The Best Gaming Monitors of 2026

The best gaming monitor looks different depending on what you need. Maybe you’re after a 21:9 aspect ratio. Maybe you’re after a higher resolution, so a 1440p gaming monitor (or even 4K), or to upgrade to a higher refresh rate to complement that top-tier graphics card you just bought. Or maybe you want to upgrade to one of the best curved gaming monitors, which can make a noticeable difference in the way you work and play.

The best gaming monitors also support adaptive sync, including AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, which reduces screen tearing while gaming, 1ms response times or lower, and have good HDR capabilities.

While good gaming monitors can be expensive, they aren't all created equal. If you want the absolute best gaming monitor on the market, look no further than the Alienware AW3225QF (available at Dell) . It gives you the feel of an extra big, extra fast gaming monitor for less than the average ultra wide-screen display, with excellent color accuracy. However, our list has several great alternatives, some of which are speedier or offer better value.

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Other Gaming Monitors We Tested

What You Should Know About Gaming Monitors

What Size Gaming Monitor Do I Need?

Finding the right size of gaming monitor for your gaming setup (and your budget) is just as important as choosing one with the best refresh rate. The most common sizes of gaming monitors span 24 inches, 27 inches, and 32 inches:

• 24-inch monitors: These are popular among both competitive and casual gamers, and offer the highest possible refresh rates, ensuring smooth and responsive gameplay. The most common resolution at this size is 1080p.

• 27-inch monitors: The most common next step up, and the largest size that makes sense for most people. These monitors range from budget options to well over $1,000 and span the gamut of 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions.

• 32-inch monitors: provide large amounts of screen real estate but may be too large to fit on most people’s desks. The most common resolution at this size is 4K, as anything lower may appear blurry and make text illegible.

• Ultrawide gaming monitors: are typically the same height as a 27-inch widescreen monitor but much, well, wider. They can span 34 to 38 inches and provide an immersive field of view when gaming, especially if the display is curved. However, they may not fit on every desk.

• Extra large monitors: are the largest gaming monitors you can get and encompass everything from curved 48-inch flatscreen OLEDs up to 49-inch ultrawide monitors and beyond. Unless you sit several feet from your desk, these monitors are a poor fit for competitive gaming as large portions of the screen will be in your peripheral vision.

What Resolution Do I Need—1080p, 4K, or Something Else?

Gamers looking to buy a gaming monitor have a lot of choices of resolution, but your choice is likely to be guided by your budget and the performance of your gaming PC.

• 1080p: 1920 x 1080 resolution, better known as 1080p, is extremely common on budget gaming displays, and found on most displays that exceed a refresh rate of 144Hz. It doesn’t provide the sharpest picture but can offer extremely smooth gameplay. It also works well alongside a mid-range video card which is a major perk.

• 1440p: 2560 x 1440, shortened to 1440p, is a resolution rarely spoken of outside of PC gaming. It’s extremely popular in mid-range gaming monitors and provides a great balance between smooth gameplay and sharpness. It’s a big upgrade over 1080p and worthwhile (especially for larger monitor sizes) if you can afford it.

• 4K: 3840 x 2160, better known as 4K, receives a lot of hype, but high-refresh-rate 4K gaming monitors aren’t for everyone. Aside from the price of the monitor, you also have to factor in the price of a new high-end video card. If you’re a console gamer looking for a monitor, however, this is the resolution to target for your Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5.

The Three LCD Panel Types: IPS, VA, and TN

A monitor’s LCD panel sits between the glass or plastic on its surface and the LED backlights at the rear, and is largely responsible for the image quality of a monitor. There are three different technologies you’re likely to encounter here.

• IPS: This means "in-plane switching." IPS panels tend to be bright, with good color and subdued ghosting behind fast-moving objects. However, IPS can’t show deep black levels, which is a problem in movies and games.

Despite this, many gaming monitors use an IPS panel because it’s an affordable and effective way to achieve smooth motion. Gamers are often willing to trade some image quality for this perk.

• VA: This means "vertical alignment." This panel technology has far superior contrast than IPS or TN, and its color performance isn’t bad, either. VA panels have poor viewing angles compared to IPS, but this problem is less noticeable on a monitor since you’ll usually sit directly in front of it.

The best VA panels have motion clarity similar to an IPS display, but there’s more variance. In general, this technology is best for gamers willing to trade some motion clarity for better image quality.

• TN: This means “twisted nematic.” These are the cheapest panels and generally perform poorly in color, contrast, and viewing angles. They have fast response times and remain an option for extremely affordable, high-refresh gaming monitors.

Newer IPS panels have eroded TN’s advantage, and TN is nearly entirely obsolete. We recommend against purchasing a TN gaming monitor.

• OLED: This means “organic light-emitting diode” and isn’t considered a traditional LCD panel display technology. Unlike the panel types mentioned above, pixels on an OLED display emit their own light and turn off individually, allowing for near-perfect black levels and unparalleled motion clarity. Most of the top gaming monitors use OLED panels.

OLED monitors are typically more expensive than comparable LCD displays and may dim when brighter content is onscreen. This helps prevent the pixels from wearing down over time and extends the life of the panel.

Other Gaming Monitor Features to Consider

HDR stands for “High Dynamic Range.” HDR monitors have a greater color gamut and contrast, giving you a higher variety and intensity of colors. You’ll see brighter whites and darker blacks, and all the colors in the spectrum with greater vividness and clarity.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) features like Nvidia GeForce’s G-Sync and AMD FreeSync help your monitor’s refresh rate match your graphics card’s refresh rate to keep your picture running smoothly. Without it, you might see visual stuttering, or even “screen tearing” that creates horizontal breaks in your video. If your graphics card is working at 56 frames per second, a good sync software will make your monitor refresh at 56Hz.

In addition to smoothing out the video, this can also reduce input lag, where you experience a delay between pressing a button on your controller and seeing the action performed in-game. Input lag is frustrating in any gaming situation, but it’s especially life-or-death in multiplayer games.

It should be noted that G-Sync will only work on Nvidia graphics cards, but FreeSync is an open-source technology that works on both AMD and Nvidia GPUs.

How We Test Gaming Monitors

The Tests

We used a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration tool for the objective evaluation of monitor quality for this list. This tool can measure numerous technical details of a monitor including brightness, black levels, contrast ratio, white point, color gamut, color accuracy, gamma curve, and uniformity.

Gaming monitors must also be tested for motion clarity and responsiveness. We judged this by first observing Blur Busters’ UFO Test and then launching several games to gauge real-world performance. We look not only for clarity in motion but also signs of ghosting and overshoot, problems that can cause visible trails or halos behind fast-moving objects.

We also consider a monitor’s features and ease of use. The best monitors have an ergonomic stand that’s easy to adjust. They also provide USB ports and a wide range of image customization. We consider these features when making our final selections.

These results are logged and placed in a spreadsheet. Reviewed uses an in-house rubric to balance our recorded results and provide an objective ranking.

Price is important, as well. Expensive monitors do tend to perform well, but that’s unsurprising given their cost. A great gaming monitor should balance amazing visuals and smooth gameplay with value.

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