The best monitors for PS5 in 2023

Optimized monitors for PlayStation 5 allow Sony’s latest console to show off its true power. With an 8-core CPU and custom AMD graphics chip, the PS5 offers incredible fidelity. According to Sony, it can run games at 120 frames per second and (eventually) can show them at 8K resolution. If you’ve already snagged a PS5 and plan to play it using a PC-style desk setup instead of a TV, you’ll want a compatible monitor that can take advantage of all that power. Depending on your unique gaming or streaming setup, you might want a different style of PS5 monitor, whether budget-friendly or well-equipped for demanding e-sports. Regardless of which screen you ultimately land on, know that it’s an investment to make for your ideal PS5 setup, so we’ve rounded up the best monitors for PS5 to help you find the right panel and make that happen.

• Best overall: Acer Nitro XV282K
• Best esports monitor: BenQ Mobiuz EX2510
• Best 4K/60 monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q
• Best TV for PS5: LG C2 OLED
• Best curved: SAMSUNG 32″ Odyssey Neo G8 4K UHD
• Best portable: ASUS ROG Strix (XG16AHPE)   
• Best budget: Gigabyte M28U

How we chose the best monitors for PS5

Through testing, reading monitor reviews, comparing specs and features, plus a lifetime of experience in both console and PC gaming, we surveyed modern monitors on the market right now and drilled down on those capable of showcasing the PlayStation 5’s graphical specs. We selected well-reviewed monitors that offer solid value for their price, including top choices and products that selectively cut corners to reduce cost, depending on whether you care more about framerate or resolution.

The best monitors for PS5: Reviews & Recommendations

The best monitors for PS5 vary quite a bit. Some focus on framerate. Some focus on resolution. A couple of them have everything you need. (One is actually a TV.) Depending on what you need and how much you have to spend, we’re confident that you’ll find that at least one of these monitors is a great fit for you and your new console.

Best overall: Acer Nitro XV282K 

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Why it made the cut: In the relatively new and small field of HDMI 2.1 gaming monitors, Acer currently leads the pack with an expensive but solid panel that perfectly complements the PS5.

Specs

• Resolution: 3840 x 2160
• Refresh Rate: 144Hz
• Size: 28”
• Ports: HDMI 2.1 (2) DisplayPort 1.4, USB 3.1 Type C
• Panel Type: IPS
• HDR: Yes

Pros

• 4K
• 144Hz
• HDMI 2.1
• Low Lag

Cons

• Expensive

With a 144Hz refresh rate, 4K resolution, and 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, Acer’s Nitro XV282K is a very comfortable fit for the PS5 (along with any other consoles or gaming PCs you might want to hook up). It also boasts an impressively low 1ms response time for smooth, ghost-free gaming. The only drawback is a slightly sub-par contrast ratio, suggesting that blacks may look gray in a dark room. Otherwise, the image is about as fast and clear as you could hope for now, given the PS5’s high demands.

Best for esports: BenQ Mobiuz EX2510

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Why it made the cut: The BenQ Mobiuz EX2510 is the best entry-level PS5 monitor, sacrificing 4K in exchange for smooth and solid HD gameplay.

Specs

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Refresh Rate: 144Hz
• Size: 24.5”
• Ports: HDMI 2.0 (2) DisplayPort 1.2
• Panel Type: IPS
• HDR: No

Pros

• 144Hz
• Smooth performance
• Solid build

Cons

• Not 4K

While 4K is the more headline-grabbing resolution, lots of people are more than fine playing in 1080p. In competitive PC gaming circles, framerate is king. Premium esports monitors are often 1080p, but hit incredibly high framerates upwards of 300Hz. Given the PS5’s cap at 120fps, that’s a bit much for our needs, though. BenQ’s Mobiuz EX2510 sits at a more reasonable 144Hz, allowing you to still get as many frames as possible out of your PS5 without sacrificing image quality for less than you might expect.

