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What games you play are key to deciding which monitor is best for your budget. Pick a high refresh rate monitor if you want the edge in fast paced multiplayer games and your PC can handle it. Higher resolutions and lower refresh rates might be better for single player experiences. Simulations and racing games might benefit from a curved or ultrawide display.

Buying a monitor for gaming can be tricky. Manufacturers and retailers will try and pull you in various directions with features you may or may not need. Let's take a look at some of the most important questions to ask and features to be aware of when buying a monitor.

What Sort of Games Do You Play?

What you're using your display for should guide any purchasing decision you make. Consider what you're used to playing and what you're looking forward to playing in the future. Take a look at your Steam history, wishlist, games you've spent the most time in, and the capabilities of your computer, and make an informed decision.

You probably fit some sort of profile, for example:

  • You love fast-paced multiplayer games like Apex Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or Fortnite.
  • You play mostly single-player "triple-A" experiences like Elden Ring, God of War, or Skyrim.
  • You prefer immersive simulations or racing titles like Forza Horizon, Dirt Rally, Elite: Dangerous or Microsoft Flight Simulator.
  • You love strategy and slower-paced titles like Anno 1800, Age of Empires 4, Civilization VI, or Divinity: Original Sin 2.
  • You find yourself mostly playing indie titles like Inscryption, Vampire Survivors, or Hades.
  • You mostly buy games that are on sale and don't get to the latest titles right away.

Many gamers dabble in all of the above, but even if that sounds like you it's easy to eliminate some of your options based on your level of interest. Let's take a look at some of these factors in more detail.

Do You Need a High Refresh Rate?

A monitor's refresh rate, measured in hertz (Hz), is a measure of how many times the display updates in a second. This commonly starts at 60Hz, with high refresh rate monitors venturing into 240Hz, 360Hz, or even 500Hz territory. A higher refresh rate can potentially give you the edge in competitive multiplayer games, since you'll receive more feedback about what's happening on-screen.

High refresh rate monitors offer benefits like smooth motion, low latency, and a generally more pleasant gaming experience, with one caveat. To make use of a monitor that updates (for example) 240 times per second, you'll need enough frames to match. If your computer can't deliver that many frames per second in your chosen game, a high refresh rate monitor won't provide much of a benefit.

Related: How to Change Your Monitor's Refresh Rate on Windows 10

To hit these frame rates, you'll need a computer that's powerful enough or you'll need to be prepared to drop resolution or remove visual effects to increase the frame rate. Many of the biggest multiplayer titles are older, less demanding games so this might not be an issue for you. If you mostly play single-player games, aren't super-competitive or serious about multiplayer, or don't have a rig that can hit high frame rates; you probably don't need to prioritize refresh rate.

That's not to say a moderate increase in refresh rate over the 60Hz standard used in "office" monitors isn't a good idea. Moving to 90 or 120Hz can yield a noticeable difference. You can always try and overclock your monitor to get a slightly higher refresh rate out of it too.

What Should the Native Resolution Be?

All display panels have a native resolution, which is the maximum resolution at which content should be displayed. Your monitor will always look best at this resolution since each pixel will be mapped on the display at a 1:1 ratio. You can always display content at a lower-than-native resolution, but you cannot exceed this resolution.

You should match your desired output resolution with your monitor's native resolution. This will have a lot to do with the capabilities of your computer and the sort of performance you can expect from it. Gaming at 4K is great provided your computer can handle it. If you're getting sub-par performance (usually that means less than 60 frames per second) at 4K, consider a 1440p monitor instead.

1440p, also known as QHD or WQHD, is gaining popularity as a stop-gap between 1080p and 4K. Gaming at 1440p is less demanding than 4K while providing a noticeable jump in quality over 1080p. These monitors offer more features for the same price as their 4K counterparts, like higher refresh rates or better HDR performance. 1440p also works great with the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and S.

One thing you should be aware of when reducing resolution is the pixel density. It might be a good idea to pick a smaller display at a lower resolution to increase perceived image quality.

Lastly, upscaling solutions like NVIDIA's DLSS and AMD's FSR can go a long way. By rendering the game at a lower internal resolution, performance is kept steady and upscaling techniques are used to output a higher overall resolution. Most games now support this sort of technology, but your graphics card will also need to support it. This is one example where picking a higher-resolution monitor might make sense.

What Kind of Panel Is Right for You?

There are two main technologies to pick from when selecting a monitor: LCD and OLED. LCDs are much more common and use LED backlighting. LCD technology is both affordable and adaptable and can be found in ultra-budget models or high-end $2,000 displays. There are three different sub-types of panel you can opt for when choosing an LCD: TN, IPS, and VA.

