What to Look For in a Gaming Monitor

You can play games on any monitor or laptop screen, but gaming monitors provide a superior experience. These monitors have features like high-resolution displays and fast refresh rates that help make the output from your high-end graphics card look as good as possible. Other specs like snappy response times can even give you a competitive edge in fast-paced multiplayer games.

This buying guide will help you find the exact gaming monitor for your gaming style, whether you're upgrading an older display, tired of gaming on a laptop, or buying your first gaming monitor.

Top 7 Things to Consider When Buying a Gaming Monitor

The sheer number of gaming monitors on the market can be overwhelming, but there are seven critical factors you can look at to help you find the right one:

• Price
• Size
• Resolution
• Refresh Rate and Response Time
• Anti-Tearing Technology
• Inputs
• Panel

How Much Should a Gaming Monitor Cost?

While budget gaming monitors start in the sub-$200 range, you must compromise on features at that level. Monitors tend to be smaller at that price point, you're limited to 1080p, and you'll usually need to pick and choose between factors like a nice-looking panel or a fast refresh time.

Serious gamers will find nearly everything they need in the $400-600 range, but you can pay less if you're willing to cut some corners or enjoy a luxurious OLED experience if your budget knows no bounds.

What Size Should a Gaming Monitor Be?

There is no single best size for a gaming monitor, but the ideal range is 24 to 32 inches.

The sweet spot is 27 inches because that size is big enough to provide a lot of screen real estate without overpowering most desks.

You’ll also find the most options at this size, so you can choose between different resolutions and all the other most vital features.

You can go smaller if you don’t have a lot of desk space, and you can also go bigger if you have a big desk and can sit a bit further back.

Before choosing a gaming monitor, measure your desk to see how much space you have. For the best and most comfortable gaming experience, you should be able to move your eyes to each part of the screen without any strain. If you need to move your entire head, the monitor is too big, or you’re sitting too close.

What Resolution Should a Gaming Monitor Be?

The best resolution for a gaming monitor depends on the size of the monitor and the resolution of the games you're playing.

The number of pixels built into a monitor depends on its resolution, which doesn't change with the monitor's size. That means a 25-inch 1080p monitor and a 32-inch 1080p monitor have the same number of pixels, so the pixels on the larger monitor will be physically bigger and easier to make out with the naked eye.

Ideally, you should be able to sit at a comfortable distance from your gaming monitor without making out individual pixels. To achieve that, you can follow this general range:

• 25-inch and under: 1080p
• 27-inch: 1440p or 4K
• 28-inch and over: 4K

The best resolution also depends on the resolution of the games you’re trying to play. If you have an older game console or laptop that can only output 1080p at a comfortable frame rate, you may not need a 4K monitor.

If you have a powerful graphics card or a current-generation console, prioritize 4K for the best quality picture.

How Important Are Refresh Rate and Response Time?

Refresh rate refers to how fast the image displayed on a monitor is replaced with each subsequent frame. Response time refers to how quickly the monitor can shift from showing one color to another. If you play fast-paced games, these are critical factors, and that importance only increases when playing competitive games.

When you look at the refresh rate of a gaming monitor, higher numbers are better. Higher refresh rates result in the screen updating faster, resulting in smoother movement and action. The bare minimum is 60Hz, the slowest refresh rate in a gaming monitor.

Look for a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor if you play fast-paced games and your graphics card can handle it. Gaming monitor refresh rates top out at 360Hz, but that's overkill unless you're an aspiring esports star.

Response time is the opposite, so you should look for a monitor with the lowest response time. Anything under 5ms is fine, but many gaming monitors have response times as low as 1ms, and some TN monitors can even get as low as 0.3ms.

What Anti-Tearing Technology Do You Need?

Screen tearing occurs when the monitor's refresh rate and the frame rate of the video provided by a GPU get out of sync. The result is the top part of one frame will be rendered on the monitor simultaneously with the bottom part of a different frame, which results in a horizontal tear across the screen.

Gaming monitors are available with two anti-tearing technologies: NVIDIA's G-Sync, and AMD's FreeSync. Some monitors have both technologies and others only include one. Both technologies do the same thing, allowing the graphics card to control the monitor's refresh rate. A new frame is available each time the screen refreshes by matching the monitor's refresh rate to the frame rate that the graphics card is rendering.

While G-Sync and FreeSync allow your computer's graphics card to control the monitor's refresh rate, G-Sync only works with NVIDIA cards, and FreeSync only works with AMD cards. Your computer's graphics card should support the same anti-tearing technology as your monitor.

If you have an NVIDIA graphics card in your computer that supports G-Sync, look for a gaming monitor that also supports it. If your computer has an AMD graphics card that supports FreeSync, look for a monitor that supports FreeSync.

What Inputs Does a Gaming Monitor Need?

The only two relevant inputs for a gaming monitor are HDMI and DisplayPort. These are the only two ports compatible with FHD, QHD, UHD resolutions, and HDR, so they're the only ports you want to use to connect a gaming monitor to your gaming rig.

