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The best 4K monitor for gaming is the screen for you if high graphical fidelity, detail, and overall picture quality are at the top of your demands when playing games. But as we see the advancement in monitor tech progress through 2021, it won’t just be resolution and detail that you’ll get with a 4K beaut as plenty of the best 4K gaming monitors have top specs and features, too – but at a higher price, of course. We’ve tested a bunch of UHD monitors, both with PCs and console to ensure that we can give you the soundest advice if you’re striving for the best pictures. In fact, even putting gaming aside, no matter what you’re doing on your PC, a 4K resolution will be noticeably bigger and better – and as a result, offer the best gaming monitor experience going (possibly).
At the moment, 4K resolutions often – but not always – mean a maximum of 60Hz refresh rate, although we are starting to test and review more high-refresh 4K models. But 60Hz isn’t ideal – especially on PC – but things are changing. However, where this limitation does apply, it does simultaneously mean that a 4K monitor for gaming with said refresh rate will still be an excellent console companion. As gaming setups can now be incredibly multifaceted we think this is great news and always have this in mind when reviewing and testing.
The good news is that 4K has been around long enough in gaming monitors to have come down in price. The slightly less-good news is that you will still find that if you can spend more, you’ll get even more bells and whistles in your pick of th best 4K monitors.
The best 4K gaming monitors 2022
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1. ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQ
The best 4K gaming monitor
Specifications
Size: 27-inchResolution: 4K (3840×2160)Refresh Rate: 144HzResponse Time: 1msPanel: IPSPorts: 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort, 2x USB 3.0, earphone jack
Reasons to buy
+Perfect specs of 4K, 144Hz, 1ms+It’s far cheaper than any other monitor with similar specs+The best way to play the latest AAA games
Reasons to avoid
-Quite expensive-Need a 3080 or better to unlock its full potential
Until now, 4K60fps+ gaming has been a concept only attainable by the hardcore enthusiasts who dedicate everything they have to PC gaming. Not anymore. Thanks to the launch of the 30-series cards from Nvidia, and AMD’s RX series equivalents, it’s finally affordable for those who desire it. To reach that level, you need one of the best monitors on the market, but they’re usually more expensive than the graphics cards themselves.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQ changes that entirely, bringing almost the best possible specs we’ve seen on a 4K screen down to a reachable tier for general PC gamers. It’s still not cheap, but for the first time ever we’ve had a 4K monitor for gaming with 1ms response time and a 144Hz refresh rate in our hands for testing that comes in below the $1k mark. Quite considerably actually, coming in at around $800/£800. It’s still a hefty price tag, don’t get us wrong, but it’s far cheaper than the other top-tier offerings.
The ASUS XG27UQ is like a gaze into what PC gaming will be like for everyone 5 to 10 years down the line. With ray tracing on, Cyberpunk 2077 had our jaw on the floor, with stunning lighting effects and texture detail throughout Night City. As did Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, with the sunrays splitting the treetops. If you have a rig capable of it – seriously, don’t upgrade to 4K if your graphics card is a few years old – then you will not be disappointed with this monitor.
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2. BenQ EL2870U
The best cheap 4K monitor for gaming
Specifications
Screen size: 28-inchPanel type: TNAspect ratio: 16:9Response time: 1msRefresh rate: 60HzWeight: 12.6 lbs
Reasons to buy
+Excellent price point+Lovely 4K resolution and HDR tech+Tremendous picture quality
Reasons to avoid
-Refresh rate maxxes out at 60Hz-No G-Sync-Very ordinary design
This is probably the best, most cost-effective, and great value way into 4K gaming monitors you’re likely to find. With its price often around or under the $300 and £200 mark, the bang for buck ratio with the BenQ EL2870U is extraordinary. The picture quality and crispness is as good as a lot of its more expensive contemporaries and is some of the best seen on a TN screen right now. Each environment type in games is handled really well with good contrasts, colors, and shades presenting whatever is asked of it; a really good balance in terms of what it’s able to show.
It’s got a speedy 1ms response rate, the usual 4K-monitor 60Hz refresh rate and FreeSync (no G-Sync unfortunately) is present to help smooth out pictures. You’ll also get some neat BenQ-exclusive features with this monitor that others will not be able to offer: Brightness Intelligence + (B.I.+) changes the brightness and color temperature of on-screen images relative to the monitor’s surroundings; and the Low Blue Light Technology is part of the company’s eye-care tech that removes the harmful blue light. These aren’t just clever-sounding features either, and one can definitely feel the benefit over long periods of use – I certainly found it out when I reviewed it for one of our sister sites. Overall, the EL2870U offers a wonderful deal for its price tag; genuine gaming specs on a great 4K monitor for gaming that is crisp and clear, that won’t break the bank.
