The best gaming TVs | PC Gamer
The best gaming TV gives you a remarkable space to play your games on. PC monitors can’t always completely immerse you in a scene as a good gaming TV does. And now, the best gaming TVs rival the best gaming monitors’ infidelity and response time. There are good reasons to forego a monitor and contest on the big screen like our favorite gaming projectors.
Just think, with a TV, it’s easier to bag fancier technologies, such as OLED panels, that have not yet extensively graced our desktops. Your choices for the glorious OLED panel technology are limited to high-end gaming laptops, gaming monitors that are entirely reasonably priced, or the best TVs that are built with gaming in mind.
Since the Nvidia RTX 3080 and AMD RX 6800 XT launched, 4K gaming is wholly accessible—if you can capture one on today’s market, that is. These new GPUs can nail 120 fps at 4K in all but the most challenging games, so you’ll need to keep up. Notably, the best TVs for gaming also support HDMI 2.1, so you can hit silky smooth frame rates at that super high resolution. These screens also play nicely with the next-gen consoles, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X also capable of outputting at 4K and 120Hz—again, check for HDMI 2.1 support.
Then there’s the promise of 8K gaming with the Nvidia RTX 3090, delivered through the power of Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). Though 8k sounds like immense fun, most of the gaming TVs we’ve tested here are 4K; it’s more attainable than 8K. So we tried a bunch of 4K TVs to bring you a step closer to big-screen gaming.
Best gaming TVs
The best TV for gaming
Specifications
Screen size: 48-inch
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Panel technology: OLED
Smart TV: LG webOS
Dimensions: 42.2 x 25.6 x 9.9 inches
Weight: 42 lbs
Reasons to buy
+
Unrivaled black levels
+
Offers uncompressed 4K@120Hz
+
Desk-friendly form factor
Reasons to avoid
–
Risk of screen burn-in
–
No full-range color gamut at 4K yet
The first OLED TV under 50-inches was always a watershed moment for PC gaming. Sure, strapping a 65-inch monster to the wall so you can game on your couch is appealing, but this is the first OLED TV actually to retail in a 48-inch form factor you could realistically use on your desk.
It’s going to have to be a pretty big desk and sturdy too, but you’d be surprised just how rapidly you will adjust to having such screen real estate in front of you. And given that actual OLED monitors are still rare as pigeon teeth right now, this is arguably your best bet for PC gaming on an OLED panel.
And though it is a TV, it’s certainly not devoid of PC sensibilities. LG has now added AMD FreeSync Premium support to the existing Nvidia G-Sync compatibility the company added to last year’s models.
In terms of picture quality, no other technology can match the contrast and black levels of the self-emissive pixels in an OLED screen. Match it with a 120 Hz refresh rate and superior HDR chops, and this is almost the perfect PC gaming screen and the best gaming TV.
Read our full LG OLED48CX – 48-inch 4K TV review.
- LG OLED65E9PUA
The best big-screen 4K gaming TV you can buy
Specifications
Screen size: 65-inch
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Panel technology: OLED
Smart TV: LG webOS
Dimensions: 35.5 x 57 x 8.7 inches
Weight: 75 lbs
Reasons to buy
+
Incredible black levels
+
Pin-sharp, ultra-thin panel
+
Comes with G-sync
Reasons to avoid
–
Risk of screen burn-in
–
Not as bright as some
Each year, LG’s OLED panels get stronger and more vital for gaming and a better contender for the best gaming TV title. The E9 is 2019’s model, and it packs in many of the same features from the previous year’s E8 (our favorite gaming TV for so long), albeit with some fundamental changes. The panel is still among the thinnest of all 4K TVs, and it brings unrivaled black levels thanks to the OLED tech, allowing individual LEDs to be completely switched on and off. That’s how you get such deep blacks and the clarity and sharpness of image with them. It makes the E9 panels perfect for darker games like Metro: Exodus and Resident Evil 2: Remake.
LG has recently stated it has no plans to support FreeSync on 2019 OLED screens. The even better news is that G-sync is enabled on all E9-series TVs when you have Game Mode active, so you no longer have to suffer through skipped frames and torn pictures when playing at higher frame rates. Unless you’re gaming on an AMD card…
Away from frame-syncing, HDR isn’t toned down in LG’s Game Mode either, so you still get that vibrancy while benefiting from better response and refresh rates. Unfortunately, you can still only play 4K at 60Hz on the E9-series (as it was with the E8), but the response rate has been boosted over the previous year and now sits at a handsome 6ms for 1440p and 13ms for 4K.
