Looking for the best gaming TV is the same as hunting for the best TV for movies or streaming. You need to find a TV with fantastic image quality, a budget that’s right for you and a size that fits into your living room. But there are also several specific gaming requirements you need to consider as well.
Here at TechRadar, when we’re reviewing the best TVs, we’re also testing their gaming features, to see which make the best gaming TVs. For example, gaming TVs need to have a low level of input lag, meaning there isn’t a delay between you pressing a button and what you see on your screen. We test this ourselves, and look for input lag of under 15ms to suit the majority of gamers, or under 10ms for those who want the absolute best results.
Today’s top TVs all have high-end gaming features built-in. Higher-end models, including many of the best OLED TVs, are usually excellent for gaming regardless of which one you choose. If you need to stay within a budget, you might find one in the best TVs under $1000 or the best TVs under £1000. But be careful, some of the cheaper models won’t include the 120Hz screen or HDMI 2.1 connectivity that makes the most of the next-gen PS5 or Xbox Series X consoles.
The quick list
If you want to quickly find the perfect gaming TV for you, try this list – you can also get a more in-depth write-up of any particular model by clicking the TV link!
The best gaming TV for most people
The Samsung S90C is an OLED TV that’s majorly brighter than others at the same price, and has almost every gaming feature going, with four HDMI 2.1 ports. No Dolby Vision gaming, though.
Read more below
The best gaming TV for PS5
This a beautiful (though not super-bright) OLED with ‘Perfect for PS5’ tech, including 4K 120Hz and VRR support, plus a special HDR mode for PS5 unique to Sony TVs.
Read more below
The best budget gaming TV (US)
Dolby Vision gaming, 4K 120Hz (up to 144Hz) refresh rate, VRR and ALLM – the U7N has them all without breaking the bank. It’s also available in the UK, but not as good value.
Read more below
The best budget gaming TV (UK)
This QLED TV has four HDMI 2.1 ports, all with 4K 120Hz support, so it’s amazing for gamers on a budget who want lots of flexibility. It’s available in the US too.
Read more below
The best TV for lighter rooms
Want to play during the day in a bright room? This TV is brighter than the rest here, looks fantastic, and has four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz.
Read more below
The best gaming TV for size options
The LG C4 has every gaming feature imaginable, and comes in more sizes than any other TV here, from 42 inches to 83 inches. It’s less bright than the Samsung QN90C, though.
Read more below
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The best cheaper gaming OLED
Want the most budget OLED screen you can buy with 4K 120Hz support? This is it. It’s less bright than the LG C3 and only has two 2.1 ports, but still has supreme contrast and performance.
Read more below
The brightest OLED TV
Utilizing QD-OLED for rich contrast and high brightness levels and anti-reflection technology to limit reflections mixed with a ton of gaming features, the S95D is one of the best gaming OLEDs around.
Read more below
The best elite gaming TV for PS5
PS5-centric features inside one of the most sophisticated and stunning mini-LED TVs we’ve seen, with OLED-like contrast and stunning brightness. But it comes at a price.
Read more below
Matt Bolton
I’ve been testing and reporting on TVs since 2017, but my experience writing about and reviewing screen technology stretches back to 2010. I love seeing all the latest TV releases as they come through our testing rooms, and I shape this guide by working with our reviewers and editors, to agree which TVs are the best fit for gaming, balancing features, sizes and price.
23 July 2024
Added the Sony Bravia 9 as ‘best elite TV for PS5’
The best gaming TVs in 2024
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The best gaming TV for most people
The Samsung S90C is our pick as the best gaming TV for most people because it packs in just about every gaming feature you could need, with a next-gen OLED screen that’s brighter than the likes of the LG C3 or Sony A80L (both lower in this list), and yet for a very similar price to those TVs. It’s simply incredible value – in fact, it’s also number 1 in our overall best TVs guide – and we were blown away by its actual picture quality in our review, saying “the longer I watched the S90C, the more I became aware of just how much cleaner, more natural and generally more refined its pictures were.”
