OLED gaming displays are finally releasing in droves, and we’ve reviewed heaps of them to offer advice on the best OLED gaming monitor you can currently buy. Massively fast response times, per-pixel lighting and deep black rendition means that as gaming monitors, OLED panels are highly prized.
The best overall OLED monitor is the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED. The latest QD-OLED panel offers a crisp 4K resolution and unrivalled vibrancy, but in this particular monitor, you can get it for less. If you prefer refresh rate over resolution, the best 1440p OLED gaming monitor is the MSI MPG 271QRX, which is capable of a incredibly quick 360 Hz.
OLED technology does come with some drawbacks, namely the risk of burn-in, but many OLED gaming monitors mitigate it and seem to be holding up well. OLED monitors are a very desirable addition to a high-end gaming setup, and below we’ve rounded up our top picks.
Hardware writer
The Quick List
The best overall
This MSI 4K display is the best OLED monitor you can buy right now. Why? It’s using one of the best panels we’ve ever tested, in multiple monitors, for less than the competition. Bit of a stunner, that.
Read more below
The best 1440p
With many gamers preferring a 1440p resolution paired with a high refresh rate, the MSI MPG 271QRX is the best OLED gaming monitor to match. A 360 Hz refresh rate is the real sell, though it also benefits from all the regular benefits of an OLED panel.
Read more below
The best ultrawide
The combination of Samsung’s QD-OLED tech with a glossy panel coating at a relatively low price makes this the ultrawide OLED gaming monitor of choice. Ridiculous pixel speed, outrageous contrast and eye-popping colours, all in a perfectly proportioned 34-inch ultrawide package.
Read more below
The best big screen
Samsung’s new 49-inch curved monster delivers a stupendous gaming experience thanks to QD-OLED panel tech on such a massive scale. That said, the extreme 32:9 aspect ratio isn’t a great fit for all gaming genres. And it’s awfully expensive.
Read more below
The best gaming TV
This auto-flexing gaming TV will switch from flat to curved at the touch of a button and offers a great mix of LG’s OLED TV chops and some impressive gaming performance, too. Sure, it’s expensive, but if you want the best you have to pay.
Read more below
This guide was updated on July 24, 2024 to add the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED as the best overall OLED gaming monitor, and to check the rest of our recommendations, which remain the same.
Best OLED gaming monitor
Well, we’re now living in a world where multiple, brilliant OLED monitors are most definitely a thing. But the problem is, the prices are still sky high. While this particular display is still not what you’d call cheap, it’s significantly less than the competition, and best of all it uses the same panel as some of our very favorites. That makes the MSI MPG 321URX the best OLED monitor you can buy right now.
It’s not like you’re getting a whole lot less for your money, either. While the chassis isn’t exactly the most stunning piece of design we’ve ever seen, its decently made and looks subtle enough that it won’t stand out on most peoples desks. What will stand out, however, is the fabulous color reproduction when you turn it on.
OLED displays are famous for their vivid colors, and the MPG 321URX is absolutely no exception. Thanks to a glossy coating and that Samsung-sourced panel, it really does invite all those monitor reviewer clichés: Zap, zing, pop, pow. It’s a fabulous looking thing.
Brightness is a bit of a downfall of OLED tech, but with a fullscreen rating of 250 nits, this screen is still plenty bright enough for most. DisplayHDR 400 mode provides the most punchy picture, but you can switch to a 1,000 nit mode for darker scenes with better highlights. HDR is still a pain on a Windows machine, and we wish you didn’t have to mess around with the settings like this, but the MSI is far from the only display with this issue.
What’s much less of an issue than many OLEDs here is the text display. OLEDs can color fringe and blur text quite badly, but the MPG 321URX is much better than most, meaning it makes for a fine productivity monitor as well as a gaming and media beast.
Burn-in is always a concern on any OLED display, but here MSI has mitigated it with plenty of tech, alongside a three year burn-in warranty that should provide some reassurance. All OLEDs need a bit of special care in this regard, but these sort of warranties are now common.
But here we are again: Price. You can often find this monitor for $899 or less, which means the MSI handily undercuts its competition, with very little drawback. That makes the MSI MPG 321URX the best OLED display we’ve tested to date—and as it so happens, the best gaming monitor overall—and the one we’d buy with our own money.