Best 4K/60 monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q

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Why it made the cut: 4K monitors are still fairly expensive across the board, but the ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q is a great entry-level 4K monitor that strikes a balance between quality and cost.

Specs

• Resolution: 3840 x 2160
• Refresh Rate: 60Hz
• Size: 28”
• Ports: HDMI 2.0 (2) DisplayPort 1.2
• Panel Type: IPS
• HDR: Yes

Pros

• 4K
• Great value

Cons

• Middling HDR

When games first made the jump from 30 to 60fps, some people claimed that the human eye wouldn’t even be able to discern the difference, but anyone who’s tried them side by side can confirm that we absolutely can, and it makes games look substantially better. People are likewise capable of noticing the jump from 60 to 120, but with noticeably diminishing returns. The ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q delivers excellent, color-accurate 4K graphics at a steady and still-generous 60Hz, which is less than perfect for PS5, but still looks buttery-smooth to the average eye. It isn’t perfect: With low overall brightness–350 nits–its HDR doesn’t keep pace with other, more expensive monitors. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better 4K monitor at this price.

Best TV for PS5: LG C2 OLED 

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Why it made the cut: If cost is not a concern, LG’s OLED TVs are the gold standard for incredible image quality with no compromise in responsiveness.

Specs

• Resolution: 3840 x 2160
• Refresh Rate: 120Hz
• Size: 55”
• Ports: HDMI 2.1 (4), USB 2.0 (3)
• Panel Type: OLED
• HDR: Yes

Pros

• 120Hz on a TV
• HDMI 2.1
• Incredible blacks and color range
• Wide viewing angels

Cons:

• Very expensive compared to monitors
• Burn-in risk

Where all of the above monitors use the current standard LCD technology, which requires a backlight, the next generation of screens is starting to shift over to OLED, which requires no backlight because every pixel is self-lit and independent. OLED screens allow for rich, perfect blacks and nearly infinite contrast, as well as much slimmer form factors without the need for a backlight. 

It turns out that the best OLED screen to pair with the PS5 is a TV, not a monitor. LG’s C2 OLED, the best PS5 TV, offers these benefits, along with all the top specs you need to get the most out of the PS5: 120Hz, 4K, HDMI 2.1, and extremely low input lag. Obviously, the C2 is much bigger and more expensive than the average PC monitor, but its screen quality is top sharp to ignore. You could, of course, invest in the newer LG C3, but the C2 is fantastic and typically available at a discount because it’s an older model, so the C2 remains our pick for now.

Best curved: SAMSUNG 32″ Odyssey Neo G8 4K UHD

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Specs

• Resolution: 3840 x 2160
• Refresh Rate: 240Hz
• Size: 32″
• Ports: HDMI 2.1 (4), USB 2.0 (3)
• Panel Type: QLED
• HDR: Yes

Pros

• Roomy curved screen
• Super-high 240Hz refresh rate
• 1ms response time
• Matte display fights reflections
• Great colors out of the box

Cons

• Expensive
• Stand could be better

A curved monitor can fill up your peripheral vision and drastically expand how big your games feel. Ultra-wide support with the PS5 can be finicky, so this more familiar aspect ratio with a curved design finds a nice middle ground. The rest of this monitor’s specs are far from the middle, though. It offers a 240Hz refresh rate with G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro for super-smooth gameplay. The matte screen does a very excellent job combatting reflections, which is very handy if you typically play in a bright room. Plus, the 1ms response time negates possible lag.

Right out of the box, this monitor provides excellent color worthy of the PS5’s ambitious output. At 32 inches, this isn’t the biggest monitor, but it’s also much more manageable on a desk than a giant 49-inch curved display that the PS5 won’t always play nice with. The price is up there, but it justifies the cost with its performance.

Best portable: ASUS ROG Strix (XG16AHPE) 

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Buy it used or refurbished here: eBay

Why it made the cut: The ASUS ROG Strix’s high refresh rate will allow you to enjoy your PlayStation 5 in more places than ever.

