Best Gaming Monitor Guide For 2023 - Level Up Your Gaming Experience

In our buying guide, we will provide you with a list of the best gamingmonitorswith varying sizes and features. The lists of gaming monitors include 1440p, 1080p and some 144Hz monitors. We also include a note on monitors that support FreeSync and G-SYNC. We also have a section dedicated to the best 4k gaming monitors available.

We get asked all the time, more so in 2017, what the best gaming monitoris. Without knowing your requirements, budget, PC power and how big a screen you’re looking for it’s not an easy question to answer – that’s before we even talk about the aesthetic of a thin bezel monitor.

With that being said we have picked a few gaming monitors that we consider worthy of your hard earned cash. It’s not a budget, high end or even a best 4K gaming monitor list it’s just the best bang for your buck – make sense? Good… Let’s get cracking then. Further below you will find our other best gaming monitor guides for specific types of screens.

You can also have a look through our more in-depth best gaming monitor guidebelow for everything from 24 inch 1080p, 4K gaming monitors to thin bezel monitorand frameless. We have even included the best gaming monitors for PS4, PS4 Pro and Xbox one.

Best Gaming Monitor

Have you ever noticed your monitor getting a little fuzzy, colours not showing as they should or do you feel there is a lag? That is down to the monitor you are using, it isn’t really suitable to be used for gaming. Just like when you need to choose a gaming mouseto suit how you play and what you need, you also need to choose a monitor for how you play, what you expect and if you would prefer great picture quality or would you prefer a better response time with very little lag.

There are lots of monitors on the market at different price brackets which do a great job for gaming, but we will aim to answer the question of which one is most suited for your needs.

Looking For A New Gaming Monitor?

If you are looking to buy a new monitor for games then I highly suggest you invest in the absolute best you can afford. Why? Well, think about it, when did you last buy a monitor? In most cases, a monitor can last 4 or 5 years without needing to be replaced. Spending a little extra now will mean you get the benefits when you likely upgrade your hardware every year or so. Monitors are long term purchases, so they deserve to have a little bit extra budget. Picking a monitor isn’t an easy task, that is why we have put this best monitor guide together for gamers.

This page will list all the monitors we feel are the best on the market for gaming specifically. They will be split into the overall best monitors but will also have lists of 24-inch, 27-inch, IPS and TN, 1080p, 1440pand 4K gaming monitors. Not to forget we will also provide the top choices for console gaming, high frame rate PCs, for example, 144Hz monitorsas well as the best budget monitors under $200/£150.

Best Budget / Cheap Gaming Monitor

When you are looking for the best budget monitor you really do need to pay attention to a few details – one being reviews always read the reviews. Amazon is great for reviews so when you do decide to buy you should ensure the reviewers on Amazon are enjoying thier purchase. In most cases, if you are a casual gamer then a good budget monitor with 60Hz refresh rate is more than enough

Best 144Hz Gaming Monitor

With more powerful computers and gaming laptops comes more frames per second meaning the viability of a high Hz monitors comes into play. Games such as CS:GO, Battlefield Call of Duty and other fast pace games are perfect on the best 144Hz gaming monitor. If you are looking for a cheap or budget 144Hz monitor then you are in luck as some of the main brands have been releasing high-quality gaming monitors with 144Hz refresh rate.

If you are looking to upgrade to a high refresh rate monitor and are looking at getting on the best model possible then w e suggest you look at the Asus ROG Swift PG279Q. It boasts a 144Hz refresh rate, 1440p resolution and G-Sync. The Asus ROG Swift PG279Q is also considered one of the best gaming monitors on the market.

If on the other hand though you are looking to get setup with an entry-level or budget 144Hz monitor then the Asus VG248QE monitor can usually be found for less than $300. This model comes with a 1080p resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time.

Both of these 144Hz screens will provide a terrific boost to those that play competitive games such as COD, CS:Go etc. The Asus VG248QE has a reported 12ms input lag which makes this model a great 144Hz gaming monitor. This Asus VG248QE monitor does come with a couple of “cons”, it has a TN panel and can only be bought in a 1080p resolution. With that in mind, the monitor is still a great purchase based on its price and the features it does come with.

If you’re looking to get bang for your buck on a 144Hz gaming monitor then this is the screen we suggest as of right now. We suggest you take a quick look at the Asus VG248QE customer reviews here.

