Want the best PC gaming experience? You need an excellent gaming monitor. Any monitor can display your games, but a gaming monitor will enhance the experience with brighter, more vibrant color and a high refresh rate for smooth gameplay in fast-paced titles. 

You don’t need to clean out your wallet, either. The very best gaming monitors are expensive, but budget models are surprisingly capable, providing similar results at a drastically lower price. For most people, we think you should just buy the Dell S2721HGF.

Check out our list below of the best gaming monitors currently available. If you’re after a monitor to spruce up your home office, or aren’t sure if a gaming monitor is for you, our best computer monitors has you covered.

The Dell S2721HGF is an excellent gaming monitor. Although not as affordable as our value pick, the Dell S2721HGF is arguably a better choice for most gamers. It offers a larger display and great image quality.

Dell S2721HGF 27-inch Gaming Monitor

  • Excellent contrast ratio

  • Deep, inky black levels

  • High refresh rate

  • Mediocre sharpness

  • Stand adjustments are limited

Contrast is this monitor’s best trait. It has deep, inky black levels in dark scenes, yet also looks bright and vibrant in more colorful content. This provides an excellent sense of immersion in attractive, realistic games. The enhanced refresh rate delivers low response times and is compatible with both AMD’s FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync adaptive sync standards, which means that if you own a graphics card from either of those manufacturers, images will be even smoother on your eyes.

The Dell S2721HGF is more attractive and durable than most monitors in its price range. However, the stand has a limited range of adjustment, and isn’t as sturdy as more expensive monitors. Its 1,920 x 1,080 resolution is a bit low for a 27-inch monitor, but it’s a case of getting what you pay for.

This budget monitor provides serious bang for your buck and a huge upgrade in image quality compared to a typical gaming monitor sold just a few years ago.

Display Size: 27-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Maximum Refresh Rate: 144Hz | Panel Type: Vertical Alignment | Adaptive Sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync | Height Adjustable Stand: Yes | Curved Panel: Yes

AOC’s G24G1A is an entry-level gaming monitor that delivers good performance for the price. It has a solid contrast ratio, decent sharpness, a respectable build quality, and is among the least expensive gaming monitors available.

Best Value

AOC C24G1A 24-inch Monitor

  • Solid contrast ratio

  • High refresh rate

  • AMD FreeSync supported

  • Small size

  • Spotty Nvidia G-Sync support

The monitor’s strengths are similar to our other top pick, the Dell S2721HGF. The AOC G24G1A has good dark scene performance, which leads to a sense of immersion and depth. The G24G1A is a smaller 24-inch monitor, however, so you lose a few inches of display space. 

Build quality is solid. The G24G1A even has a height adjustable stand. However, AOC seems to sacrifice quality control to keep price low, as some owners report the monitor’s color performance is not to their liking. 

The AOC G24G1A is an obvious choice for gamers on a budget. Competing monitors are more expensive, offer a less impressive display panel, or ditch the height adjustable stand.

Display Size: 24-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Maximum Refresh Rate: 165Hz | Panel Type: Vertical Alignment | Adaptive Sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync | Height Adjustable Stand: Yes | Curved Panel: Yes

The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX is the best gaming monitor you can buy today. It has Mini-LED backlight technology similar to high-end televisions and delivers excellent results by every measure of image quality.

Best Upgrade

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX Monitor

  • Excellent HDR performance

  • Outstanding contrast

  • Great color performance

  • Extremely expensive

  • Requires powerful PC

While great in all areas, HDR performance is this monitor’s killer feature. The Mini-LED backlight can reach extremely high levels of brightness in small highlights while maintaining a deep, inky black level across the rest of the display. This creates an extremely realistic image far beyond other gaming monitors.

The monitor is well built with a large, sturdy stand and heavy construction. This may prove a downside for some, as the PG32UQX is larger than most 32-inch gaming monitors. It’s a 4K, 144Hz monitor, which means you will need an extremely fast gaming PC to play games smoothly at its native resolution—but if you do, they’ll look pretty amazing.

The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX is several times more expensive than the next most expensive monitor we recommend. If you can afford it, go for it. Nothing else compares.

Display Size: 32-inch | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Maximum Refresh Rate: 144Hz | Panel Type: In-Plane Switching | Adaptive Sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync | Height Adjustable Stand: Yes | Curved Panel: No

Acer’s XB253Q Gxbmiiprzx is an ideal monitor for competitive gamers. It has a refresh rate of up to 280Hz for fast response times and smooth motion. It also works well with both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, which ensures stutter-free gameplay. 

Best for Competitive Gaming

Acer Predator XB253Q Gxbmiiprzx Monitor

  • Excellent motion performance

  • Vibrant, accurate color

  • Good contrast ratio

  • Small size

  • Mediocre sharpness

The Acer XB253Q provides excellent image quality. It has accurate, vibrant color, a high maximum brightness, and a good contrast ratio. The monitor’s small size can hurt immersion in some titles, but this won’t bother serious competitive gamers. 

Build quality is a strength. The monitor has a hefty, highly adjustable stand, though the gamer-centric design will look odd outside of a dedicated PC gaming den. This monitor’s construction feels more robust than most gaming monitors, including those that are more expensive.

