Gaming monitors come in many shapes and sizes, and whether you like having more screen real estate or something that’s compact and fast, there’s a gaming monitor out there for you, so we’ve rounded up the best gaming monitors available that you can currently buy. Gaming monitors are most commonly used for PC games, but they can be excellent options for console games as well. So, this list includes several options across PC and console platforms.
When it comes to choosing a gaming monitor, there are several things you might want to look for before you decide. One is obviously the cost. Maybe you have a big budget and are looking for the most expensive monitor with the most features. Maybe your budget is smaller, and you want something that’s still pretty good but less expensive.
You’ll also want to look at the refresh rate. No matter what price range you’re shopping in, you definitely want something with a fast refresh rate. It doesn’t have to be lightning-fast at 400Hz, but it’s not a bad idea to shop for something that’s at least 144Hz. If you can find something within your budget that’s 240Hz, then that’s even better.
In addition to refresh rate, you should be looking at monitors that have Variable Refresh Rate support and at least one HDMI 2.1 connection, although the more of these the monitor has, the better. Additionally, you want a monitor with good color contrast, and then there’s the size and resolution of the panel to consider. It’s also not bad if the monitor has Auto-Low-Latency Mode and an overall low input latency.
Most of everything else is extra bells and whistles, but not necessarily something you need to have. Stuff like picture-by-picture mode, for example, is a great feature to have, but you don’t need it.
The nice thing is that a lot of those extra bells and whistles will be on quite a few options these days, and not just on the most expensive options. So, with all of that said, you have plenty of options for gaming monitors, but if you’re looking for the best options, we’ve got you covered.
Best Overall Gaming Monitor: MSI MPG 321URXW QD-OLED
If you want the best of the best for a gaming monitor, the MSI MPG 321URXW QD-OLED comes out ahead across the board for most areas you want a gaming monitor to excel in. For starters, it’s a 32-inch QD-OLED panel. OLED gaming monitors are really the best you can get, thanks to their amazing color contrast with deep, inky blacks, but they’re still quite expensive. That may change once Alienware launches its new range of 2025 QD-OLED monitors, which are supposed to come in cheaper than before.
Until then, your options for a cheaper OLED gaming monitor are going to mostly stick to the considerably higher price tags. This where the MSI MPG 321URXW QD-OLED kind of breaks away from the pack. It’s less expensive than a lot of the competition, although it is still expensive and prohibitively so for some consumers. If you can afford it, though, this monitor probably has everything you could want in a gaming monitor.
It’s 4K resolution with a 240Hz refresh rate, so it’s already off to a great start. But it doesn’t stop there because this monitor also has an incredibly low input latency, with a 0.03ms response time. In other words, this monitor is fast and won’t bog your games down. MSI has also installed a graphene film with a custom-designed heatsink to help keep the monitor cool during sustained, heavy use.
This is important because it’s part of MSI’s approach to preventing OLED burn-in, which is always a risk when going with something that has an OLED panel. But this should help minimize that risk considerably. The monitor also has several IO ports, including two HDMI 2.1 ports, one for DisplayPort 1.4, one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, one USB-B port, and an earphone out port. The brightness is also staggeringly good at 1,000 nits. This isn’t the absolute brightest, but it is plenty bright, so you shouldn’t have much of an issue with glare or using this to play games in brightly lit rooms.
Now, as for cost, this is currently available on Amazon and Best Buy for $899.99. Coming in at under $1,000 makes it more affordable than some of the other high-end OLED options. It’s still costly, however, and there are less expensive options if you’re looking for that.
Buy at Amazon
Buy at Best Buy
Best Ultrawide Gaming Monitor: Samsung Odyssey Neo G9
There is a lot to love about Samsung’s Odyssey Neo G9 gaming monitor, not the least of which is its stunning design. The 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9 is one of several different variants of the Odyssey G9 in Samsung’s lineup, but this is the best one because it has a 57-inch display and it uses Quantumn Mini-LED technology for the panel. This comes with less of a risk for burn-in compared to OLED, though it might be at the expense of some of that richer contrast between the colors and blacks.
Still, the 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9 is one of the nicest gaming monitors we’ve ever seen, and for an ultrawide option, there’s none better. There are some things to keep in mind when looking at this monitor, however. First is the cost. The 57-Odyssey Neo G9 is very spendy at $2,299.99. So you’ll be spending no small amount to step into this thing and place it on your desk. However, if you have the money to spare and you want something entirely indulgent, this is that monitor.
