The Best Gaming Monitor

We analyzed 6,837 reviews from 25 websites to find the best gaming monitor. Sources included:
Best BuyTargetDigital TrendsB&H Photo VideoStaples
+20 More

Top Gaming Monitors

Best for Most People
Best Gaming Monitor Asus ROG Swift PG279QZ Gaming Monitor
$340 from 19 stores
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Why Consider This:
The Asus ROG Swift PG279QZ is a 27-inch IPS monitor with a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz (which you can overclock to 165 Hz, but we don’t recommend it) and support for G-Sync, the adaptive sync technology that works with Nvidia graphics cards. Its 2560×1440 screen is perfect for gaming: it's big and high-resolution but doesn’t require a top-of-the-line graphics card to run at high-quality settings and refresh rates.
People Like:
  • Bright sharp picture
  • G-Sync
  • Stable at 165Hz
People Dislike:
  • Significant light output reduction in ULMB mode
  • Calibration required for best image quality
  • Expensive
91
Owner Score
1,458 Reviews from 10 Sites
80
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com
Best Value
Best Gaming Monitor ViewSonic XG2402 Gaming Monitor
$216 from 10 stores
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Why Consider This:
ViewSonic’s XG2402 is an excellent, affordable FreeSync monitor that works well with both AMD and Nvidia cards. The 24-inch TN panel supports a refresh rate of 144 Hz and a FreeSync range between 48 and 144 Hz.
People Like:
  • Great gaming performance, with FreeSync support and a 144 Hz refresh rate
  • Excellent fast response time with low motion blur
  • Relatively affordable price
People Dislike:
  • Poor dark room performance
  • Disappointing viewing angles
  • Average built-in speakers
91
Owner Score
1,377 Reviews from 7 Sites
82
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com
Top Performance
Best Gaming Monitor Samsung CHG70 Gaming Monitor
$279 from 13 stores
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Why Consider This:
The Samsung CHG70 is the best 27-inch gaming monitor that supports AMD’s FreeSync adaptive-sync technology. It also works with Nvidia cards if you don’t mind putting up with some mild quirks such as manually toggling some settings or losing options like response-time settings when FreeSync is enabled. Costing about $100 less than the PG279QZ, it’s an excellent option for anyone who wants to have the option to buy a new graphics card from either Nvidia or AMD without throwing out their monitor.
People Like:
  • High contrast gives good picture quality
  • High refresh rate for gaming
  • Wide color gamut and HDR support
People Dislike:
  • Cloudy blacks lack uniformity
  • Narrow viewing angles
  • No built-in speakers
81
Owner Score
914 Reviews from 6 Sites
79
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com

How Critic.ly Saves You Time

When it comes to reviewing the best gaming monitor, critic.ly is different than other sites. How?
Unbiased & Unsponsored: Critic.ly aggregates and analyzes reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
Our reviews of the best gaming monitors were based on 6,837 reviews from 25 websites.
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How to Find the Right Gaming Monitor

A gaming monitor has two features that set it apart from a standard monitor: adaptive sync and a high refresh rate. A high refresh rate—how often the monitor redraws an image on a screen—makes games appear more lifelike and fluid. The higher the frame rate, the smoother images look, provided your graphics card can keep up. Adaptive sync goes a step further and lets your monitor refresh at the same rate as your graphics card as your frame rate spikes and dips, eliminating screen tearing. If you frequently play competitive multiplayer games or action games at high frame rates like Overwatch, Apex Legends, or Rocket League, consider a gaming monitor. Once you use one, you might not want to go back. Adaptive sync is a replacement for Vsync, which caps your game's frame rate at the refresh rate of your monitor (so if you have a 60 Hz monitor, Vsync caps your refresh rate at 60 frames per second. Vsync is software-based and causes no discernable difference in some slow-paced games, but in fast-paced games, you may feel like inputs lag behind what’s shown on screen. Adaptive-sync technologies like Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync are hardware-based, which reduces lag. This list will help you find the best gaming monitor for you!

Gaming Monitors We Eliminated

We research and analyzed 7 gaming monitors. Here's what we concluded about the ones that didn't make the cut.
LG 27GL850 Gaming Monitor
Runner Up
Highly rated (91 owner score, 88 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.
AOC C24G1 Gaming Monitor
Runner Up
Highly rated (94 owner score, 81 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.
ViewSonic Elite XG240R Gaming Monitor
Runner Up
Highly rated (85 owner score, 80 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.
Acer Predator XB271HU Gaming Monitor
Runner Up
Highly rated (90 owner score, 73 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.

Sources & Methodology

Critic.ly uses a combination of machine learning and human editors to help you find the best products.
We start by aggregating and analyzing reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
We convert every review to a weight average score from 0 to 100.
For this article, we analyzed 6,837 reviews from 25 sites to find the best gaming monitor.