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Best gaming monitors: the top 144Hz, 240Hz and 4K monitorsAll the best monitors for gaming, including budget, HDR, and ultrawide displays
All the best monitors for gaming, including budget, HDR, and ultrawide displays
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
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As with all our top hardware guides, there’s something for everyone here. On a tight budget? You can still nab yourself a quality 1080p monitor. Or, if you’re looking to get the most out of a powerfulgraphics card, a sharper 1440p display may be the one for you. We have a separate guide to thebest 4K gaming monitors, but you’ll also find a few highlights in this list, in case you want the very finest, sharpest screen for your high-end rig. We’ve tested all of them in the same way: regular games-playing, combined with more technical recordings of colour, contrast and brightness performance.
Now, about those monitor picks…
Best gaming monitors
AOC 27G4X
The best 1080p gaming monitor
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
AOC 27G4X specs:
It’s always nice when the high-end features of premium, usually 1440p displays trickle down to more affordable 1080p gaming monitors. TheAOC 27G4Xtakes full advantage of its Fast IPS panel and zippy 180Hz refresh rate, delivering the pixel-pushing goods as a responsive Full HD champion that still won’t break the bank. And it’s a healthy 27in diagonally, not the more cramped 24in form factor that a lot of 1080p monitors stick to.
There’s also a lovely, rich vibrancy to the 27G4X. While colour reproduction doesn’t have the perfect 1:1 accuracy of a professional monitor, that fact that it also covers 99.7% of the sRGB gamut shows that this IPS panel has plenty of pop, and personally I think a touch of saturation can be better for games. We’re not shopping photos, here, yeah? Contrast passes muster as well, at 1284:1, as does peak brightness at 325.88cd/m2. G-Sync compatibility, as well as a neat, fully adjustable stand, round out a top-notch screen overall.
Iiyama G-Master G2755HSU
The best cheap 1080p gaming monitor
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
Iiyama G-Master G2755HSU specs:
Staying thrifty doesn’t have to mean confining yourself to a tiny 60Hz office monitor that thinks adaptive sync is a new type of plumbing fixture. TheIiyama G-Master G2755HSUasks for little and offers much in exchange, from its 100Hz refresh rate – more than enough for a visible smoothness improvement over 60Hz – to a comfortably spacious 27in VA panel. And yes, there’s FreeSync, which turns into G-Sync when connected to an Nvidia GPU.
It is missing some of the trappings that a few extra twenties will buy you, most notably in its lack of stand adjustment. But the screen itself is a great budget performer, with its lofty contrast ratio (3692:1) and rock-bottom black level (0.07cd/m2, the closer to 0 the better). Although it does exhibit a dash of the ghosting that’s common on VA monitors, I never felt I was having to squint through it when playing games, shooters included. Between the upped refresh rate and improvised G-Sync, it usually looks nice and smooth. It’s not short on vibrancy either, covering 97.6% of the sRGB colour gamut, and at a 263.9cd/m2 peak, brightness is high for a cheap gaming monitor.
Lenovo Legion Y25-30
The best 240Hz gaming monitor
Lenovo Legion Y25-30 specs:
You get plenty else for your money, including a fully adjustable (if plasticky) stand and an onboard USB hub. And, of course, the 240Hz refresh rate is excellent for racing games and competitive shooters. It’s true that most other games won’t benefit as much, making the Legion Y25-30 more of a specialist monitor, but don’t entirely believe the framerate Luddites: 240fps does look smoother than 144fps. Sorry. It just does.
The real problem is getting that high, as you’ll need a very powerful GPU indeed to produce enough frames that the Legion Y25-30 can take full advantage of them. Tick that box, though, and it’s a strong niche-filler.
NZXT Canvas 27Q
The best 1440p gaming monitor
NZXT Canvas 27Q specs:
Seemingly not content with successful debuts in thegaming keyboardandUSB microphonearenas, NZXT have launched a brilliant new 1440p gaming monitor as well. TheNZXT Canvas 27Qis a sharp and vivid IPS monitor that, between its 165Hz refresh rate and generally strong motion handling, presents a match for far more experienced monitor makers on gaming performance.
You could argue it looks basic with the default stand, but I’d rather have a clean, mature design over something that screams “Aaaaaargh look here I’m a gamer wot plays games.” It’s a good stand, too: strong and steady, with the full set of height, tilt and rotation adjustment capabilities. The rear OSD joystick also feels a tad bigger than average, so it’s easy to use when you want to make display adjustments.
Not that many are necessary. In its “Standard” image profile, the Canvas 27Q covers 99.5% of the sRGB gamut, with a good peak brightness of 382cd/m2 and a 1058:1 contrast ratio. Every game I ran on this display looked smooth and sumptuous, and it all comes at a surprisingly competitive price.
The only drawbacks are twofold: one, it’s not quite bright enough for HDR games, and two, the optional monitor arm makes for a far less affordable package. I found the arm itself quite well-made, and it has all the usual space-saving and adjustability advantages over the regular stand, so I’d love to recommend it as well. For an extra £100 / $60, though? Maybe not.
Philips Evnia 32M2C5500W
The best large 16:9 gaming monitor
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
Philips Evnia 32M2C5500W specs:
A monitor like thePhilips Evnia 32M2C5500Wshouldn’t necessarily… work. VA panels have their strengths, but responsiveness isn’t one of them, hence why you don’t normally find them paired up with a 240Hz refresh rate. And yet, the Evnia 32M2C5500W is a (literally) huge success, keeping fast-running games looking smooth and sharp. Even on its default settings, ghosting – so often the bane of VA gaming monitors – was so mild that my brain usually failed to register it, and it was hard to spot even when I starting spinning viewmodels around in knowing attempts to induce it.
