A more in-depth look at only the best TVs for gaming – comparing price, performance, build quality, and visual experience Updated: Feb 16, 2024 4:30 pm WePC is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more Table of Contents Table of Contents In the market for one of the best TVs for gaming? Well, you’ve come to the right place – we have reviewed a ton of displays in the past, including TVs, and have whittled down the market to the best five on offer, which we’ll keep as up to date as possible. Thanks to the arrival of high-performance consoles that now push 4K gameplay at 120Hz refresh rates, finding the best TV for gaming couldn’t be more important. Two of our top picks at the minute at the LG C3 OLED and Samsung Neo QLED QN90C. Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X now offer stunning 4K gameplay up to 120 frames per second, making your next TV purchase a little bit more difficult. No longer are screen resolution and color accuracy the only considerations for gamers looking to buy a TV – they now have to take input lag, refresh rates, and response time into consideration too. That makes choosing the best TV for gaming a much more technical process than it once was, but our experts are up to the task. 01 Best OLED TV for gaming LG C3 OLED Series 02 Best mini LED TV for gaming Samsung Neo QLED QN90C 03 Best TV for Gaming Our previous-gen pick LG C2 OLED Series Today’s best TV deals Best gaming TV in 2024 We’ll be recommending the best TVs for gaming. Our selection process will take picture quality, colors, input lag, refresh rate, and overall gaming performance into consideration. We’ll also be looking at the value each offers, only choosing the best value for money TVs on the market. Best TV for gaming: LG C3 OLED 01 LG C3 OLED Series Pros Sufficiently-bright OLED evo panel Highly responsive 4K at 120Hz and full HDMI 2.1 support Wide range of sizes for any consumer Cons Not as bright as the high-end LG G3 Kicking things off with the impressive LG C3 OLED TV. It offers you crisp visuals, responsive OLED performance, and a decent improvement over last gen’s C2 which we had nothing but praise for. Play around with the LG C3 game mode – known as Game Optimizer – and you’re good to go on what is one of the best HDMI 2.1 TVs at the moment. It’s the perfect option for console gaming due to full support for 4K @ 120Hz. Other important gaming specs include Nvidia G-Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, and HDMI 2.1 VRR support to help eliminate screen tearing. We’ve chosen this over the premium LG G3 OLED due to the better value for money, and especially the wider range of sizes as the smallest 42-inch model is particularly popular with PC gamers as well in a desktop setting to easily achieve a 120 frame rate when equipped with a powerful graphics card. The ultra slim and thin-bezel design carries over from the C2 as you’d expect, so this TV looks great wherever you set it up. Speaking of, the wide viewing angle that an OLED panel like this offers you makes it great for the whole family. The C3 features the a9 Gen 6 AI processor for overall better performance and picture quality. This is aided by the Bright Booster feature that helps it achieve a higher peak luminance over its predecessor. The AI chip uses deep learning tech to provide the best image quality it can on the fly, suited to the specific content you are watching and/or playing. Best mini-LED TV for gaming: Samsung Neo QLED QN90C 02 Samsung Neo QLED QN90C Pros Great HDR performance Rapid response time 120Hz refresh rate with VRR Wide color gamut Excellent peak luiminance Cons Some uniformity issues that could spoil sports viewing Despite not having the OLED technology, the Samsung QN90C is still a superb TV for gaming. With all the features you could want from a TV, this thing really does tick all the right boxes to make it one of the best 4K TVs for gaming. Looking at design briefly, the QN90C is a little hit and miss for us. whilst the profile of this TV is slender and quite stylish, the stand isn’t doing it any favours – making the TV look a little precarious at times. That being said, it still suits most rooms and does offer a premium feel that others in this list fail to. Aesthetics aside, performance is where this TV really shines – literally. The HDR performance of this TV is fantastic, providing a ton of extra detail in both bright and dark environments – not to mention vibrant colors across the remainder of the spectrum. This TV has a very high peak brightness, making it great for gamers that want to game in bright rooms. That being said, it can’t offer the same deep blacks as the OLED pick, meaning it isn’t as suited to darkroom gaming. However, gamers will be happy with this TV’s high refresh and HDMI 2.1 interface support – allowing next-gen console gamers to utilize the full potential of their systems. The QN90C also offers up very low input lag and variable refresh rate support in the shape of FreeSync – ensuring no screen tear or motion blur is experience whilst playing the fastest of gaming titles. Amongst the features this TV offers, the ‘Automatic Low Latency Mode’ is most useful to gamers. It enables the best gaming settings for responsiveness with the click of a button, taking away some of the stress that can arise during the setup process of other TVs. One downside to this TV is the black uniformity. Some users have experienced a little inconsistency in this area, reducing the quality of sports entertainment. However, when you weigh up the pros and cons of this TV, this small dip is soon overpowered by a ton of benefitting factors. Great-value pick from a previous generation: LG C2 OLED Pros Very good gaming performance Extremely low input lag Quick response time Stunning contrast ratio The LG C2 OLED still remains one of the best TVs for gaming right now. It boasts all the gaming requirements you could