You finally managed to buy all the components for your new gaming rig, including a new graphics card. I hope you still have some money left over because now it's time to complete your rig with one of the best gaming monitors. Luckily, there's no shortage of great monitors on the market, so you can pick up the one you want based on the GPU you bought. After all, the graphics card tells you what kind of gaming monitor is worth buying.

There are a few things to consider while shopping for gaming monitors. Sadly, the one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work here because each user has a different preference. While some users want a high-refresh-rate panel, others may want to buy a high-resolution monitor for 4K gaming. And then some people give more importance to extra technologies like HDMI 2.1. So, not all of these recommendations might fit your unique needs, but these monitors are worth getting.

These are the best gaming monitors in 2023

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Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM
Best overall gaming monitor

A monitor with everything you could ask for

The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM is the best gaming monitor of 2024, featuring a beautiful OLED panel with a wide range of brightness and individual brightness control settings for each pixel. It also features a sharp 1440p resolution and a super-fast 240Hz refresh rate that can be boosted to 280Hz.

Pros
  • 1440p, 240Hz (280Hz with overclocking)
  • FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync Compatible
  • IPS panel
Cons
  • Expensive and probably overkill for most people

The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM is one of the best gaming monitors in 2024, thanks to its stunning OLED panel, ultra-fast response time, and super-speedy refresh rate. The OLED panel delivers a spectacular 1440p resolution with deep blacks, vivid colors, and wide viewing angles. The 2560 x 1440 resolution in a 27-inch OLED panel delivers sharp details, and with a peak brightness of 1000 nits, HDR content looks stunning on the PG27AQDM.

This is a 240Hz monitor, but with a DisplayPort 1.4 cable, you can get it up to 280Hz. The PG27AQDM is great for high visual quality and high framerate gaming. The PG27AQDM features a 0.03 ms response time, making it one of the fastest gaming monitors on the market. The monitor can handle fast-paced games without ghosting, blurring, or graphical smearing.

The PG27AQDM is an expensive monitor with a $900 MSRP. However, if you are building a mid-range to high-end gaming computer, the PG27AQDM is one of the best monitors thanks to its beautiful OLED panel, 240Hz refresh rate, and excellent HDR support with 1,000 nits of peak brightness.

LG UltraGear 27GN950-B
LG 27GP95R-B
Best 4K gaming monitor

A high-end display best paired with the RTX 4090 and other flagship cards

If you have the hardware to support 4K gaming but don't have a 4K monitor, check out LG's 27GP95R-B 4K gaming OLED monitor. This monitor features a 160Hz refresh rate and is AMD FreeSync Premium compatible.

Pros
  • 4K resolution with 160Hz refresh rate
  • Support for FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync Compatible
  • HDR600
Cons
  • Very expensive

Powerful new graphics cards like the RTX 4090 enable 4K gaming as the norm. If you have one of these powerful GPUs and want to pair it with a high-end 4K display, then I recommend picking up LG's 27GP95R-B. It's expensive but provides a great 4K gaming experience (which typically requires a high-end PC anyway) without compromises.

The 27GP95R-B shines in the design and build quality department thanks to its slim bezels and its good quality stand that keeps this thing nice and sturdy on the desk. This monitor is actually identical to the LG 27GP950-B but lacks RGB lighting behind the monitor, which probably isn't worth the extra money to most people.

The 27GP95R-B sports a 27-inch 4K Nano IPS panel with support for up to 160Hz refresh rate. You also have both Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro adaptive refresh technologies, making it a great all-rounder for whichever graphics card you have. Its peak brightness is roughly 400 nits and has an HDR600 rating, which is pretty good for a gaming monitor.

You'll definitely need a powerful GPU to play high refresh rate games at 4K, but 4K is becoming more the norm at the high-end. LG's 27GP95R-B is a particularly good 4K gaming monitor that should get you through this generation and probably the next thanks to its relatively high 160Hz refresh rate, which will probably be sufficient even for high-end GPUs for some time.

A render of the Acer Predator X27U OLED gaming monitor on a transparent background.
Acer Predator X27U
Best 1440p monitor

A high-end 1440p display for high-end PCs

The Acer Predator X27U is a premium gaming monitor with stunning visuals, smooth performance, and a zero-frame design. It features a 27-inch IPS panel, a 1440p resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and HDR 1000 support, delivering lifelike colors on a gorgeous OLED panel.

Pros
  • 1,000 nits peak brightness
  • 1440p OLED panel with 240Hz refresh rate
  • FreeSync Premium Pro
Cons
  • Expensive
  • Poor speaker quality
  • No HDMI 2.1

While 4K gaming is no longer a distant dream for gamers, most are still leaning towards 1440p gaming thanks to its lower price, lower graphical demand, and higher refresh rate. If you want a great OLED 1440p gaming monitor, check out Acer's Predator X27U.

