Looking for the best gaming monitor in 2022? We’ve summarised all of our top picks across a range of prices, saving you all the hassle of looking for yourself.
Regardless of the type of games you’re into, you never want to skimp out on a monitor. Going all in on the top gaming rig, or even your budget esports-friendly build, having a bad monitor will just ruin your hard work.
Imagine buying a top-of-the-line camera, only to stick it on something bought for $10 from Amazon. Not only will you be replacing it sooner than later, but you’re not going to get that shot you need.
There’s dozens of displays, with only a select few that we’d recommend, regardless of what style of game you play. So read on, find out what suits you best, and find the best gaming monitors to play on in 2022.
Contents:
- The best budget and affordable gaming monitors
- Best monitors under $600
- Best premium monitors
- Best TV alternative
Gaming monitor essentials:
The best budget gaming monitor:
The best budget gaming monitors are actually really easy to come by. You’d still be looking at a solid $200 in some cases for a decent one, but your primary concern should be what you intend to play.
As mentioned above, if you’re playing esports and competitive titles, you might want to consider a refresh rate over everything. If you’re into indie titles or big-budget AAA games, you really don’t need to go all-in for the 144Hz screens. You won’t become better at the upcoming Soul Hackers 2 or Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak at 144Hz than you will at 60Hz.
AOC Gaming G2 Series C24G2
- Get the AOC Gaming G2 Series C24G2 monitor from Amazon UK
- Get the AOC Gaming G2 Series C24G2 monitor from Best Buy
AOC’s C24G2 is – for the price – one of the best monitors you can buy if you’re wanting to get in on the ground floor for 1080p, 165Hz gaming. Wonderfully small at 24-inches, this is the ideal screen to get deep into esports games, without dominating your desk with a hefty screen or breaking the bank. It comes with FreeSync, ideal for those who notice and want to rid themselves of any screen tearing in-game. The last thing you need when aiming is to see a massive line through the bottom or middle of your screen.
You’ll be making some sacrifices, and the 1080p display isn’t going to blow you away, but if you just want something to get you going before you dig in any deeper into PC gaming, this is your best bet.
It’s also compatible with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, allowing you to game at the same high refresh rates, albeit, just 120Hz right now.
Key specs:
- 1080p resolution
- 165Hz refresh rate
- Size saving 24-inches
- VESA mountable
- FreeSync
- 2x HDMI/1x DisplayPort
- 1ms response time
Pluses:
- An accessible entry point for any competitive gaming fan
- VESA mounts will free desk space even further
- FreeSync will stop screen tearing
- 350 nits brightness will be sufficient in bright rooms
Minuses:
- No HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 options
- No HDR
Dell S2721HGF
Dell’s gaming antics don’t just start and end at Alienware. This monitor differs from the others on this list, as it is curved. Only slightly, but enough to add that extra layer of immersion. At a respectable 1080p and 144Hz, this is a fantastic entry-level option.
The S2721HGF is both FreeSync and G-Sync compatible, so if you’re on either Team Green or Red, you’ve no need to fret about screen tearing.
While Dell has fitted this with a VA panel, it still looks pretty great and for the cherry on top of a budget PC build or just that additional screen to your set-up, you can’t complain at this price point.
Key specs:
- 27-inch Curved Monitor
- 144Hz refresh rate
- 1080p resolution
- 1ms response time
- 2x HDMI/1x DisplayPort
- Nvidia G-Sync
- VESA mount
Pluses:
- The curved screen is great for immersing yourself in-game
- Nvidia G-Sync will get rid of most screen tearing issues
- High-quality panel from Dell at a low cost
- 350 nits brightness
Minuses:
- Higher priced than some other budget monitors
- A curved screen makes it hard to match with non-curved monitors
- No HDMI 2.0, 2.1
Read more: Which Xbox console should I buy in 2022?
Best monitors for gaming under $600:
When looking at the best monitors under $600, you open up a lot more ground for slightly higher-end options. With Ultrawide panels, speedy 144Hz screens, and higher resolutions. Feeling like getting a little more serious with your gaming? Want a feast for your eyes? Well, you won’t do much better than these without shelling out the big bucks.
Monitors come in all shapes and sizes, but once you start looking at the more expensive end of things, you begin to realize that there’s a reason these things cost what they do.
ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B
- Get the ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B monitor from Amazon UK
- Get the ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B monitor from Amazon US
Coming in at 1440p, this monitor has a 165Hz refresh rate for esports. It’s a great panel that reduces ghosting through additional technologies from ASUS and AMD’s FreeSync.
It sits at the perfect midpoint in price where your eyes will slightly bulge out your head, but once you see what comparable models are priced at, they’ll slowly sink back in.