want in a next-generation console gaming display, including a fast 120Hz refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 support, and stunning 4K picture quality, which is why it’s also still one our top picks for the best TV for PS5 and best TV for Xbox Series X. As always, the LG C2 OLED offers up a sleek and stylish design that really does scream premium. Its small bezels and thin profile certainly add to the viewing experience of this panel. More impressive than the aesthetics, however, is the actual viewing of this panel. It truly is special. With OLED technology, the LG C2 series doesn’t come with a backlight; instead, offering individually lit pixels that offer a tonne of accuracy in both colors and picture quality. The resulting technology creates perfect black depth and an infinite contrast ratio, allowing for great black uniformity and no blooming around bright objects in dark areas. It also has exceptionally good viewing angles that offer almost zero deterioration when viewing from pretty obscure angles. As far as features go, this thing packs pretty much everything you could want. It includes a fast 120Hz refresh rate (great for next-gen console gamers), HDMI 2.1 support, fantastic HDR performance, and an extremely wide color gamut. The OLED technology used within this panel also helps create an almost instant pixel response time, eradicating any chance of annoying ghosting in fast-moving objects. Furthermore, this panel also provides variable refresh rate technology (VRR), helping to synchronize your TV’s refresh rate to your console’s FPS output for a liquidy smooth gaming experience that is void of screen tear. Like all OLEDs, the C2 series does run the risk of permanent burn-in – certainly problematic for some consumers. However, for individuals that like to watch a variety of different content, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. That being said, it’s really quite hard to knock this TV from a gaming standpoint – it really is one of the best TVs on the market. Read our full LG C2 OLED TV review for a deeper dive. Best high-end TV for gaming: LG G3 OLED 04 LG G3 OLED Series Pros Evo OLED panel technology Stunning picture quality High peak brightness Great audio The LG G3 is the brand’s best high-end 4K TV to date, featuring a ton of features and benefits that are all geared towards providing a stunning visual experience. Despite the C3 series being the fan-favorite, the G3 is still considered the better out of the two. That said, it does come with a fairly hefty price premium that may put some individuals off. Aesthetically, the LG G3 is almost identical to the C3 – featuring a thin profile that certainly looks premium. There are no thrills with this TV, just a stylish design that is characterized by a glossy finish. However, it isn’t the design that excites us the most, it’s the internal features and specifications. The G1 offers up LG’s best OLED panel, promising increased levels of peak brightness and sharpness – features that the C3 has been criticized for in the past. The MLA (Micro Lens Array) technology physically fit into the panel offers excellent brightness boosts over less premium models like the C3 or B3. This LG OLED also features perfect blacks, infinite contrast ratio, much like any of the best OLED TVs on the market, but has even better HDR performance thanks to that OLED evo MLA panel. Watching movies or playing games on the G3 is a spectacular experience, with gaming features to help polish the edges nicely. Users can expect 4 x HDMI 2.1 ports (full 48Gbps) with support for VRR technology in both FreeSync and G-Sync systems. Furthermore, ALLM (auto low latency mode), HGIG (a feature that enhances HDR performance in games), and the game optimizer menu are all equipped to this panel. Best budget TV for gaming: VIZIO M50QXM-K01 QLED Pros QLED panel with Full Array Local Dimming Great HDR performance 120Hz refresh rate Inexpensive Cons Not as responsive as OLED On-screen display menus could be streamlined When you think of the best TV for gaming, VIZIO probably isn’t the first name to spring to mind. That being said, with a great design and excellent responsiveness, alongside excellent picture quality and color accuracy, this TV really does become an option for gamers working with a strict budget. It’s an excellent and cheap HDMI 2.1 TV for sure. It offers a slender design and a nice two-feet stand, both of which feel more premium than the price tag would suggest. Design aside, the M50QXM-K01 is a fantastic 4K QLED TV, providing great gaming performance to casual gamers. This TV comes with all the specifications you could want for a great gaming experience – including a low input lag and decent pixel response. Whilst it doesn’t compete with the likes of the OLED, you can still play fast-paced competitive shooters without much motion blur interference. The main selling point for us however is the excellent HDR experience at a budget price, with bright and dark areas both benefitting by a ton of additional detail with HDR10+ certification. Colors are extremely vibrant and quite accurate right out of the box thanks to the bright QLED panel with FALD (Full Array Local Dimming). It also offers 4K at 120Hz gameplay via any of the four HDMI 2.1 ports and can even support up to 240Hz when playing at 1080p on PC. What makes a TV good for gaming? Buying A TV is very similar to buying one of the best monitors for gaming, with many of the specifications crossing over from one display to the other. That being said, many are still confused when it comes to buying a TV for gaming, not understanding the most important factors that will impact the overall gaming experience. Below are what we consider the most important things to consider when looking for the best TV for gaming: Refresh rate: This is the amount of time your TV refreshes the image it’s displaying – per second. To