A gaming monitor needs at least one HDMI 2.1 port or one DisplayPort 1.4 because older versions of HDMI and DisplayPort are limited in terms of the video resolution and frame rate they can handle.

Older versions of HDMI and DisplayPort can't handle 4K video at 120Hz, so you're limited to 4K at a lower refresh rate, like 60Hz, or a 120Hz refresh rate paired with a lower resolution, such as 1440p or 1080p. That means older versions of HDMI and DisplayPort give you a high-resolution image that's super detailed or buttery smooth gameplay, but not both simultaneously.

We recommend a 120Hz or higher refresh rate for fast-paced games.

What’s the Best Panel For a Gaming Monitor?

The panel is part of the gaming monitor that displays the image; many different technologies do this. The two most common panels in gaming monitors are IPS (in-plane switching) and VA (vertical alignment). Still, some higher-end gaming monitors are also available with OLED panels.

IPS panels typically provide the best gaming experience because they have faster response times and refresh rates than VA panels. The catch is that most VA panels offer better contrast due to their vertically aligned liquid crystals, which are better at displaying deeper blacks. A typical VA monitor will have a contrast ratio of two or three times the contrast ratio of an IPS monitor.

Some gamers also dislike IPS panels because of IPS glow, in which dark parts of the screen seem to glow when gaming in a dark room.

Instead of focusing on the panel type, look at the individual features like response time and refresh rate. 

What Makes a Gaming Monitor Different?

You can game on any computer monitor or even on TVs, but gaming monitors share a few features that make them better suited for the task than other screens.

For example, they have faster response times and refresh rates, making it easier to deal with fast-paced action like running and gunning in a sci-fi shooter or hugging the corners and overtaking your opponents in a racing game.

The differences between gaming and regular monitors are sometimes subtle but can significantly impact gameplay experiences.

Who Should Buy a Gaming Monitor?

You don't need a gaming monitor to play most games, so not everyone should buy a gaming monitor. The best gaming monitors are also great for productivity and general entertainment, so you don't need to be a hardcore gamer to benefit from one.

Here are some of the people who can benefit from a gaming monitor:

• Serious gamers. If you count gaming as one of your favorite hobbies, you shouldn't be gaming with just any monitor. If you are, upgrading to a UHD monitor with a high refresh rate and low response time can be a real game-changer. Whether you game on a PC or console, you should invest in a good gaming monitor.
• Laptop gamers. Gaming laptops are often as powerful as desktop gaming rigs; some even have outstanding displays. The catch is you don't get the same experience on a 15- or 17-inch screen. If you're gaming on a cramped laptop screen, connecting to a 27-inch monitor can open things up. 
• Parents. Whether your kids are into fun, creative games like Minecraft or multiplayer games like Fortnite, the right gaming monitor might be the perfect gift or upgrade. In addition to improving their gaming experience, a 24- or 25-inch gaming monitor can also come in handy when tackling schoolwork.
• Home office workers. A gaming monitor might help switch things up if you're working remotely. You can use the increased desktop space and high resolution during the day to increase productivity and unwind with your favorite games when nobody's looking.

What to Do After You Buy

Once you've purchased a new gaming monitor, it's time to prepare for your new arrival. For example, you might want insurance or an extended warranty for an especially high-end model. As to the process of switching over to the new monitor, here are some tips:

• Tidy your desk ahead of time if necessary.
• Measure to see how the new monitor will fit on your desk.
• Ensure you have the right cables, as you may need an HDMI 2.1 cable, a DisplayPort cable, etc.
• Check for dead pixels as soon as you hook up the monitor, and contact the manufacturer if you notice any.
  
• If your new monitor is big and you're suffering from a lack of desk space, consider ordering a monitor arm. A monitor arm can also help you achieve the best possible viewing angle.
• Calibrate the monitor, or switch it to game mode if you're in a hurry.

More Tips for Buying a Gaming Monitor

Color accuracy isn't as important in a gaming monitor, but other features like HDR (High Dynamic Range) are, and brightness is even worth considering. While plenty of debate surrounds what some would consider acceptable HDR, we feel a gaming monitor should put out at least 400 Nits, but something around 600-1,000 is better.

Most gamers should focus on flat-panel monitors with standard resolutions like 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Curved monitors and ultra wides have their uses, but they also have drawbacks.

Curved monitors are worth looking at, especially if you're getting a large monitor, but the viewing angles aren't great. If you ever have anyone looking over your shoulder when gaming or using your gaming monitor for other purposes, the poor viewing angles can be a problem.

Ultrawide monitors provide a fantastic experience when supported, but they don't have universal support. Some games don't display correctly, and some are designed to deliberately block you from benefitting from the increased field of view provided by an ultrawide aspect ratio. In most cases, you're better off just going with a bigger 16:9 gaming monitor for better compatibility.

Some gaming monitors advertise features like overdrive and motion blur reduction. These can be helpful extras, but they aren't the most important. Overdrive can introduce inverse ghosting, where bright halos appear around moving objects if set too high. You usually can't use motion blur reduction simultaneously with G-Sync or FreeSync, and they include built-in overdrive anyway.