Read our full MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED review.
Best 1440p OLED gaming monitor
The best 1440p OLED gaming monitor is the MSI MPG 271QRX. This 27-inch screen swaps resolution for speed with a mahoosive 360 Hz refresh rate, alongside an excellent 0.03 ms response time more commonly found across OLED panels.
Broadly speaking, a 27-inch 1440p gaming monitor is the most sensible blend of size, resolution, performance and price for PC gaming. The 271QRX isn’t sensible, however, with its extreme refresh rate, response time and frightfully massive price tag.
But before you get too put off by the price, the Samsung-made panel within this MSI monitor is excellent in its response, vibrancy and contrast. It’s the same panel as many of the best OLEDs, so expect nothing less of this for its rapid-fire response.
It’s also much easier to drive the 271QRX than almost any other OLED in the guide. The standard 1440p resolution is relatively easy-going for most mid-range graphics cards, though if you think that means you can save some cash, think again.
This monitor is extremely expensive versus other 1440p panels. The price you pay for that lovely, luscious OLED. You can almost forgive a high-end OLED with a 4K or ultrawide resolution for its large price tag, but a 27-inch 1440p is a much tougher pill to swallow. That slim resolution may net you a high refresh rate, but it does suffer from text fringing worse than higher resolution screens.
MSI offers some interesting burn-in protection features on the MPG 271QRX, including logo and taskbar detection. These both auto dim specific elements on the screen when they’re present, to prevent risk of burn-in on frequently displayed things. That’s handy, as it means you don’t have to bother with auto-hiding your taskbar or anything like that. Plus this panel has quite a bit of overprovisioning, which is another boon to longevity of the panel.
While we prefer other OLED monitors for the price, if you really must chase the best monitor for competitive gaming, the MSI MPG 271QRX is definitely in the running. The natural benefits of its OLED panel with a focus on speed makes for a mighty impressive screen, even if it’s anything but cheap.
Read our full MSI MPG 271QRX review.
Best ultrawide OLED gaming monitor
Our previous pick for the best overall OLED gaming monitor, the Alienware QD-OLED AW3423DWF still earns a place as the best ultrawide OLED gaming monitor. It’s still fantastic and, importantly, often discounted.
This big 34-inch curved display has a glossy coating that really makes the excellent colours and silly-deep contrast pop, unlike the Alienware 34 QD-OLED AW3423DW. It might sound like a small thing, but this deceptively simple tweak turns a fantastic OLED gaming monitor into a truly stupendous one for gaming.
The refresh rate is a speedy 165Hz, and like most other OLEDs, what really counts here is the sublime pixel response time, which is silly fast at 0.1 ms.
The Samsung QD-OLED used here is a real stunner. Not only does it deliver fantastic overall performance but it delivers much more consistent brightness performance with a 1,000 nits peak, although admittedly not over the full screen.Newer screens, such as the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM, user moderately improved QD-OLED panels than the one used here, but it’s really not a dealbreaker for us.
Full-screen brightness has always been a bit of an Achille’s heel for OLED displays, but at least the Alienware has a better brightness limiter than most, and its lack of aggression compared to the competition means you can hardly notice it adjusting. That makes a big difference in day-to-day usage, and serves as a real feather in the big Alienware’s cap.
Speaking of feathers in caps, let’s talk about that curve. While curved displays are always going to split the room, the gentle 1800R curve in combination with the 3,440 by 1,440 resolution used here really makes for an immersive experience. Even if you’re not a fan of bendy monitors, once you game on this one we reckon you’ll be impressed.
There are always drawbacks, especially in OLED displays, and other than the already mentioned full screen brightness issue it is worth pointing out that the pixel density could be better for productivity tasks. While font-rendering is not bad by any means, it’s not the sharpest nor the crispest we’ve seen. The 4K OLED panels are better on this.
All OLED monitors are quite expensive, unfortunately, but we’ve seen some good deals on the Alienware, and it’s often a lot cheaper than competing panels in this guide. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for the best OLED displays you’re going to have to open you pocketbook pretty wide. Still, at least here you’re getting an OLED gaming monitor that really does deliver image quality and gaming performance that’s worth the money.