When it comes to gaming features, you’ve got four HDMI 2.1 ports, all supporting 4K 120Hz from consoles (or 4K 144Hz for PC games), and variable refresh rates. Samsung’s gaming menus let you tweak how responsive it is and which features you want to use, which is great for tinkerers. We measured input lag at under 10ms, so it’s as responsive as TVs get.
Lots of TVs here offer all this, though – what sets the S90C apart is its bright QD-OLED screen. It’s about 30% brighter than the LG C3, and you can really see this – clouds pop in the sky, colors are richer, and it’s generally more visible over reflections in a bright room. That’s while still delivering inky OLED black tones, of course, and you’ll benefit from these in both movies and games. It’s a fantastic-looking TV.
It’s also got better built-in sound than the LG C3. The only downsides to it are that it doesn’t include Dolby Vision support (so, no DV gaming from Xbox Series X), there’s no G-Sync for PC gaming, and that it only comes in three sizes. But we think that for the majority of people who aren’t bothered by any of those, it’s the best choice today.
Read the full Samsung S90C review
Best gaming TV for PS5
This is Sony’s mid-range OLED TV, offering a less advanced screen than the likes of the Samsung S95C further down this list (or the S90C above, actually), but packing in Sony’s best image processing and – crucially for us – gaming features.
You’ve got 4K 120Hz and VRR support over two HDMI 2.1 ports, though the latency of 16.5ms is not the best here by any means. This is part of Sony’s Perfect for PS5 TV line-up, which means it includes Auto HDR Tone Mapping support with the console. This means the PS5 adjusts its HDR output to match the exact capabilities of the screen, so you always get the best-looking image.
And it’s doesn’t rely on its gaming features to get by. We were very impressed with the image quality in our tests, going as far to say in our review: “The Sony A80L might not benefit from next-gen OLED technologies and brightness, but its stellar appreciation for the finer things in AV life means it’s still hard to resist”. That includes not just picture quality, but also the sound – Sony’s Acoustic Surface tech is very impressive, and means you may be able to avoid getting a soundbar.
It doesn’t go as bright as Samsung S90C, or the mini-LED TVs here, but it does offer an infinite contrast ratio – it’s capable of ‘true blacks’, by which we mean we measured it at 0 nits when it was supposed to show blackness. Absolutely nothing. That’s very impressive, and makes it great for atmospheric games or movies in HDR.
If you’ve got a PS5 in particular and want an OLED that gets that absolute best out of it without paying a super-premium price, this is an excellent choice.
Read the full Sony A80L review
The best budget gaming TV in the US
The Hisense U7N’s stacked suite of gaming features is ideal for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners and it has a great quality mini-LED picture, all for significantly less than the other TVs on this list.
With 4K 120Hz (with 144Hz option), Dolby Vision gaming, VRR including AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-sync, ALLM and a Game Bar menu, the U7N has a near-complete list of gaming features you’d expect to find on more premium gaming TVs.
The U7N’s picture has bright, bold colors but with no sacrifice of contrast and black levels, which is an impressive accomplishment for a budget mini-LED TV. Textures and details are refined and accurate, giving the picture plenty of depth. The U7N suffers from some backlight blooming and its contrast fades when viewed off-axis, but overall the U7N’s picture is great and adds an extra layer to gaming.
Sadly, the U7N’s sound quality doesn’t quite match its picture, but its directional sound, solid bass, and clear dialogue will suit a lot of games, as we discovered testing with Battlefield V. Ultimately though, its narrow soundstage means a soundbar may be required.
Bang for your buck is at the core of the U7N. With prices sitting roughly at $800 for a 65-inch screen size, it is hard to argue against the performance and features it delivers for the price.
Read our full Hisense U7N review
The best budget gaming TV in the UK
The Samsung Q80C is a fantastic 120Hz gaming TV that not only has a superb bright and colorful picture, but an extensive list of gaming features and a great range of sizes. It’s biggest standout factor though is its competitive price. We said in our review that the Q80C is a “masterclass in what it means to be a mid-range TV” and that is definitely the case.
