Get one of the best gaming TVs for 2023 installed, and it'll really enhance your whole experience. No matter what type of gamer you are – PC, Xbox, PS, Nintendo – we recommend investing in a decent gaming TV that has next-generation features such as HDMI 2.1 ports and low latency rates.
Features to look out for in the best gaming TVs include the Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) 4K resolution support at 120Hz, in addition to ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which the next-gen consoles love. If you're shopping for a specific console, check out our best PS5 TVs and best Xbox Series X TVs guides, which will help in your search.
If you're still a bit confused about what you're looking out for, don't worry: in this guide, we've reviewed each gaming TV in detail, weighing up the features and benefits and other reasons to buy (such as price). At the end of this guide you'll also find more information on shopping for the best gaming TV to suit your needs.
The best gaming TVs 2023: The top 3
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The best gaming TV is the Samsung QN95C. This Neo QLED panel is bold, bright, has super-low input lag, and is undoubtedly one of the best TVs on the planet at this moment in time.
The best gaming TV for most people is the LG C2. This OLED panel is ideal for gaming and movies, delivering superb black levels, but it's also a dab hand for gaming thanks to low input lag.
The best cheap gaming TV is the Hisense A6G. Not got as much to spend? Hisense's budget entry has plenty of compelling features that will befit gamers without stacks of cash to spend.
The Samsung QN95C is the company's 2023 flagship 4K TV – and it shows. It uses a 'Neo QLED' Mini-LED panel for its backlight, which means extremely bright HDR performance, but small lights with new light-shaping tech mean more fine control of local dimming, so when areas need to go dark, they can go really dark.
This is the closest LED TVs have come to OLED's control of contrast, and when you combine it with the cutting-edge processing and better brightness, it's a complete image quality package – as noted in our Samsung QN95C review. There's a relatively high price to pay here, though, so you might want to consider the older and altogether similar QN95B as an alternative (it has fewer dimming zones by comparison).
For those who demand the most control of their gaming performance, this is second to none. It has four HDMI ports, which means total ALLM, VRR and 4K 120Hz support. But most interesting of all is the Game Bar, which is a special menu designed to give you more control over gaming settings without any need to hunt through menus or restart everything.
Even though LG's C-series TVs are a step down from the G-series, and the LG C3 now exists, we still think the LG C2 is still the best gaming TV for most people. It's not just about specs, it's about specs and performance and price all taken into consideration as a whole, and that's where the LG C2 shines.
The television brings more brightness and improved image processing over the model that preceded it, and it's ideal for gamers who are also movie-lovers and want great image quality with inky dark blacks from this panel type. Image quality is top notch, the smart platform is excellent, and it's hard to beat on features.
In terms of gaming specifically, you've got 4K 120Hz, VRR and ALLM on all four HDMI ports, and a great low input lag level, but you can also customise the gaming mode depending on what kind of game you're playing: FPS mode for the best possible response time, RPG for a prettier image.
You know what you're getting from a Hisense gaming TV: a big, well-specified TV at a price that makes other brand's entry-level models seem awfully underpowered. The A6G is priced aggressively and features both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR, and it also supports the VRR and ALLM aspects of HDMI 2.1 on all three of its HDMI inputs.
There's also eARC compatibility, integrated Wi-Fi, and USB, Ethernet, CI Card and RF connectors here as well, plus composite video. In our Hisense A6G review, we found the picture quality sat somewhere between "acceptable for the money" and "really rather impressive". The motion control isn't unnatural, detail enhancement isn't too aggressive, and skin tones are very life-like.
Budget models do require some corner cutting, of course. The blacks aren't very deep – the darkest is a very deep grey rather than a true black – and it isn't hugely bright, so you don't get the impressive levels of contrast you'll find in more expensive sets. It's not brilliant at upscaling but it's very good with full HD 1080p and 4K content.
Best gaming TVs 2023: The best of the rest
The Samsung Q80B is a solid choice for the best gaming TV if you don't want to have to break the bank for the more expensive models. Apart from on the 50-inch version, all four HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K 120Hz inputs, with ALLM, Nvidia G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro compliance, so you're very well covered.
Black level performance, brightness, and image processing are all impressive on this particular set, while HDR handling is done really well. Whatever games (or movies) you want to load up on this particular set, you're guaranteed to get a really good picture, with superb colour and detail.