The Predator X27U sports a 27-inch OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. The display has a peak brightness of 1000 nits, providing an excellent OLED gaming experience. Colors appear bright and vivid in HDR content, and colors appear true-to-life.

The Zero-frame design with thin bezels provides an expansive space to game or multitask on, and there's a wide range of connectivity options, whether you prefer to use HDMI, DisplayPort 1.4, or DisplayPort over USB Type-C.

The Acer Nitro VX272U monitor.
Acer Nitro XV272U Vbmiiprx 27" Gaming Monitor
Beat budget 1440p gaming monitor

A cost-effective 1440p gaming monitor

Acer's Nitro XV272U Vbmiiprx is a 27-inch, 1440p gaming monitor with a refresh rate of 170Hz and support for AMD FreeSync Premium. It's going to give you an excellent gaming experience in a reasonable price range.

Pros
  • 1440p, 170Hz IPS display
  • FreeSync Premium and G-Sync Compatible
  • Affordable price
Cons
  • Poor contrast and brightness means only support for HDR400

These days, 1440p is becoming the new 1080p as the market moves on to higher resolutions and finds ways to offer 1440p for much less than it used to cost. There are lots of 1440p budget displays available, but Acer's Nitro XV272U Vbmiiprx strikes a great balance between features and price, making it the best option for 1440p on a budget.

The Vbmiiprx, although marketed for gamers, has a pretty subdued design. It uses a nearly edge-to-edge bezel at the sides and top, leaving only a modest chin at the bottom, and doesn't have any RGB or colored accents anywhere on the monitor itself. The stand is pretty sleek and has a small, circular red accent at the base of the stand, which represents virtually all the colors in the whole package.

The display on the Vbmiiprx is impressive. It's a 1440p IPS model with a 170Hz refresh rate, and it supports AMD FreeSync Premium and G-Sync Compatible, which is pretty much a necessity for any good gaming monitor these days. It also has 100% coverage of the sRGB color space, but its somewhat low brightness of roughly 400 nits is only enough to earn an HDR400 rating, but that's not super relevant for gaming anyway.

At around $250 to $300, Acer's Nitro XV272U Vbmiiprx is a great deal, offering most of what you get with 1440p gaming monitors for a lower price. The 1440p resolution will probably be the most popular for midrange and high-end gaming for some time thanks to its balance between visual quality and framerate/refresh rate, and the XV272U Vbmiiprx utilizes that strength very effectively at a relatively low price point.

The Alienware AW2523HF monitor.
Dell Alienware AW2523HF
Best 1080p gaming monitor

The best if you need the highest refresh rate possible

The Alienware AW2523HF from Dell is an excellent e-sport monitor with a 1080p resolution and a superfast 360Hz refresh rate. This is an ideal monitor for competitive first-person shooters, and is the best option if you want to have max settings and speed.

Pros
  • 360Hz refresh rate
  • Support for AMD FreeSync
  • 25-inch size is a good fit for 1080p
Cons
  • Extremely expensive for a 1080p monitor
  • High refresh rate might not be as important as better resolution

You might think 1080p monitors have been relegated to the low-end, budget part of the market, but that's not entirely true. There's actually a small segment of top-end 1080p gaming monitors that have the highest refresh rates you can get, much higher than the refresh rates on even the best 1440p and 4K panels. Of all the 360Hz monitors you can buy today, Dell's Alienware AW2523HF is the best overall, though will cost you a fairly expensive $400–$450.

Related
Alienware AW2725DF 27-inch QD-OLED review: Combining great color accuracy with 360Hz refresh rates
There are plenty of high refresh rate or color-accurate OLED gaming monitors out there, but it's rare to see both characteristics on the same display.

The AW2523HF goes for the standard minimalist look many monitors have these days: thin bezels at the sides and top, slightly thicker chin at the bottom, and an all-black plastic theme. It's an unassuming monitor that certainly doesn't look eye-catching, though that's not really a problem when it's the panel that's supposed to look good and not what's around it.

Speaking of the panel, it measures 25 inches across and is rated at 360Hz, the highest refresh rate possible until 500Hz monitors eventually launch. The AW2523HF comes with support for AMD FreeSync and is G-Sync Compatible, which pretty much has to be on a monitor that sells itself on its refresh rate. Its peak brightness of around 400 nits is decent enough, though out-of-the-box reviews indicate that its color accuracy isn't amazing, and it doesn't have any HDR certification either.

Although it's our top pick in this segment, Dell's Alienware AW2523HF is undeniably in a niche within a niche. A 1080p monitor, even with a 360Hz refresh rate, is expensive at $400, but the AW2523HF is really made for games like Valorant and Overwatch, and not so much gaming in general. If you have $400 and don't plan on playing all your games at over 300FPS, you should probably consider HP's X27q or Acer's Nitro XV272U, which are 1440p gaming monitors that cost less.