Best 27 Inch & 1440p Gaming Monitor

Is bigger better when it comes to the best gaming monitor? Well, it depends. In most cases, a 27-inch monitor may actually increase the resolution from 1080p to 1440p which are the ideal resolution for a 27-inch screen. In other cases, the monitor may upscale a 1080p resolution to a 27-inch screen – this generally looks OK for normal tasks but gaming can look a little unusual. In our opinion, if you have the budget for the best 27-inch gaming monitor then you should only be looking for 1440p resolutions – that being said you need to ensure your gaming PC has a powerful enough graphics card!

If you are looking to purchase an ultrawide monitor for gamingthen make sure you read this.

Above we have included our top 5 best 27-inch gaming monitors, 4 of which are 1440p and the other one is more of an honourable mention for an upscaled 1080p. As you can see there is a mix of budget and high performing screens in our best gaming monitor list.

Best 24 Inch & 1080p Gaming Monitor

In our opinion, a 24-inch monitor for gaming is more than ample and is likely the size most gamers will want, need and utilise the most. A 24-inch display will give you enough real estate to look at when deep in gaming mode so not to feel cramped. Not to mention 24-inch screens often provide the best band for your buck based on quality, features and price. All of us at eSport Source use 24-inch screens.

A few things to consider is which panel is best for you, TN or IPS? In most cases again we suggest IPS as we all want our games to look great especially now that technology is getting better and prices are getting lower! I advise you read our quick guide about TN and IPSpanels before making a choice on the screen you want.

Best 4K Gaming Monitor In 2017

Buying the best 4K gaming monitor is still expensive but in all honesty, 4K is well worth the investment. Firstly, please ensure you have a gaming PC with a powerful graphics card and CPU to run your games at a 4K gaming monitor resolution. Otherwise, you will end up paying for a 4K screen and get none of the benefits.

As technology grows and adapts prices do naturally fall. With that being said, best 4K gaming monitor although expensive are steadily falling in price. We have our best 4K gaming monitor choices just above.

In 2017 4K resolutions screens are a major focus for gamers and monitor manufacturers. As of right now though 4K monitors and 4K gaming monitors are still incredibly expensive. That is without taking into consideration that in order to power a 4K screen a gaming computer requires a current gen graphics card. In most cases, a graphics card equal or greater than a GTX 1070 should be enough but are expensive.

If you are looking to get your first step on the 4K gaming ladder with an affordable screen then we STRONGLY suggest looking at the Samsung U28E590D. This screen uses a TN panel with an outstanding 170 degrees horizontal and 160 degrees verticle viewing angles. This model also comes with a 1ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate.

The Samsung U28D590D also comes with AMD FreeSync which dramatically reduces image tearing and stuttering in games.

The price of the Samsung U28E590D does vary but as of the time of this writing, it looks like the model has reduced in price making it one of the hottest 4k gaming screens available.

Budget & Cheap 4K Monitor

A very quick point about budget 4K gaming monitors, they are still expensive. In some cases double if not triple the price of a really good 1440p screen. 4K is still very new, you need a lot of GPU power to run stable frame rates for a 4K screen meaning overall the costs will be sky high regardless of picking up a cheap 4K gaming monitor. Personal advice would be to either wait it out a little until the GPUs can produce stable frame rates and until the technology is more mainstream.

If you are adamant that you want 4K right now, then I am afraid you will be looking at stumping up some serious cash even at budget levels.

Best 1080p Gaming Monitor

In most cases, gamers will be looking to keep costs down while also having the best gaming monitors they can afford. In that case, a good 1080p monitor usually comes up trumps. You will have an option between IPS and TN screens but with a 1080p resolution, you get more than enough screen real estate. 1080p has been the go to resolution for a while now but with the increase in screen sizes, 1080p might not be wise. Basically, if your screen size is 24 inches at most then 1080p is the way to go. If you want a larger screen then ideally you should be looking at least at 1440p – trust us an upscaled 1080p resolution on a 27-inch monitor can look terrible!

Best Console Gaming Monitor

In short, the best gaming monitor for a console gamer will be 24-inch, 60hz and 1080p in resolution and ideally an IPS panel. Optional extras are a screen with built-in speakers, although I ALWAYS suggest buying dedicated speakers or even a goos quality set of headphones as built-in speakers tend to be rubbish.

As a console gamer, your games are likely limited to 30fps and 60fps meaning anything with more than 60Hz is just a waste of your money. Also, PS4 can only output up to 1080p while PS4 PRO can support up to 4K. XBOX One has a 720p limit so a standard 1080p monitor will be perfect here. Even though the XBOX One and PS4 are a little different in the specification the best gaming monitors in the list above suit all consoles unless of course, you are looking to game in 4K on the PS4 Pro – then you should be looking at out best 4k gaming monitor list.

