Best gaming monitor 2024

MSI may not be the first company that comes to mind when it comes to discussing the best gaming monitor but displays like the Optix MAG274QRF-QD prove that they should. While it most certainly isn’t the most memorable of model names, behind its alphabet soup is a screen that is a perfect match for most gamers out there.

It boasts a host of desirable specs, including a 1440p resolution paired with a buttery smooth refresh rate of 165Hz. These are elevated by the monitor’s 27-inch Rapid IPS panel, which offers superior contrast ratios to many of its competitors and surprisingly wide color gamut coverage thanks to the inclusion of quantum dot technology. Suffice it to say, the best PC games look wonderfully vibrant and sharp on this display.

However, it’s not just a pretty face, as this monitor is more than capable when it comes to responsiveness. It packs fast response times that are devoid of any noticeable ghosting, with Nvidia G-Sync compatibility helping to stave off any unwanted screen tearing.

Read our MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD review.

If you’re looking for a gaming monitor that offers good value without breaking the bank, then look no further than the AOC 24G2SP. Don’t let its low price point fool you, as this display punches well above its weight.

Just because you’re looking to save a buck, doesn’t mean you need to be saddled with lesser-quality screens or paltry refresh rates. AOC knows this and has packed a 1080p IPS panel inside the 24G2SP with a refresh rate of 165Hz.

These specs are perfect for budget gamers, as they don’t require powerful hardware to make the most out of them. If your system struggles to maintain a consistent frame rate, fret not, as AMD FreeSync Premium support will help mitigate stuttering and tearing.

Sony, as a respected hardware manufacturer, was always going to do a good job when it entered the gaming monitor arena. With a native resolution of 4k and 144Hz max refresh rate with G-Sync, it’s a monitor that boasts some impressive specs.

Playing here helps you to appreciate the work of your favorite game’s visual artists because it offers an accuracy of color, and sharpness of image quite unlike anything you get with the majority of monitors. You can use it for both Xbox Series X and PS5 gaming, and its built-in interface is easy to navigate and understand, meaning you won’t need to worry about it not being so well optimized if you switch platforms.

Of course, this is an expensive bit of gear – one of the most costly options on this list. In return for that, you get an impressive monitor that has some truly remarkable response times. It does struggle with contrast a little bit, which might be off-putting, but all in all, it’s a case of getting what you pay for. We think it’s worth every penny.

Read our Sony Inzone M9 review.

If you’re into esports, then you’re going to want to make sure that you’ve got a monitor that’s up to the task – imagine losing a game because you’re playing on a potato screen. Because of its amazing 240Hz refresh rate, top-of-the-range OLED response times, and QHD resolution, it’s perfectly suited to the world of competitive gaming.

The one area where it might let you down is in text-sharpness. If you’re playing a competitive game where it’s important that you’re able to read text on screen, then you might be a bit disappointed. To be clear, the text looks absolutely fine, but it’s just not the absolute finest levels of clarity that you might want where you’ve got to register information within a split second.

As a convenient extra, it also comes bundled with an infrared controller. It might not come up very often, but you can easily adjust your monitor’s settings with it whenever you need to – from brightness through to earphone volume.

Read our LG Ultragear 27GR95QE review.

The Asus ROG Swift 360Hz PG27AQN is second to none when it comes to competitive gaming, offering a high-fidelity and highly responsive gaming experience. All the specs you’d expect are here, including a 360Hz refresh rate and low response times, but there’s plenty more to enjoy.

One of the major defining characteristics of the PG27AQN is its 27-inch, QHD IPS panel. Freed from the confines of 1080p and TN technology, esports games and more look fantastic on this display. Providing you have a powerful enough graphics card, there is simply no other monitor out there that can match the feature set it provides.

All that said, it will cost you a princely sum. Providing you primarily play the likes of CS2 and League of Legends very regularly, you should find your money is well spent. The former game in particular benefits from the PG27AQN’s support for ULMB 2 (Ultra Low Motion Blur 2).

Read our Asus ROG Swift 360Hz PG27AQN review.

We expect high levels of performance and great build quality from Corsair products, and the Xeneon 32UHD144 oozes both in spades. Despite being relatively new to the display scene, the company has already crafted our favorite monitor for high-resolution gaming.

Pairing this screen with one of the best graphics cards on the market is a must, to properly drive its 4K resolution and make use of its 144Hz refresh rate. This is much easier to achieve than it sounds thanks to upscaling technologies like Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR, meaning your games can both look and feel fantastic with pin-sharp image quality and smooth gameplay.