The LG 24GN600-B UltraGear Gaming monitor.
LG 24GN600-B UltraGear Gaming Monitor
Best budget 1080p gaming monitor

Cheap but still good for gaming

$150 $200 Save $50

LG's 24GN600-B UltaGear is an excellent entry-level gaming monitor. Measuring at 24-inches, this 1080p monitor has a refresh rate of 144 Hz and FreeSync Premium support for a tear-free gaming experience. While it's not the biggest monitor, it's one of the best and most affordable 1080p gaming monitors.

Pros
  • 1080p IPS display
  • 144Hz refresh rate
  • AMD FreeSync Premium
Cons
  • No explicit support for G-Sync (though it should still function)

In recent years, entry-level gaming monitors have gotten better while prices remain about as low as they've always been. It's not uncommon to find a 1080p display with a high refresh rate for less than $200, but LG's 24GN600-B UltraGear manages to stand out from the crowd by offering tons of features and impressive specs for just under $200 (with frequent sales bringing it under $150).

From the front, the 24GN600-B is a pretty normal-looking 24-inch monitor. It has a thin, pure black bezel made of plastic decorated only by the LG logo. On the back, however, this monitor can only be described as gamer-y thanks to its purely decorative wheel-like decoration with red accents. The back of the monitor stand is also pure red. It's kind of weird that all the flashy aesthetics are put in the one area where you're the least likely to be looking, but that might work out if you prefer the basic appearance of this monitor from the front anyway.

On a technical level, the 24GN600-B has quite an impressive set of features. 1080p and a 144Hz refresh rate is nothing special these days, but this is also an IPS display with AMD FreeSync Premium. That basically ensures good color accuracy (LG says this monitor hits 99% of the sRGB color space) and good enough latency for gaming. For $150, you're getting a high refresh rate, decent color accuracy, and limited to no screen tearing no matter what GPU you're using, seeing as all three major vendors support FreeSync. It's hard to ask for anything more.

There are other contenders in the sub-$200 segment but LG's 24GN600-B UltraGear checks off the most boxes for the least amount of money. Asus's TUF Gaming VG27VH1B is one such alternative, which bumps up the screen size to 27 inches, the refresh rate up to 165Hz, and it has a curved display. However, the 24GN600-B goes on sale more frequently and for lower prices than the VG27VH1B, which makes it a generally better deal as long as you can wait for LG's monitor to hit that expected $150 price point.

The Alienware AW3423DW monitor.
Alienware AW3423DW Gaming Monitor
Best ultrawide gaming monitor

A top-of-the-line ultrawide display for gaming

The Alienware AW3423DW Gaming Monitor is one of the best 1440p ultra-wide monitors, featuring a 1440p resolution, 175Hz refresh rate, and support for both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, so you'll have a tear-free experience no matter which GPU you have.

Pros
  • 1440p and 175Hz refresh rate
  • G-Sync and FreeSync support
  • Fantastic HDR experience
Cons
  • Extremely expensive

Ultrawide monitors are the realm for gamers who want to make full use of their peripheral vision. Gaming at an ultrawide resolution can be buggy at times and requires more graphical horsepower than the typical 16:9 aspect ratio, but the visual experience has proven to be worth those issues. Of all the ultrawide monitors out there, Dell's Alienware AW3423DW is certainly one of the best, though at nearly $1,300 it's not exactly affordable.

From the front, the AW3423DW presents its thin bezels and almost pure black design, making it look pretty normal for most monitors. On the back, however, there's quite a bit of visual flair; the black largely gives away to white and there's some RGB around where the monitor stand meets the monitor itself. Though, what a monitor looks like from the back isn't always important, especially if you put this monitor up against a wall or something.

The AW3423DW has a top-end Quantum Dot OLED 1440p panel with a 175Hz refresh rate. This is also an 1800R curved display, which is sometimes not desirable on typical gaming monitors but is often much appreciated on ultrawide models like this one. The AW3423DW supports G-Sync (not G-Sync Compatible but actual G-Sync) and AMD FreeSync, which means no screen tearing in games no matter what GPU you have. One weakness of this monitor is its relatively low brightness of 250 nits, but in HDR content the brightness is allowed to hit values closer to 1000 nits.

Dell's Alienware AW3423DW is undeniably one of the best ultrawide gaming monitors out there, but it's also one of the most expensive monitors overall. Cheaper alternatives include Samsung's SJ55W, which is also 1440p and $300 but is limited to 75Hz, Gigabyte's GG34WQC A which offers 1440p and 144Hz for $400, and Dell's non-Alienware S3422DWG, which is also around $400 and uses a 1440p, 144Hz panel. These displays are all of course inferior in quality to the AW3423DW, which is the best as long as you can afford it.

