The best 4K gaming monitor can make way more than games look great. It’s a big upgrade to any system that can showcase its potential. Games in particular make the best argument for the swap to 4K, highlighting just how vivid modern graphics can look at high resolution.

Right now, the best 4K gaming monitor is the MSI MPG321URX. With a gorgeous OLED panel delivering a crisp 4K resolution for less than the competition—it just makes so much sense to a PC gamer. The LG UltraGear 27GR93U is our favorite non-OLED 4K gaming monitor. It’s got the best IPS panel, is supremely well-calibrated, and easily stands out above the rest of the pack.

You’ll want a top-end GPU like the RTX 4080 Super to get the most from a 4K monitor. However, with tweaked settings, even cards lower down the stack like the RTX 4070 can output reasonable results at 4K.

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The quick list

The best overall

This MSI 4K OLED is simply the best 4K display right now, as it uses the same Samsung-sourced panel as many of the best OLED monitors we’ve tested. The real kicker? It’s cheaper than the rest at 4K, and still looks absolutely stunning

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Best non-OLED 4K gaming monitor

The LG 27GR93U has such an impressive panel, it had to take out top spot for the best non-OLED 4K monitor. Thanks to some excellent calibration right out of the box, gorgeously crisp 4K image quality and superb response times, this 27-inch panel might be on the small side, but it’s the one to beat if OLED’s simply too pricey.

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Best budget

Affordable 4K might be something of a recent development, but amongst the cheaper 4K displays, the Gigabyte M28U stands out. It’s a stunning IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate from a reputable manufacturer that knows a thing or two about good affordable monitors.

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Best mid-range

If you’re looking for a larger 4K monitor with very few drawbacks, the Gigabyte M32UC is an excellent place to start. It’s got a great performing panel, so many ports you could lose count, and a no frills approach that makes it a very solid 4K option.

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Best TV replacement

It’s a massive display this, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you might be better off just getting a TV. However, the Asus ROG Swift brings connectivity options and high-refresh to the table, using the same OLED panel from the truly brilliant LG C2.

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Best ultrawide

Bond two curved 4K panels together and you end up with the Neo G9 G95NC. Gaming doesn’t get any more immersive or astonishing than this. You will need an equally expensive graphics cards to run it, though.

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This guide was updated on July 24, 2024 to change the best overall 4K monitor to the MSI MPG321URX, and remove the Dough Spectrum Glossy. The Gigabyte M32UC is now the best mid-range, and an also tested section was added for reference.

The best 4K gaming monitor

Sometimes, very rarely in fact, a monitor comes along that does almost everything the really expensive displays do, but cheaper. The MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED does just that, and as a result its the best 4K monitor we can recommend right now.

Simply put: There’s not much point paying over the odds for any other monitor using this Samsung-sourced panel, when this one exists. It’s an absolutely phenomenal gaming monitor, for significantly less than the competition. Pretty easy when you look at it like that, isn’t it?

So, let’s run through why you want one of these: 32-inch, which is plenty large. 240 Hz refresh rate with a 0.03ms response time, which is fabulously fast. 250 nits full-screen brightness, which isn’t that bright, but not bad for an OLED.

Oh, did I forget to mention that? It’s an OLED, which means it’s not just blazingly fast, but absolutely stunning to look at. All the OLED rumors you heard were true: It really is the most fabulous-looking monitor display tech you can get right now. The color reproduction here is immense, with games, media, and just about anything else you can throw at it looking the best you’ve ever seen them.

Unlike a lot of OLEDs though, its the pixel density that really stands out. Text can suffer slightly on a lot of OLED displays, but here, blurriness and color fringing is simply a non-issue. That’s a big OLED caveat right there, negated.

Of course, it’s still got a couple of drawbacks. The lack of full-screen brightness compared to other screen tech is here, of course, but it still goes plenty bright enough for most uses. And there’s still OLED burn-in to consider, although like all good monitors of this type it’s got plenty of tech to prevent it, and a three-year burn-in warranty to give you peace of mind.