TN (twisted nematic) yields great response times but poor color reproduction and disappointing viewing angles. These panels are often found in the most responsive high refresh rate displays. IPS (in-plane switching) panels solve the issue of poor viewing angles seen in TN panels while providing better color reproduction. Their response times are also good.

Related: OLED Gaming Monitors Are Here, Is It Time To Upgrade?

VA (vertical alignment) panels offer the best image quality in terms of contrast ratio. They're a good choice if you want the best image at the cost of response times. They aren't often as good as IPS displays when it comes to color reproduction, and the slower response times may lead to you relying on the overdrive setting to reduce ghosting.

OLED displays use entirely different technology. They're self-emissive panels that don't have a backlight and offer an unbeatable contrast ratio and inky blacks. Newer QD-OLED panels use the same quantum dot technology that LCD panels have had for years, for the best of both worlds. OLEDs typically offer excellent response times, but they're also expensive. Due to the organic nature of OLED panels, static elements may become "burned in" over the lifetime of the product.

Competitive high-refresh-rate gamers shouldn't have too many qualms settling for a TN LCD, while most other gamers will be happy with an IPS panel. VA is another good option if you can live with slightly longer pixel response times and you favor overall image quality over motion handling. OLED displays offer the highest quality image at a premium price point with a risk of image retention.

What About Curved and Ultrawide Monitors?

If you want to be immersed in your game, a curved monitor might be a good choice. It's not uncommon to find curved monitors with an ultrawide aspect ratio of 21:9 or greater, since this provides a more immersive "wrap-around" gaming experience compared to a traditional flat display.

You can find standard 1440p or 4K resolution monitors with a curve, often represented by a number. For example, a monitor with a "1000R" curve forms a complete circle with a radius of 1000mm (1 meter). The higher the number, the more subtle the curve. It's worth seeing these models in person before settling on one.

These monitors are great are providing a more immersive experience. When combined with the ultrawide form factor, they create an ideal monitor for use in many simulation games. The curve also cuts down the size of a standard monitor that may initially seem too big for your field of view.

On the other hand, some images can look distorted depending on your setup. You'll also need to make sure you have enough room on your desk to accommodate the curved monitor, and factor the curve into your setup if you decide to go the multiple-monitor route. For example, two 1800R curved monitors will likely feel more comfortable compared with two 1000R curves.

How Important Is VRR?

Variable refresh rate, or VRR for short, allows the monitor you're using to change its refresh rate on the fly to match the frame rate of whatever you're playing. This is handy for eliminating screen tearing, where the monitor displays an incomplete frame due to the GPU not being able to keep up, resulting in an unsightly stutter or "tear" on the screen.

Most monitors will come with AMD FreeSync compatibility in some form, with FreeSync Premium and Premium Pro offering additional benefits. FreeSync monitors work with AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel GPUs. NVIDIA also has VRR technology known as G-SYNC, which also enjoys good compatibility with different GPUs.

Related: How to Make Your 120Hz or 144Hz Monitor Use Its Advertised Refresh Rate

Generally speaking, FreeSync or G-SYNC are a good idea for gamers. You should make sure that any monitor you're looking at is compatible with your GPU, at the frame rates you'll be using. For example, FreeSync may only work between 48Hz and 75Hz, which means framerates of less than 48 frames per second won't be covered by VRR.

If you want to use your monitor with a console, the Xbox Series X and Series S both support FreeSync (Premium), but the PlayStation 5 currently only supports Adaptive-Sync as part of the HDMI 2.1 standard. That means for VRR to work on Sony's console, you'll need a monitor with an HDMI 2.1 port.

How Should You Balance Your Monitor Budget?

Most of us can't afford a monitor that does it all, though these sorts of monitors do exist. Samsung showed off the latest iterations of its G9 Odyssey range at CES 2023 including the Odyssey OLED G9, a 49-inch curved 32:9 gaming monitor with an OLED panel, 240Hz refresh rate, and resolution of 5120x1440. It will probably cost as much as a new PC when it arrives (the original Odyssey Neo G9 launched at $2,300).

Instead, use the guidance above to decide what's most important to you. If you mostly play online shooters and want to be competitive, a high-refresh-rate (IPS or TN panel) LCD will probably suit you. If single-player experiences are more important, consider spending more on a higher-resolution display that foregoes hundreds of refreshers per second.

If you're looking to plug in your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X and consume media too, a "small" (42-inch) OLED display like the LG C2 might be a better buy. Just consider how static elements on your desktop could contribute to burn-in. Check out our list of top gaming monitors for some recommendations at every price point.