Best of all, the Acer XB253Q is not priced beyond reach. It undercuts more expensive 360Hz monitors while providing similar motion performance and competitive image quality.

Display Size: 24-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Maximum Refresh Rate: 280Hz | Panel Type: In-Plane Switching | Adaptive Sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync | Height Adjustable Stand: Yes | Curved Panel: No

Acer’s Nitro XV282K KV is an ideal gaming monitor for both high-end gaming PCs and modern game consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. It supports HDMI 2.1, which is required to accept signal from these consoles. 

Best 4K

Acer Nitro XV282K KVbmiipruzx Monitor

  • Excellent sharpness

  • Good contrast ratio

  • Supports HDMI 2.1

  • Mediocre dark scene performance

  • Expensive

This monitor has great image quality. The 27-inch, 4K display panel delivers outstanding pixel density. Games look clear and crisp. It also has vibrant color performance and a respectable maximum brightness. The monitor’s dark scene performance is among its weaker traits but still good for a gaming monitor.

The XV282K KV has a maximum refresh rate of up to 144Hz when connected to a PC, or 120Hz when connected to a next-gen game console. It supports AMD FreesSync and Nvidia G-Sync for smooth, stutter-free gameplay if you own one of those manufacturer’s graphic cards.

This monitor is expensive, though it’s among the most affordable HDMI 2.1 monitors available right now. It’s a good value if you want to connect one monitor to both a gaming PC and game console.

Display Size: 27-inch | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Maximum Refresh Rate: 144Hz | Panel Type: In-Plane Switching | Adaptive Sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync | Height Adjustable Stand: Yes | Curved Panel: No

Dell’s S3222DGM, much like its smaller 27-inch sibling, is a good value. It delivers image quality that can compete with monitors several times more expensive, yet it’s sold at a price just a hair above the least expensive 32-inch monitors. 

Best 32-inch

Dell S3222DGM 32-inch Curved Gaming Monitor

  • Excellent contrast

  • Good color performance

  • Great value

  • Limited stand adjustment

  • Mediocre motion performance

The monitor’s contrast ratio and black-level performance are excellent. It can achieve deep, inky shadows, which provides a sense of depth and immersion in realistic games. The monitor’s large size and curved display enhance this.

This monitor has a 165Hz refresh rate. It’s also compatible with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync for smooth, stutter-free gameplay. However, the monitor’s image is not as clear in motion as some competitors. 

Build quality is a highlight. The stand adjusts for height and tilt, though its range of height adjustment is limited, and the stand feels sturdy. The monitor’s design is basic, but its construction feels durable. 

Display Size: 32-inch | Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Maximum Refresh Rate: 165Hz | Panel Type: Vertical Alignment | Adaptive Sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync | Height Adjustable Stand: Yes | Curved Panel: Yes

What to Look For in a Gaming Monitor

Refresh Rate

A gaming monitor should have a refresh rate of at least 120Hz, and a refresh rate of 144Hz or higher is ideal. A high refresh rate will reduce input lag and provide a clear, crisp image in motion. 

A monitor’s refresh rate is the number of times it can refresh the image every second. A higher fresh rate means the image is updated more frequently and will appear smoother in motion. Think of it like an animated cartoon in a paper flipbook. The animation will appear smoother the quicker you flip through it. 

Adaptive sync is a technology that allows a device to communicate with a monitor and synchronize the monitor refresh rate with the framerate of video produced by the device. 

This depends on your preference. 

The three resolutions most common among gaming monitors are:

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It increases the range of luminance and color data in content. This literally translates to a wide range of brightness and more colors. 

No brand stands out as the best among gaming monitors, but some are more consistent than others. AOC, Acer, Asus, BenQ, Dell, LG, Samsung, and Viewsonic are the most reliable brands. Gigabyte, MSI, Lenovo, and Dark Matter (from Monoprice) also produce some quality monitors. 

Resolution

The three resolutions most common among gaming monitors are:

  • 1,920 x 1,080 (1080p)2,560 x 1,4403,840 x 2,160 (4K)

A higher resolution provides a sharper image than a lower resolution. This is always an advantage. However, increasing resolution increases the demand on your video card. You will need a powerful, newer video card, or a modern game console, to play most games at 4K resolution.

Display Panel

The gaming monitors we recommend use one of two common panel technologies available: In-Plane Switching (IPS) and Vertical Alignment (VA). 

IPS tends to deliver better motion clarity and lean toward a bright, colorful look that’s ideal for games with a vibrant art style, but they can look hazy in dark scenes. They are ideal for fast-paced competitive games.

VA panels are typically less clear in motion but have a good contrast ratio that can provide a realistic sense of depth. They’re ideal for gritty, immersive games and open-world titles.

About Our Trusted Experts

Matthew S. Smith is a veteran technology journalist, product reviewer, and influencer with fourteen years of experience. He has reviewed or tested over 650 computer monitors and laptop displays in the past decade. In addition to Lifewire, you can find his work on PC World, Wired, Insider, IEEE Spectrum, IGN, Digital Trends, and a dozen other publications.