The best gaming monitors can immerse you in your video games like no other technology. These specially-designed screens have been custom built to offer you the very best performance and image quality. They deliver unrivalled resolution, refresh rate, and screen size.
The monitors in our list are best suited to PC gaming. If you're a console gamer check out our guides to the best monitor for PS5, and best monitor for Xbox Series X, and these guides to the best PS5 games and best Xbox Series X games to see what you can play on a shiny new monitor. There are some new trends emerging too, such as with Corsair's new bendable monitor called the Flex.
The best monitors for games prioritise high refresh rates and short response times to make games feel as fast and smooth as possible. While many professional monitors come with 60Hz refresh rates, the best gaming monitors go much further, with many boasting 144Hz, 250Hz, and even higher.
Finally, while many of the best gaming monitors come in the traditional widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, there are a number of ultrawide screens with 21:9 (or even wider) aspect ratios. These offer an incredibly immersive gaming experience, as almost your entire line of sight is covered by the screen. Being able to see more of the battlefield can also give you a serious competitive advantage.
The best gaming monitors available now
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The LG UltraGear 38GN950 is easily the best gaming monitor money can buy right now. This monitor has a huge 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio. This means it offers a breath-taking gaming experience, thanks to the sheer immersion it provides. It comes with a 144Hz refresh rate, which can be easily overclocked in the menu to 160Hz, a 1ms response time, G-Sync support and HDR as well.
Pretty much everything you'd look for in a gaming monitor, comes packaged in the LG UltraGear 38GN950. It's expensive, as many ultrawide monitors are, but if you're serious about gaming, then this is a screen that's well worth investing in.
The Dell S2722DGM gaming monitor offers a unique balance that few screens on this list can come close too. This monitor offers a traditional 27-inch screen with a 2560 x 1440 native resolution. Its 1440p resolution is also great for achieving high frame rates without the need of a powerful GPU that standard 4K monitors need.
This screen can do all of this at 165Hz too, and the VA panel means the Dell S2722DGM has a great contrast ratio. It combines all of this with a good price too, ensuring this Dell monitor is an a balanced eye-catching screen for anyone on a budget – or simply wants a good well-rounded monitor.
The best gaming monitor when it comes to affordability is the Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q. It's a fraction of the price that many of the other gaming monitors on this list, but that doesn't mean it skimps on features or performance.
The Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q offers 4K resolution – a lot higher than many other gaming monitors at this price, which usually stick with 1080p or 1440p resolutions. Its image quality is also fantastic, and it offers vibrant colours, and supports 90% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, so it's also a great monitor for doing creative work on when you need accurate colours.
The monitor has fantastic design and supports adaptive sync and FreeSync technology for smooth gameplay. It's more budget price does mean the Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q doesn't come with a huge amount of ports, and its HDR implementation isn't the best, but for sheer value for money, you'd struggle to find a better gaming monitor.
If you're after a great mid-range gaming laptop, then the Gigabyte G27Q (opens in new tab) is well worth checking out. With a super-fast response time of 1ms, plus a brilliant 144Hz refresh rate and FreeSync support, this still an affordable entry in our best gaming monitor list that punches above its weight.
It's not the most exciting when it comes to design, and the resolution is 1440p, rather than 4K, but if you're playing competitive games where every second counts, and you need super-fast reflexes, then you don't need a high resolution monitor, and 1440p still offers excellent image quality without being too taxing on your graphics card.
The IPS panel supports 8-bit colour for HDR, and had 92% DCI-P3 coverage, which makes this a great choice for people who also want a monitor for their digital artwork. It's also got some neat extra features, and comes with a decent selection of ports as well.
The incredible Samsung CRG9 offers a huge 32:9 aspect ratio. This means it's even wider than most ultrawide monitors, and thanks to its 49-inch screen size, this is an epic gaming monitor that will give you an unrivalled gaming experience.
As it's a Samsung product, you get top-notch image quality as well as a stunning design. You can use it as a single ultra-wide screen, or you can use two different inputs at once, allowing it to effectively be used as two monitors – without taking up the same amount of space. This is great if you want to game and stream at the same time.
The Samsung CRG9 is expensive, but for the kind of gaming experience you're getting, and the unique size and usability it's well worth the price, and its place in this best gaming monitor hot list.
The Alienware AW3418DW (opens in new tab) is the best gaming monitor that's curved, combining an immersive curvature with an ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio. This allows you to comfortably view the entire playing field without straining your neck.
It also disproves the notion that you have to sacrifice speed if you go for an ultrawide monitor, as it offers a 4ms response time and 120Hz refresh rate. Not the fastest you'll find in a standard monitor, but for an ultrawide, that's very good indeed. As it's an Alienware product, you get an out of this world design and brilliant build quality, but it's also more expensive than some of its competitors.
The Acer Predator CG7 is the best gaming monitor when it comes to 4K support. Boasting an absolutely huge 43-inch screen, this is so much more than simply a TV-sized monitor. Along with the stunning 4K resolution, it features an incredibly fast 1ms response time and 120Hz refresh rate.
Add in a 4000:1 contrast ratio and Nvidia G-Sync support, along with RGB lighting and a remote control, and the Acer Predator CG7 is the best 4K gaming monitor money can buy right now. Just make sure you have the space on your desk to put this thing.
The Pixio PX277 Prime is a basic but excellent monitor for anyone who's new to gaming and simply wants to get up and running without paying too much. Offering a 27-inch display at 1440p, and running at a solid 165Hz using FreeSync, and the Pixio PX277 Prime offers a tear-free experience that will support most GPUs.
All of this tech comes at a low price point, which enforces its position on our list as a great entry-level monitor. It means you can get up and running with a smooth experience on a large screen with little cost. The downside is the lack of features will mean the you game collect may outgrow the Pixio PX277 Prime.
If super-fast response times are more important to you than graphics, then the BenQ Zowie XL2540 (opens in new tab) is a great choice. Aimed at pro gamers who play competitive titles, this monitor keeps the resolution to 1080p, but offers an incredibly fast 240Hz refresh rate and speedy 1ms response time.
By sticking to 1080p, it means even people on modest graphics cards can get fantastic performance out of the latest titles. And if you have a powerful graphics card, then you can game at frame rates that would be unachievable at 1440p or 4K resolutions. This is one of the best gaming monitors that keeps things simple in pursuit of one thing: high frame rates and lightning-quick response times. Playing with this monitor really can give you a competitive advantage.
The Asus ROG Swift PG259QN offers a huge 360Hz refresh rate that puts even its speediest competitors to shame. Hook it up to an Nvidia RTX card and make use of Nvidia Reflex, and you'll get a gaming monitor that can really put you at an advantage, able to react much faster than your rivals.
For people who play competitive e-sports (especially professionally), then this is one of the best gaming monitors, for sure, offering you the very best refresh rates around - as long as you have a powerful enough graphics card to keep up. However, for many casual gamers, you simply won't need these kinds of speeds, so you're better off buying a cheaper, larger and higher resolution monitor instead.
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