Gigabyte Aorus FV43U
Gigabyte Aorus FV43U
Best large gaming monitor

Great for the living room

Gigabyte's Aorus FV43U is a TV-sized monitor measuring 40-inches in a VA panel, and provides a crisp 4K resolution, excellent contrast, and a fast 144Hz refresh rate. If you are looking for a large format monitor, the Gigabyte AORUS FV43U is the best without breaking the bank.

Pros
  • 43 inches
  • 4K resolution
  • 144Hz refresh rate
Cons
  • VA panels are a bit outdated

While most people don't lean towards buying monitors bigger than 32 inches, there are people who like huge monitors for their gaming setups. If you are one of them, then you'd be interested in checking out the Gigabyte Aorus FV43U. This monitor is essentially a TV replacement, packing a massive 43-inch panel, though it doesn't have typical TV functions like channel switching and doesn't even come with a remote. But you can sit close and enjoy content or play games. It also has a good amount of height thanks to the 16:9 aspect ratio, so it's a very different experience to using an ultrawide.

The Gigabyte Aorus FV43U comes with a 43-inch 4K VA with a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, which means it's great for gaming. In addition to that, the Gigabyte Aorus FV43U also has support for FreeSync, so you can get rid of those nasty tears on AMD Radeon-powered systems, though it should also work with Nvidia GPUs with some manual driver option selections.

In terms of image quality, the Gigabyte Aorus FV43U handles things very well too. It offers 300 nits of brightness typically and a 4000:1 contrast ratio, which makes up for some of the typical weaknesses of a VA display. It also comes with support for DisplayHDR 1000 and HDR10 certification. Those who are looking to use this monitor with the next-generation consoles including Xbox Series X, S, and PS5 will also have a great time as it sports HDMI 2.1 ports.

If you're focused on size or a display that has great gaming features for the living room, then Gigabyte's Aorus FV43U is a great choice. There aren't a ton of TV-sized gaming monitors out there to begin with but the FV43U doesn't necessarily win by default and has lots of things going for it like its decently high 144Hz refresh rate and 4K resolution.

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Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 4K UHD Curved Gaming Monitor
Best gaming monitor with HDMI 2.1

If you need HDMI 2.1 in particular

Samsung's 32-inch Odyssey Neo G8 4K UHD Curved Gaming Monitor is one of the best monitor's on the market if you can afford it. It features multiple DisplayPort and HDMI 2.1 ports so that you can enjoy not only PC gaming but also PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X gaming on this monitor.

Pros
  • Has HDMI 2.1
  • 4K VA panel
  • 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium
Cons
  • Fairly expensive

If you're looking for a monitor with HDMI 2.1 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X console support, you can't go wrong with the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8. This high-end monitor comes with a 4K, 144Hz VA panel certified with AMD FreeSync Premium and sports an HDMI 2.1 port. It's a great high-end monitor, though it will cost you a high price.

This monitor features pretty good specs you'd expect on a model at this price point: 4K resolution, 144Hz, 2500:1 contrast ratio, HDR 10, and AMD FreeSync Premium. Unlike many high-end monitors, however, the Odyssey Neo G8 uses a VA panel instead of an IPS panel, allowing it to have a super high contrast ratio. However, poorer color consistency across the display and higher response times offset this.

While the Odyssey Neo G8 is an expensive monitor, if you need HDMI 2.1, it's the best option on the market for next-gen support. There are cheaper HDMI 2.1 monitors out there, though, like LG's Ultragear 27GP95R-B and Acer's Nitro XV282K, but they don't offer the expansive 32" screen size of the Odyssey Neo G8.

Best gaming monitors to buy in 2023: Final thoughts

There are many options for gaming monitors, but my favorite is the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM. It's pretty expensive, but it has the kind of specs that make it more future-proof than other monitors, and it'll go well with pretty much any PC. A cheaper alternative would be Acer's XV272U Vbmiiprx, which is also 1440p and uses an IPS panel but only goes up to 170Hz (which is still pretty high, in all honesty), and the panel quality is generally a little worse. Still, it's less than half the price and very affordable for most gamers. And if you are building a new setup from scratch, then we have some other collection articles that you might be interested in, including the best mechanical keyboards.

If you're not looking for gaming monitors, you might want to check out our collection of the best monitors. That list has many more options, including those for productivity. Alternatively, you can join our XDA Computing Forums to discuss your setup or get more product recommendations from the experts in our community.

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Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM
Best overall gaming monitor

The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM is the best gaming monitor of 2024, featuring a beautiful OLED panel with a wide range of brightness and individual brightness control settings for each pixel. It also features a sharp 1440p resolution and a super-fast 240Hz refresh rate that can be boosted to 280Hz.