If you want the best gaming experience — get a gaming monitor. They’re perfect partners for powerful gaming PCs, and can really bring the on-screen action in your favourite titles to life. We’re talking everything from lightning-fast refresh rates for smooth visuals, to razor-sharp 4K resolution that lets you see every detail.
Console gamers can get in on the action too. So, if you’re rocking a PlayStation or Xbox that you want to play at your desk — a cutting-edge monitor for gaming will immerse you in those thrilling 3D worlds.
Sounds great, but what’s the best gaming monitor you can buy? Well, it can depend on what your budget is, what screen size you’d like, and a few other factors. There are loads of contenders to choose from too, which can make it hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best gaming screens out there — so you can find the right one fast!
Best budget gaming monitor
You don’t have to break the bank to bring out the best in your beloved games. There are plenty of budget-friendly monitors that’ll give your marathon gaming sessions a big boost.
A solid choice is the AOC Quad HD 31.5" Curved WLED Gaming Monitor. For just over £200, you get a nice big curved QHD screen and built-in speakers for immersive gameplay. The high 165Hz refresh rate and rapid 1ms response time offers a seamless playing experience too, so your games will be free of screen tearing, smearing and motion blur.
Best cheap gaming monitor
If you’ve blown most of your budget on an expensive gaming PC or console and don’t have much left — don’t fret. Even some of the most affordable gaming monitors perform very well.
At a little over £100, the MSI Optix G24C4 Full HD 24" Curved LED Gaming Monitor provides brilliant bang for your buck. Its curved 24” screen is plenty big if you’re sitting up close, while the 144Hz refresh rate is fast enough to keep racing, sports and shooting games free of lag. There’s built-in AMD ‘FreeSync’ too, which means that the monitor will automatically sync with your system’s graphics card for stutter-free play.
Best 4K gaming monitor
4K gaming monitors are becoming the go-to displays for PC gamers. They give you a whopping four times the detail of full HD screens to bring even more realism to the games you love to play. And consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S support 4K too, so you can hook them straight up and enjoy stellar graphics.
A popular option is the Gigabyte M28U 4K Ultra HD 28" IPS Gaming Monitor. It’s got loads of ports for your peripherals, and the medium-sized 28” screen is a nice fit for most desks. But the built-in KVM switch is what’s really cool. This lets you flick between and control multiple connected devices (like your PC and other consoles) with one keyboard and mouse set. So, this feature-packed monitor can boost both your work and play.
Best OLED gaming monitor
You’ve probably heard of OLED TVs before. And now, this cutting-edge tech is being used in OLED gaming monitors too. These can enhance your games with deep blacks, super-sharp contrast, vibrant colours, and rapid speed. Making those big 3D landscapes in your favourite action-adventures look even more real.
Acer’s Predator X27U Quad HD 27" OLED Gaming Monitor is a fantastic option. It combines an extremely fast 240Hz refresh rate with a blistering 0.03ms response time — giving you fluid gaming visuals completely free of lag or ghosting. There’s also a handy KVM switch to shift between several devices, and the USB Type-C port can even charge your gaming laptop as you play.
Best curved gaming monitor
Curved gaming monitors put you right in the middle of the action. Their displays wrap around your field of vision to boost depth perception and create a more engaging experience. Plus, they just look great!
If you’d like to treat yourself, check out the Samsung Odyssey G8 4K Quad HD 34" Curved OLED Smart Gaming Monitor. Its wide Neo Quantum OLED display makes colours so vivid and full of contrast that your enemies won’t have anywhere to hide. And you’ll feel your reflexes become one with the action thanks to the scorching 0.03ms response time and 175Hz refresh rate.
Best ultrawide gaming monitor
If you thought curved monitors were good — you can really up the immersion with ultrawide monitors. These offer an even wider field of view for cinematic-style gameplay and improved peripheral awareness. So, if you’re being hunted down in a horror game — you can quickly spot the danger out of the corner of your eye. It’s probably the closest you’ll get to virtual reality without buying a VR headset.
The AOC Ultra-Wide Quad HD 49" Curved VA LCD Gaming Monitor is a big boy. Its massive 49" screen spans your whole field of view, and the high-contrast VA panel displays captivating colours. On top of that, the 165Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and AOC’s ‘Low Input Lag’ mode won’t be slowing your sessions down.
