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Title: The best gaming monitors in 2025

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2025 09:01:27 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/best-gamin...

If you want to get the most out of your games ΓÇö whether you're into
competitive FPS titles, sprawling RPGs or story-driven adventures ΓÇö a good
gaming monitor can make all the difference. Smooth gameplay, low input lag
and crisp visuals are just the start. With the right screen, everything from
your aim to your immersion gets a serious upgrade.

These days, thereΓÇÖs a lot more to consider than just refresh rate or screen
size. YouΓÇÖll find ultrawide gaming monitors, widescreen displays, models
with USB-C support, and monitors that can bring out the best in your CPU and
GPU. Some even match the style of your setup, pairing perfectly with gaming
headsets and accessories for a clean, cohesive look.

Whether you're shopping on a tighter price range or splurging on high-end
picture quality, weΓÇÖve rounded up the best options to suit different setups
and play styles ΓÇö so you can level up your experience without the
guesswork.

Table of contents

Best gaming monitors for 2025

How we test gaming monitors

Factors to consider before buying a gaming monitor

Gaming monitor FAQs

Best gaming monitors for 2025

How we test gaming monitors

While IΓÇÖve not used every product recommended in our list, I have
extensively tested dozens of gaming monitors in the past, including models
with WOLED and QD-OLED panels. In the case of the Alienware monitor I
highlight above, I bought one for myself with my own money. Separately, I
spent dozens of hours over a two-year period researching computer monitor
options to write the current version of this guide.

Factors to consider before buying a gaming monitor LCD vs OLED

When shopping for a gaming monitor, you first need to decide if you want to
go with a screen that has an LCD or OLED panel. For most people, that choice
will come down to price; OLED gaming monitors are more expensive than their
LCD counterparts. Even if money isnΓÇÖt a concern, the choice might not be as
straightforward as you think; both LCD and OLED panels come in a few
different flavors, and knowing the differences between each type is important
to making an informed decision.

LCD monitors come in three different varieties: twisted nematic (TN),
vertical alignment (VA) or in-plane switching (IPS). For the most part, you
want to avoid TN monitors unless youΓÇÖre strapped for cash or want a monitor
with the fastest possible refresh rate or fast response rate. TN screens
feature the worst viewing angles, contrast ratios and colors of the group.

The differences between VA and IPS panels are more subtle. Historically, VA
gaming monitors featured slower pixel response times than their TN and IPS
counterparts, leading to unsightly image smearing. However, thatΓÇÖs improved
in recent years. VA panels also frequently sport better contrast ratios than
both TN and IPS screens. TheyΓÇÖre not dramatically better than their IPS
siblings on that front, but when contrast ratios arenΓÇÖt an inherent
strength of LCDs, every bit helps.

On the other hand, IPS panels excel at color accuracy and many offer high
refresh rates and response times that are as fast as the fastest TN panels.
The majority of LCD gaming monitors on the market today feature IPS panels,
though you will frequently find VA screens on ultrawide monitors.

What about OLED?

If you can afford one, an OLED screen makes for the best monitor for gaming.
The ability of organic light-emitting diodes to produce true blacks is
transformational. Simply put, every game looks better when there isnΓÇÖt a
backlight to wash out shadow detail. Plus, you can experience true HDR with
an OLED screen, something that LCDs arenΓÇÖt known for.

Today, OLED screens come in two different flavors: WOLED and QD-OLED, with LG
producing the former and Samsung the latter. I wonΓÇÖt bore you with the
technical details of how the two panel types differ from one another other
than to note both technologies broadly offer the same set of shortcomings.

Most notably, OLED monitors donΓÇÖt get very bright. At best, the most
capable models peak at around 250 nits when measuring brightness across the
entire screen. I didnΓÇÖt find this to be an issue in my testing, but your
experience may vary depending on the ambient light in your gaming setup.

If brightness is important to you, note that due to manufacturer tunings,
different models can perform better than others, even if they feature the
same panel from LG or Samsung. ItΓÇÖs worth comparing monitors in the same
class to find the model thatΓÇÖs right for you.

Separately, almost all OLEDs feature sub-pixel layouts that produce text
fringing in Windows. The latest generation of OLED panels from both LG and
Samsung are much better in this regard, to the point where modern OLEDs are
good enough for reading and image editing. However, itΓÇÖs still worth going
to your local Micro Center or Best Buy to see the model you want in person,
as the text fringing issue is hard to capture in photos and videos.

Another (potentially more serious) issue is burn-in. Organic light-emitting
diodes can get ΓÇ£stuckΓÇ¥ if they display the same image for long periods of
time. Every OLED gaming monitor you can buy today comes with features
designed to prevent burn-in and other image quality issues. Provided you
donΓÇÖt use your new OLED monitor for eight hours of daily productivity work,
I donΓÇÖt think you need to worry about burn-in too much.