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3. AOC AGON PRO PD32M
The best premium 4K gaming monitor
Specifications
Screen size: 27-inchPanel type: IPSAspect ratio: 16:9Response time: 4msRefresh rate: 144HzWeight: 15.9 pounds
Reasons to buy
+Top-of-the-line specs everywhere+Incredibly bright+Glorious 4K 144Hz mini-LED panel+Lots of ports
Reasons to avoid
-Bulky stand and overall size-Difficult to nail down the perfect HDR and brightness settings-An impossible-to-ignore price tag
Where we to totally ignore prices and costs, this is probably the best 4K gaming monitor we’ve ever tested. The PD32M simply has every top specification you could possibly want from a gaming monitor – any gaming monitor – let alone a 4K one.
It’s a truly premium experience, and to get all the features it offers in one screen is something spectacular. If you’re looking to invest in a display that ticks all the boxes, then the PD32M will not let you down and you will not regret it. To get specific you’re getting a 4K monitor that is: 32-inches; an IPS panel; 144Hz in refresh rate; 1ms in response time; mini-LED in its backlight type; 600 nits in its brightness; and Vesa-Certified DisplayHDR 1400 (!). This is a lot to pack into one monitor but the performance that results is breathtaking – games look superb, run super smoothly, and produce one of the top gaming experiences we’ve ever seen. Seriously, it’s hard to go back to anything else once you’ve seen the full whack of the PD32M’s capabilities. It’s stacked with connectivity options too, and its HDMI 2.1 ports mean it’s a great contender for best PS5 monitor or best Xbox Series X monitor should you be looking for a high-end console companion.
The monitor is a big chunky boy though so you’ll need a fair bit of desk space – though it is flat so doesn’t hog up too much extra space with its stand. However, the design is very cool and oozes that Porsche Design chic-ness to make a great-looking bit of kit. The RGB lighting on the sides is one of a few downsides as it’s not really necessary for a screen where the panel does all the talking, and it can be tricky to optimise the screen for your use or different games as it is so bright and colourful.
The price tag is hard to ignore as it’s just a lot of money, however, when you factor in literally all of the specs, features, and performance, it’s not as ridiculous an investment as one might think. And it really could be all the gaming monitor you ever need.
Note: Stock seems to be a bit hard to come by, but this could be a symptom of just being a new monitor to the market, and the global situation with the stock of New And Nice Things – hold tight and check back regularly!
Read more: AOC Agon PD32M review
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4. Acer Predator XB273K
The best 4K monitor for G-Sync compatibility gaming
Specifications
Screen size: 27-inchPanel type: IPSAspect ratio: 16:9Response time: 4msRefresh rate: 144HzWeight: 15.9 pounds
Reasons to buy
+Good value for a 4K, high-spec monitor+Crisp, clear and brilliant pictures+Offers fast refresh and response times
Reasons to avoid
-Higher input lag at 60Hz-Just ‘OK’ viewing angles
Despite being a few years old, the X2B273K is still a top pick for the best 4K gaming monitor you can buy right now for us.
Its relative ‘age’ also means that you can now pick it up for way less than its four-figure launch price and get a great PC-first 4K gaming monitor from one of the best brand’s in the business cheaper than you may think – or, at least, may have once thought.
The XB273K has all the best qualities of a super premium Acer monitor such as great picture quality, terrific color qualities, contrasts, and depths, and the speeds the monitor has are also great for whatever game you plan on playing on it. Though you will need a beastly graphics card to get near that 144Hz refresh rate in full 4K. It’s also a G-Sync monitor and has all the ports you could need.
It really is a quality 4K monitor for gaming all around. As a last note, as with other monitors that have a series of miscellaneous characters defining them, you might see it listed as the XB3 or XB273KP depending on where you are in the world and what retailer you’re looking at. And there are also only a couple of digits between a model that is G-Sync or G-Sync compatible which is a little annoying so make sure you interrogate the page closely when following the links here.