The Xeneon 32UHD144 also offers several conveniences seldom found in competing options, such as its wonderfully pleasing cable management system and Corsair iCue integration. It also features a built-in multi-mount at the top of its stand, which can be used to seamlessly place your webcam or key light.

Read our Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144 review.

One of the latest monitors from Samsung, the G9 G95SC is a truly impressive monitor. With its impressive 1440p resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, the best PC games have never looked better than they do when they’re played on this.

At 49 inches wide, it’s really good at immersion – and it’s not just the visuals either. This monitor’s built-in speakers are pretty darn amazing, and we reckon most people who use it for gaming will end up just sticking to the native audio, rather than buying additional speakers or relying on one of the best gaming headsets.

It’s an expensive choice, for sure, but a case of getting what you pay for. It even comes with its own Wi-Fi and smart TV options, enabling you to easily make this gaming monitor an all-round entertainment center – although we appreciate that if you already have a smart TV, these things might get in the way.

Read our Samsung Odyssey G9 G95SC review.

Once upon a time, 1080p was the best of the best. While it has since been surpassed, there are still many gamers who prefer to have a 1080p monitor in their setup. Generally, they’re a little cheaper than many of their higher-resolution counterparts.

Its 165Hz refresh rate may be lower than many of the faster monitors out there, but we don’t think this is going to be much of a problem for the average gamer. It still has  a fantastic balance of image quality to responsiveness which you won’t see on a lot of the pricier models.

As it stands, a 27-inch screen is still pretty impressive, and the specs are all good enough. Just because there are monitors that are better than this one, doesn’t mean that this one is by any means (and there are a lot of actually bad ones that are worse than it).

Switching to a 21:9 aspect ratio can help provide a more immersive experience, particularly in expansive open-world games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2. However, these screens can also enhance your productivity, and the LG 34GP83A-B is perfect for both these use cases.

It comes with a subtle 1900R curve so its screen subtly envelops you, filling more of your peripheral vision in the process. While most ultrawide typically feature VA panels, LG has managed to cram its Nano IPS technology inside this particular monitor, which allows for great color reproduction.

Combined with a 160Hz refresh rate, providing a smoother experience than many of its competitors that boast lower specs, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better gaming ultrawide than the 34GP83A-B around its price point.

With the advent of OLED display technologies, genuinely great high dynamic range gaming is slowly but surely becoming more of a reality. Now, the Alienware AW3423DW is here to put all the longstanding pretenders on the market to shame.

Armed with a QD-OLED panel, the ultrawide gaming monitor features 1,000 nits peak brightness and an infinite contrast ratio. All of this contributes to an unrivaled HDR performance, and it’s much cheaper than some of its competitors to boot.

Its 21:9 panel boasts a native resolution of 3440×1440, a whopping 175Hz refresh rate, and a 0.1ms response time that all make for a wonderfully responsive gaming experience.

Read our Alienware AW3423DW review.

Bagging a curved 1440p, 170Hz display for under $500 is a bargain any day, but for an MSI MAG gaming monitor, it’s unreal value, considering the pedigree that comes with it. A 1000R curve offers the perfect viewing angle that can be easily adjusted thanks to both swivel and pivot capabilities.

When we reviewed it, we found that it stood toe-to-toe against an IPS display and in some cases provided a better image quality thanks to its 3500:1 contrast ratio and 96.8% DCI-P3 color range. It makes your games pop and adds a vibrancy that’s missing from some much more expensive monitors we’ve seen.

For those who like to tinker with their settings, this MSI MAG gives you all the freedom to make these changes on the fly thanks to an intuitive GUI. Granted, something not so intuitive is its I/O, which resides on a south-facing ridge, meaning it’s impossible to blindly arrange cables, and you almost have to pick the entire monitor up to make any adjustments.

Read our MSI MAG 325CQRF QD review for more.

Getting started with 4K gaming can be hard, not only because of the hardware you need to run games efficiently but because finding a good monitor that won’t cost over the odds can seem impossible. The LG UltraGear 32GR93U-B is the solution to these problems, while it certainly isn’t cheap – it’s 4K after all – you are paying a lot less than some similar options.

While the LG UltraGear 32GR93U-B doesn’t do anything spectacular to stand out from the crowd, it is, at its core, an LG UltraGear, meaning performance is well optimized and the build quality is strong.

Whether you’re ready to jump into 4K gaming straight away, are preparing for the future, or perhaps just want an option that can serve both your PC and your console, the LG UltraGear 32GR93U-B can give you everything you need.

Read our LG UltraGear 32GR93U-B review for more.