The LG E9 is also capable of Dolby Atmos 4.2 sound, perfect for 4K movies if you run them through PC. While its HDR brightness isn’t entirely on a par with the QLED panels from Samsung (which favor color vibrancy over deep blacks), the Dolby Vision here is superb. As with most OLED panels, the thinness of the screen means the sound output is never going to be as rich as a separate speaker system (speaker size is sacrificed for aesthetics). However, the E9 still manages surprisingly good audio that surpasses the E8. We’d recommend a premium gaming headset to set the experience off or a top-class audio system, but it’s by no means a deal-breaker.
- Samsung Q9F
Best gaming TV with superb 4K and HDR
Specifications
Screen size: 65-inch
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Panel technology: QLED
Smart TV: Samsung QSmart
Dimensions: 48.5 x 30.7 x 9.8 inches
Weight: 44.1 lbs
Reasons to buy
+
The best TV picture available
+
Has HDR 2000
+
Freesync is compatible and has an excellent Game Mode.
Reasons to avoid
–
Relatively narrow viewing angles
–
Design isn’t for everyone.
While OLED is best for the inkiest of blacks, Samsung’s QLED tech leads the way to vibrant colors and vivid contrasts. The Q9F is 2018’s best 4K TV and consequently one of the best gaming TVs. While it has now been replaced as the flagship model by the Q90R, it remains a showstopping panel. You can now pick it up for half the price, making this elite TV affordable, and it has almost all the features present in the newer (vastly more expensive) Q90R.
The headline feature is its HDR 2000 tech, the most vivid HDR of any commercially available TV. It’s all very well boasting about it, but you can see a significant boost in vibrancy over every other TV set, with a noticeably broader range of colors. It’s a tremendous all-rounder, thanks to a direct full-array LED picture display, and the anti-reflection screen is the icing on the cake. 4K content looks stunning, but the TV also does a fantastic job of upscaling regular HD pictures and even SD content, making them more colorful and with smoother motion and edges.
A healthy alternative if you’re after the best gaming TV and don’t fancy either of the two above.
- Hisense 55H8G
Best budget 4K gaming TV
Specifications
Screen size: 55-inch
Resolution: 3840×2160
Panel technology: ULED
Smart TV: Android TV
Dimensions: 48.3 x 9.5 x 30.7 inches
Weight: 33.1 lbs
Reasons to buy
+
Good color and contrast
+
240Hz
+
HDR
Reasons to avoid
–
Remote needs works
–
Android TV can run slowly.
For PC gamers on a budget, finding a TV that can do 4K and HDR can be a bit of a daunting task. Price is often a huge factor in deciding on a gaming TV, and no less for us when deciding on the best gaming TV. The excellent news is Hisense has been making decent budget 4K TVs for a while at under $1,000.
The 55H8G makes it on our list because it provides excellent color and contrast. It can do 4K at 60Hz (240Hz at lower resolutions) and supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR. More importantly, this TV retails for $500, a great price.
If 55 inches is still too small for your tastes, Hisense also makes a 75-inch version of the H8G Smart TV in its Quantum Dot glory.
- Sony A8H OLED
Best mid-range 4K TV for gaming
Specifications
Screen size: 55-inch
Resolution: 3840×2160
Panel technology: OLED
Smart TV: Android TV
Dimensions: 48.3 x 28.9 x 12.8 inches
Weight: 53.3 lb
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Reasons to buy
+
Excellent Black level
+
Nice wide viewing angles
Reasons to avoid
–
Risk of screen burn-in
–
Lacks VRR and HDR10+ support
The Sony A8H is a solid OLED TV best known for its stellar picture quality. The 4K OLED TV has a decent color range and rich, deep black levels. You’ll notice how thin the TV is, which makes it perfect for wall mounting.
The wide viewing angles can almost guarantee that anywhere on your couch is the best seat in the house to enjoy all that delicious content.
Gamers with next-gen consoles or newer GPUs with hopes of 4K gaming will feel right at home. The lack of VRR (variable refresh rate) is weird for a TV this expensive.
Best gaming PC | Best gaming chairs | Best graphics cards
Best gaming headsets | Best G-sync monitors
- TCL 55R617 Roku TV
The best budget 4K TV you can buy
Specifications
Screen size: 55-inch
Resolution: 3840×2160
Panel technology: LED
Smart TV: Roku TV
Dimensions: 48.5 x 30.9 x 10.7 inches
Weight: 38.2 lbs
Reasons to buy
+
Great price, and often reduced.
+
Good picture quality
+
Surprisingly solid response rate
Reasons to avoid
–
Patchy color reproduction
–
Limited motion settings
If you’re looking to buy a 55-inch TV on a budget, look no further than the TCL 6-series. This is 2018’s model, but that means you can often find it on sale, but, quite frankly, it’s a bargain at total price. While the earlier TCL models suffered from poor build quality and several screen flaws, the 6-series solved these issues to deliver an ace Roku-powered TV. While it doesn’t have the low, low response rate of $1000+ panels, it manages between 6–12 ms, which is above average for this size and price TVs. It has full-array local dimming, which means the contrast ratios are good (the blacks, especially, are friendly and deep). What’s more, it makes a great gaming TV too.