In terms of gaming features, the Q80C is a stacked TV. It features 4K 120Hz support across all four of its HDMI 2.1 ports as well as VRR, ALLM and AMD FreeSync Premium. It also has Samsung’s fantastic Game hub for all things gaming including cloud gaming services such as Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now and more. We measured it at a super low 9.7ms input lag time so games will feel super smooth.
The Q80C’s picture is brighter than we expected, at 929 nits peak brightness, colorful but with subtle touches and has deeper black levels than anticipated. Couple that with its fantastic 4K sharpness and detail, and the Q80C will really get the best out of your games. In our review, we said “the Q80C delivers as good a gaming experience as we’ve had on such an affordable screen”.
Yes, it’s not the most fully kitted out gaming TV, with a lack of Dolby Vision and all the top VRR features, but for its price – for a 55-inch size it costs $899 / £749 – this is a well-featured TV with a fantastic picture that will really level up your gaming experience.
Read the full Samsung Q80C review
The best gaming TV for lighter rooms
If you’re looking for a bright TV that doesn’t get lost in reflections even if you’re watching it during the day in a sunlit room, allow us to introduce the Samsung QN90C. The Hisense U8K we mentioned earlier in this guide is nearly as bright, but this is slightly brighter still – and is also available in more sizes. It’s a mini-LED display that delivers incredible brightness, it has an exceptionally low input lag for a TV of this size and it delivers impressive HDR, albeit with the usual Samsung omission of Dolby Vision.
With HDMI 2.1 support across all four HDMI inputs, compatibility with 4K 120Hz and support for ALLM, VRR and FreeSync Premium Pro, the QN90C is equipped to make the most of any next-gen console, although it lacks Dolby Vision gaming. And when you add in the popping brightness, assured motion tracking and mile-wide color palette already discussed, it shines above the rest. Mostly, anyhow. Game mode is fantastically fast but you do lose a little of the contrast and a slight increase in white-tone blooming, so when it comes to precise contrast, OLED TVs have an edge over it.
This is a spectacular TV for all kinds of entertainment. Contrast is superb for an LED TV for movies, and it’s a very bright panel with a wide and convincing color range. The image processing doesn’t produce strange results with CGI as some processors do, and the panel has great wide viewing angles.
You can get even more brightness from the Samsung QN95C, but in fewer sizes – if you want to beat reflections even in smaller sizes, this is the TV to get.
Read the full Samsung QN90C review
The best gaming TV for size options
The LG C4 is an excellent all-around TV for gaming, movies, and just about anything else. It has a new Brightness Booster feature that lets it effectively compete with the Samsung S90C sitting at the top of our list as best overall gaming TV, though that model remains our top choice owing to its mix of performance and features and currently lower price.
Brightness Booster on the LG C4 is made possible by a new Alpha 9 AI Processor 4K Gen7 processor that also improves audio from the TV’s built-in 2.2-channel speakers with virtual 9.1.2-channel upmixing. The Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG HDR formats are all supported, and there’s a new Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode preset that gives you an accurate Dolby Vision HDR picture without having to muck with picture settings and menus.
LG’s 2024 TVs including the C4 are the first models to be 144Hz-certified by Nvidia, which is great news for PC gamers. Xbox Series X and PS5 console owners will appreciate the C4’s four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz support, along with VRR, and ALLM. Cloud gaming is also well represented on the LG C4, with GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Utomik, Blacknut, and Boosteroid apps available in the Games Quick Card on the TV’s webOS 24 smart interface.
While the LG C4 is both sufficiently bright and has an anti-reflection screen for daytime viewing and gameplay, the Samsung QN90C mini-LED TV sitting one step up on this list provides an even brighter picture, and it’s available in the same wide range of screen sizes as LG’s C4 OLED.
Read the full LG C4 review
The cheapest gaming OLED TV
If you want the perfect contrast and rapid response times of OLED, but for a lower price than the LG C3 or Samsung S90C, this is your option. You’re getting a lower-brightness screen than either of those, and two HDMI 2.1 ports instead of four – but all the essentials are here.