Why is this the best ultrawide? Several reasons. It’s a 57-inch ultrawide screen for one, so it’s bigger than other ultrawides you’ll come across. It also has a native 240Hz refresh rate and a dual 4K resolution. All the Dual 4K means is that it’s basically two 32-inch monitors with 4K resolution sitting next to each other. This plays well into one of the monitor’s strengths, though. It features picture-by-picture mode, and that means you can split the monitor’s visuals up into two 32-inch monitors when you have two different sources plugged in.
While you won’t need this, it’s a really cool feature to have if you like bringing up guides or videos, or anything really, on one screen while you play games on another. The one issue you might run into is keeping this monitor running at the peak of its 240Hz refresh rate in 4K. Mainly because of the size. This won’t be easy to do even if you have a top-end graphics card. That being said, you could lower your game’s graphics settings to improve this, and you should still be able to expect reasonably high refresh rates if your PC hardware can handle it. We also really love that 1000R curve on a monitor this big for the immersion factor in games.
Buy at Samsung
Best Budget Gaming Monitor: MSI G255PF
Choosing a budget gaming monitor can be just as daunting as choosing one at the high-end, perhaps more so because there are a lot more options. While we really like the BenQ MOBIUZ EX240N, the MSI G255PF wins out for a few reasons. For one, it’s the same size display with the same size resolution, but it has a higher refresh rate. Compared to the BenQ’s 165Hz refresh rate, this one from MSI has a 180Hz refresh rate.
Not to mention they’re both available for around the same price. The MSI monitor is $132.99 on Amazon right now, and BenQ’s EX240N is $129.99. So when you factor those things in, that’s really all the reason you need to go with what MSI is offering here. Beyond that, the MSI monitor is Full HD, and its display size is 24.5 inches, whereas the BenQ is 23.8 inches. So you get just a tiny bit more display to work with.
Now, at $132.99, it’s going to be missing some features you’ll find on the nicer options, like USB-C ports, and new versions of HDMI and DisplayPort connections. You’ll be stuck with HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2. So this isn’t the best option for PS5 or Xbox Series X if you want the ability to run compatible games at 120Hz. Again, though, this monitor is $132.99. So, while you are giving up some nicer features, you won’t break the bank picking this monitor up.
It has pretty decent built-in speakers, too. This can give you a little leeway if you don’t have the extra money right away to buy some actual speakers for your setup. It’s also great if you do decide to hook your console up to this for the very same reason. Or in case similar to mine, if you hook up both your PC and your PS5, but your speaker system will only connect to one source. This way, you get a set of proper speakers for one or the other and the built-in speakers from the monitor for the remaining source.
Color reproduction is good, though it’s also important to temper your expectations for a monitor that costs this little. You won’t be getting the best possible gaming experience from this monitor visually, but it will be pretty good, and the price is right.
Buy At Amazon
Best Gaming Monitor for PS5: BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX
I’ve had the pleasure of using a handful of different gaming monitors for my PS5 over the past few years, and so far, BenQ’s MOBIUZ EX321UX has been my favorite. It’s a decent enough size to serve as my main display for my PC, but it also works well with PS5 since I have mine on my desk opposite the PC side.
This monitor provides 4K resolution with a nice 144Hz refresh rate, which is by no means the highest for a gaming monitor, but the PS5 only supports up to 120Hz anyways, so this is more than enough. The IPS panel is Mini-LED, and the monitor has a high peak brightness of 1,000 nits with a full-screen brightness of 700 nits. In short, it’s extremely bright, and I’ve yet to have an issue with glare.
With several other monitors I’ve used, glare has been a bigger issue. Because one of my windows directly faces the monitor. So when the sun shines through, it can be a problem when playing games. Not with the BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX, however. Now, this might not be an issue for you much, but if you struggle with the glare on your monitor with your current setup, this monitor will help alleviate that issue.
It has a 1ms response time, which is quite low, and so far, I haven’t experienced any issues with the response time at all. The features keep coming with this monitor as well with a plethora of IO ports, including two HDMI 2.1 ports and a third that supports eARC 7.1. There are no built-in speakers, unfortunately, so you’ll need to provide your own sound system. That being said, that’s easy enough to do and not too expensive these days. This monitor also supports DisplayPort 2.1 if you want that future-proofing for your PC.