get a smooth gaming experience, you want to get a TV with the highest possible refresh rate. In modern console gaming, that’s 120Hz. If you can pair this alongside VRR (variable refresh rate technology), then you have the perfect combination for smooth gameplay. Response Time: Refers to the amount of time it takes for the pixels to change color – usually using the GTG (gray-to-gray) transition. Having a fast pixel response time generally provides a much better visual experience – reducing annoying screen artifacts such as motion blur and ghosting. Input Lag: Input lag comes down to a number of factors, but ultimately, it’s the amount of time between you entering a command (via the console) and it showing up on your TV. Having low input lag is very important in TVs as it can give you a competitive edge over the competition. For an up-to-date comparison of some of the best, see our LG C4 vs LG C3 page. Realistic expectations when buying a TV for gaming Like any hardware purchase, buying a TV specifically for gaming comes with a number of realistic expectations. For example, don’t expect to get a 75″ TV with a 360Hz refresh rate right now, because it simply doesn’t exist. To ensure that you aren’t left disappointed, below is a list of factors that you should expect when purchasing a new TV for gaming: Price: When it comes to TVs specifically designed for gaming, pricing is definitely an area you must consider. On average, TVs tailored towards gaming will be more expensive than your run-of-the-mill alternative. Thanks to the premium features and quick response they offer, the best TVs for gaming can cost you more than you might expect. If you are looking for something which packs a punch, but sticks to a specific budget, we’d recommend checking out our picks for the best TVs under $1000. TV vs gaming monitors: There’s a big debate out there that looks at the difference between gaming TVs Vs gaming monitors. The bottom line is, gaming monitors are much better for gaming than TVs – it’s as simple as that. They’re more responsive, quicker, and generally offer more features that boost your gaming experience. Do not expect to get a TV that has the same performance as a gaming monitor – it’s unrealistic. All being said, TVs are getting much better for gaming – with the latest offerings delivering excellent performance across the board. Resolution: Modern consoles now offer stunning picture quality thanks to their 4K support. To get the most out of your gaming experience, we recommend purchasing a TV with no less than 4K resolution support. Whilst this might increase the price of your TV, it is most certainly worth the extra investment. If you’re looking for immersion, a high screen resolution is definitely something to look for. Inputs: Inputs haven’t really been overly important for the last 7 years or so, with HDMI 2.0 offering pretty much everything you could want for your gaming needs. However, with the arrival of HDMI 2.1 (utilized in both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X), choosing a TV with the right inputs just became a whole lot more important. Whilst HDMI 2.1 is pretty scarce right now, we’re likely to see a tonne of supporting TVs (and consumer electronics) come to fruition over the next 3-6 months. Size: The bigger the TV, the higher the price, generally speaking, but it’s also worth keeping in mind that for the type of gaming you enjoy, you may not need a huge screen. Sure, 50-inch plus TVs are great for immersion, but if you’re playing first person shooters they can work against you competitively speaking. Be sure to check out some of the best 40-inch TVs on the market too, as you’ll be surprised at just how good (and affordable) they are. 8K vs 4K for gaming at 120Hz With both PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles now supporting 8K resolution, we often get asked when will 8K gaming be a thing? Of course, 4K @ 120Hz is fully supported by both consoles, with many enjoying the liquidy smoothness it brings. The same, however, can’t be said for 8K gaming. While both next-gen consoles support the higher 8K resolution, neither had the feature enabled on launch. Furthermore, due to the price of 8K TVs and 8K monitors, it would be pointless to enable 8K functionality as only a limited number of consumers would be able to utilize it. Developers have fully adopted 4K gaming these days, however, 8K gaming is seemingly years away. It’s well-known that neither of the latest consoles has the processing power required to push 8K gaming at any capacity – with upscaling being much more likely. All being said, why 8K TVs and monitors are becoming more mainstream, we’re still some ways off seeing prices fall to respectable levels. Best TV for gaming FAQs Should I use an OLED TV for gaming? OLED displays have proven to be a great choice for gaming. It’s no wonder that the Nintendo Switch features an OLED version. Along with the beautiful picture quality, many modern OLED TVs feature high refresh rates and minimal input lag for gamers to enjoy. Is a TV better than a monitor for gaming? There are many TVs on the market which can provide high refresh rates and snappy response time to rival monitors. If you’re playing on console from a couch set up, then a TV is of course ideal for the job. Monitors are the go-to choice for PC players, but a smaller TV such as 42″ can be worth considering. Final Word So, there you have it, our comprehensive guide to the best TV for gaming. We hope this guide has made your purchasing decision that little bit easier, outlining some of the major considerations that come with a TV purchase. For us, the LG C3 is by far the best TV for gaming at time of writing this. It not only provides stunning picture quality and an almost instant pixel response time, but it also offers HDMI 2.1 support and 120Hz refresh rates – making it a great choice for next-gen console gamers.
