racing without a carbon plate.
The fit is true to size with a roomy toe box, secure midfoot lockdown, and plush comfort through the upper.
Read our full Asics Superblast 3 review
Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo
Price: £240/$270 | Weight: 169g/6oz (UK 9) | Drop: 5mm
The Metaspeed Sky Paris was, in our view, the best carbon plate running shoe of 2024, and its successor is even better. The Sky Tokyo has a lighter and bouncier design thanks to the new midsole setup, which contains a later of FF Leap foam to add more spring to your step.
It’s a phenomenally fast shoe that works well for races of any distance, as well as hard training sessions, though we’d limit how much you’d use it in training because the Sky Tokyo doesn’t have the most durable outsole design.
The Sky Tokyo is our favourite Asics racer overall, though the Edge Tokyo is also terrific and might suit some runners better, while the Metaspeed Ray is the lightest, bounciest and most fun option in the range, but unstable and lacking durability.
Read our full Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo review
Asics Gel-Nimbus 28
Price: £180/$170 | Weight: 272g/9.6oz (UK 8) | Drop: 8mm
The Gel-Nimbus 28 is the most cushioned neutral shoe in the Asics line-up, and pairs that comfort with stability thanks to the wide base and sidewalls of foam on the shoe. It’s built to offer a lot of protection and is a good shoe for heavier runners and beginners worried about the impact of the sport, as well as being a strong pick for more experienced runners looking for an easy day shoe for their rotation.
Asics made several updates with the Gel-Nimbus 28 to make it lighter than the Gel-Nimbus 27 while maintaining its high level of cushioning, and it is an impressively light shoe given the high stack height of 43mm at the heel. It’s still not as versatile as shoes like the Megablast or Superblast, but the lighter design makes the Gel-Nimbus 28 even more enjoyable for cruising through easy runs.
Asics Metaspeed Ray
Price: £265/$300 | Weight: 136g/4.8oz (UK 9) | Drop: 5mm
The Asics Metaspeed Ray is an absolutely wild racing shoe, with an unbelievably light and bouncy design. It’s about as much fun as shoes get too, and we adored running fast in it, especially when cruising at marathon or half marathon pace.
Unfortunately, it’s also more unstable and less durable than Asics’s other racing shoes (which are already pretty pricy and unstable), and the Metaspeed Ray’s soft midsole and lack of a full carbon plate mean that it’s far from a safe or sensible choice for runners looking for their next super-shoe.
That said, it is undeniably fast and fun, and some runners might well find it the best racer on the market, as long as you don’t mind a little wobbliness.
Read our full Asics Metaspeed Ray review
Asics Sonicblast
Price: £170/$180 | Weight: 261g/9.2oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Sonicblast is a plated super-trainer that uses the same responsive FF Turbo Squared foam in its midsole as found in the Megablast. In the Sonicblast it’s used alongside a later of FF Blast Max foam and a three-quarter length Pebax plate to add extra stability and propulsion.
We had mixed feelings about the Sonicblast on the team, with Mike and Nick finding it a little stiff and slappy compared to the Megablast and plated trainers from other brands, while Kieran liked the more direct feel of the Sonicblast. It’s certainly a versatile shoe, but not as fun as some rivals.
Read our full Asics Sonicblast review
Asics Gel-Cumulus 28
Price: £140/$145 | Weight: 266g/9.4oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Asics Gel-Cumulus line is designed to be a more affordable alternative to the Gel-Nimbus 28, and also differs from the max-cushioned design of the Nimbus and the Novablast by having a lower stack height and a more traditional feel all round.
It still has enough cushioning to be comfortable, but feels a bit nimbler and connected to the ground than the very high and wide Nimbus, and the Cumulus is also a fair bit lighter. The rubberised EVA outsole also helps to make it feel a bit smoother than it’s more cushioned sibling, though it might reduce the durability of the shoe a little.
However, the foam in the Gel-Cumulus 28 is not particularly energetic, and it’s a very versatile shoe despite being quite lightweight, only really working well for easy and steady runs in our experience. For our money, the Novablast is the better shoe for the same price, offering a more cushioned and fun ride.
Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo
Price: £240/$270 | Weight: 166g/5.9oz (UK 9) | Drop: 5mm
Like the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, the Edge Tokyo got a big update in 2025 thanks to the introduction of FF Leap foam into the midsole alongside FF Turbo+. It has the FF Leap foam on the top, whereas the Sky Tokyo has it on the bottom, and the Edge Tokyo also has a more scooped carbon plate.
This difference means the Edge Tokyo should suit runners who mainly increase their cadence when running faster, while the Sky Tokyo should suit runners who mainly increase their stride length. However, we don’t really think this holds up in practice, and the two shoes are just both great racers with a slightly different feel.
Read our full Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo review
We dive into a more detailed comparison of the Edge and Sky Tokyo in this video.
Asics Gel-Kayano 33
Price: £180/$170 | Weight: 316g/11.1oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Gel-Kayano 33 is the flagship stability shoe in the Asics range, offering a similar, highly-cushioned experience to the neutral Gel-Nimbus 28 but with a midsole setup that provides more support for those who overpronate – where your foot rolls excessively inwards on landing.
Asics made some big changes to the Gel-Kayano 33 compared with past models, using a combination of FF Blast Max and FF Blast Plus foams in the midsole as part of the brand’s new FluidSupport system, which aims to provide stability without feeling too cumbersome.
The support from the Gel-Kayano 33 is provided in a subtle way, and it works well for neutral runners as well as overpronators for easy runs where you’re aiming to max out on protection, but it’s a heavy and somewhat clunky shoe at faster paces.
Asics Metafuji Trail
Price: £220/$250 | Weight: 276g/9.7oz (UK 9) | Drop: 5mm
The Metafuji Trail is Asics’s top off-road racing shoe, with a carbon plate sandwiched between layers of FF Turbo and FF Blast Plus cushioning. It has a responsive and fast ride and enough cushioning for trail events of any distance, which Kieran put to the test by running a marathon and an ultramarathon in the shoe.
While the Metafuji Trail doesn’t deliver as impressive a ride as the road super-shoes in Asics’s range, it is a solid pick for trail races on harder terrains. We found the outsole came unstuck on boggier ground, and it’s not perfect for the race Kieran did in the Lake District in particular, but stick to rockier tracks and it should serve you well.