While not the best gaming TV, per se, for the price, it’s very tough to fault the TCL 617. The TCL suffers in the color range, which is merely average for a 4K TV at this price. It has decent HDR, but that can’t quite mask the lower vibrancy of images. Although (to be honest) you’re unlikely to notice much of a difference unless you’re playing the most colorful of games. At 55-inches, it’s less noticeable, too, although if you’re looking to go up to 65-inches, you need to work out if you’re ok getting a TV that does blacks and dark tones better than colors and light styles. It even comes with voice control.
You can even drop down to 43-inches if you’re looking for a 4K TV as part of a PC set-up or second room gaming rig. The contrast remains impressive, and it’s a little cheaper too.
Best gaming TVs FAQ
Should I use a TV for PC gaming?
Our advice would have traditionally been that you will get the best experience from plugging into a monitor. Still, there are a couple of benefits to picking a TV as your primary display. For a start, a gaming TV with a 120Hz refresh rate and high-quality HDR will be noticeably brighter than your typical gaming monitor.
And then there’s the size—you’re likely to get a much bigger panel than you would with almost any of the traditional gaming monitors. Many high-end TVs come with game-focused features these days, too, to enjoy technologies such as FreeSync or G-Sync on your big screen panel of choice.
And now there’s almost no compromise. Well, apart from pixel pitch at such large screen sizes. But when you’re gaming on the sofa, that’s less of an issue. With an HDMI 2.1 connection and a recent AMD or Nvidia GPU, you can game at 120Hz and 4K on many a TV.
Do I need a TV with HDMI 2.1 for PC gaming?
If you’re aiming for 120Hz gaming at 4K, you need HDMI 2.1. But if you’re only looking at a 4K TV with a maximum 60Hz refresh rate, you can get by just fine with a standard HDMI 2.0 connection. And that’s true whether you’re talking about PC gaming or a console such as the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5.
It’s also worth pointing out that only the latest AMD and Nvidia graphics cards have HDMI 2.1 sockets.
What TV size is best for gaming?
It depends on how much space you have available, how big the room is. How far away you are from the screen, but 43–55 inches is generally considered optimal as a guide.
Is OLED or QLED better for gaming
These are both forward-looking panel technologies that look to improve the overall picture quality. QLED can offer better brightness and support larger screen sizes. While OLED can provide better viewing angles and contrast, remarkably better blacks. It’s often down to the individual implementation, though, so it’s not as easy as saying one is better than the other.
How do you test gaming TVs?
In figuring out what makes the best gaming TV, we have focused on four main performance elements.
First, input lag: how long a screen takes to render image data received at its inputs. This is critically important to gamers. Input lag was checked with HDR, SDR, 4K, and HD game feeds to check there were no significant anomalies between different sources (there weren’t with any of our selected TVs).
We checked input lag in two ways: using a Leo Bodnar input lag measuring device, and photographically, where we split a video feed of a running timer into the TV we’re testing and a reference BenQ gaming monitor, take a photo, and then see how far the time reading on the TV was behind the reading on the reference monitor.
The photographic method enables us to spot potential moment-to-moment variations in input lag that some TVs suffer with, which the Bodnar device doesn’t provide.
Next, we considered contrast. How well a display can reproduce the darkest and brightest parts of a gaming image is essential to a genuinely satisfying game experience. Especially now, many games are supporting the expanded brightness range associated with HDR. As part of the contrast assessment, we also looked for issues such as flickering brightness levels and backlight ‘blooming’ around bright objects.
We measured each TV’s peak light output using an X-Rite i1 Display Pro light meter for contrast testing. This lets us know how far a set can go towards achieving the extreme brightness levels HDR gaming is capable of.
Color performance was also carefully scrutinized, paying attention to the richness, balance, consistency, freedom from striping noise, and authenticity of the tones shown. All HDR material also carries a broader color range than the old standard dynamic range format we’ve been stuck with for many years. This can have a transformative effect on game graphics, making them look more lifelike and more dramatic/three-dimensional.
Finally, we looked a motion and sharpness as markers of the best gaming TV. We mention these together as, to some extent, they’re related. Suppose a TV suffers badly with judder or blurring when you’re panning around in Fortnite or hurtling into the scenery in Forza Horizon 3. In that case, that will affect the picture’s sense of sharpness significantly. We also studied ultra-detailed but relatively static 4K game graphics looking for signs of softness, shimmering noise, ever-enthusiastic edge-enhancements, grain, or any lack of depth and three-dimensionality that might be caused by a TV being unable to deliver enough color finesse to ‘match’ the number of pixels in the screen.
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