With a new generation of games consoles launching at the end of 2020, Google Stadia growing in features and popularity, and better in-home game streaming than ever before, there’s never been a better time to be a living room gamer. But as powerful as new consoles, remote servers or your gaming PC might be, your games will only look as good as your TV. You need one of the best TVs for gaming if you want to truly take advantage of what your gaming system can do.
That means getting a TV with great picture quality, strong contrast, high resolution, frame syncing technologies, HDR and high refresh rates. Not every TV on this list has everything, but these are still some of the best TVs for gaming you can buy, no matter your needs or budget.
More interested in all-rounder TVs that aren’t designed with gaming in mind? Check out our list of the best TVs you can buy.
LG B9 OLED
Best overall TV for gaming
Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160)
Refresh rate: 120Hz
Display type: OLED
Sizes: 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch
LG’s B9 series televisions are some of the most gorgeous displays out there, whether you’re a gamer or not. But if you are, you can take advantage of some fantastic features to make your games look and play fantastically.
As a native 4K display, this TV can handle the standard UHD resolution like a charm, and with its OLED display technology, it offers some of the deepest blacks you’ve ever seen on a flat screen. It has a high contrast ratio, fantastic color support for a wide gamut of hues and great viewing angles — perfect for LAN parties and couch coop play.
Whether you’re playing alone or with friends, though, you can also enjoy a high refresh rate up to 120Hz, so if your PC or console can handle it, you’ll be able to enjoy buttery smooth gameplay, no matter what genre it is. It also has excellent input lag, which means that in competitive play you may even see some slight advantage over the competition.
This is no G-Sync ultimate display, but it is Nvidia certified as G-Sync compatible, so you can still enjoy a lack of screen tearing and stuttering.
It’s recently come down in price by a significant margin, too, making this LG gaming display more accessible than ever.
The only downside is that it can suffer from burn-in if left on static images for too long. You’ll need to play a proactive role in keeping that from happening, but if you do, you’ll have one of the best gaming TVs ever made.
Samsung Q70R
Best 4K TV for gaming
Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160)
Refresh rate: 120Hz
Display type: QLED, VA
Sizes: 49-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 82-inch
Samsung’s QLED technology has been leading the way for more traditional display standards for years, and its Q70R is one of the most impressive TVs it’s ever released. Combining 4K resolution, with high-end HDR and ambiance tracking, the picture you get from this TV is nothing short of spectacular, and when combined with some of its more gaming-focused features, it becomes one of the best gaming TVs you can buy.
Alongside its high-resolution, the Samsung Q70R enjoys a refresh rate of 120Hz, for reduced input lag and smoother gameplay (if your PC and console can his such frame rates) and with a response time that measures in single-digit milliseconds, you should have no trouble with ghosting.
It even has both Freesync support, and it’s rated by Nvidia as G-Sync compatible, so whether you have an AMD-powered games console or a PC with AMD or Nvidia graphics card in it, you can enjoy stutter and screen-tearing free gameplay.
Available in a variety of sizes, from 49-inches all the way up to 82-inches, there’s a Q70R TV for everyone. Perfect for whatever your gaming TV budget is.
Sceptre X322BV-SR
Best TV for gaming under $100
Resolution: 720p (1,366 x 768)
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Display type: LED, IPS
Sizes: 32-inch
Who said you can’t have a great gaming experience on a budget? The Sceptre X322BV-SR might lack some of the features of its higher-end cousins, but for under $100, you get an impressive selection of specifications which make it a great choice for gaming on older consoles or at lower resolutions.
It comes equipped with a 720p display, perfect for Xbox 360 and PS3 gaming. It can’t handle high frame rates, with a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz, but that at least means that 60 FPS smooth gaming is possible. Viewing angles are excellent too, thanks to its use of an IPS panel. That also guarantees good color clarity and black and white contrast, despite the low price of this display.
At 32-inches, you get a surprising amount of screen space for such a low price tag, and though it doesn’t ship with smart capabilities, you can easily add those in via your games console or a streaming stick like Amazon Fire or Roku.
If you’re looking to game on an extreme budget or grabbing an economical TV for playing your older consoles on, this is the one to get.
Hisense H8F
Best TV for gaming under $500
Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160)
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Display type: LED, VA
Sizes: 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch
Hisense makes some of the best affordable gaming TVs in the world, and the H8F is at the top of that pile. At well under $500, it offers an amazing feature set and list of specifications for gamers and movie watchers, with a high resolution, low input-lag and basic upscaling for improving visuals on older games.
Although 4K resolution is overkill for most games unless you have the highest of high-end PCs or the most expensive of consoles, it gives you excellent future proofing for next-generation systems and lets you enjoy UHD movies and TV shows when not gaming.
Although the lack of a high refresh rate is something that high-speed gamers may miss, the H8F does enjoy a very low input lag, so that makes it an excellent choice for competitive gamers. You’ll enjoy a very slight advantage over gamers with higher input lag TVs, which can make all the difference in high-stakes games.
There is no Freesync support with this TV, and its viewing angles aren’t great, but if you’re sat right in front of it, you’ll never notice. It’s a fantastic gaming TV under $500.
TCL 6 Series
Best low input lag gaming TV
Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160)
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Display type: LED, VA
Sizes: 55-inch, 65-inch
Input lag is the bane of many a competitive gamer. If you’re looking to gain every little edge you possibly can in your burgeoning professional gaming career, a TV with a low input lag can make a real difference. It reduces the time between your inputs being registered by the console or PC and displayed on screen, meaning that if you have an input lag that’s lower than your competition, you may be able to react that bit faster. It’s only milliseconds, but every millisecond counts.
The best low input lag gaming TV out there today is the TCL 6 series. Both 55-inch and 65-inch versions feature some of the lowest input lag of any TV out there, even those with higher refresh rates. It is a shame that this television doesn’t have a high refresh rate or Freesync/G-Sync support, but that doesn’t stop it being blazingly fast for competitive gaming, thanks to its input lag and fast response time.
At 4K resolution, there’s plenty of scope for slower-paced, panoramic games too, and the fantastic contrast ratio and color support make the picture on this TV really pop, whether you’re playing games or watching movies.
This is one TV that does benefit from custom calibration, however. While the standard picture the TV ships with is good, it’s not as good as it can be. With some adjustment to white balance, color temperature and gamma, you can make a good TV that much better.
When buying, just be aware that the 2018 model is also still available in some places, and though it’s not too distinct from this 2019 version, it isn’t as good. The cheaper price may make it worth it, but check the specs before buying to make sure it matches what you want from a low input lag gaming TV.
