What are the best monitors for gaming

You can find FreeSync around almost every corner, even popping up on some budget work-oriented monitors. This no casual p display, nor one that settles for a leisurely Hz refresh rate. Given how hard it'll be to run many games that fast, FreeSync Premium will come into play to keep each frame intact or G-Sync if you switch to an Nvidia card later on.

The resolution is only one part of what's going to make each of those frames look great, though. The Gigabyte Aorus FI27Q-X pumps out the brightness with a nit display panel, and it pairs that with richer color thanks to bit color support. These are some nice upgrades to the Aorus FI27Q , which we already liked a lot.

G-Sync can be pricy, but it gets a lot more affordable when you just use a quality FreeSync monitor that's been officially vetted for strong G-Sync compatibility. You'll get a bright, sharp, and fast experience from this monitor thanks to its combination of a p resolution, a nit peak brightness, and a Hz refresh rate. However, you'll be limited to Hz when using G-Sync. This display can handle some HDR gaming, and it even supports bit color, letting you get a great picture in and out of games.

This monitor is also a strong option for anyone looking at the Xbox Series S , as it can support that console's p and Hz specs alongside FreeSync. When it comes to esports, there are few things you need to consider beyond speed. The Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor AWHFL has that on lock with a Hz refresh rate that'll let you cruise through maps while catching all the visual detail you need to get the drop on your opponents. The Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor keeps things fairly simple by using a p display panel that will make it easier for your system to push the full fps you need to take advantage of the display.

And, when you can't keep a constant frame rate, FreeSync and G-Sync support ensure you won't run into tearing. A nice extra perk of this monitor is its use of a fast IPS panel, which can help ensure your viewing angle won't impact your ability to see enemies in games. We've mentioned several brilliant screens on this list, with up to 14 different options to choose from. These range from the most affordable all the way up until the juggernaut sets for those who love to take in every single detail.

Thankfully, all of the displays mentioned can be found in UK retailers, and we've just so happened to track them down to save you the trouble of a time-consuming Google search. Below I go over the three essential things you should consider including screen size, resolution, and aspect ratio.

Are you in a tiny dorm with barely any room or are you looking to get a inch gaming monitor to replace your TV?

How you answer that question will ultimately determine the display size you need. Those looking for a more immersive experience might be interested in a inch or larger screen.

As with most things, gaming monitors will usually become more expensive as you go up in size, so think with your budget as much as your ambition. Aspect ratio: The aspect ratio of your monitor is closely related to its size because it determines which form factor your display will have. The majority of monitors fall into the widescreen category with their aspect ratio. Ultrawide displays have been rising in popularity recently and these screens often feature the aspect ratio you would typically see at the movie theater.

Screen resolution: This determines how sharp your gaming monitor will be and, for the most part, there are three choices: Full HD 1, x 1, , Quad HD 2, x 1, , and Ultra HD or 4K 3, x 2, Like screen size, as the numbers go up so does the price, plus they'll require a higher-end graphics card if you hope to maintain a high frame rate.

Panel type: Although most monitors might look the same on the surface, there are a few different panel types that offer specific benefits and shortcomings. Rather than focusing on speed, IPS panels are known for rendering excellent colors and contrast while offering wider viewing angles in exchange for slightly slower response time, usually hovering around ms. They offer great image quality with decently quick response times.

Refresh rate: This is another important measure of how responsive a the display is, and it defines how often your screen can display a completely new image — so it essentially dictates your frame rate. Basically, the higher the refresh rates the more times the image on your screen will update every second, resulting in a smoother gameplay experience.

Beyond the visual appeal of high refresh rate displays, they can be useful for gamers who need to keep up with the rapid movements competitive games demand. G-Sync vs FreeSync: Variable refresh rate VRR technology is a fairly recent invention and it ensures you have a consistently smooth and responsive gaming experience. Despite the lesser HDR capabilities, it also nets beautiful colors and contrast for your games too.

G-Sync offers stable pictures and smoothness, and the speedy refresh rate and response times back this up too. The Hz refresh rate doesn't hurt, either. The Gigabyte G27Q is a bit of a plain Jane compared to other more pricey options. It's a flat, inch display and a design that wouldn't stand out in an office environment.

But it's actually one of the best gaming monitors I've had the pleasure of using. Not only does it have a gorgeous, vibrant panel, but it's also HDR capable and packs plenty of useful features designed to enhance your gaming pleasure.

