Best gaming monitor 2024: our pick of the top panels you can buy

You're in the market for the best gaming monitor for you in 2024, and we're here to help you in your quest – as the right screen has the potential to transform your gaming experience and bring new life to your games.

Our gaming monitor experts have spent a lot of time testing out these panels, and we've looked closely at all the specs that matter to the modern gamer: everything from refresh rate to HDR support to the number of pixels that are packed in.

We've also tried to provide some variety in terms of style, manufacturers, and prices – so whatever your needs, there should be something here for you. Each monitor is fully described and evaluated, so you know exactly what each one involves.

There are plenty of other guides available for your consideration too, including the best curved gaming monitor, the best gaming laptops, and the best gaming chairs. You'll have the best possible setup for your games.

The best gaming monitors you can buy in 2024

All hail the excellent LG UltraGear 27GP950-B, which is our current pick for the best gaming monitor for most people in 2024. Other monitors beat it in specific areas, but as an all-round package – including the price – this 4K model is the one that gets you the most bang for your buck when it comes to monitors on sale right now.

That 4K resolution means crisp and clear pictures, while the 1ms response time means the action is going to move as quickly as you do. There's support for HDR 10, DisplayHDR 600, and Nvidia G-Sync, so you're well covered as far as cutting-edge technologies go, and there's customisable lighting included on this monitor as well.

Away from gaming, the LG 27GP950-B can cope with everything else you need to do, and it boasts excellent colour accuracy and coverage. It's the sort of monitor you fall in love with as soon as you set it up and switch it on, and if 27 inches is the size you think you want to go, for then you'll really struggle to do any better than this.

The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is an absolute monster of a monitor, and undoubtedly one of the best gaming monitors of 2024. In fact it might just be the best full stop, if you have the budget to be able to afford it – and enough space on your desk to take this giant, 49-inch curved screen and its screen and base.

To give you an idea of some of the specs we're dealing with here, the curved screen offers a huge 2,000 nits of maximum brightness, a refresh rate of up to 240Hz, a response time of 1ms, and support for both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Pro. Those are credentials that just about every gamer is going to be happy with.

Words don't really do the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 justice – you really have to see it for yourself. With great colour coverage as well, it's perfect for boosting your productivity too, because it's like having multiple monitors attached to each other in one device. Highly recommended, as long as you can justify the asking price.

If you're after a more affordable pick in your search for the best gaming monitor, then the Asus ROG Swift PG329Q is sure to appeal. It's cheaper than most, obviously, and yet it comes with a decent list of specs and features, as well as 32 inches of screen real estate. In other words, your money goes a long way with this monitor.

While the design isn't all that inspiring, and you get slightly older DisplayPort and HDMI technologies, you can rely on the contrast, brightness and colour of this display no matter what it's showing. The 1ms grey-to-grey response time and the maximum refresh rate of 175Hz make this an even more tempting package.

You will find cheaper gaming monitors out there, but we reckon this is the lowest you should go if you don't want to compromise on quality. Have a shop around online (the widgets above should help) and you may well find that you can currently get hold of the Asus ROG Swift PG329Q for a very reasonable price indeed.

If the best gaming monitor for you is going to be a big, ultrawide one, then the BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz is definitely worth a look. Not only is it great for gaming, it also stands up well for watching movies, editing photos and videos, browsing the web, and doing everything else you need to do (even working on spreadsheets).

With subtle looks and a very reasonable price considering everything you get in return, the BenQ EX3410R consistently produces a bright, stable, detailed image whether you're racing around a track, zooming through the emptiness of space, tracking enemies through the jungle, or playing any other type of game.

There's a good selection of connection ports on offer (including a headphone jack), plus decent brightness and contrast levels. We're happy to see a competent set of integrated speakers fitted in the monitor too: they won't rival your wireless Sonos system, but not enough monitors have the convenience of built-in speakers.

You'll feel completely immersed in the action with the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR gaming monitor. It has a 1000R curvature that matches the natural shape of the human eye, making it easy to see the whole screen at once. 

34-inches of gaming bliss, this monitor boasts a super-smooth 165Hz refresh rate through the DisplayPort and USB-C connectivity, paired with just 1ms response time. Then, it adds in a peak brightness of 550 nits, top viewing angles of 178/178 and a super-wide 21:9 aspect ratio to deliver an impressive experience with balanced colours and seriously crisp detail. It's compatible with PCs, Macs and consoles - and you can project your mobile phone screen onto it. 

