Best 32-inch Gaming Monitors of 2021

Asus’ ROG Swift PG32UQX is not your average gaming monitor. Your games will look better than ever before.

The PG32UQX achieves this with a Mini-LED backlight system that has 1,152 individual dimming zones. These zones can turn off entirely in dark scenes but ramp up to eye-searing brightness when required. The result is a high contrast ratio, extremely high brightness, and great luminance uniformity that banishes the hazy spots found at the corners of many large gaming monitors. This monitor delivers 4K resolution, too, so it’s sharper than most.

HDR content is where the PG32UQX literally shines. This monitor can deliver a maximum brightness that rivals today’s best HDR televisions. You’ll feel the urge to turn away from an in-game sunrise or a flashlight shone in your character’s face.

This is a good gaming monitor for motion clarity. It has a 144Hz refresh rate and Nvidia G-Sync support for smooth gameplay. However, the Mini-LED backlight can cause halos to appear around bright objects in dark scenes. This is often more distracting in motion than with static scenes.

The PG32UQX is heavy, thick, and built to exacting standards. It has a large stand that adjusts for tilt, swivel, and pivot. Its size and weight means it can truly dominate small desks. The monitor has a small display on its chin that can display a game’s framerate or the current temperature of your GPU, among other things.

So, what’s the catch? Price. Asus’ PG32UQX has an extremely high MSRP of $2,999 , and you may have to pay more if you want one right now. This makes it impractical for many gamers. We deeply hope the monitor’s technology filters down to more affordable displays in the coming years, as it’s clearly superior to today’s mainstream gaming monitors.

BenQ EX3203R delivers great image quality at a mid-range price. It serves up 1440p resolution from its VA panel, a curved screen, a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, and supports AMD FreeSync.

The BenQ EX3203R looks fantastic. It scored among the highest contrast ratios of any monitor in our tests. It also has a wide color gamut and great color accuracy. Games look realistic, yet vibrant, and the monitor’s strong contrast provides good detail in dark scenes. Games have a better sense of depth and texture than on competing monitors. The monitor is bright enough to provide added brilliance to HDR games but, as usual, it can’t match any decent HDR television.

We noticed two small problems. The EX3203R scored poorly in image uniformity, which means the corners of the display were noticeably brighter than the middle. This can be distracting in dark scenes. The monitor also suffers a “screen door effect” caused by a significant gap between each pixel. This is less of an issue if you sit more than four feet away, however.

The EX3202R is an attractive monitor with a highly adjustable stand and a great, all-around build quality. Its design walks the line between office and gaming use without leaning too far toward either. The screen has a gentle curve that provides some added immersion in games but will likely fade from your mind after a few hours using the display. The monitor even has a USB-C port, which is rare for this category.

The Viewsonic XG3220 is a mid-range monitor with 4K resolution and a VA panel. It has a 60Hz refresh rate and supports AMD FreeSync for smooth gameplay on AMD video cards. Resolution and price stand out most. Sticking with a 60Hz refresh rate allows Viewsonic to deliver a 4K resolution at an obtainable price.

You may expect that to mean mediocre image quality. On the contrary, this monitor scored well in most tests. It has good color accuracy, a very wide color gamut, and a great contrast ratio. Games have a sense of depth and realism that is surprising at this price. Brightness is a weakness, however. The monitor can display HDR content, but it’s not bright enough to do it justice.

Motion clarity isn’t great. The 60Hz refresh rate won’t satisfy competitive gamers who want low input lag and a responsive feel. This monitor suffers significant “smearing” when dark objects move across the screen.

Build quality, like image quality, is better than expected for the price. The monitor has a sturdy ergonomic stand that can be adjusted for height, tilt, and swivel. Some gamers will find the monitor’s design a bit plain, but it’s unobtrusive and will fit in on most desks.

The Asus’ ROG Swift PG329Q attempts to offer a good HDR experience at a reasonable price. It has a 1440p resolution, a maximum refresh rate of 175Hz, and supports Nvidia G-Sync for smooth gameplay on Nvidia video cards. The monitor has an IPS panel.

The monitor’s focus on HDR is delivered through its high maximum brightness. It’s not the brightest we’ve tested, falling behind rivals like the Asus PG32UQX and Odyssey G7, but the PG329Q’s MSRP is lower than those alternatives. It’s bright enough to deliver a real visual punch in HDR games.

Color performance is fantastic. The PG329Q has a very wide color gamut, excellent color accuracy, and a well-calibrated color temperature. Most monitors we tested handled bright, vibrant games well, but the PG329Q stood ahead of the pack.

Unfortunately, the monitor has a flaw: contrast ratio. This monitor delivered the lowest contrast ratio of any we tested. The monitor’s lackluster contrast can be blamed on its failure to lower luminance when required. Dark scenes look gray, hazy, and lack depth. That’s a problem if you play dark games or watch movies.

On the plus side, this monitor is well built. It has Asus’ typical corkscrew design, which can look out of place if your desk isn’t packed with gaming gear. The ergonomic stand adjusts for height, tilt, and swivel.

The BenQ PD3220U is a professional monitor that is also a great pick for gamers who crave outstanding image quality and don’t care about motion clarity. It has a 4K resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. It does not support AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync and has an IPS panel.

This monitor delivers overall image quality that’s a cut above most gaming monitors of any size. It has a sharp 4K resolution, good color accuracy, and a very wide color gamut. The monitor also has a spot-on color temperature. Its contrast ratio is not the best, though this is mitigated by good luminance uniformity that reduces noticeable bright spots along the edges of the display.

Brightness was not as high as other monitors we tested. It’s bright enough to use in most situations, but it does poorly with HDR content. As mentioned, this is a 60Hz monitor and does not support adaptive sync, so it’s a poor choice for fast-paced esports titles.

The PD3220U’s strong scores in image quality and high resolution provide an enjoyable experience that stands out in games with detailed and colorful art. It’s best for single-player games that have lavish, beautiful worlds, such as open-world role-playing games. It’s also excellent for strategy and simulation games.

Build quality is excellent. This monitor is built for professionals, not gamers, so it looks sleek and modern. The included ergonomic stand feels sturdy and adjusts for height, pivot, and tilt.
The monitor has a wide range of connectivity, including USB-A and USB-C, and comes with a puck control that lets you change inputs or adjust settings without leaning forward.

The Acer Nitro XZ322QU is an affordable gaming monitor with 1440p resolution, a VA panel, and support for AMD FreeSync. This is the most affordable 32-inch monitor we tested, but a few issues prevent this monitor from reaching its full potential.

Acer’s Nitro XZ322QU delivers attractive image quality. It has good color accuracy and a slightly wider color gamut than the similarly priced Dell S3222DGM. The monitor’s contrast ratio is also respectable. The Nitro XZ322QU looks vibrant yet also provides a realistic sense of depth to movies and games. Its objective image quality is a tad better than the Dell and not far off more expensive alternatives.

The monitor’s good performance in these areas is spoiled by its poor luminance uniformity. Obvious bright spots creep across the display in dark scenes. Motion clarity is also disappointing due to a problem known as “smear” which results in obvious streaks behind dark objects. Neither problem is unique to the XZ322QU, but both were more noticeable on this monitor than on competitors.

Build quality can be described as functional. The monitor’s stand adjusts for height and tilt and the display seems reasonably durable, but it doesn’t feel premium or luxurious. This is understandable given the price, but Dell’s S3222DGM has the XZ322QU beat in this area.