OLED’s famous contrast still looks excellent, and there’s support for 4K 120Hz gaming with VRR using the regular HDMI kind (for the PS5 or Xbox), AMD FreeSync (for PCs or Xbox), or Nvidia G-Sync. LG’s gaming menu makes it easy to tweak settings as needed to and you can even choose a preset depending on game genre.
Response time is very low at 9.2ms with Boost turned on, and it’ll auto switch to gaming mode when it detects you’ve fired up a console.
For movies and TV, it’s great there too – it has a less advanced image processor than the C3, but it’s still great for a mid-range TV. Vivid colors, deep black levels and excellent motion handling make the B3 a winner when it comes to picture quality. The audio isn’t that impressive, but we can live with that, especially if using a gaming headset.
With reductions happening all the time, as expected from LG, the B3 is now priced very competitively against the LG C3, offering very similar performance and features for a cheaper price.
Read our full LG B3 review
Take a look at our LG promo codes to save on your next LG TV.
The best OLED gaming TV for brightness
Thanks to new anti-reflection tech, the Samsung S95D drastically reduces reflections in bright viewing environments, meaning you can get QD-OLED quality picture during any daytime gaming. Black levels and colors are still rich even in the brightest of rooms, giving you the best possible graphics available.
In terms of gaming features, the S95D is stacked. Four HDMI 2.1 ports carry 144Hz refresh rate, VRR including FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM and HGiG support. There’s also the Game hub for any cloud gaming services from Luna, Xbox and more, which serves as a handy tool for gamers.
Gaming performance is also a highlight of the S95D, with a super low 8.9ms input lag time (sub 15ms is considered professional). It’s effortlessly smooth and free-flowing gameplay, even in the most graphically intense moments. The S94D’s built-in audio is also impressive enough, particularly with object tracking, to complete the overall gaming experience.
The S95D does come at a premium price that some may find too rich, but for those who can stretch their budgets, it’s a premium OLED option that is ideal for those with a bright gaming environment.
Read our full Samsung S95D review
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The best elite gaming TV for PS5
The Sony Bravia 9 uses Sony’s XR Backlight Master Drive with High Peak Luminance, which is a new twist on mini-LED tech that encompasses custom 22-bit LED drivers to offer significantly more refined local dimming, meaning best-in-class contrast for a mini-LED, and it’s a fantastic improvement to pictures for both movies and gaming.
The Bravia 9 features PS5-exclusive features including Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode when it detects a PS5, displaying the best picture possible. It also comes with 4K 120Hz, VRR (including Nvidia GSync but sadly not AMD FreeSync), Dolby Vision gaming and a Game Bar to make easy settings adjustments while gaming. While we did measure a higher-than-expected 17ms input lag time (most premium sets around this price have been sub-10ms), combining the Bravia 9’s features with its picture quality makes for an excellent gaming experience as long as you’re not a literal pro gamer.
Speaking of picture quality, the Bravia 9’s is simply stunning. The sophisticated mini-LED tech means OLED-level blacks with rich contrast and exceptional brightness – 2,280 nits in standard mode in fact – that will be perfect for daytime viewing. Crucially, there’s also little-to-no light bleed in high contrast images, something that is a regular issue for other mini-LED TVs.
In terms of built-in audio quality, the Bravia 9 follows in a long line of Sony sets that prioritize sound as well as picture. Acoustic Multi Audio+ creates an excellent sense of space and immersion and Voice Zoom 3 boosts dialogue levels during intense scenes. There’s also even more unlocked when the Bravia 9 is paired with a Sony soundbar, including Acosutic Center Sync (using the Bravia 9’s speakers as a bonus center channel) and 360 spatial audio mapping (creating phantom speakers for even more sound).
The Bravia 9 is undoubtedly pricey and is available in more limited sizes in the UK (75 and 85-inch only) but for those looking to go big with their gaming (especially PS5 owners), this is one of the best premium options you can get.
Read our full Sony Bravia 9 review
How to choose the best gaming TV
How to choose the best gaming TV
There are a few key things to consider when you’re choosing the best gaming TV for you.