5. Acer Predator CG7
The best 4K gaming monitor for big screen gaming
Specifications
Screen size:: 43-inchAspect ratio:: 16:9Resolution:: 4K; 3840x2160Brightness:: 1,000 nitsResponse time:: 1msViewing angle:: 178/178 degreesContrast ratio:: 4,000:1
Reasons to buy
+Mega 43-inch 4K panel+VA tech delivers huge contrast+Up to 144Hz for ultra-responsive gaming
Reasons to avoid
-Not a *true* HDR panel-Backlight is edge-lit-Very pricey
Acer’s beastly 43-inch Predator CG7 is absolutely the monster-sized screen if you’ve been wanting to take a ‘go big, or go home’ approach to your search for the best 4K monitor for gaming. This is a 43-inch beast that will demand more than simple amount of desk space, but the results will be incredible. It’s got all the chops of a gaming screen too and is ideal for multi-machine setups.
Getting right to it the CG7 has a VA panel that is the real 4K deal and good for fully 1,000 nits of brightness, has a 1ms response time, and a full 120Hz refresh rate via HDMI 2.1, and a speedier 144Hz when using a PC-only connection.
As for colour accuracy, Acer puts the CG7 in the top reaches of it, with a touted 90% DCI-P3 gamut, which isn’t too bad at all, and it is also DisplayHDR 1000 certified. However, it only has 14 edge-lit dimming zones rather than full-array local dimming, so it’s not the full HDR deal. That said, the inherent 4,000:1 contrast of the VA panel combined with that powerful 1,000 nits brightness means that this is about as good as it gets with having full-array dimming.
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6. ASUS CG32UQ
The best 4K monitor for console gaming at 60Hz
Specifications
Screen size: 32-inchPanel type: VAAspect ratio: 16:9Resolution: 3840x2160Response time: 5msWeight: 20 lbs net
Reasons to buy
+Incredible picture quality+Great color range, depth and contrasts+Full 4K and HDR goodness
Reasons to avoid
-4K has now got cheaper-Reports of some flickering
It’s refreshing to see monitors dedicated or at least aimed at, console gaming making solid appearances now. And this is a seriously great console monitor. The CG32UQ is a console-focused gaming monitor and has serious gaming pedigree and stock behind it coming from ASUS.
It is a little expensive but you get some serious monitor, tech, and performance for your money. Its main headline, if you will, is that it is a 32-inch 4K VA-panel monitor – this is incredibly useful, right off the bat, as we think it’ll make transitioning from a 4K TV that many consoles are currently hooked up to, easy to undertake. You’ll still get the same resolution and, extra importantly, the effects of HDR as the CG32UQ has a DisplayHDR 600 rating which I found to be true to life during testing. This HDR excellence is backed up by glorious colors and contrasted gained by the monitor’s 95% DCI-P3 rating and contrast ratio of 3000:1.
On top of that, you will still get some of ASUS’s quality monitor techs as standard: FreeSync, GameFast mode, AuraSync lighting, flicker-free pictures, and a very handy remote control. For a full verdict check out my ASUS CG32UQ (opens in new tab) review, but this is definitely one of the best 4K gaming monitors for console players that you can buy right now.
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7. BenQ EW3280U
The best value 32-inch 4K monitor for gaming
Specifications
Screen size: 32-inchPanel type: IPSAspect ratio: 16:9Response time: 5msRefresh rate: 60HzWeight: 17.85 lbs
Reasons to buy
+BenQ picture quality+Great HDR and supporting features+Exceptional colours and contrasts
Reasons to avoid
-Demands a large desk setup-A little pricey
If you want a monitor that can do a bit of everything in glorious 4K, then we recommend the BenQ EW3280U. Its 4K resolution, combined with its size, colors, and IPS panel make it a great all-rounder. It won’t offer the mad speeds that non-4K monitors can offer, of course, but as 60Hz experiences go, we found this to be great. In particularly we enjoyed the picture quality, HDR and contrasts, and richness of every shade during out testing.
Its price tag might make it more of a contender during sales but this offering from BenQ is great and they really have proved they can run with the usual suspects again. One factor that stood out in our testing that you need to be aware of is that it does take up loads of room on the desk but, largely, it’s very much worth it.
If you want a 32-inch big one when it comes to the best 4K monitors for gaming, then this is a very strong contender – particularly if you’ll use the monitor for entertainment as well as general PC use. As a result, this is a strong contender for a top 4K monitor for gaming, but its niche might just lie elsewhere right now: it might just be the best PS4 monitors (opens in new tab) I’ve tested too.
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8. Acer Predator XB323QK
The best Acer 4K gaming monitor
Specifications
Screen size: 32-inchPanel type: IPSAspect ratio: 16:9Resolution: 3840 x 2160; 4KResponse time: 1msRefresh rate: 144HzWeight: 29.7lb / 13.5kg
Reasons to buy
+4K at 144Hz is absolutely killer+HDMI 2.1 and USB-C connectivity+As quick as IPS tech gets
Reasons to avoid
-SDR mode is dull-HDR support is limited
4Kresolution, high refresh, and fully connected: it’s what every gamer wants, right? The Acer Predator XB3 XB323QK certainly looks like it meets those demands, and forms one heck of a 4K gaming monitor package on paper.