Read our full Gigabyte G27Q review. Much like the mystical ways of the Force, PC gaming is all about balance. There's little point weighting your system too heavily in one direction without paying attention to the whole package.

Likewise why spend big on a 4K monitor when you're only sporting a Radeon RX ? The classic inch Dell SDGM marries that screen real estate with a x native resolution, which gives you a great pixel pitch for fine detail.

At p it's also a decent resolution for getting high frame rates without the GPU demands of a 4K display. It's also capable of delivering that resolution at Hz, higher than the IPS-based Gigabyte above it.

This VA panel also means it has a far higher contrast ratio, too, given the technology's inherent strong contrast. It's also a great price. Dell delivers high quality gaming panels, with all the features you need and few extraneous ones to bump up the price.

And that makes it one of the best gaming monitors for most PC gamers today. It may have once been a niche, but Hz gaming has become more widespread, and Alienware has set itself ahead of the pack with the gorgeous AWHF gaming monitor. While not the cheapest on the market, it has the style and performance to make you want it on your desk. Gamers will dig the Alienware 25's lightning-fast response time in games like Valorant and Destiny 2 with little to no ghosting or artifacts.

This p IPS panel is bright and vivid too. If you work or game in a bright room, the Alienware 25 handles even the most obnoxious glares. More importantly, the AWHF has some impressive viewing angles regardless if you have it set in the middle of your desk for gaming or off to the side as a second monitor in portrait mode while you work.

Our only real complaints are the lack of HDR support, along with a lack of contrast, but it remains one of the best gaming monitors. We'd all love to have a thousand bucks burning a hole in our back pockets to blow on a new gaming monitor. But back in the real world, the Dell SDGM wants a crack at the kind of budget most of us actually have.

It's a inch beast with a VA panel running at up to Hz and delivering by pixels. Yup, the tried and tested p resolution, the sweetspot for real-world gaming according to many, the perfect balance between performance and visual detail.

The catch is all that normally applies to inch models. That makes for a pretty big panel for p in terms of pixel density.

Where the low pixel density hurts most is actually in Windows. For everyone else, well, it comes down to the value proposition. There are faster monitors. There are monitors with superior IPS-powered image quality. There are monitors with all kinds of HDR support not found here. And others with far more pixels or more dramatic aspect ratios.

So, while the Dell SDGM isn't all that exciting from a technical point of view, for the money, it's pretty convincing. The Pixio PX Prime is about as barebones as it comes in regards to gaming monitors. This inch p panel provides frames at a stable Hz and is also FreeSync certified for a tear-free gaming experience with compatible graphics cards. The screen itself is advertised as anti-glare and holds up in most brightly lit environments, and the thin bezel is always a plus in our book.

The biggest selling point of the PX Prime, though, is its low price point. A great entry-level option for those looking for a larger screen with a high refresh rate and don't want to be left totally broke. While the build quality isn't as robust as a higher-spec screen, the Pixio panel is perfect for the budget gamer who doesn't mind missing out on some of the bells and whistles of a higher-end monitor but is keen for top performance.

It features a stunning inch IPS panel, which delivers excellent picture quality and depth of color. That's certainly quick enough for our tastes, and to look good while delivering that speed is a huge deal.

What makes the M28U an even bigger deal is that it's actually rather affordable. It's still quite a lot of money to throw down on a monitor alone, but considering what other 4K monitors with this sort of feature set are going for, it's as close to a steal as you're going to get at 4K. Read our full Gigabyte M28U review.

If your mantra for displays is 'go big or go home,' Acer hears you, and its Predator X38 is a massive inch curved screen that looks stunning. It features a not-quite-4K QHD ultrawide panel with a x resolution. With an aspect ratio of , the IPS panel looks great, and the size means you have a lot of screen real estate for gaming.

The display also features G-Sync technology with up to Hz variable refresh rates. That's a huge boost over lower refresh rate curved gaming monitors. It's a big, bold, and beautiful-looking display, and the zero-frame bezel-less approach is another welcome addition. If you're looking for something to turn heads, this is one of the best widescreen gaming monitors out there. It's taller than the inch displays and nearly half again as wide, but the higher resolution means the dot pitch is slightly lower than, the lesser panels.