Additionally, there’s a USB-C port with 65W power delivery here, so you could even hook up a non-gaming laptop to use this as an external display if you wanted. There are a lot of connectivity options alongside the other great features. And that’s partly the reason for this monitor’s high cost. Which, by the way, sits at around $1,099.99 right now on Amazon. If there’s one major downside, it’s the price tag.
You could opt for an OLED panel that might end up costing less money, but you will lose some of the features this monitor offers. Overall, it depends on what you’re looking for, but so far, this has been an exceptional experience for PS5. So if you have the budget, this is a really solid PS5 monitor with plenty of extras.
Buy at Amazon
Best Large Gaming Monitor: Samsung Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen
When it comes to big gaming monitors that are the size of a TV, Samsung’s Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen takes the cake. The display is not only 55 inches in size, but it has a native 16:9 aspect ratio when you’re using the monitor with a single source. This makes for an absolutely massive screen for PC gaming, and because it’s 16:9, it ends up looking quite good with consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. More or less like they were hooked up to a 55-inch TV.
Of course, there’s a lot more than the size that goes into why we selected the Odyssey Ark as the best large gaming monitor. It has several awesome features that you won’t find on other monitors. One of those is the 4-input multiview. This pairs really well with the included control station that comes with the monitor. It has several IO ports for connecting multiple pieces of hardware. So you could easily hook up your gaming PC and a few consoles.
To make this even better, the monitor has an Auto Source Switch feature. If you have multiple devices hooked up to the monitor, like your consoles and your gaming PC, the monitor will automatically switch to the source that was most recently powered on. So, for example, if you were working on your PC all day and then turned on your PS5 after work, the monitor would switch to the PS5 source without you having to do anything. This isn’t a necessary feature to have, but let me tell you, it sure is nice.
My current monitor doesn’t offer this, and every time I swap between the PC and PS5 inputs, I imagine how great it would be if this step wasn’t needed. Of course, the most important part of any monitor is how good the image quality is. The Odyssey Ark provides exceptional image quality with its 4K resolution, and the 165Hz refresh rate ensures your games will look nice and smooth.
We also really love that it has an included KVM Switch. This comes more into play if you have more than one PC connected to the monitor. But what it does for you is allow you to control all of the PCs that are hooked up to the Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen with a single mouse and keyboard. This is a major convenience feature, and again, a feature that isn’t really necessary, but it does make things much easier for those with a multi-PC setup.
Speaking of control, the Odyssey Ark comes with this really neat Ark Dial remote for controlling pretty much all the monitor’s features. It’s a pricey monitor at a regular price of $2,699.99, but Amazon currently has it on sale for $1,600.
Buy at Amazon
Best Dual-Mode Gaming Monitor: Alienware AW2725QF
Sometimes, you want to play games in 4K, and sometimes, you want a blazing-fast refresh rate. The problem with this is that you mostly have to choose a monitor that does one or the other. You won’t generally get a monitor that has both 4K visuals and a refresh rate that’s 360Hz and above. That is unless you go with something like a Dual Mode monitor. With a Dual Mode monitor, you can have your cake and eat it too, because with these types of monitors you can swap between 4K and 1080p. 1080p comes with a much faster refresh rate.
Allowing you to switch between resolutions on the fly depending on the game and the refresh rate that’s better suited for it. For our pick in this category, we’re going with the Alienware AW2725QF. This Dual Mode monitor will deliver 1080p with a wicked-fast refresh rate of 360Hz. This is great for games like League of Legends, Counterstrike 2, and other high-action games where your movement and reaction timing are crucial to winning.
However, when you’re done pulling your hair out and stressing over possible victories, you can swap over to a game that’s more casual and benefits from having 4K visuals. In those situations, you can swap this monitor to 4K, and the refresh rate changes to 180Hz. The thing to realize, too, is that 180Hz is still very fast for just about any game.
In addition to the dual resolution options, the Alienware AW2725QF also has a 27-inch display, and it’s an IPS panel with a matte screen surface. In some cases, like with OLED, the panel being more glossy can be a more visually appealing option. That being said, the matte screen surface on the Alienware AW2725QF is nice if you want to avoid potential glare as often as possible.
There is one significant downside – It’s kind of expensive. This monitor will run you $599, and for a 27-inch IPS panel, that’s not really cheap. That being said, it does have pretty decent color reproduction, and it also has a very low 0.5ms response time. It has several IO ports as well for connectivity. You get DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.1 ports, SuperSpeed USB 5 (USB 3.2 Gen 1) Type-C, three USB-A ports, a USB-B port, and a Kensington security lock.