In order to get the most out of your new games console, you should really be considering investing in a 4K console monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate. For those with a PS4 Pro, this will let you get the full use of your new games console, whereas with the XBOX One S you will be able to make the most of a 4K screen with movies and will be futureproofing your monitor option for when the new XBOX Scorpio project is finally released in 2017.

Another important factor to take into consideration is HDR support (High Dynamic Range) as both game console options now support HDR support for gaming and video.

Best IPS Monitor For Gaming

Buying an IPS screen makes sense when you are looking to get the best colour and picture quality possible. In 2017 getting the best look and feel from games is just as important as getting low response times and high resolutions. Choosing the best gaming monitors for your needs can be tricky, though. Above we have listed 5 of the best IPS gaming monitors.

Best TN Monitor For Gaming

Playing competitively or simply want to keep your twitch reflex as quick as possible? Then a TN panel is likely the best choice. With that being said there are hundreds, if not thousands of TN panel gaming monitors. We have included our 5 top TN panel gaming displays, although we here do prefer IPS 🙂

Best Portable & USB Powered Gaming Monitor

Gaming on the go can be a difficult task but adding a second screen to the mix can be just what you need. I myself usually have a second screen when playing games on my laptop just to keep an eye on emails and sports scores but many other gamers will extend their screens or even use the portable monitor to reference or plan out a gaming session.

If you are looking for a portable USB powered monitor then be sure to check out our dedicated Portable Monitor buying guide.

What To Consider For The Best Gaming Monitor?

You have come across this website because you are looking to buy the best gaming monitor, more so you probably want the best that you can afford – correct? With hundreds of displays on the market, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a standard display and a screen for gamers. This is where we come in, we have put together a feature checklist below but also have a post dedicated to showing our readers what to look for on a monitor.

• The most important spec required is the response time. Gaming is fast paced where ever millisecond counts so you are on the hunt for a monitor with a low response time. Anything below 6ms is considered good, with most competitive gamers looking at <2ms when looking for their best gaming monitor.
• 60Hz, 120hz or 144Hz? This is a complicated question, but there is a short answer that I tend to use myself. If your PC is consistently producing less than 60 FPS (Frame Per Second) then 60Hz is best for you. And if you are consistently getting more than 60 FPS then maybe 120Hz will be the answer for you. If you have a top of the range PC then you might be looking for the best of the best, so you should be able to start looking at a 144Hz monitor. I would always urge you to go with the highest Hz you can afford, purely because it provides you with room to grow your PC!
• G-Synch – this has been a godsend for gamers everywhere. G-Synch pretty much stops your screen from showing tearing when V-Synch is disabled meaning you get fast inputs and no tearing of the screen. V-Synch can reduce tearing but it will also increase lag time meaning twitch responses needed for fast paced games can be affected.
• Another rule is down to resolution if you have a 24-inch screen then go with a 1080p screen. Whereas if you want a 27-inch screen then you should be looking at 1440p at least. You also have the option to for a 4K screen, although make sure your PC will handle it!
• Do you use dual or multiple screens? If so then you really will need to invest in a thin bezel monitor, or as some call them a frameless monitor. This is basically the small black margin that is on the left, right and top of a screen. Making sure these are either non-existent or at least thin will give your setup a flawless look. Something to note: If you are measuring the exact bezel width make sure you double the width because when you have two screens next to each other both will have a side bezel – this is something I have seen a lot of gamers trip over.

About The Authors

Cody Parker- Cody Parker is a passionate gamer and esports enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the gaming industry. He began his career as a competitive player, competing in a variety of games including first-person shooters, MOBAs, and strategy games. With a deep knowledge of gaming strategy, mechanics, and trends, Cody transitioned to the world of esports journalism, where he has established himself as a trusted and respected voice in the industry. As a writer and analyst, Cody has covered some of the biggest esports events in the world, providing expert analysis and insights into the latest trends, strategies, and players in the scene. His work has been featured in some of the biggest esports publications, and he has appeared as a guest commentator on numerous esports broadcasts. Cody is committed to providing his readers with the most informative and entertaining esports content possible, and is always on the lookout for new trends, developments, and strategies in the industry. Whether you're a casual gamer or a dedicated esports fan, you can count on Cody to bring you the latest and greatest insights from the world of competitive gaming.