Yep, the Alienware 34 AW3423DWF takes our top spot as the best ultrawide OLED gaming monitor for a reason, and that reason is visual lushness, with far fewer compromises than most. It’s a centerpiece of a display, all wrapped up in a handsome package with a glossy coat that’ll make your games simply sing.
Read our full Alienware 34 AW3423DWF review.
Best big-screen OLED gaming monitor
Behold the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 G93SC, all 49 inches of it. This is gigantic. Huge. Ma-hoosive. It’s just about the most impressive thing you could have sitting on your desk, and it takes the prize for the best ultrawide OLED gaming monitor by virtue of…well, just look at it.
What we’ve got here is an OLED monitor using the same Samsung QD-OLED panel tech that we’ve seen previously on other monitors such as the Alienware 34 AW3423DWF and Philips Evnia 34M2C8600, but wider. At 32:9 aspect rather than 21:9, with the same pixel density but an extension along the X-axis to 5,120 pixels, it’s a truly massive and all-encompassing display with a huge pixel canvas. This 240 Hz refresh rate monitor is also just as fast as other QD-OLED monitors and just as bright, too, hitting up to 250 nits.
The G9 features DisplayPort, HDMI, and mini HDMI pots, plus a USB hub. The USB-C socket, however, is only for the hub and doesn’t feature power delivery or display capabilities. Still, can’t have everything ey?
What we can have is looks, and this thing looks fantastic. It looks modern and minimalistic and would suit any desk you could reasonably fit it on (and trust us, you’ll need a big one). It also feels very nicely put together. The panel enclosure’s thin, too, which adds to that space age and futuristic feel, although if you want to take things even further into science fiction with a display that bends itself (yep), check out the LG OLED Flex 42 below,
Gaming-wise, the G9 G93SC is very good indeed, with its contrast aided by the panel’s staple glossy coating. Game images look consistently punchy all the time, unlike some LG panels which can dip in brightness depending on the scene. With the G9, however, there’s barely any visible automatic brightness limiting.
This means great things outside of gaming, too, such as for productivity applications, as anyone who’s suffered the brightness bouncing around on the desktop when you open and close browser windows on some other OLED monitors can tell you.
Then there’s its HDR. The G9 does HDR the way it was always meant to be, and the results are instantly stunning. And with a 240Hz refresh and 0.03ms response, this monitor is silly quick, too. Downsides? Well, it’s an OLED, so there’s always the possibility of potential burn-in, and really, you do have to ask yourself if you want a monitor this exceptionally large.
But still, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 G93SC is an absolute winner, and when it comes to the best ultrawides, well, you’re looking at it.
Read our full Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 review.
Best OLED gaming TV
Can’t decide between curved and plain old flat, and got a significant amount of spare cash in your back pocket? Lucky you, because you’ll be able to experience our current best OLED gaming TV, the LG OLED Flex 42.
LG has set and MSRP of $2,499 (£2,699, AUD $4,999) for the privilege of owning one of these mighty displays, and we’re not going to mess you around, that’s as serious amount of cash. But bear with us here, because the LG isn’t just a great panel, it’s got a party trick that leaves all other OLED displays in the shade. This TV can bend itself into a curved display at the touch of a button, and it even plays an impressive sound effect while it does it. Ridiculous, we know, but in all the best ways.
You’re not just paying for the motorised flexibility either. This LG OLED comes with some of the best top TV features from its other displays, including a super bright OLED Evo panel with 4K resolution, 120Hz refresh, 1ms response, wide color gamut, ALLM, VRR, Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync support. You’ll also get support for Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, and HLG with Dynamic tone mapping.
There’s also an anti-glare coating and a USB hub, although no DisplayPort, so you’ll need to make use of the four HDMI 2.1 ports for connectivity.
The motors are hidden, or more accurately, somewhat overtly covered in a chunky stand, but the LG Flex feels solid and well-built as a result, and given that it can bend around its panel in ways that would make other displays cry for mercy, that’s a very good thing.
Those of you who might think that this is purely a TV and not really a gaming display will be pleased to find LG’s excellent Game Optimiser dashboard, and while this is an addition on many of LG’s TVs, it does a great job of helping you get the most out of that sumptuous panel for all your gaming needs. It might not be the fastest at 120Hz, but honestly that’s plenty fast enough for most gamers, and buttery smooth by comparison to many TVs.
