best models compared and cheapest price going

The best 4K monitor for gaming will give you the richest and best pictures (almost) that you can get for gaming – in terms of resolution, I know. However, there are some behemoths that offer everything else too, but you have to be careful and wary as to whether they are the best 4K monitors for gaming for you. However, adding one of these glorious displays to your setups is a surefire way to give yourself the clearest, crispest, and most vivid of in-game pictures (with a couple of caveats). In fact, no matter what you’re doing on your PC, a 4K resolution will be noticeably bigger and better. Of course, any monitor or screen is the portal into the games we love playing so it does need to be the right pick for each person, setup, and budget. 

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The best 4K monitor for gaming 2020: best models compared and cheapest price going

The good news is that 4K has been around long enough in gaming monitors to have come down in price and it’s now affordable if we want to have the same resolution of one of the best gaming TVs, on our dedicated gaming screens. As a result, some of the best 4K monitors for gaming are actually ranked amongst the very best gaming monitors full-stop now. However, you will still find that if you can spend more, you’ll get even more bells and whistles to go along with your 4K resolution – as some of the examples below still show. But the quality is undeniable. 

At the moment, as 4K resolutions usually mean 60Hz maximum refresh rate, a lot of 4K monitors, which may usually be marketed with PC-gaming specs first, are also great contenders for use with consoles. And then extending that, and as a result of the monitor market being a forward-thinking one, that there are now 4K gaming monitors appearing that are focused on console players – see the ASUS CG32UQ model below as a great example of that. As gaming setups can now be incredibly successfully multifaceted this is great news. So, strap in, and read on if you’re after one of the best 4K gaming monitors and hopefully you’ll find the right match here.

If you’re after something different you can browse our guides to the best PS4 monitors, the best portable monitors, best G-Sync monitors, and best G-Sync compatible FreeSync monitors to complete your research.

Best 4K monitor for gaming at a glance

• Acer Predator XB273K
• BenQ EL2870U
• ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ
• Acer Predator XB321HK
• BenQ EW3280U
• LG 27UL650
• Philips Momentum 426M6VBPAB

While the price of the X2B273K could still, justifiably make you baulk a bit, the value it offers overall makes it our number one pick. 

It’s relation, the X27 used to be the benchmark for how awesome a 4K monitor for gaming could be, but the price tag of that is even higher than the ASUS below on this list, so is firmly in the prohibitively expensive category. The XB273K, however, is a little more affordable and, as a result, offers some great value as a premium gaming monitor.

Whereas the X27 has a price tag north of 1500 dollars/pounds, the XB273K sits around the 1000 mark, but the only real difference is in the HDR: it’s not quite as good in the XB273K, but that really is about the only difference we can see or that is in any way noticeable (and that’s a push, as you’re unlikely to inspect them next to each other!). Anyway, you’ll retain 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 still excellent for whatever game you plan on playing on it. It’s also a G-Sync monitor and has all the ports you could need. A quality 4K monitor for gaming all round. 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.

This is probably the best, most cost-effective, and great value way into 4K 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.

You’ll notice the PG27UQ’s price tag straight away – it is scarily big. However, that’s what happens when you cram in so many high-end features into a 4K monitor. You’re also able to boost that 4K monitor for gaming past a 60Hz refresh rate and up to what we’d all like in a monitor: 144Hz or above to ensure silky smooth, speedy frame rates. Oh, and add a bit of G-Sync into that and it’ll be even more of a beast. It’s got HDR too. Plus it’s a great size at 27-inches for any setup and to be the centerpiece of a multi-monitor setup. These features really add up to a monitor that is, if you’ve got a near-unlimited budget, the best 4K monitor to go for.

The design is stylish too with RGB motifs and displays tastefully implemented, and its collection of an HDMI 2.0 input, DisplayPort 1.4, 3.5mm audio, and two USB 3.0 ports, should be enough to keep you well connected. Could maybe have done with an extra HDMI port, though.

The ‘downside’ to the monitor is perhaps not in the monitor itself. Such are its specs that you’ll need an awfully powerful machine. It’d take something seriously impressive to run games smoothly at 4K resolution and at more than 100 fps to take advantage of the refresh rate. However, if you can achieve this, combining this monitor with such a machine will give you an incredible visual experience. And if the price of it ever comes down drastically, you shouldn’t hesitate.

It’s refreshing to see monitors dedicated or at least aimed at, console gaming making solid appearances in 2020. 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 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. 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 review, but this is definitely the best console monitor you can buy right now.

If you’re not fussed about getting the all singing and all dancing approach to colors but do want to keep hold of the glory of 4K resolution then this is a good pick. The Acer Predator XB321HK offers those looking for a premium panel a slightly stripped back variant, but one that retains quality, offers a great size – 32-inches – and is from a reputable maker. Its IPS panel means you’ll still get some of the best picture quality and viewing angles available in a monitor, while it being a G-Sync and the 4ms response time make it a genuinely good gaming monitor for all kinds of games.

If you’re looking to transition from a large TV to a smaller, dedicated gaming setup or room, then the XB321HK is a perfect contender to get you in – it’s gaming-focused, it’s larger than most 4k monitors for gaming, and so closer to a TV size, and it’s got Acer’s cool design and gaming specs all over/in it. It might feel a little big on the desk but no one really complains about a screen being ‘too big’: it’ll make a great centerpiece for a multi-panel setup or for those that don’t always sit right on top of their desks, so to speak. 

If you want a monitor that can do a bit of everything in glorious 4K, then the BenQ EW3280U could be the 4K monitor for gaming for you. It’s 4K nature, combined with its size, and 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, this is great, and the overall picture quality, HDR and contrasts, and richness of every shade, as well as the detailed, grain-less images, are a big win. 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. It does need a bit 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 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 I’ve tested recently too – it’ll feature in that round-up of ours imminently, I’m sure.

Offering another budget-level entry point into the 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.

If bigger equals better for you, then you should at least consider this 43-inch Philips behemoth. It’s basically TV-sized and you’ll need to treat as such as sitting too close is a bit much and sitting a bit farther away from it is ideal. Still, it’s got a beefy enough design and build to bolster its ‘hard’ credentials.

While it’s TV-sized, the Philips Momentum 426M6VBPAB (catchy isn’t it?) does put gaming first – and particularly PC gaming. There’s a great range of ports going: HDMI 2.0; USB-C; DisplayPort; and mini DisplayPort. It also has Philips’ popular-on-the-TVs Ambiglow technology which projects a glowing light out the back of the screen according to what’s shown on the front of the screen. 

Getting close to gaming credentials within its panel is an MVA-type panel with a 4ms response time and that usual-for-4K-screens 60Hz refresh rate. Given its size, it may appeal to those who also have a console hooked into their setup alongside a PC. It’s got enough to make it appealing still, and certainly a worthy contender when choosing a 4K monitor for gaming, but if you want something TV-sized with gaming credentials, you may want to keep an eye on those LG TVs which are receiving G-Sync support.