What's more is that it looks seriously smart, and even has customisable RGB lights on the back. Of course, it doesn't come cheap but if you have the money to spend, it's definitely worth it. 

We've been very impressed with what the LG UltraGear 34GN850 has shown us during our testing: it has fantastic response times and refresh rates, very decent colour, brightness and contrast levels, and a respectable HDR mode that keeps the darkest and the lightest areas of a picture in view.

The main reason that you're going to get this monitor, however, is that it's a 34-inch ultrawide monster that will dominate your gaming centre (or your office desk). You get nearly 5 million pixels on show here, as well as coverage of 98 percent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, so this is a display that isn't messing around (and the price you'll have to pay reflects that).

We also like the broad array of ports you get with the LG UltraGear 34GN850, and how easily those ports can be accessed around the back (though a little more cable management wouldn't go amiss). All in all, one of the best gaming monitors around, especially if you need to use it for other stuff as well.

Need more proof this is a banger of a gaming monitor? Then consider the fact that the LG UltraGear 34GN850 went and won the Best Gaming Monitor award at the T3 Awards 2021.

As T3 notes in its Dell Curved Gaming Monitor S2721HGF review, this a super affordable panel that packs powerful gaming performance. In short, you really do get a lot of monitor for your money here, with the S2721HGF offering up a Full HD panel with 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, two things that are music to gamer ears.

It's not a large monitor, but at 27 inches it sits in that sweet spot for many gamers, which is something backed up by its Full HD resolution – this is a monitor that will be ideal for anyone with a medium-spec gaming rig. If you've got a powerhouse PC loaded with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, then you've probably got pockets deep enough to shop above this monitor's price bracket.

This is really a gaming monitor that nails the basics really well, but doesn't offer much in terms of fancy features like RGB lighting or mad adjustability. It is curved, though, which helps immersion, and there are both HDMI and DisplayPort connections on offer.

AOC is one of T3's new favourite gaming monitor makers, and the AOC AGON AG273QZ is a great example as to why. Loaded with a set of specs and features guaranteed to make even the most serious eSports champion drool, the AG273QZ is one of the most gamer-focussed screens we've ever tested.

You know things are serious when the refresh rate is not just 144Hz but a remarkable 240Hz, which when combined with the monitor's equally impressive 0.5ms response time, means that ghosting and lag even in the most fast, twitch action games is not an issue.

Indeed, FPS fans will get on very well with this panel, although thanks to a bounty of ports (including a brace of HDMI and DP each, as well as FOUR USB 3.2 ports) and neat extras like built-in headphone hooks and AMD FreeSync Pro adaptive sync support, we think this monitor would suit any gamer very well indeed.

While the Philips 346B1C is built primarily for productivity, it can also turn its hand to gaming – helped out by impressive response times, refresh rates, and contrast ratios. While you can find other monitors that beat this one in terms of raw specs, the Philips 346B1C brings everything together well in one cohesive whole.

What you're paying most of your money for is that 34-inch, 3440 x 1440 pixel display, which makes everything from games to spreadsheets look clear and immersive (there's a 1500R curvature as well, if you're into that). Despite the size and specs of the display, it's actually available at a very reasonable price – check the widgets on this page for the latest online deals.

The Philips 346B1C comes packed with ports and connectivity options too: you can even charge your laptop from this monitor, or connect up a keyboard and mouse and use them with the display to switch between two different computers. All you need for productivity and for gaming.

At over £3,000 (at the time of writing) the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K is quite insanely expensive, but when you look at what it delivers, that price suddenly seems more apt. That's because the UP3218K is a 8K resolution monitor that not only delivers jaw-dropping fidelity and crispness, but also some of the highest quality colour reproduction available on any monitor.

Naturally, because it is Dell, build quality is also superb. Obviously it isn't for everyone, the price largely sees to that, but if you've got the cash and the gaming setup to deal with outputting games at a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320, then this is the monitor for you.

Don't forget that you're going to need a particularly powerful rig in order to drive that many pixels to this screen, but more and more GPUs are capable of this now. We wanted to include the UP3218K to give you an idea of where gaming is going – and as always, prices will inevitably come down over time.

How to choose the best gaming monitor for you

PCs do most of the pioneering when it comes to gaming graphics, but it doesn't matter how packed with power your graphics card is if you don't have a monitor that can keep up with all that pixel-pushing.

