The best gaming monitors balance price with panel quality, resolution and refresh rate.

The best gaming monitor is an incredibly important piece of a PC gamer’s setup. Why spend lots of money on a gaming PC if you’re going to play it through a tiny, 20-year-old workstation monitor? Fortunately, there are many great gaming monitors available today, including those offering ultra-high-refresh 1080p, zippy 1440p options, high-fidelity 4K, and a slew of ultrawide panels.

While we’re expecting further fantastic panels throughout this year 2026, right now the best gaming monitor is the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED. It’s got a stunning OLED panel, one that you normally find in some fantastic gaming monitors, but for less money. Check out our guide to the best OLED gaming monitors for even more options.

You need to match your monitor choice with your PC specs to get the most for your money. A 4K monitor with a high refresh rate would likely be overkill if your rig has an older graphics card, and for those cases, the AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE is the best 1080p monitor at the moment. If you prefer high refresh over resolution, check out our guide to the best high refresh rate gaming monitors.