That doesn’t set it apart from other, brilliant displays using this panel. What does is the price. With an $899 MSRP compared to the $1,100 to $1,300 you’d pay for others, you’re getting one of the best displays we’ve ever had the fortune of casting our eyes across for considerably less than the competition.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to the MSI MPG 321URX selling in huge numbers, and as a result it can be a little hard to get hold of one. Grab it when its available though, and you really won’t be disappointed.

The LG Ultragear 27GR93U is absolutely worth a look if you can’t find the MSI and don’t want to pay out for an OLED, or the Gigabyte M32UC if you’re dead set on a 32-inch. Or you could check out our best OLED gaming monitor guide for other recommendations.

But pick one of these up, and you’ll have the best 4K gaming monitor, using the best screen tech available, for less. Not bad that, ey?

Read our full MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED review.

The best non-OLED 4K gaming monitor

The LG UltraGear 27GR93U is the best overall 4K gaming monitor, thanks to its stunning IPS panel that’s beautifully calibrated right out the box. The combination of 4K and 27 inches results in a perfect pixel density, making it great for productivity tasks and the colour accuracy is ideal for content creation.

It’s greatest strength, though, is in gaming. The pixel response time and 144 Hz G-SYNC Compatible variable refresh rate will suit almost all genres. The LG offers excellent clarity, even under very fast motion, which makes it a great pick for competitive shooters or anything that requires twitchy mouse movements.

In terms of connection options, you get two 48Gbps HMDI 2.1 ports and a DisplayPort 1.4 connection, which makes it ideal for consoles and gaming PCs. It’s HDR capabilities are limited to DisplayHDR 400, but the panel still does a great job of displaying SDR content in HDR mode.

The downsides are the high MSRP (around $630/AU$999), though it’s often on sale for a lot less, the relative lack of additional features, and the overall level of quality. Not the panel, as that’s outstanding, but things like the stand and the plastics used for the body. Even the rear RGB lighting is nothing special.

However, LG sensibly chose to focus all its efforts on ensuring the panel itself is second to none in the 4K monitor sector. It really is a stunning display, with rich colours, great contrast, and superb pixel accuracy. The Ultragear 27GR93U could well be the best overall 4K gaming monitor for a good while, as it will take an awful lot to beat this.

Read our full LG UltraGear 27GR93U review.

The best budget 4K gaming monitor

The best affordable 4K gaming monitor is the Gigabyte M28U for one very simple reason: it’s a great display and doesn’t cost a small fortune, like 4K monitors used to just a few years ago.

Its 28-inch IPS panel has exceptional colour depth and clarity. Black levels are very impressive, despite having a fairly low contrast ratio. As with many IPS gaming monitors these days, the M28U is rated to DisplayHDR 400 but it isn’t a display you’d pick for HDR content. Certain games, like Cyberpunk 2077 will look fine, but that’s about it.

Really cheap 4K monitors typically have fixed refresh rates of 60 Hz, but here you’re getting 144 Hz with support for AMD’s FreeSync Premium. Thanks to the presence of two HDMI 2.1 ports, it’s a great option for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X owners, though PC gamers will want to stick with the DisplayPort 1.4 connection.

The pixel response is more than fast enough for most users, at 1 ms grey-to-grey (GtG), but the overdrive function isn’t worth using, as it adds image artefacts as it tries to reduce ghosting.

As for downsides, Gigabyte obviously had to cut some corners in the M28U to get the price down, and the quality of the plastics and limited adjustability of the stand are the clearest examples of this. And you could argue that it would be a better monitor if the panel was 27 inches in size, as it would help to improve the pixel density.

But these are very minor issues when you take the monitor as a whole. You’re getting an awful lot of fast, high-resolution screen, for a price that’s very affordable for this segment.

Read our full Gigabyte M28U review.

The best mid-range 4K gaming monitor

Sometimes, all you want is a really big screen to give you lots of real estate to work and play on, at the right price, with great specs. And the best mid-range 4K monitor for this role is the Gigabyte M32UC.

Just like that in its smaller cousin, the M28U, the IPS panel is luscious and vibrant, with a fast pixel response and high 144 Hz refresh rate. It’s not ideal for HDR content, as its DisplayHDR 400 rating is the lowest level of certification, but it’s more than good enough for everything else.