The IPS 4K panel will do 144Hz, you get both HDMI 2.1 and USB-C interfaces, plus DisplayPort 2.1 for total connectivity, covering PC and console. There’s even HDR support. Sadly, that’s limited to DisplayHDR 400 with no local dimming, which is where the slight issues begin.
This monitor is very subdued in SDR mode. You can work around that by running in HDR mode and cranking up the brightness of SDR content. But it’s a bit of a bodge. Still, games look undeniably stunning in full 4K with fluid high-fresh frame rates. And the panel is properly quick for IPS tech.
We just wish the whole package was a bit more affordable. Oh, and that Acer would unleash the backlight a bit in SDR mode.
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9. LG 27UL650
The best 4K gaming monitor from LG
Specifications
Screen size: 27-inchPanel type: IPSAspect ratio: 16:9Response time: 5msRefresh rate: 60HzWeight: 13.90 lbs
Reasons to buy
+Great color accuracy+FreeSync compatibility
Reasons to avoid
-Could be faster
Offering another budget-level entry point into the best 4K monitor market, the LG 27UL650 is an IPS panel that has excellent levels of color, contrast, and low input lag. The former of these is manifested in excellent color accuracy and the addition of HDR10. This means that if you’re after a 4K monitor that will serve you well for creative tasks, design, and general everyday use. Yup, you’ll still have the 60Hz refresh rate but that’s fast becoming acceptable if the overall package is good value – which this is.
Best 4K monitor: buying advice
We’ve had experience with the best 4K monitors for gaming for many years and like to think that we know a thing or two when it comes to making the best of Ultra HD displays. With that in mind, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to use our expertise to help you make an informed decision on whether the best 4K gaming monitors are right for you.
Do I need a 4K gaming monitor?
Yes! But also, no. It’s true that gaming at 4K resolution – on console or PC – is a true thing of gaming beauty but it might not be quite right for your next gaming monitor and for your setup.
While we would always recommend a 4K gaming TV as the default now, the same can’t be quite be said for gaming monitors, and PC gaming. The sweet spot remains a 1440p resolution for almost all PC players, as it offers good-to-great visual fidelity, while also being great for getting high framerates too. While 4K gaming remains behind that further gate of having a beastly enough machine to run at that resolution well, 1440p may be the best.
However, a 4K monitor can still offer gaming at those resolutions lower than it’s native one so you can still get a really great experience on it and be prepared for when you are able to enjoy 4K glory in all of its, well, glory. So while you don’t need a 4K gaming monitor for a wonderful gaming experience, it could still be worth a look to future proof yourself.
Which graphics cards do you need for a 4K gaming monitor?
IN all honesty, and perhaps rather predictably, to get the most out of one of the best 4K gaming monitors, you need a high-end, powerful graphics card. Cutting to the chase, you’re probably looking at an Nvidia RTX 3080 or AMD RX 6800 XT graphics card at a minimum if you want super-fast, and super-smooth 4K gaming, but you could even get Very Playable levels of gaming with an RTX 3070 or similar.
Investing in a top graphics card that’s powerful enough to run your 4K gaming monitor at its native, full resolution is a fine ambition to aim for and is a sure-fire route to the best gaming experience you can get on PC right now.
How we test gaming 4K gaming monitors at GamesRadar+
Between our on-team staff and our crew of expert freelance writers and reviewers, every monitor that comes our way is subject to the same kind of deep scrutiny to get to the bottom of its good bits, and not-so-good bits.
We spend hours and hours testing each monitor, living with it where possible and using it as our everyday screen for work and play. As a result, we test out work and productivity functionality to give you an idea as to whether you can rely on it for the more mundane things, and then we play and run a big bath of games on the screens to ensure it provides good performance, no matter the price point or feature set. When it comes to games, we test single-player expansive games like RPGs and strategies to examine their detail, colour, and image quality, while also ensuring we test them with online and competitive shooters to see how they hold up when speed is key.
For more information, you can read more on How we test monitors at GamesRadar+ here, and for an overview of our approach to gaming tech then you can check out our full Hardware Policy.
And If you’re after something that’s TV-shaped then head over to our best gaming televisions guide as well as our best TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X, best OLED TV, best QLED TV, and best 120Hz 4K TV guides which will all see you right.