Back to that bendy panel, and the gubbins that power it. The LG Flex includes the LG Gen 5 AI processor to handle images, and as result this display looks excellent. HDR shines in all the ways you hope it might, and you get perfect contrast and extra brightnest thanks to the OLED Evo tech inside. There’s also LG’s WebOS system that runs all the usual streaming apps, alongside the tried and tested Magic Remote for TV functionality.
So, back to drawbacks, and here we go again, it’s the price. $2,500 shiny dollars. It’s a lot of money for just about anybody, but what you’re getting here is some of LG’s absolute best technology wrapped up in a screen that can do something that others simply cannot. Those looking for an ultrawide should probably take a gander at the gigantic Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, but if you want to stick to good old 16:9, it doesn’t get much better than this.
It’s big, it’s excessive, it’s pricey, but it’s also truly fantastic, and if you’ve got the moolah, well, LG has built the display. Now get yourself to curving, you lucky so-and-so you.
Read our full LG OLED Flex 42 review.
Also tested
How we test gaming monitors
How does PC Gamer test gaming monitors?
Like everything else we test, we live with a gaming monitor in the same way you would at home. We make sure to use it for day-to-day monitor-y tasks on your windows desktop—because your PC likely isn’t just for gaming—and we, of course test it while gaming too, because we’re all comprehensive like that.
The Windows desktop will highlight any failings in factory calibration, and show up any issues with font scaling, too. Fonts can be a particular problem with OLED panels thanks to typically not using standard RGB subpixels. The Windows desktop is also a good way to test problems with OLED full-screen brightness and auto brightness limiting (ABL) functions.
As for gaming, using fast-paced shooters is a great way to test out the response of a given gaming monitor, and then the neon-dripping world of Cyberpunk 2077 makes for an excellent HDR tester.
We also go through a series of experiential tests to highlight any response and latency issues. We find it too easy to get lost in the weeds of specific panel benchmarks and miss more obvious problems that might crop up during day-to-day gaming use. So, we put more weight on what it’s like to actually use a gaming monitor on a daily basis than what the specs might say.
Where to buy a gaming monitor
Where are best gaming monitor deals?
In the US:
- Amazon – Regular discounts on high refresh rate gaming monitors
- Walmart – Save on quick gaming monitors
- B&H Photo – Gaming monitors for as little as $100
- Best Buy – Gaming monitors going for less
- Target – LG, Acer and Asus gaming monitors on sale
- Staples – Regular sales on selected HP gaming monitors
- Newegg – Lots of cheap gaming monitors to choose from
- Dell – Money off Alienware gaming monitors
In the UK:
- Amazon – Save on big-name monitor brands
- Overclockers – 1440p LG gaming monitors from £190
- Scan – AMD FreeSync monitors from as low as £100
- CCL – Regular deals on some of the best screens around
Best OLED gaming monitor FAQ
What’s better for gaming, LCD or OLED?
First, let’s clarify one thing. Mini-LED monitors are LCD monitors with mini-LED backlights. So, they don’t compare to OLED with it comes to per-pixel lighting control and speed. OLED technology is massively faster in terms of pixel response and, currently, the only option for true per-pixel lighting and that means proper HDR performance, with sizzling, pin-point highlights combined with perfect, inky black levels.
That said, LCD still has the edge for latency thanks to offering refresh rates up to and beyond 500Hz, while OLED currently tops out at 240Hz. However, super-high refresh rates really only deliver a benefit in an ultra-competitive online shooter context. For everything else, OLED’s refresh rate is more than enough.
LCD’s final advantage is pixel density. 4K 32-inch OLED monitors are imminent, but right now OLED monitors offer relatively low pixel density. For gaming, that’s probably fine. But for general purpose computing, for things like crisp fonts and lots of desktop space, existing OLED monitors are a little compromised. But overall, OLED clearly gives the better gaming experience.
What’s the LG versus Samsung OLED panel tech thing about?
Currently, all OLED gaming monitors are based on either LG or Samsung panels. They both share basic OLED attributes including incredible speed and per-pixel lighting. But they also differ in a few important aspects.