Besides this assured gaming performance, Philips' big ‘n’ bold monitor puts in an impressive set of benchmark results, from 99.7% sRGB coverage and 490cd/m2 peak brightness to a 3665:1 contrast ratio. It’s a looker, basically, and while that’s always important when weighing up desktop display, it feels even more vital when you’ve got 30-plus inches of screen dominating your view.
Lenovo Legion R45w-30
The best ultrawide gaming monitor
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
Lenovo Legion R45w-30 specs:
Hey, if you’re going to go wide, you might as well go reeeeeeeeally wide. TheLenovo Legion R45w-30’s 5120x1440 resolution makes for an aspect ratio of 32:9, basically the most stretched-out that games will commonly support. That’s as many pixels as two standard widescreen 1440p monitors glued together.
Assuming you’ve got a PC that can handle the load – and a desk that can handle that gigantic stand – it delivers on games performance too. High contrast and deep blacks maintain detail in dark scenes, and while there’s the tiniest smidge of ghosting on fast-moving objects, it’s actually quite clean for a VA panel. With FreeSync/G-Sync in action especially so. There’s plenty of colour – the R45w-30 covers a full 100% of the sRGB gamut – and brightness is high enough for basic HDR, peaking at 426cd/m2.
It’s also rather well-priced for the specs. I’ve seen curved 5120x1440 monitors regularly starting above £1000, so while this is far from the cheapest ultrawide gaming monitor around, it’s still a very, very good deal.
BenQ Mobiuz EX3410R
The best cheap ultrawide gaming monitor
BenQ Mobiuz EX3410R specs:
Only recently a true mid-ranger, sustained price cuts have brought theBenQ Mobiuz EX3410Rinto the ultrawide equivalent of budget territory. Which is excellent, as it’s still a cracking 21:9 screen. I have one myself!
It uses a curved VA panel, which often have more trouble with motion than IPS or TN screens, but some spot-on pixel overdrive saves it from any noticeable blurriness. Between this, a low G2G response time of 2ms, and the 144Hz refresh rate, the Mobiuz EX3410R is as agile as it is expansive. FreeSync Premium Pro helps as well, and Nvidia G-Sync is effective at denying screen tear while piggybacking on it.
With the sRGB colour profile, the Mobiuz EX3410R has a neutral, nicely balanced colour palette – one that covers 96.7% of the sRGB gamut and hits a super-accurate 1.08 average delta-E. Contrast is good too, reaching 3093:1, and peak non-HDR brightness is decent at 391.1cd/m2. This monitor is only rated at the most basic DisplayHDR 400 standard of high dynamic range capability, but if you do prefer a bit of pop, to more natural tones, turning HDR on does produce some richly vibrant hues in the games that support it.
If you can splash out even more, we’ll also recommend the sprawling, 49inSamsung CRG9and its curved QLED panel.
Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
TheCorsair Xeneon 32UHD144manages to evoke a similar “Wow, that’s pretty” response to the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX below, just at a much lower price. It’s still a premium prospect but its HDR-ready brightness, extremely wide colour reproduction, artifact-free smoothness and high build quality are worth the investment.
Even the Standard colour profile covers a near-perfect 99.8% of the sRGB gamut, and there’s no IPS contrast weakness here, hitting 1019:1. Nvidia G-Sync also works effectively to smother any potential screen tearing, even if it’s FreeSync Premium that get the native support. Provided you have room for the 32in panel and its metal stand, which looks and feels like it previously held up the Schwerer Gustav, it’s the ideal match for any 4K-capable GPU.
MSI MAG 274UPF
The best value 4K gaming monitor
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
MSI MAG 274UPF specs:
Outside of its mundane design and modestly proportioned 27in IPS panel, there’s little sense that theMSI MAG 274UPFis of the moneysaving persuasion. Yet there aren’t many 4K gaming monitors that, for comparable cash, manage to pile on so many perks: 144Hz, Nvidia-approved G-Sync compatibility on top of FreeSync, USB-C and HDMI 2.1 connectivity, a fully adjustable stand… it even has a fair crack at HDR-grade brightness, peaking at 519cd/m2 inFinal Fantasy XV.
That would all be for naught if the screen itself was duff, but it’s free of ghosting, covers 99.3% of the sRGB gamut, and recorded a contrast ratio of 1020:1 in my tests. HDR isn’t needed for high brightness, either, as the MAG 274UPF managed to hit 489cd/m2 in standard dynamic range.
If that all sounds like technononsense, the short version is that games look bright, bold, and smooth, provided they’re running on a PC that can tango with the resolution. Not bad at all, for something that costshundredsless than the average 4K/144Hz monitor.
How we test our gaming monitors
HDR monitors require a few more specific tests, namely using specific scenes inAssassin’s Creed Odysseyand Final Fantasy XV to measure a monitor’s peak brightness level. To do this, the calibrator sits over their bright, in-game suns to see just how high the monitor’s brightness levels can go. We also see how easy it is to get a monitor’s HDR working and configured correctly. After all, no one wants to spend ages fiddling about with their monitor’s menu settings just to get a single game working properly.
In terms of what to expect from different types of of gaming monitor panels, IPS screens usually have the most accurate colours, but there are plenty of good-looking TN and VA panels around now these days as well. TN panels often have quicker response times than other panel types, which can make them a good choice for fast, competitive esports games, but you’re vanishingly unlikely to have serious problem playing games on slower IPS or VA panels. We’re often only talking about a different of a couple of milliseconds here, and most people won’t notice the difference whatsoever.