One of our favorite features is the headset hanger. This pops out from the back of the left side of the monitor. So when you’re done playing or just done using your headset, you can pop out the headset hanger and place your headset on it. This is really quite awesome because it helps you keep your desk more organized. It also alleviates having to buy a headphone stand, which could take up more space on your desk. The monitor’s stand base also takes up very little surface area, letting you save even more room on your desk for other stuff. While the Alienware AW2725QF is quite pricey, it’s a really solid monitor for gaming and the best option if you want to switch between 4K and 1080p.
Buy at Dell
Best 1080p Gaming Monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QL3A
If you’re strictly looking for a monitor with 1080p resolution for your gaming setup, then consider the ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QL3A. At $178 (this is a sale price; it’s normally $199), it’s reasonably priced, and you get just about everything you need. It has a 180Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time, so it’s fast, and the input patency is low.
You get three connectivity ports as well, so you can plug in a gaming PC as well as a console or two if you want to keep your gaming platforms all on one screen. The monitor does come with an HDMI cable in the box, but you’ll need to provide your own DisplayPort cable if you prefer it for your PC connectivity method.
The monitor’s ELMB Sync feature is really nice for anti-ghosting, so you get nice, sharp images while gaming. If you’re anything like me, you also likely sit down and game for hours sometimes. During those longer sessions, you can put undue strain on your eyes if your monitor isn’t designed with this in mind. The ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QL3A is designed with this in mind, which is why we love that it has anti-flicker technology to prevent eye strain during longer gaming sessions.
This monitor also has built-in speakers. While we wouldn’t consider these your best option for gaming audio, it’s nice that the speakers are there. For one, if you don’t have any extra money for speakers, these will still allow you to hear your game audio. The built-in speakers can also be great for multi-platform setups. For example, if you have your PC and a console hooked up to this monitor and you do have external speakers, but they only connect to your PC, the monitor’s built-in speakers can be used for your console.
My own personal current speaker setup is exactly like this. I can only connect it to one thing. So I have the system connected to my PC. Unfortunately, my monitor doesn’t have built-in speakers, which means I have to use a headset for PS5. You wouldn’t run into this with the ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QL3A, and believe me when I tell you that this would be really convenient. Overall, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QL3A is an excellent pick for a 1080p monitor. It’s priced well, and it’s built well.
Buy at Amazon
Best 4K Gaming Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift PG32UCDM
There are lots and lots of 4K gaming monitors out there these days, and if you aren’t beholden to having something that comes with a larger display, our pick for the best 4K gaming monitor is the ASUS ROG Swift PG32UCDM.
It ticks a lot of the right boxes for a gaming monitor, from design to features. When it comes to design, this is one of the best-looking monitors that ASUS offers. It’s also one of the best-looking monitors in general. If you end up using the monitor stand that it comes with, there’s that really neat lighting that shines down from the bottom onto your desk surface, which is not a necessary thing to have, but it is cool-looking.
As for the monitor’s image quality, it is 4K, so your game visuals will be nice and crisp, with pretty accurate color reproduction that really helps your games pop off the screen, thanks to a 99% DCI-P3. This monitor is very pricey at $999, but it is worth it if you want all the bells and whistles. It’s an OLED panel, so you’re going to get really good color contrasts and deep, inky blacks.
Now, while OLED panels have a higher risk of burn-in, ASUS has used a graphene heatsink in this monitor to help prevent it from overheating, and that should help reduce the risk of burn-in. The monitor is very fast, with a 240Hz refresh rate and a staggeringly low 0.03ms response time. And just like the ASUS TUF monitor, this comes with a 3-year warranty if anything ever goes wrong with it. Provided it’s not an issue that was caused by you.
ASUS also packs in a lot of little extras. You get cables for DisplayPort, HDMI, USB-C, and USB 3.2, and all of them have some neat ROG branding on them. The HDMI cable is also an Ultra HDMI cable, so it’s HDMI 2.1. The USB-C port also has 90W power delivery if you’re plugging in a laptop that supports 90W charging. You also get a VESA mounting kit, some stickers, and a little pouch to keep the cables or other small things in. If you have the budget, this is a 4K gaming that you won’t be disappointed with.
Buy at Amazon
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