First is subpixel structure. LG’s WOLED panels have white, red, green and blue vertical subpixels in that order. Samsung’s subpixels are arranged in a triangle, with the red and blue subpixels above the green subpixel and no white subpixel. For gaming, subpixel structure arguably doesn’t matter. But it does in Windows, especially for rendering fonts.
Next up, Samsung’s QD-OLED panels tend to offer better full-screen brightness, typically hitting about 250 nits. LG panels tend to be nearer 150 nits. That’s a very noticeable difference.
Is burn-in really a problem?
One other possible difference when it comes to LG versus Samsung panels is burn-in or image retention. Some early testing has suggested that Samsung’s QD-OLED panels may be more prone to burn-in than LG panels. But that has yet to be conclusively established.
More to the point, OLED technology is new enough in PC monitors that the true long-term durability has yet to be determined. All of the OLED monitors we have reviewed come with at least three years warranty, including burn-in cover. So, you needn’t have any immediate concerns. What’s harder to say is if you can reasonably expect an OLED monitor to resist any kind of burn-in for five years or more.
What aspect ratio should I go for?
Most games are optimised for a widescreen format at a 16:9 aspect ratio. That applies to TV content and video content, though feature films tend to be wider still. So, that’s 1080p, 1440p and 4K. All three are 16:9 aspect.
21:9 aspect ultra-wide panels are also popular, just bear in mind that most first-person shooters tend to just stretch the existing image over the wider aspect rather than extending the field of view (FoV). That’s especially true of competitive online shooters, where a wider FoV would make for an unfair advantage.
And the very far-out option, if you have a little extra cash to blow, is the extra-ultra-wide aspect ratio of 32:9. That can make for incredibly immersive gaming. But it also stretches the limits of ergonomics, both physical and in terms of things like game UI and menus. For most gamers, most of the time 16:9 and 21:9 are the best choices.
Jargon buster – gaming monitor terminology
Refresh Rate (Hz)
The speed at which the screen refreshes. For example, 144Hz means the display refreshes 144 times a second. The higher the number, the smoother the screen will appear when you play games.
V-Sync
Graphics tech synchronizes a game’s framerate with your monitor’s refresh rate to help prevent screen tearing by syncing your GPU frame rate to the display’s maximum refresh rate. Turn V-Sync on in your games for a smoother experience, but you’ll lose information, so turn it off for fast-paced shooters (and live with the tearing). Useful if you have an older model display that can’t keep up with a new GPU.
G-Sync
Nvidia’s frame synching tech that works with Nvidia GPUs. It basically allows the monitor to sync up with the GPU. It does by showing a new frame as soon as the GPU has one ready.
FreeSync
AMD’s take on frame synching uses a similar technique as G-Sync, with the biggest difference being that it uses DisplayPort’s Adaptive-Sync technology which doesn’t cost monitor manufacturers anything.
Ghosting
When movement on your display leaves behind a trail of pixels when watching a movie or playing a game, this is often a result of a monitor having slow response times.Happily, this doesn’t really apply to OLED monitors thanks to their incredible speed.
Response Time
The amount of time it takes a pixel to transition to a new color and back. Often referenced as G2G or Grey-to-Grey. Slow response times can lead to ghosting. Pretty much all OLED monitors are sub 1ms response and super fast.
QD-OLED
This is Samsung’s OLED panel tech. It’s the brightest currently available, but there are some early signs that it may be prone to burn-in.
WOLED
LG’s OLED panels have a WRGB or white-red-green-blue subpixel structure, hence the name WOLED, indicating an additional white subpixel.
HDR
High Dynamic Range. HDR provides a wider color range than normal SDR panels and offers increased brightness. The result is more vivid colors, deeper blacks, and a brighter picture.
Peak Brightness
This refers to the maximum brightness of a monitor or television and is measured in nits. OLED panels have good peak brightness of 1000 nits or more, but it’s limited to a small area of the screen.
Full-screen brightness
This is an important metric because full-screen brightness on OLED panels is always much less than peak brightness. Samsung QD-OLED tech can hit about 250 nits full screen, but LG panels are nearer 150 nits.
Ultrawide
Shorthand for monitors with aspect wider aspect ratios like 32:9 or 21:9
Resolution
The number of pixels that make up a monitor’s display, measured by height and width. For example: 1920 x 1080 (aka 1080p), 2560 x 1440 (2K), and 3840 x 2160 (4K).
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