And be under no illusion, if you want to get serious about your gaming you need more than just a beefed up hard drive. You need a good a screen – after all, that's what you'll be staring at during your extended gaming sessions.

Naturally, a great gaming monitor has to look good, but most importantly it has to give you the specs that can give you a jump on your opponents: quick refresh rates, high picture quality and those all-important slick response times. The monitors that follow have these qualities and plenty more besides.

Do make sure you get a gaming monitor that comes with ports, modes, and connectivity options that you'll ideally want to use. It's no good spending money on a quality gaming monitor only to find out it doesn't have a specific input or auxiliary function you need.

Every game rig and every gamer is different, and that means the choice of gaming monitor will be different for different people too. Some monitors have ultra-wide and/or curved displays for extra immersion; others, incredible HDR so you don't miss the smallest details. There are FHD displays, QHD and Ultra HD 4K displays, and there are gaming monitors to suit every genre of game and every size of budget. 

It's easy to get carried away with the tech on offer, but it's important to tailor your monitor to your current system and any upgrading you plan to do – think about how many pixels your GPU can power, for example.

How we test gaming monitors

We're looking for a variety of things when we test a gaming monitor. Firstly, we look at basic things like build quality and design. We want to know if the monitor looks good and has a things like a stable, adjustable base. In addition, we are looking at what sorts of ports and connectivity it offers, as too if it has any lighting systems or extra features like headphone hooks and cable management systems.

When these basics have been ascertained, we move onto picture quality, which involves evaluating the gaming monitor's screens specs and capabilities. We're looking at its response time (lower is better), refresh rate (higher is better) and resolution (lower and higher can be better depending on the price and the gaming rig powering it).

In terms of actual picture quality, we're looking at if the monitor comes with HDR (high dynamic range), and what tier of HDR that is, along with things like color gamut, black levels, contrast ratio, and viewing angles. If a gaming monitor comes with advanced features like FreeSync, we're testing them out here, too.

To test these things, we use the gaming monitor to play a range of titles across genres, including FPS and MMORPG, as well as stream movies and TV shows, edit photos in Photoshop and undertake everyday tasks like browsing the internet. We do this because a gaming monitor needs to do much more than just game.

We're looking out for things like unwanted lag and ghosting, blown out images, grey blacks, inconsistent color reproduction, syncing problems and more.

Finally, we test out the monitor's software menu system, and see what sorts of modes and options it delivers. The gaming monitor is then compared against the market in terms of what it offers in value for money.

Once this is all achieved we bestow a star score on the panel, with five stars the best and one star the worst. If a screen has performed well, it is then considered for T3's best gaming monitors buying guide.

Are gaming monitors better than TVs for gaming?

Honestly, until just a few years ago the answer to this would of been a decisive and conclusive yes. However, thanks to a brand new trend of quality new TVs coming with dedicated gaming features, as evidenced by our best gaming TVs buying guide, that answer is still a yes, but it is nowhere near as clear cut. Crucially, not all gamers will now be best served by one of the best gaming monitors, and some gamers might actually be better served with a gamer-focussed TV.

The big changes have been TVs coming with higher refresh rates (typically now up to 120Hz) as well as lower response times. The LG G1 for example has a response time of  9.4ms, and while that isn't as low as most gaming monitors, it is low enough to play games really, really well. Well enough in fact that most people won't even see the difference. That TV also delivers state of the art 'OLED evo' screen tech and full support for both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD Freesync Premium.

There's also Dolby Vision HDR onboard, too, and as the LG G1 is a TV it comes with its own sound system there's also Dolby Atmos audio delivered as well. And, of course, because the unit is a TV it delivers excellent image quality when streaming movies and TV shows from services such as Disney Plus.

So when you start ticking off the boxes that gamers look for when buying a gaming monitor (low response time, high refresh rate, HDR, high resolution etc) you can see how this new breed of gaming TVs deliver that. Yes, with their sizes starting normally around 48-inches, they're not going to be ideal for a lot of desk setups, but if the screen is going to be wall-mounted or used at distance, they can be a better buy.

Obviously, though, for PC gamers who are gaming at their desk then a dedicated gaming monitor is often the best option. Gaming monitors still lead the way in terms of gaming technology and also tend to come in more sizes and aspect ratios than gaming TVs. For example, you won't find a gaming TV that can match the Samsung Odyssey G9.

As such, each gamer needs to weigh up exactly what their needs are before making a purchasing decision.

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