2023’S Elite Picks for Competitive Gaming Screens

Read update

• We’ve reviewed our recommendations and are confident these are still the best gaming monitors you can buy.

There is no one-size-fits-all gaming monitor. Some people look for the highest refresh rates for an edge in competitive gaming, others want to bask in high-fidelity visuals. Let’s break down the best monitors for every gamer.

UPDATE: 12/12/2023

We’ve reviewed our recommendations and are confident these are still the best gaming monitors you can buy.

LG Ultragear 27GP950-B

Best Gaming Monitor Overall
$497 at Amazon

Acer Nitro XF243Y

Best Budget Gaming Monitor
Best Buy

LG C2 Series

Best 4K Gaming Monitor
$1127 at Amazon

Dell Alienware AW3423DW

Best Curved Gaming Monitor
$899 at Amazon

Gigabyte M27Q

Best 144Hz Gaming Monitor
$230 at Amazon

• See More

• 
  

Samsung Odyssey G7

Best 240Hz Gaming Monitor
$775 at Amazon

What to Look for in a Gaming Monitor in 2023

You can play video games on just about any monitor, but if you’re buying a monitor specifically for gaming , there are a few features you should focus your attention on. How much room you’ve got to spare and your budget are good starting points, but there are other aspects you may not have been thinking about.

There’s a direct correlation between how powerful your gaming computer is and which monitor is right for you. If your hardware isn’t powerful enough to run most games in 4K, you’re better off with a lower resolution monitor that will make the most of your setup and save you money.

It’s also vital that you understand refresh rates , or how fast the screen updates per second. Measured in hertz (Hz), refresh rates start at around 60Hz on monitors designed for office use and can go all the way up to 360Hz on the most competitive gaming monitor. Higher refresh rates make motion more fluid (especially in fast-paced games), reducing eye strain and generally being more responsive.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) technology like NVIDIA’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync is also important for eliminating screen tearing . This technology helps smooth out performance dips by telling the monitor to wait or duplicate frames so that the screen only updates when the graphics card is ready. Simply put, don’t buy a monitor for gaming that doesn’t support VRR.

Often, a choice needs to be made between high refresh rate monitors designed for competitive multiplayer gaming, and slower high-resolution displays that are designed to make your single-player experiences look as good as possible. You may also want to consider an HDR-capable display to experience higher peak brightness and a wider color gamut.

Finally, there are aesthetics and ergonomics. You might not want RGB lights on every surface , and you might want to use a VESA mount to put your monitor on an adjustable arm. These are all things you should consider before you check out.

With all that out of the way, here are our gaming monitor recommendations.

How-To Geek’s product recommendations come from the same team of experts that have helped people fix their gadgets over one billion times. We only recommend the best products based on our research and expertise. We never accept payment to endorse or review a product. Read More »

Best Gaming Monitor Overall: LG Ultragear 27GP950-B

LG

The LG Ultragear 27GP950-B ticks all the boxes for both PC and console gamers looking for a solid 4K monitor. It boasts a stunning 27-inch Nano IPS panel that delivers high peak brightness , great out-of-the-box color accuracy, and a wide color gamut . The monitor also supports HDR and is DisplayHDR 600 certified.

The gamers will most appreciate the monitor’s native refresh rate of 144Hz, which you can overclock to 160Hz. There is also variable refresh rate (VRR) support with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility. Additionally, you get a low input lag and fast response time for an overall responsive gaming experience.

As for the design, the 27GP950-B looks decent and has slim bezels. There is also RGB bias-lighting on the back that you can customize as per your preference to reduce eye strain and give an interesting look to your setup. The included stand offers tilt and height adjustment options, but you can only rotate to portrait orientation in one direction.

Port selection is good with one DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 inputs on board. The monitor also works as a USB hub and has two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and a 3.5mm audio jack.

You will be happy to know that the Ultragear 27GP950-B also excels as an office or media creation monitor. It has a full coverage of the sRGB and excellent coverage of DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB color spaces.