Game Mode and low latency: Latency is the time between when an image is sent by the console and when it actually shows up on the screen. Modern TVs do a lot of clever processing to images to make them look better, but this takes time, which means there’s a delay between you pressing a button on a controller and seeing the result – that’s not ideal in a fast-paced game. All TVs now have a Game Mode, or something with a similar name, which reduces the processing, meaning lower latency.
HDMI 2.1: The latest and greatest HDMI connector tech, which includes support for ALLM, 4K 120Hz, and VRR.
ALLM: Auto Low Latency Mode is a newer feature where consoles can tell the TV to switch into Game Mode automatically – you won’t have to set it with a remote.
4K 120Hz: This means a TV can refresh its screen up to 120 times per second, while still displaying at 4K resolution. Cheaper TVs are more likely to refresh at 60 times per second. You may also find some mid-range 4K TVs that refresh at 120Hz, but don’t include HDMI 2.1, so they can only show Full HD resolution at 120Hz, or 4K at 60Hz.
VRR: Variable Refresh Rate is a feature that means the TV will synchonize the speed at which is refreshes the screen with whatever the current framerate of your game is. This means games don’t have to stay locked to 30, 60 or 120fps to avoid screen tearing, which means they can offering better graphics. There are three types of VRR: HDMI forum; FreeSync and G-Sync.
HDMI forum VRR: This is supported by both the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and is an official part of the HDMI 2.1 spec. Most TVs with HDMI 2.1 support it.
AMD FreeSync: This is supported by the Xbox Series X and AMD graphics cards on PC. It’s pretty common to find on TVs, including on some without HDMI 2.1.
Nvidia G-Sync: This is supported by Nvidia graphics cards on PC, but not by consoles. It’s pretty rare to find on TVs, too, but it does happen.
Is a TV good for PC gaming?
We’ve established that gaming TVs are fantastic companions for your games consoles, but what if you play on PC? There’s certainly an appeal in playing graphically intensive PC games on a big screen, but how does that play out in practice?
While a gaming TV can certainly substitute for a PC gaming monitor, you’ll need to make sure your PC can handle the resolution. 4K screens are naturally more taxing on your PC’s resources due to them offering much higher image quality.
If your PC is up to scratch, you’ll get a smooth experience at 4K on a bigger screen. If not, you may have to switch your game to a lower resolution like 1440p or 1080p, in which case your gaming TV might not be able to handle the upscaling needed very well. This will result in a blurrier than intended image thanks to the size of the TV compared to a monitor.
It’s a double-edged sword, then, and almost entirely dependant on how powerful your PC is. If you’ve got the high-end parts to make it happen, then PC gaming on a TV can produce wonderful results. If it’s not quite there, then you’re better off playing on a smaller monitor able to output a sharper, cleaner image.
How much is a gaming TV?
TVs suited for gaming vary wildly in price, depending on a wide number of factors. 4K TVs are incredibly common these days, and can be bought for as little as $300 / £300 / AU$450. Of course, you’re getting very basic features with a TV at this price, with a size of around 43 inches, and almost certainly lacking 4K 120Hz support, and variable refresh rates.
But these features can be found on TVs that aren’t too expensive, often available for under $800 / £900 / AU$1,200 in smaller sizes. If you want gaming feature for next-gen consoles, you need to assume you’ll pay something starting in that region.
Do I need an 8K gaming TV?
The short answer? No.
While 8K games are absolutely on the horizon, and the PS5 / Xbox Series X console come with this capability baked-in, there’s no immediate need to get an 8K TV for gaming. Gaming devs are still getting to grips with 4K performance, and in general other picture specifications like a high frame rate (60fps, 120fps) are going to be more important in the coming years.
In 2025, maybe it’ll be a different answer, but for now we think the 4K gaming TVs listed above will do you just fine.
How we test the best gaming TVs
When we test the best gaming TVs, we’re mainly looking at gaming performance and related features that enhance gaming. For these tests, we apply the same criteria used in our reviews such as picture and audio quality based on objective and subjective tests.
For gaming TVs, we use a gaming console (mainly an Xbox Series X although this can vary based on the reviewer) to test motion performance with graphics, analyzing latency and response time. We put the TV in its Game Mode during these tests to keep it consistent across each model and to maximize the gaming experience.