Ultrawide gaming is also just really good. Seeing far more than you originally thought you could and the advantages it brings in certain games, it’s slowly becoming a staple of the setup. Going back can be quite difficult.
Key specs:
- 1440p panel
- 1ms response time
- Ultrawide for productivity
- Great price
- FreeSync
- 1x DisplayPort, 2x HDMI
- HDR
Pluses:
- Ultrawide is just so good for gaming
- 165Hz means your 144Hz gaming is going to be solid
- FreeSync and ASUS tech reduces ghosting potential
- Solid frame build
- HDMI 2.0
Minuses:
- Gamer aesthetic
- HDR is only rated at HDR 400
- No HDMI 2.1
- No G-Sync
Samsung Odyssey G7 Series 32-Inch WQHD
- Get the Samsung Odyssey G7 Series 32-Inch WQHD monitor from Amazon UK
- Get the Samsung Odyssey G7 Series 32-Inch WQHD monitor from Amazon US
A pinnacle of the gaming landscape right now, Samsung’s Odyssey monitors are just about everywhere. There’s a good reason too.
Often on sale, these monitors provide a reliable image and offer great features. The G7 in particular will often find itself sub-$600 and when it is, well. It makes for a great main monitor.
The 1440p, 240Hz panel provides top-notch gaming on all budgets of rigs. You won’t get much better than this at this price point for esports, as it supports both G-Sync and FreeSync to smooth out any screen tears.
- Curved screen
- 1440p, 240Hz refresh rate
- G-Sync and FreeSync
- 1ms of response time
Pluses:
- Perfect for both esports and non-competitive PC gaming
- Supports the new consoles
- Consistently on sale
- 1440p gaming is that perfect sweet spot for all current hardware
Minuses:
- 240Hz might be a bit much for low-end rigs
- Looks a little ugly
- Reports of dead pixels
Read more: The best gaming keyboards in 2022
Best premium monitors for gaming
Okay, no we don’t have to don hoods and take you through to the back of a dark corridor, holding torches as we go for this. What we do need is to explain that at some point you’re going to be paying for the size of a monitor rather than its better quality.
Samsung and Gigabyte rule the roost here. The two monitors they provide not only dominate in size but also features. You’re starting to get into the territory of the super ultrawide (when put on a desk, that’s it, you’re not having anything else on it) and fancy gimmicks that legitimately work.
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Asus ROG Strix XG43UQ
These are expensive. Let’s get that bit out of the way. However, they double as both a really nice TV and a glorious monitor for your couch gaming needs. Having seen one of these on a desk, it’s not practical. Seeing it in a proper home cinema setup? Yes. Absolutely.
This monitor is 43-inches of pure beauty, with support for both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S to get their groove on at 4K, 120Hz. HDMI 2.1 is included, future-proofing you for the time being and while it might look ridiculous, it is a beefy screen that will make anything look good.
Key specs:
- 43-inches
- Two HDMI 2.1 inputs
- 144Hz refresh rate
- HDR
- VESA mountable
Pluses:
- Looks great at all times
- HDMI 2.1 future proofs you
- 144Hz means you’re going to be at your best whatever you play on
Minuses:
- Huge, too big for a desk and real PC usage
- Expensive and would make you consider our single gaming TV recommendation below
Samsung Odyssey Neo G8
- Get the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 monitor from Overclockers UK
- Get the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 monitor from Samsung US
As of right now, if you’re going premium and don’t want to invest in Samsung’s ludicrous G9 ultrawide monitor, the G8 is the go-between. With a ludicrously high-spec 4k, 240Hz panel, it offers the same features on a more traditional (reasonable) display, the Neo G8 is one the better gaming monitors out there, and yes, while extremely expensive, is well worth the money.
While the HDR 2000 thing seems like a marketing ploy, from what we’ve been able to see, it appears to be one of the best non-color accurate monitors on the market to date in terms of HDR. Of course, you can never beat those monitors, but gaming on something that’s in the tens of thousands of dollars is stupid.
Key specs:
- 4K panel
- 240Hz refresh rate
- 1ms of response time
- FreeSync Premium Pro
- HDR 2000
- Curved screen
- Matte display
Pluses:
- The matte display ensures there’s minimal glare
- HDR 2000 will make your games pop with life
- 4K and 240Hz? Dang.
Minuses:
- 4K and 240Hz? That’s going to be a hefty PC needed.
- Extremely expensive
- HDR 2000 could be a gimmick
Best TV for gaming:
LG C1:
This is a sneaky entry and we’ll be covering TVs more in-depth in the future, but regardless of where you play, consider this TV before it vanishes off the shelves! Samsung and other major manufacturers don’t usually put much effort into distinguishing from the cheap to the very best. Usually, there’s a gimmick, or it’s already loaded up with an 8K panel.