Specs

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Refresh rate: 144Hz
• Screen size: 15.6 inches
• Ports: HDMI, USB, Audio jack
• Panel type: IPS
• HDR: No

Pros 

• 144Hz refresh rate
• Battery-powered option
• Ultra slim

Cons

• No HDR

It shouldn’t be surprising that a gaming company makes the best portable monitor we recommend using with your PlayStation 5. Sony’s latest console is pretty big, but ASUS’ portable screen makes it a bit more feasible to play while traveling. The ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE 15.6-inch portable monitor is one of only a handful of models with a 144Hz refresh rate, which means the latest PS5 games will be able to run at their fastest speeds.

The ROG Strix XG16AHPE has multiple ports, but you can connect it to your PS5 over HDMI. If you do want to hook it up to a gaming PC—or any computer—you can use the included USB-C to USB-C cable, too. If you’d like to max out your portable gaming setup completely, ASUS also makes an even bigger 17.3-inch version of the Strix portable monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate. That’s overkill for a PlayStation 5, but the extra screen space may come in handy.

Best budget: Gigabyte M28U

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Why it made the cut: The Gigabyte M28U meets all the same overall specs as our top choice, but at a drastically lower price, with compromises that only the most hardcore gamers will notice.

Specs

• Resolution: 3840 x 2160
• Refresh Rate: 144Hz
• Size: 28”
• Ports: HDMI 2.1 (2) DisplayPort 1.4, USB 3.1 Type C
• Panel Type: IPS
• HDR: Yes

Pros

• 4K
• 144Hz
• HDMI 2.1
• Lowest price for full range of specs

Cons

• Slight input lag
• Minor backlight bleed

The Gigabyte M28U offers the most bang for your buck among the relatively small number of HDMI 2.1-compatible monitors available right now. Like our top choice, it has a 144Hz refresh rate, 4K resolution, and a low 1ms response time, making them functionally equivalent in many situations. The main differences between the two come into play in specific scenarios, like some noticeable backlight bleed if you’re playing in the dark and higher input lag than comparable 144Hz monitors. More specifically, M28U’s input lag measured around 10ms, while the Acer Nitro XV282K clocked in closer to 4ms. That looks like a big difference on paper, but we’re talking about fractions of a second. While the most framerate-sensitive gamers may still notice the difference, the M28U is a very strong choice for most players.

What to consider before buying the best monitors for PS5

Even if money is no object, picking one of the best monitors for PS5 takes a little doing. Not every monitor can take full advantage of the console’s output, so it’s important to check for compatibility. Unlike PCs, which can output graphics at a much wider and more customizable range of settings, the PS5 is limited to a few resolution and framerate options, and so you need a monitor capable of meeting those needs. Moreover, if you can’t afford to spend more than the price of your new console itself on a monitor for it, it’s important to know your priorities–namely, whether you care more about framerate or resolution.

What is HDMI 2.1?

At bare minimum, you’re going to need an HDMI-compatible monitor. While many of the best gaming monitors have followed PC gaming’s shift to DisplayPort cables, the PS5 (and the Xbox Series X) call for HDMI 2.1, the latest iteration of the more ubiquitous HDMI cable. Although it looks the same as previous HDMI cables, HDMI 2.1 greatly increases how much data moves from computer to screen. HDMI 2.0 has a maximum data transmission rate of 18 gigabits per second, allowing for output at 4K at 60Hz or 1080p at up to 240Hz. HDMI 2.1 bumps that up significantly to 48 Gbp/s, allowing computers—including game consoles—to output 4K video at up to 180Hz, or 8K at 50Hz.

For the PS5 specifically, using an HDMI 2.1 cable and monitor opens the door for the PS5 to run games at 4K resolution and 120fps (and, eventually, 8K/30fps). Legacy HDMI 2.0 monitors will still be able to choose between 4K/60fps or 1080p/120fps, but you’ll need HDMI 2.1 to enjoy both simultaneously.