Screen size, resolution and aspect ratio

After deciding where you fall on the LCD vs OLED debate, you can start
thinking about the size of your future gaming monitor. Personal preference
and the limitations of your gaming setup will play a big part here, but there
are also a few technical considerations. You should think about size in
conjunction with resolution and aspect ratio.

A 1440p monitor has 78 percent more pixels than a 1080p resolution screen,
and a 4K display has more than twice as many pixels as a QHD panel. As the
size of a monitor increases, pixel density decreases unless you also increase
resolution. For that reason, there are sweet spots between size and high
resolution. For instance, I wouldnΓÇÖt recommend buying an FHD monitor that
is larger than 24 inches or a QHD one bigger than 27 inches. Conversely, text
and interface elements on a 4K monitor can look tiny without scaling on
panels smaller than 32 inches.

You also need to consider the performance costs of running games at higher
resolutions. The latest entry-level GPUs can comfortably run most modern
games at 1080p and 60 frames per second. They can even render some
competitive titles at 120 frames per second and higher ΓÇö but push them to
run those same games at 1440p and beyond, and youΓÇÖre bound to run into
problems. And as youΓÇÖll see in a moment, a consistently high frame rate is
vital to getting the most out of the latest gaming monitors.

If your budget allows for it, 1440p offers the best balance between image
quality and gaming performance. As for 1080p resolution and 4K, I would only
consider the former if youΓÇÖre on a tight budget or enjoy competitive gaming
shooters like Valorant and Overwatch 2. For most people, the user experience
and productivity benefits of QHD far outweigh the performance gains you get
from going with a lower resolution screen.

Just a few years ago, 4K was not a viable resolution for PC gaming, but then
NVIDIA came out with its 40 series GPUs. With those video cards offering the
companyΓÇÖs DLSS 3 frame generation technology, thereΓÇÖs a case to be made
that the technology is finally there to play 4K games at a reasonable frame
rate, particularly if you exclusively play big, AAA single-player games like
Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 or enjoy strategy games like the Total War
series. However, even with frame generation, you will need a GPU like the
$999 RTX 4080 Super or $1,599 RTX 4090 to drive a 4K display. Plus, 4K gaming
monitors tend to cost more than their 1440p counterparts.

If you want an ultrawide, note that not every game supports the 21:9 aspect
ratio, and fewer still support 32:9. When shopping for a curved monitor, a
lower Radius, or ΓÇÿRΓÇÖ number, indicates a more aggressive curve. So, a
1000R monitor is more curved than an 1800R one.

Photo by Igor Bonifacic / Engadget Refresh rates and response times

And now, finally, for the fun stuff. The entire reason to buy a gaming
monitor is for its ability to draw more images than a traditional computer
monitor. As you shop for a new screen, you will see models advertising
refresh rates like 120Hz, 240Hz and 360Hz. The higher the refresh rate of a
monitor, the more times it can update the image it displays on screen every
second, thereby producing a smoother moving image. When it comes to games
like Overwatch, Valorant and League of Legends, a faster refresh rate can
give you a competitive edge, but even immersive single-player games can
benefit.

A monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate will look better in motion than one with
a 120Hz refresh rate, but there are diminishing returns. At 60Hz, the image
you see on your computer monitor is updated every 16.67ms. At 120Hz, 240Hz
and 360Hz, the gap between new frames shortens to 8.33ms, 4.17ms and 2.78ms,
respectively. Put another way, although a 360Hz monitor can display 50
percent more frames than a 240Hz screen in a given time period, you will only
see a speedup of 1.14ms between frame intervals. And all that depends on your
GPUΓÇÖs ability to render a consistent 360 frames per second.

Ultimately, a fast response monitor will do you no good if you don't have a
gaming PC with a graphics card that can keep up. For example, with a 1440p
360Hz monitor, you realistically need a GPU like the RTX 4070 Super or RTX
4080 Super to saturate that display while playing competitive gaming titles
like Overwatch 2 and Valorant.

ThereΓÇÖs also more to motion clarity than refresh rates alone. Just as
important are fast response times, or the amount of time it takes for pixels
to transition from one color to another and then back again. Monitors with
slow response times tend to produce smearing that is distracting no matter
what kind of game youΓÇÖre playing. Curved gaming monitor options help with
immersion by wrapping the screen around your field of vision, making the
gaming setup feel more expansive. Unfortunately, response times are also one
of the more opaque aspects of picking the best gaming monitor for your needs.