However, the best TV you can get for gaming right now, PC or console, is the LG C1 OLED TV. Not only is this screen capable of running your games at 4K, 120Hz, but the colors are also so vivid and accurate, that it’s been used in some production houses to get the best image out of video productions.
Other outlets have dove deep into it, revealing that it uses ‘black frame insertion’, which gives you a smoother image across the board. Rather than light up the whole path of say, a moving box across a screen, BFI actually places a fraction of a second black frame in the midst of the motion on the screen, offering a smoother image when gaming.
As the C2 is released, you’ll begin to notice manufacturers dumping these off the shelves to make room for the new 2022 model. It can currently be had for less than a grand in both the UK and the US, making it our top recommendation for TVs and gaming.
Key specs:
- 4K panel
- Supports 120Hz and Variable Refresh Rates
- Dedicated PC mode
- Black Frame Insertion
- Color Accurate
Pluses:
- Incredible colors
- Black Frame Insertion smooths games out to a new level
- Best in class OLED panel
Minuses:
- Risk of burn-in
- Still on the pricey side
What PC build is best for 4K gaming?
You will want a PC built with an RTX 3070, or RX 6700 XT and above for 4K gaming. If you’ve come this far and you’re equipped with the right hardware (we’re talking top-end GPUs and CPUs), then 4K gaming is the way forward.
Raising your budget from a couple of hundred dollars to $600 opens the world to a lot of great monitors that – if your eye is not so discerning – do a lot of similar things to the bigger budgeted ones.
However, going into 4K gaming is costly. Not only do you have to invest in a monitor that’s going to serve you properly, but you also need to really consider the cost on top of your already high-priced machine.
It has gotten easier with the advancements in super-sampling (DLSS and FSR), where machine learning reduces the image down and blows it back up to a higher resolution, filling in the gaps where necessary.
Though you still want to aim for an RTX 3070 or near about, with the 2070 Super doing the job quite well with DLSS enabled – where available – if you want higher than 60Hz.
What is 1440p resolution?
1440p is a resolution that sits comfortably between 1080p and 4k. Often used in mid-tier monitors as a compromise between quality and high refresh rate, they make the perfect choice for those not able to shell out for the high-tier GPUs like a 3070 or 3080.
1440p gaming monitors are, right now, the best sweet spot for anyone wanting to game at a high refresh rate. Though the resolution isn’t something you’d typically see on TVs, as the industry mostly skipped over 2K in favor of getting to 4K quality sooner.
1440p also works well with older generations of GPUs, with cards released between 2016-2019 often working best at that resolution. Pair this with DLSS or FSR and you have a match made in heaven for extending the life of your GPU.
Are ultrawide monitors worth it?
If you play MMOs or require lots of windows open at once, ultrawide monitors are definitely worth the cost. With so much screen real estate, games become a whole new experience. Depending on whether you go curved or just a traditional flat monitor, the monitor will also just be a boon for anyone doing almost any kind of work on their PC too.
The best thing about these is that they don’t just work well for those playing FPS games, but MMO players will have more than enough screen real estate to mess about with for literally all their various windows needed. Strategy games become easier as you can see the whole map in some games. It really is game-changing.
Running one of these will need a tad more horsepower than others, especially if you intend to play games, but again, like the 4K counterparts, as long as you keep expectations in check, you’ll have a grand time.
What Gaming Monitor Is Best for You?
While the best gaming monitor for you really depends on what you need, there are (usually) four main factors to consider:
- Resolution
- Refresh rate
- Size
- Cost
If you’re after smooth gameplay with as many frames as possible – for example, if you typically play reaction-heavy shooters or multiplayer games – then you should prioritize refresh rate. Resolution is a luxury in these scenarios, and you can offset lower resolution with a smaller screen or even a curved one. As ASUS’ 360 Hz monitor shows, you don’t necessarily have to pay big to get impressive refresh rates, though if you want a feature-laden monitor, some kind of compromise is probably best to avoid spending too much.
If you play slower-paced games or don’t need blistering-fast refreshes, then you’ll want to aim for at least 1440p for your resolution. Some 1080p monitors – the smaller Dell curved monitors, for example – make good use of their Full HD-only panels, but you can get 1440p and even high refresh rates together for a decent price.
As for size, bigger definitely doesn’t mean better with gaming monitors, and there’s a good reason we’ve left out some of the more exaggerated, oversized monitors. Aside from the general difficulty of finding a place to fit the monitor, especially if you’re using it for work as well, the visual quality just starts dropping off after 32 inches in most cases anyway.
In short, take some time to consider what you’re looking for in a monitor and what’s going to benefit you the most.
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