Best 1440p gaming monitor
Quad HD (QHD) gaming monitors provide a 1440p resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels), which is sometimes referred to as 2K. It’s a decent resolution for getting high frame rates without the GPU demands of a 4K display. If fast performance is a priority for you — they’re a great shout.
The Philips Evnia Quad HD 27" Nano IPS LCD Gaming Monitor will bring your favourite titles to life with loads of fidelity. It boasts ‘Nano IPS’ tech that gives you incredible colour accuracy — we’re talking richer reds, lusher greens, and deeper blues. And the highly adjustable stand will let you find the perfect height, swivel, and tilt for your gaming rig.
Best 32 inch gaming monitor
A big 32-inch gaming monitor with loads of real-estate will offer you a better view of your games. If you love filling your vision for immersive play — they’re hard to beat. Plus, bigger screens can support higher resolutions like 4K for better clarity and visibility of those juicy in-game details.
If you can stretch your budget, give the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 4K Ultra HD 32" Curved Quantum Dot Gaming Monitor a look. Aside from the curved display with an unbelievable 4K resolution, this pixel-perfect panel offers a rapid 240Hz refresh rate too — so you won’t miss a single frame! There’s also cool ‘CoreSync’ lighting tech, which lights up the back of the monitor and matches your game's on-screen colours for world-blending immersion.
Best 27 inch gaming monitor
Most gaming monitors you’ll find will have screens around 27 inches in size. They’re not small, but they’re not too big either. They’re just right for most gamers and still provide an immersive and interactive experience.
The BenQ Mobiuz 4K Ultra HD 27" IPS LCD Gaming Monitor is a great piece of kit. You can soak up all that cinematic detail with the 4K resolution, while the vivid IPS panel has great viewing angles to keep you locked in the game. And if sound is paramount, the impressive 2.1 speaker system uses a subwoofer to give you rich, rumbling sonics.
Best 24 inch gaming monitor
Size isn’t everything when it comes to gaming monitors. You can save money with a smaller monitor and still get great features. A higher pixel density offers sharper visuals, plus you’ll often get quicker response times and reduced input lag so that you can make the most of your cat-like reactions.
The LG UltraGear 24GN60R-B.BEK Full HD 24" IPS Gaming Monitor is a popular choice with great reviews — and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg either. As well as the silky-smooth 144Hz refresh rate, you can take full advantage of the ‘Black Stabilizer’ to see better in the dark. Giving you the upper hand against sneaky enemies or your mates online.
FAQs
What is the ideal screen size for a gaming monitor?
The bigger the screen, the more immersed you’ll feel playing your favourite games. It’s as simple as that. But gunning for the biggest monitor won’t necessarily mean that you’ll get the best experience. For example, some large ultrawide screens can be fatiguing if you’re sat up close to them for too long. So, think about the desk space you have and how far away you’ll be sitting from your monitor.
Smaller 24” or 25” monitors are favoured by competitive gamers who like to see everything within their field of vision. This is so you don’t have to move your eyes too much — letting you react quickly to enemies in shoot ‘em ups or rivals in racing sims. 27” and 28” panels are a happy medium for many players, and there’s a reason why gaming monitor manufacturers build most of their products to these dimensions.
What is response time, and why is it important for gaming monitors?
Response time refers to the amount of time it takes for a pixel to change from one colour to another, which is often measured in milliseconds. As you can imagine, a lower response time is better for gaming because it reduces motion blur and ghosting. This can give you the competitive edge in lots of games, where quick visual info makes the difference in how well you play.
Do I need a 4K gaming monitor for the best gaming experience?
4K gaming monitors provide a sharp image and superb detail to make sure that your games look as good as the developers intended. But there are plenty of non-4K monitors that can still pack a punch. And you should consider factors like your GPU power and whether a high-res screen is worth the potential impact on performance.
Any more questions?
We hope our best computer monitors for gaming recommendations will get your gaming setup looking glorious. Make sure to also check out our console gaming buying guide if you’re looking for new ways to play. And don’t forget about our trade-in scheme too! You can sell us your old gadgets to get money off brand new tech.