Monitor aspect ratio and resolution

Resolution refers to the number of pixels on screen, with higher resolutions being capable of more fine-grained detail and smoothness. The PS5 outputs at two resolutions: Standard HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) and the richer, more pixel-dense 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels). As you might expect, 4K monitors are newer and more powerful, so they tend to be considerably more expensive than their 1080p counterparts. 

In this PS5 FAQ, Sony says the PS5 hardware can also run games at 8K resolution, but not with the current firmware. Meanwhile, there are no PS5 games that can run in 8K yet, so advise you to avoid spending thousands of dollars to get ahead of the pack.

Since most gaming monitors are built with PC gaming in mind, more choices exist. Many monitors offer up 1440p (2560 x 1440) pixels. A growing number of ultrawide monitors also differ from the usual 16:9 “widescreen” dimensions used for most modern screens. The PS5 doesn’t support 1440p. It can work with an ultrawide screen, though that may present problems from game to game. Realistically, if you’re buying a monitor specifically with the PS5 in mind, you’ll want to stick to standard widescreen monitors with a maximum resolution of either 1080p or 4K.

And while part of the PS5’s appeal is its ability to run games in 4K at better framerates, its sharper, more detailed gameplay shows up on a 1080p monitor as well. If “better” is good enough, settling for 1080p may be a good concession when shopping for a new monitor on a budget.

Refresh rate, response time, and input lag

To judge how games look, resolution goes hand in hand with a second monitor spec, refresh rate, which determines the highest possible framerate at which a game “runs.” Refresh rate, expressed in hertz (Hz), refers to the number of times per second a monitor can “draw” an image on your screen. The higher the refresh rate on your monitor, the more frames of animation your computer or console can animate each second.

Framerate rarely matters for TV and film, which are still traditionally filmed at 24fps but, in games, more frames means smoother animation and, often, more information. Being able to more quickly and subtly perceive motion can give you an edge in playing anything at all action-oriented, which becomes even more important in competitive gaming. During the PS4 and Xbox One era, framerates between 30fps and 60fps were the standard. The PS5 and Xbox Series X have now raised the bar to between 60 and 120fps.

Thus, in order to get the most out of your console, you’re going to want a monitor with a max refresh rate of 120Hz or higher. As with resolution, there are other options available aimed at gaming PCs. You can find monitors that go up to 240Hz or even an absurd 360Hz, which really pushes the border of what the human eye can perceive. For the PS5, though, 120fps is the limit. Luckily, there’s a standard refresh rate for monitors just over that cap—144Hz—that gives you exactly what you need.

What about HDR?

Both PS4 and PS5 games support High Dynamic Range, or HDR, a TV and monitor feature that creates a wider range of in-game darkness and light on 4K monitors with high brightness and color contrast. HDR monitors are brighter overall, with richer, more accurate colors and more nuance in both shadows and bright areas, making images pop more overall. 

There is such a thing as “good” and “bad” HDR. Some monitors support the feature but lack the maximum brightness to create a true range of lighting conditions. When considering a monitor’s HDR, you want to check its brightness settings: Look for a maximum brightness of at least 500-600 NITs and that it features full-array local dimming, which determines how much the monitor can change the brightness of specific parts of the screen.

FAQs

Final thoughts on the best monitors for PS5

• Best overall: Acer Nitro XV282K
• Best esports monitor: BenQ Mobiuz EX2510
• Best 4K/60 monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q
• Best TV for PS5: LG C2 OLED
• Best curved: SAMSUNG 32″ Odyssey Neo G8 4K UHD
• Best portable: ASUS ROG Strix (XG16AHPE)
• Best budget: Gigabyte M28U

If you’ve already got a PS5, or even if you don’t have one yet, you will want to ensure you have a monitor that’s up to the task. Fortunately, once you understand the specs, it’s fairly easy to narrow down the options and find the best monitors for PS5. Consider what’s most important to you, whether that’s smooth, 120fps gameplay or crisp 4K images, and choose accordingly based on your budget.

Why trust us

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now.

Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video games to cameras and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to.