Many LCD monitor manufacturers claim their products feature 1ms gray-to-gray
(GtG) response times, yet they donΓÇÖt handle motion blur to the same
standard. One of the reasons for that is that many companies tend to cherry-
pick GtG results that make their monitors look better on paper. The Video
Electronics Standards Association (VESA) recently created a new certification
program to address that problem, but the grading system is unwieldy and, as
far as I can tell, hasnΓÇÖt had a lot of pickup from manufacturers.

For now, your best bet is to turn to resources like Rtings and Monitors
Unboxed when shopping for a new gaming monitor. Both outlets conduct
extensive testing of every screen they review and present their findings and
recommendations in a way thatΓÇÖs easy to understand.

FreeSync vs G-Sync

No matter how powerful your system, it will sometimes fail to maintain a
consistent framerate. In fact, you should expect frame rate fluctuations when
playing graphically-intensive games like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077. For
those moments, you want a gaming display with adaptive sync. Otherwise, you
can run into screen tearing.

Adaptive sync technologies come in a few flavors. The two youΓÇÖre most
likely to encounter are AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync, and each has its own
set of performance tiers. With G-Sync, for instance, they are ΓÇô from lowest
to highest ΓÇô G-Sync Compatible, G-Sync and G-Sync Ultimate.

The good news is that you donΓÇÖt need to think too much about which adaptive
sync technology a display supports. In the early days of the tech, it was
rare to see a gaming monitor that offered both FreeSync and G-Sync since
including the latter meant a manufacturer had to equip their display with a
dedicated processor from NVIDIA. That changed in 2019 when the company
introduced its G-Sync Compatible certification. Today, if a monitor supports
FreeSync, it is almost certainly G-Sync Compatible, too, meaning you can
enjoy tear-free gaming whether youΓÇÖre using an AMD or NVIDIA GPU.

In fact, I would go so far as to say you shouldnΓÇÖt make your purchasing
decision based on the level of adaptive sync performance a monitor offers. As
of right now, the list of G-Sync Ultimate-certified displays is about two
dozen models long, and some are a few years old now.

Photo by Igor Bonifacic / Engadget Inputs

Almost every gaming display on the market right now comes with at least one
DisplayPort 1.4 connection, and thatΓÇÖs the port you will want to use to
connect your new monitor to your graphics card. If you own a PS5 or Xbox
Series X/S, itΓÇÖs also worth looking out for monitors that come with HDMI
2.1 ports, as those will allow you to get the most out of your current
generation console.

A word about HDR

As fast and responsive gaming monitors have become in recent years, thereΓÇÖs
one area where progress has been frustratingly slow: HDR performance. The
majority of gaming monitors currently on sale, including most high-end
models, only meet VESAΓÇÖs DisplayHDR 400 certification. As someone who owned
one such monitor, let me tell you itΓÇÖs not even worth turning on HDR on
those screens. You will only be disappointed.

The good news is that things are getting better, albeit slowly. The release
of Windows 11 did a lot to improve the state of HDR on PC, and more games are
shipping with competent HDR modes, not just ones that increase the brightness
of highlights. Thankfully, with more affordable mini-LED monitors, like our
top pick, making their way to the market, HDR gaming is finally within reach
of most PC gamers.

Gaming monitor FAQs Are curved monitors better for gaming?

It depends on personal preference. Many manufacturers claim curved monitors
offer a more immersive gaming experience due to the way the display wraps
around your field of vision. However, I find the edge distortion distracting,
particularly when you increase the field of view in a game.

What aspect ratio should I look for in a gaming monitor?

The vast majority of 24-, 27- and 32-inch gaming monitors feature 16:9 aspect
ratio panels, and thatΓÇÖs been the case for many years. In fact, nearly
every game made in the last two decades supports 16:9 resolutions, such as
1,920 x 1,080 and 2,560 by 1,440, and if you buy a standard-sized monitor,
you wonΓÇÖt need to worry about letterboxing.

In the case of ultrawides, 21:9 is the most common aspect ratio, with some
very wide models sporting 32:9 panels. Among games, support for 21:9 and 32:9
resolutions is far from universal, so donΓÇÖt be surprised if a game
doesnΓÇÖt fill the entirety of your screen.

Is OLED good for gaming?

OLED monitors are great for gaming. Not only do they offer excellent motion
clarity and input latency, but theyΓÇÖre also easily the best displays for
HDR gaming. If money is no object, and you primarily use your PC for gaming,
you canΓÇÖt go wrong with an OLED monitor.

How much does a good gaming monitor cost?

While you could easily spend more than $1,000 to obtain the best gaming
monitor on the market now, the reality is that the budget and midrange
categories have never been more competitive. In 2015, I spent $500 CAD to buy
a 1080p monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate and TN panel. The budget AOC model
I highlight above is not only cheaper than my first gaming monitor, but it
also features a faster 180Hz refresh rate and a higher contrast VA panel.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/best-gamin...

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