Away from the gaming aspect of the TV, the on-board Tizen OS does a very good job of offering you all the streaming apps you're likely to need, if you don't want to have to plug in a separate box or dongle. All in all, easily one of the best gaming TVs on the market at the moment – shop around for the best price.
We don't all have huge amounts of space for a gaming TV, and this is a set that's going to appeal to those who want something that's a bit more compact: 42 inches or 48 inches to be exact, which are the two sizes that this OLED set comes in. It's slim and well-designed too, as well as being on the smaller size.
In our Sony A90K review, we noted the "exquisite" colour balance and the "vibrancy" of the images – it's clearly a television that's going to give you a superior picture for your games and anything else you want to throw up on it. Sony has been making OLED TVs for many years, and that level of expertise definitely comes across.
Two of the four HDMI ports are up to the 2.1 standard, which means all the advantages of 4K at 120Hz, VRR, and ALLM for your next-gen consoles. Add in the decent response time and it's a set that'll excel in terms of gaming.
The LG G2 remains one of the brightest OLED TVs that LG has ever made, thanks to a top-end panel and tech known as Brightness Booster Max. Together with the infinite black levels that OLED is famed for, you get excellent HDR performance, and then there's the image processing that makes the 4K resolution really shine.
When it comes to gaming-friendly features, you've got the four HDMI 2.1 ports that are all ready for 4K 120Hz, VRR and ALLM. Couple that with LG's support for both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD Freesync Premium and you've got every gaming feature you could want catered for. You can play with under 10ms of lag if you want as well.
Note that the TV doesn't come with a stand, so that's going to cost you extra, and you might find better brightness elsewhere on LCD LED sets. There's also the newer LG G3 to consider, but considering the different price points involved, we think that this still sets the bar when it comes to the best gaming TVs.
The Sony X94K / X90K (depending on where you buy it from) brings with it lots to like: from the gaming mode that can optimise the set for use with consoles, to the design that gives off stylish and slender vibes, this is well worth a place on our best gaming TVs list – and on your shortlist of potential buys.
Two of the four HDMI ports here are HDMI 2.1, which gives you the full 4K 120Hz gaming experience from compatible connected devices. In our time testing the TV we were big fans of the picture when gaming, which we described as "colourful, high-contrast and packed with detail".
When you're not gaming, the Sony X94K / X90K continues to acquit itself well too. It upscales older content well, and the Google TV interface that's built into the set is one of the best around at the moment. You'll find that it's money well spent and a real pleasure to use.
The Samsung QN85B is an affordable Mini-LED model, offering stunning brightness and more precise local dimming than regular LED tech is capable of. Compared to some newer models there are fewer dimming zones here, so there's a bit more blooming from light areas to dark, but the overall effect for HDR is still just absolutely amazing.
You've got HDMI 2.1 support with 4K 120Hz, VRR and ALLM all on board, and it's easy to see and tweak your settings thanks to Samsung's useful Game Bar interface, which lets you customise which game-friendly features are turned on. With extremely low input lag, this makes it a real winner for gaming overall.
It's a fantastic TV for regular viewing too. The only issues are that it doesn't support Dolby Vision HDR, which is likely to be important for Xbox gamers. If you're looking for something a little older and want to spend less, the previous Samsung QN85A is a good alternative.
If you want your games to sound great as well as look great on a TV, then perhaps the Panasonic LZ2000 is the best gaming TV for you: there's a very immersive Dolby Atmos sound system integrated into this set, which makes a significant difference when it comes to the music and other audio accompanying your gaming sessions.
There's lots more to like about this particular set as well, including a stunning OLED panel that gives you fantastic image quality, and the versatile image processing that ensures colours that pop and the sort of depth and detail you would expect from a consumer TV costing as much money as this one does.
Specifically for gaming, there's a Game Control Board for managing gaming settings while you're playing, and a reduced input lag from previous models. There's a dedicated gaming mode too, offering support for 4K 120Hz, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and AMD Freesync Premium certification – though only on two of the four HDMI ports.
This is another OLED set that's well worth a place on our list of the best gaming TVs available right now: with 30 percent more brightness than traditional OLED panels and the usual deep blacks and fantastic HDR support, there's no doubt that your games will look great on this, no matter what the input source.