Unfortunately, as is typical for IPS monitors, its contrast ratio is mediocre, and the local dimming feature isn’t very effective at improving the black levels.

Best Gaming Monitor Overall

LG Ultragear 27GP950-B

$497 $900 Save $403

The LG Ultragear 27GP950-B is an excellent 4K gaming monitor thanks to its low input lag, fast 144Hz refresh rate, and HDMI 2.1 inputs. As a result, it’s a solid choice for both PC and console gamers.

$497 at Amazon Best Buy

Best Budget Gaming Monitor: Acer Nitro XF243Y

Acer

If you’re looking for a budget monitor, you probably have a budget gaming PC too. For many cash-strapped gamers, 1080p is still the preferred target resolution, since even if they buy a 4K monitor, their hardware won’t support it. So save the money and grab the Acer Nitro XV242Y instead.

24 inches is the sweet spot for many gamers who need to balance hardware constraints with desk space. The Acer makes up for its lack of pixels with plenty of other features, including a refresh rate of up to 165Hz and compatibility with NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium for variable refresh rate support.

The styling is understated enough that the monitor could fit in just about any room, with thin bezels around the edge of the screen and an ergonomic stand with around 120mm of height adjustment, 90 degrees of pivot, and the ability to swivel a full 360 degrees. On the back, you’ll find a VESA mounting pattern , a single DisplayPort 1.2 port, and two HDMI 2.0 ports.

The monitor is DisplayHDR 400 certified, which means it gets plenty bright in SDR applications but HDR performance is disappointing. Understandable as sacrifices need to be made somewhere at this price point.

Best Budget Gaming Monitor

Acer Nitro XF243Y

If you want gaming performance but don’t have a bunch of money to spend, Acer’s Nitro monitor will give you a fast response and a great refresh rate.

Best Buy

Best 4K Gaming Monitor: LG C2 42-inch OLED

LG

The LG C2 is one of the best televisions you can buy today. It sports a self-emissive 120Hz OLED panel , full 4K resolution, support for G-Sync and FreeSync Premium, and remarkably low input latency (5 milliseconds) that makes it an ideal gaming display.

In the past the smallest LG OLED you could buy was the 48-inch version, but starting in 2022 LG has upped the ante with a far more desk-friendly 42-inch version.

A 42-inch gaming monitor is still pretty big, but it’s more palatable than the previous 48-inch behemoth if you don’t have a lot of desk space to play with. You’ll still need to allow some room between you and the monitor for a comfortable viewing experience, so consider mounting the monitor directly on the wall behind your battle station (and recover some desk space while you’re at it).

OLED panels are prized for their rich contrast owing to “perfect” blacks which aren’t affected by ghosting from backlights (which can be a problem with LED-lit models). HDR performance is improved on the C2 over previous models, owing to the new “Evo” panels which can get brighter than ever before.

In addition to having a thoroughly impressive gaming monitor with full support for VRR functions and HDMI 2.1 on all four inputs, you’ve also got a rock-solid TV for watching movies or streaming via the rich selection of apps available with webOS 22.

If you’re leaning toward choosing a C2 as a gaming monitor, OLED burn-in is an ever-present risk . This is particularly true of static desktop elements like a taskbar or desktop icons. You’ll also need an HDMI 2.1 compatible graphics card to take advantage of 4K HDR gaming at up to 120Hz, else you’ll be limited to 60Hz. Just be sure to look after it as you would any OLED display and you should be fine.

Best 4K Gaming Monitor

LG C2 Series

LG has finally delivered its best-in-class OLED display in a size that better fits on most desks. There’s HDMI 2.1 support, 120Hz gaming, VRR technologies, and the best image quality you can buy.

$1127 at Amazon Best Buy Target

Best Curved Gaming Monitor: Dell Alienware AW3423DW

Alienware

If you want to take your PC gaming experience to the next level, getting a curved monitor is a great way to do it. The Dell Alienware AW3423DW , a cutting-edge QD-OLED panel, is a curved gaming monitor that even the most hardcore gamer will be proud of.