The extra size helps make room for additional connectivity and there’s no shortage here: a DisplayPort 1.4 connection, two HDMI 2.1, one USB Type-C, three USB 3.2 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Upstream, and a 3.5 mm jack for your headphones.All this makes it a great all-rounder for anyone wanting a monitor that’s ideal for gaming and working from home.

In the case of the latter, the panel’s size means the pixel density isn’t very high, so you’ll need to use a bit of desktop scaling to keep icons and text clear. And the 1500R curvature won’t be to everyone’s taste, especially for those who do a lot of productivity tasks.

Other than the chassis being very bland to look, there’s little to complain about here and even the stand is a decent affair. Best of all, it’s priced very reasonably, and most monitors this size are either way more expensive or just aren’t suitable for gaming.

While we’d still recommend the M28U for most users, those of you wanting an impressively big screen to fill your vision without spending too much should head for the Gigabyte M32UC, the best mid-range 4K gaming monitor by far.

Read our full Gigabyte M32UC review.

The best 4K TV replacement

Not everyone hunkers down in front of a small monitor to enjoy a spot of PC gaming, as there plenty of folks who hook their rigs up to a TV, so they can sit back and relax. And the best 4K TV replacement monitor is the Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ.

As TVs go, it’s a long way off being the largest you can get, at ‘just’ 42 inches in size, but as a monitor, it’s mind-bogglingly big. But why would you pick this over a normal TV? Very few offer the combination of 4K, variable 144 Hz refresh rate, and ultra-low pixel response times.

And none will offer a DisplayPort 1.4 connection, let alone two 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 and two two HDMI 2.0 ports, along with four 10Gbps USB Type-A sockets. It’s as gaming focused as you could possibly want, being ideal for PC and consoles.

The OLED panel products wonderfully deep blacks and vividly rich colours, and while it’s not the brightest you can get, HDR gaming is a sublime experience on the RG42UQ.

Just don’t sit too close to it, as the huge size means the pixel density is very low and there’s a fair amount of colour fringing around text. There’s no height or swivel adjustment to the stand, of course, though there is a small degree of tilt available. But this is designed to be set down in a room and never to be moved again, just like any TV.

And that’s because it essentially is a TV, as it uses the same panel as in LG’s C9 range, and even includes a decent set of speakers and sub-woofer. Unfortunately, all the extra PC-related features add to the price, and it’s very expensive for a monitor, with an MSRP of $1,400/AU$2,199.

But if you want a seriously huge monitor and you’re willing to accept the drawbacks of OLED, then there’s little to touch it in this segment.

Read our full Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ review.

The best ultrawide 4K gaming monitor

4K monitors are so useful for productivity and content creation that many PC enthusiasts often have two of them. And that’s literally what Samsung has done for the best 4K ultrawide monitor, by stitching two 4K panels together to make one humongous screen.

With a combined resolution of 7680 x 2160, you could argue that’s not a 4K monitor and Samsung certainly agrees, as it markets the G95NC as an 8K/dual UHD display. However, since the vertical resolution is the same as any other 4K panel, it doesn’t really feel like it’s higher than this.

That is until you start gaming on it. While it’s one of the very few monitors available that offers a DisplayPort 2.1 connection, you really need a top-end graphics card in order to push all those pixels around fast enough. A GeForce RTX 4090 can, though its DP output only supports a refresh rate of 120 Hz at 8K.

But if you have such a card, then you’re in for a treat, because until you’ve experienced gaming on a 57-inch monitor, all wrapped around you with a tight 1000R curvature, you’ve not seen just what’s possible in graphics.

The VA panel is backlit by mini-LEDs and while it doesn’t have the highest of contrast ratios, it’s still very impressive. HDR gaming is really good, thanks to the DisplayHDR 1000 rating, though we’d still take an OLED monitor for HDR content.

Samsung’s monster monitor is surprisingly adept at being used in productivity and content creation tasks, although the curved panels means you’ll be cranking your head around more than you’d like.

However, the Neo G9 G95NC’s heart is in gaming. It’s not just ultrawide, it’s ultra-big, ultra-immersive, ultra-heavy, ultra-expensive. Ultra-gaming, if there’s such a phrase.

Read our full Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 G95NC review.

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Best 4K gaming monitor FAQ