The Best 24-inch gaming monitors of 2021

MSI’s Oculux NXG253R is a great 24-inch gaming monitor for competitive gamers. It has a 360Hz refresh rate and supports Nvidia G-Sync for smooth gameplay on Nvidia video cards. Boosting the refresh rate to 360Hz provides excellent motion clarity in a wide variety of games and keeps input lag to a minimum.

This monitor has excellent color accuracy, a high maximum brightness, and a good contrast ratio for a monitor in this category. It doesn’t leave its peers in the dust (all 360Hz monitors we’ve tested have similar image quality), but the MSI eeks out wins in brightness and contrast ratio.

Build quality is great, with a thick, sturdy chassis that feels as durable as the Alienware AW2521H. The monitor also has an adjustable stand. MSI’s style may prove more divisive, however. The rear of the monitor includes a glossy black dragon and a prominent Nvidia G-Sync 360 badge.

The MSI Oculux NXG253R is a good value, with a much lower than many alternatives, and doesn’t compromise quality to achieve it.

The Alienware AW2521H is a premium 24-inch gaming monitor that targets competitive gamers with its 360 Hz refresh rate. It supports Nvidia G-Sync for smooth gameplay on Nvidia graphics cards.

Gamers who care about style should love the monitor’s unique, sci-fi-inspired exterior. Available in black or white and boasting a ring of LED lights on its rear, the Alienware AW2521H will stand out on any desk. It feels extremely durable and has a beefy ergonomic stand that keeps the display planted in place.

The image quality is good. The monitor has an okay contrast ratio, solid color gamut, and respectable color accuracy. It doesn’t score extremely well in any one area (aside from the refresh rate) but also lacks any major flaw, making it a good choice for most games.

The Alienware AW2521H is generally more expensive than the competition. However, the monitor is frequently on sale, so it’s especially a great deal during those times.

Asus’ ROG Swift PG259QN is a high-end 24-inch gaming monitor that targets competitive players with a 360Hz refresh rate. It supports Nvidia G-Sync for smooth gameplay with Nvidia video cards.

The ROG Swift PG259QN is a well-rounded monitor with just a few small flaws. It serves up solid image quality with good color accuracy, a decent contrast ratio, and a robust color gamut. Our test unit looked overly warm and reddish at its default settings, which didn’t look right in some games. However, we were able to adjust this by switching to a different color temperature preset in the monitor’s menu.

We think the monitor’s corkscrew design, while striking, is divisive. It will look at home on a desk loaded with other flashy gaming gear but doesn’t fit in with a less garish setup. Looks aside, the monitor is well built and has a sturdy, ergonomic stand.

The monitor’s best trait is its MSRP, which is high for casual players, but regularly beats alternative 360Hz monitors from Alienware and Acer. However, sale pricing can sometimes drop the Alienware and Acer below the Asus.

Acer’s Nitro XV252Q is an affordable take on our favorite monitors. The Nitro makes a few cuts to reduce the price while retaining excellent motion clarity.

The Nitro XV252Q has a 240Hz refresh rate and can overclock to 280Hz. This is the same as the impressive Acer Predator XB253Q, and we saw no difference in motion clarity between the two monitors. The Nitro supports AMD FreeSync, however, while the Predator supports Nvidia G-Sync.

Image quality is almost identical between the two monitors, which is good news for the Nitro XV252Q. It offers excellent color accuracy, a good contrast ratio for an IPS display panel, and a decent color gamut. The Nitro falls behind in just one area: brightness. A very bright room can wash out the display, making the visuals hard to see and, although it can accept an HDR signal, it does not do HDR games justice.

Build quality is another Nitro XV252Q weakness. The monitor’s ergonomically adjustable stand works well enough but is far less robust than those found on more expensive monitors. It also can’t match the more affordable BenQ EX2510R there.

At first glance, the Asus ProArt PA248QV might seem an odd choice for a gaming monitor. This 24-inch display is marketed to creative professionals, not gamers, and has an unusual 16:10 aspect ratio that is more square than other monitors.

Yet there’s good reason to recommend the PA248QV. This monitor is affordably priced and delivers solid all-around image quality. It’s bright, has a good contrast ratio, and offers good color accuracy. The monitor’s odd aspect ratio means it has a resolution of 1920 x 1200. Gamers who love strategy games may prefer this because it squeezes in more vertical space for displaying a map or critical information.

The PA248QV supports AMD FreeSync for smooth gameplay on AMD video cards. It also has a maximum refresh rate of 75Hz. Motion clarity is not noticeably better than a 60Hz display, but the inclusion of FreeSync means stutter-free play is possible.

It’s a quality-built, attractive display with a highly adjustable ergonomic stand that easily defeats most budget gaming monitors. You’ll also find two USB ports on the monitor’s left flank, a feature affordable gaming monitors often skip. This is useful for connecting wired gaming peripherals.

The Samsung C24F390 is a budget monitor that targets general use, but it’s also a great option for gamers on a very tight budget.

This monitor has a VA panel with a contrast ratio that exceeds that of nearly every other monitor on this list, including those that sell for several times the price. This provides a sense of depth and good detail in dark scenes. The monitor’s color performance is just ok, but acceptable for the price and better than Acer’s XFA240.

This monitor has a 60Hz refresh rate, so it’s not a great choice for competitive gaming. It is FreeSync compatible for smooth gameplay on AMD graphics cards. The included stand is flimsy and only adjusts for tilt.

The C24F390 is the specific model we tested, but Samsung offers several variations on this monitor with slightly different product names such as the C24F391 and C24F392. These should offer similar features and performance.

The Acer XFA240 is an entry-level gaming monitor that offers a 144Hz refresh rate at a low price. It’s also compatible with Nvidia G-Sync for smooth gameplay on an Nvidia graphics card. These traits are common among 24-inch gaming monitors, but the XFA240 undercuts the competition.

It achieves this by using a TN display panel that doesn’t score well in most image quality tests. The XFA240’s color accuracy, color gamut, and contrast ratio fall at the bottom of monitors on this list. It tends to look dull and flat when compared to other 24-inch monitors.

The XFA240’s build quality is better than you’d expect for the price and similar to Acer’s more expensive Nitro XV252Q. It has a simple plastic exterior that doesn’t stand out but does the job, which is all you can ask for at this price. The monitor also has an ergonomically adjustable stand to help you find a comfortable gaming position.