An on-board processor and some AI magic keep the picture finely tuned and always looking its best, and the set can even take the ambient lighting conditions into consideration when it comes to choosing how to display what it displays. This isn't the cheapest set around but it's well worth the investment.
As you can see from our Philips OLED 807 review, there's a lot of consideration given to gamers, with variable refresh rates (VRR), auto low latency mode (ALLM) switching, and 4K 120Hz feeds on two of the four HDMIs ports available here, as well as Dolby Vision gaming support. A set that we'd highly recommend in any size.
What to look for in the best gaming TVs
Many of the best TVs overall, from budget sets to flagship OLED TVs, can be great for console gaming, but if you use the wrong picture preset while gaming on these TVs, things will start to feel off immediately. That's because the image processing that all TVs rely on makes a gigantic difference when it comes to 'input lag' – that’s the time between when you push a button on your controller and when you see the results on-screen.
What all the best gaming TVs have is an excellent Game mode. Simply put, a Game mode deactivates a lot of the picture processing used when you're watching movies or TV, because these features really slow down response time. By disabling them, you can gain valuable microseconds, which in turn plays to your advantage in fast-moving games. The difference doesn't sound like much, but it is – it makes games seem sluggish, and is really a problem in things that are fast-moving, or that require precision.
You've probably already worked out the price to pay when engaging low-latency Game mode: turning off some picture processing means image quality suffers. Potentially, things can look less sharp, there’s more obvious noise and banding, and contrast can also take a hit. So we're looking for TVs that still deliver great-looking pictures, balancing low latency still with a bit of processing.
A feature to help make sure that you're not suffering unnecessarily from lag is built into next-gen consoles. It's called Auto Low-Latency Mode (ALLM), and the idea is that it's a standardised signal the console can send that TVs can receive, and know they need to switch into a gaming-friendly mode that reduces latency. The crucial part is that it's all platform agnostic – as long as your console and TV both support it, it all happens seamlessly even if they're from different manufacturers.
One of the most exciting new features of the next consoles is that they can output video in 4K at up to 120 frames per second (4K 120Hz) – current-gen consoles offer 60 frames per second maximum. Higher frame rates mean two things: one is that you see the games responding to your inputs twice as fast (because a new frame is created in half the time); the other is that everything on-screen should look extra clear even in motion, because you're seeing its movement happen in smaller increments. Basically, for games that support this (which won't be all, by any means), you'll be able to react more quickly and accurately to action, and motion will look much smoother and more realistic. Here's our full 120Hz gaming explainer, if you want more details.
Related is another key next-gen feature: Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which is designed to help keep games looking smooth in balance with visual quality. The idea here is to sync how quickly your console generates a new frame with how often your TV is expecting to show a new frame – if the two aren't in lock, you can end up with what's called 'screen tearing', where you see a half-finished frame, making everything look weird. It's a big deal – our VRR explainer will tell you exactly how it works, if you want to dig in further.
These three technologies (ALLM, 4K 120Hz, VRR) are all supported by HDMI 2.1, which is the new generation of the venerable connection. HDMI 2.1 uses the same connection type as previous HDMI ports, so everything is backwards compatible – but its big upgrades are supports these new technologies, as well as 8K. Our HDMI 2.1 explainer can tell you everything you need to know about the new standard. Sadly, you won't find HDMI 2.1 on on many of the best TVs under £1000, and none of the best TVs under £500, which is why our top picks here are fairly premium. However,
You might also have seen that Sony is advertising some of its TVs as 'Ready for PlayStation 5'. To qualify, TVs need to have a really low response time – under 7.2 milliseconds – and support 4K 120Hz over HDMI. Note that the TV doesn't need to support VRR to quality. Also, right now, the TVs need to be made by Sony – we don't know if Sony will allow others to get this branding, but we wouldn't bet on it, so don't be surprised not to see this advertised on other sets. It doesn't mean they're not still perfect for the new PS5 features, though.
- The best 32-inch TVs – perfect for bedrooms and offices
- The best 43-inch TVs – great entry-level 4K sets
- The best 48- to 50-inch TVs – beautiful mid-size 4K TV sets
- The best 55-inch TVs – premium TVs that still fit most living rooms
- The best 65-inch TVs – beautiful big-screen TVs
- The best 75-inch TVs – giant 4K and 8K TVs packed with features