And for games that properly support ultrawide resolutions, the surround effect of the XRCQK is incredibly immersive—sitting at your desk, the inch panel will fill your field of view. Read our full Acer Predator X38 review. The best just got a whole lot better. Out of the box, it looks identical to the old G9. And then some. The Neo G9 still has a fantastic VA panel. It packs a cutting-edge mini-LED tech with no fewer than 2, zones.

This thing is several orders of magnitude more sophisticated than before. We've also read reports of the backlight flickering with VRR enabled in certain types of content, but we haven't noticed that problem with our unit, so your experience may be different.

It has okay ergonomics, but the stand has a narrow swivel range. Overall, it's one of the best gaming monitors we've tested. The image remains accurate no matter where you sit, and it has excellent ergonomics that make it easy to share your screen with a friend. In terms of gaming performance, it has exceptional motion handling, native FreeSync support, and low input lag. It gets bright enough to fight glare in a well-lit room, but you need a firmware update for it to get bright and have the VRR support work at its full range.

If you're in the market for the best gaming monitor with native FreeSync support, you can't go wrong with the Samsung, but if you're a fan of wide viewing angles, then check out the Acer. It's an excellent gaming monitor with a 27 inch screen and a p resolution. Input lag is exceptionally low, and the response time at max refresh rate is fantastic, remaining excellent even when gaming at 60Hz. It has a backlight strobing feature to improve motion clarity, but you can't use it with variable refresh rate VRR enabled.

It's a fairly versatile monitor with good performance overall. It's well-built, and it has good ergonomics so that you can place the screen in an ideal viewing position. It has wide viewing angles, making it great for co-op gaming, and it provides good visibility in well-lit rooms thanks to its great reflection handling and high peak brightness. It has a few extra features, like built-in speakers, RGB bias-lighting, and a USB hub so that you can charge your devices while gaming.

Sadly, our unit has terrible out-of-the-box color accuracy, so you may need to get it calibrated to enjoy it to the fullest.

That said, this can also vary between units. It also can't display very deep blacks, and our unit has poor black uniformity, so it's not the best choice for a dark room. It has a lower p resolution compared to p on the ViewSonic Elite XGQG , so images don't look as sharp, but that allows your graphics card to achieve a higher frame rate. You can achieve the max Hz refresh rate over a DisplayPort connection, and it has incredibly smooth motion handling and low input lag.

Even at lower refresh rates, the response time remains quick, and the input lag doesn't increase. It has great ergonomics and wide viewing angles if you want to share the screen with someone else. Unfortunately, it doesn't support FreeSync at all. If you want the best monitor for gaming with native G-SYNC support, you can't go wrong with the ViewSonic, but if you prefer something with a much higher refresh rate for esports gaming, then check out the Dell.

The best gaming monitor with a 4k resolution we've tested is the Gigabyte M32U. It's an excellent gaming monitor with a large 32 inch screen that provides enough screen space for an immersive gaming experience.

Also, the high resolution delivers crisp images and fantastic text clarity. It has a Hz panel, which you can achieve over a DisplayPort connection. However, it doesn't support full-bandwidth HDMI 2. Motion looks exceptionally smooth thanks to the quick response time, and it has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, as long as you update it to the latest firmware.

Unfortunately, it's not a good choice for dark room gaming because it has a low contrast ratio. Even though it has an edge-lit local dimming feature, it performs terribly and causes blooming around bright objects.

It also doesn't deliver a good HDR experience because it can't get bright enough to make highlights pop. Regardless, it's still one of the best monitors for gaming that we've tested. The best gaming monitor with an ultrawide screen that we've tested is the Gigabyte M34WQ. The advantage of getting an ultrawide monitor is that it offers more screen space thanks to its aspect ratio, providing a more immersive gaming experience. It's an excellent gaming monitor with many features, including productivity perks, meaning you can work on it during the day and game at night.

Gaming feels responsive thanks to its low input lag, and motion looks smooth because it has a great response time. It even has a USB-C input so you can connect your laptop, and with its KVM switch, you can control multiple devices with one keyboard and mouse. Unfortunately, it's not a good choice for gaming in HDR or the dark because it has a low contrast ratio, and without any local dimming, blacks look gray in the dark. If this isn't an issue for you, it's one of the best monitors for gaming that we've tested.

At 24 inches in size, it's a bit smaller than other gaming monitors in this recommendation, but it offers excellent gaming performance at a low cost.

It has an incredible response time whether you're gaming at its max refresh rate or 60Hz, so motion looks smooth, and you won't notice any delay while gaming, thanks to its low input lag.