We also look for features such as VRR and 120Hz refresh rate to test their effectiveness. Not all the best gaming TVs have to provide these features, but it’s something we take into consideration during testing. To test latency added by the TV’s processing, we use a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input Lag tester, with that measurement taken in the set’s Game Mode.
We also test picture quality with movies and TV shows, cycling through preset picture modes such as Standard and Movie to determine which is the most accurate. We’ll then play a variety of sources including 4K Blu-ray, 4K and HD streaming, and lower-res formats such as broadcast TV and DVD to evaluate the TV’s upscaling.
Another important area we test is how well a gaming TV handles dark tones, looking particularly at black uniformity (the ability to evenly display black across the screen) and its overall contrast.
We use specialized equipment, including a test pattern generator and colorimeter, to take measurements for our objective tests, with the results recorded in Portrait Displays’ Calman calibration software.
To test a TV’s overall brightness, we use various-sized white windows, including 10% and 100%. A 10% window provides a standardized indication of the peak brightness that can be expected, whereas 100% shows how consistently it can display a bright image such as a colorful video game. These tests also determine how a TV handles screen reflections, which is crucial for daytime gaming.
The color reproduction tests we make with both HDR and SDR sources are important to see how faithfully and accurately a TV can display source material, and they also indicate the maximum color gamut available. We additionally test for grayscale accuracy, looking at how consistently a TV tracks gray tones on the screen from black to white.
We aim to keep conditions consistent across our tests, but it’s worth noting that some writer setups do vary. We always strive, however, to use equivalent equipment and procedures so our results are comparable across TVs.
You can read more in-depth about how we test TVs at TechRadar at that link, and in particular for this guide, how we test TV input lag.
The latest updates to this best gaming TVs guide
23 July 2024
Added the Sony Bravia 9 as ‘best elite TV for PS5’
28 June 2024
Removed Amazon Omni QLED as ‘best cheap TV’. Removed Hisense U8K as ‘best cheaper 120Hz TV in the US’. Samsung Q80C became ‘best budget (UK)’ instead of ‘best cheaper 120Hz gaming TV in the UK’. Added Hisense U7N as ‘best budget (US)’.
3 June 2024
Replaced the LG C3 with the LG C4 as “The best for size options” due to improved picture brightness and gaming features.
3 May 2024
Replaced the Samsung S95C with the S95D as best super bright OLED, thanks to anti-reflection tech and higher peak brightness levels.
28 March 2024
Added test result charts for all TVs, to make them easier to compare.
27 February 2024
Added to the ‘How We Test’ section with a more in-depth breakdown of how our testing of the TV in this list works.
24 January 2024
Updated the FAQ’s section with ‘What new gaming TVs are coming in 2024?’ discussing some of the latest models we’re keeping our eyes on.
15 December 2023
Replaced Samsung Q80B with Samsung Q80C for ‘best cheaper 120Hz (UK)’ due to stock levels.
6 October 2023
Added the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED as best cheap gaming TV, Hisense U8K and Samsung Q80B became ‘best budget 120Hz gaming TV’ for US and UK respectively. LG B3 replaced LG B2 for best budget OLED due to stock levels. Swapped Samsung QN85B for Samsung QN90C as best for bright rooms, due to low stock levels, and the Hisense matching the QN85B for brightness.
22 August 2023
Added the Samsung S90C as our new number one recommendation, based on our review and discussion of its merits compared to the LG C3. Added the LG C3 as the best option with a broad range of sizes. Replaced the Sony A80K with the newer Sony A80L.
13 July 2023
Checked all products against our latest reviews.
26 June 2023
Added this ‘latest updates’ section, to help readers see what recent changes have been made. Checked the products in the list against our latest reviews.
20 April 2023
Changed the structure of the guide to make it easier to find particular models that suit different needs, and to navigate to those models. Added Samsung S95C to the list, and removed some models.
6 March 2023
Updated the list to reflect current TV options, including adding the Samsung QN95B.
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