This new hybrid display technology provides the perfect blacks and lifelike colors of OLED , but without the associated reduction in brightness that can hamper HDR images. This makes it brilliant for when playing modern games, which increasingly include HDR mode.

As you would expect from an Alienware-branded display, the AW3423DW is packed with features for gamers. The impressive 175Hz refresh rate , native support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, and the built-in FPS counter combine with low input lag and quick response time to provide a brilliant gaming experience.

From the front, the Alienware styling looks like any ultrawide monitor. The monitor is bolder-looking from the back though, with a customizable lighting ring and other brand touches. There are plenty of input options on the back panel, including DisplayPort , HDMI, and several USB 3.2 ports. You also get a headphone port and a security lock slot. Not a bad addition, considering what this display costs.

It certainly isn’t cheap, and the price tag may put off all but the most avid and committed gamers. The advanced 3-year warranty, which covers OLED burn-in, does take some sting out of the cost. But ultimately, you are paying for the incredible picture this QD-OLED monitor provides.

Best Curved Gaming Monitor

Dell Alienware AW3423DW

$899 $1100 Save $201

Alienware offers a stylish and well-built 34-inch curved display, that produces incredible colors, deep blacks and bright HDR images.

$899 at Amazon

Click here

Best 144Hz Gaming Monitor: Gigabyte M27Q

Gigabyte

Click here

If your PC is modest and you enjoy competitive multiplayer titles, a 1440p resolution monitor like the Gigabyte M27Q is an excellent value proposition. For just shy of $300, you can have a 27-inch monitor that refreshes at up to 170Hz , with sharp looks and a 0.5 millisecond response time.’

The M27Q supports AMD FreeSync Premium and is G-Sync compatible for VRR gaming , and features a handy KVM switch which makes it possible to use the monitor with multiple computers and a single set of peripherals.

Finally, the monitor is compatible with 100x100 VESA mounts , or you can use the included stand with 130mm of height adjustment and a +20-degree to -5-degree tilt (but no swivel or pivot). There’s DisplayHDR 400 certification, 140% sRGB coverage, and 92% DCI-P3 coverage to boot.

The M27Q exudes Gigabyte’s “gamer” styling, which won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s a solid pick for anyone looking for that 1440p /144Hz sweet spot.

Best 144Hz Gaming Monitor

Gigabyte M27Q

$230 $300 Save $70

Sometimes you need a specific and high refresh rate, depending on how competitive the games you’re playing are. Gigabyte’s 144Hz monitor will give you the specs you need to be at the top of your game.

$230 at Amazon

Best 240Hz Gaming Monitor: Samsung Odyssey G7

Samsung

If competitive gaming is your primary concern when picking a new monitor, you should be looking at a 240Hz monitor like the Samsung Odyssey G7 . This 27-inch 1440p monitor is all about the 240Hz refresh rate, with its 1 millisecond response time and a VA panel that refreshes up to 240 times per second.

The monitor is available in both 27-inch and 32-inch models, with only a $100 price difference—though we’d pick the 27-inch model for the higher pixel density. There’s support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync , while the monitor’s curve helps immerse you in whatever it is you’re playing.

Like the Odyssey Neo G9 (our favorite curved monitor ), the G7 delivers impressive HDR performance and is certified to DisplayHDR 600. It also uses quantum dot technology in the panel for better color reproduction, though there’s no Mini LED backlight in this particular model.

If you like the idea of a high refresh rate monitor but don’t have G7 money, you might want to consider something like the 1080p ViewSonic Elite XG270 instead.

Best 240Hz Gaming Monitor

Samsung Odyssey G7

If you’re looking to be a professional gamer, you need to have the best of the best when it comes to gaming monitors. The Odyssey G7 has a 240Hz refresh rate, a 1ms response time, and anything else you could possibly want.

$775 at Amazon Best Buy Samsung

Also read: