RS Recommends: The Best 4K TVs for Gaming
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You already know to invest in a solid set of gaming headphones, a gaming chair and even a soundbar to amplify the rumbling soundtrack and bustling sound effects that underscore your gameplay, but to really get the most out of your favorite games, you should consider investing in a new gaming TV.
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While most TV sets deliver decent picture quality, avid gamers will tell you to pick up a 4K TV that’s specially designed to enhance the graphics and motion you see on-screen. With four times the pixels than typical HD TVs, 4K gaming TVs are taking over the market, thanks to promises of crystal clear imagery and cutting edge technologies.
What Are the Best TVs for Gaming?
The best TVs for gaming provide ample ports, crisp visuals and gaming modes — including low input lags and high refresh rates. Here are our favorites:
Best OLED: LG OLED C2 Series
Best Entry-Level: TCL 6-Series
Best for PlayStation: Sony A95K
Best QLED: Samsung QN90B
LG OLED C2 Series
LG’s latest 4K OLED TV is not only the best TV for gamers, but one of the best sets you can get right now.
The OLED TV is able to display colors more vividly, and achieve true black levels, for a visual experience that’s impossible to achieve on an LED screen. We’ve chosen to recommend the 55-inch model because it hits the sweet spot in terms of size and price, but 42-inch 48-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch and 83-inch versions exist, so pick the one that fits your budget and space
The LG C2 OLED has three key features that you’ll need to take full advantage of the graphics cards inside the PlayStation 5, Xbox One, or PC. First, it has a 120Hz refresh rate, which means its screen can update twice as quickly as a typical TV. This feature will allow you to see games running a lot more smoothly, which is especially important in fast-paced games like Fortnite or Call of Duty. We tested out a previous version of this LG TV with a similar refresh rate and the scenes were sharp and life-like while playing the new Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Most games will still run at 60FPS (frames per second), but the games that run at 90FPS or 120FPS should look significantly better.
LG’s TV also supports Nvidia’s G-Sync and FreeSync technologies and runs on a custom a9 processor. All three of these technologies ensure the TV will run at a consistent refresh rate, and won’t slow down in the middle of the action. The difference may translate to shaving a few milliseconds of latency (lag), but that can have a big impact on your performance in certain games.
When you’re not gaming, the LG C2’s screen is still a stunner to look at, and its built-in apps give you quick access to streaming services like Hulu and Disney+. You can also hook the setup to your Amazon account and access the company’s Alexa smart assistant directly from the TV to control settings like volume, or switch inputs.
If you’re serious about investing in a state-of-the-art TV for your gaming setup, LG’s OLED55CXPUA is the first one to consider.
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TCL 6-Series
If you’re on a budget, but still want a great TV for gaming, TCL’s 6-Series is the way to go. We’ve tested the 2021 model of this TV and were impressed at the performance, at its price — we used it with the PlayStation 5.
We’re recommending the 55-inch version of this TV, but there are 65-inch and 75-inch models as well.
This TV dies has a refresh rate of 120Hz but doesn’t support Nvidia’s G-Sync or FreeSync technologies. TCL says the TV’s variable refresh rate (the ability for the screen to change how often it updates on the fly) and Auto Game Mode will achieve a similar result.
The reason we can confidently recommend TCL’s 6-Series TV to gamers is its excellent use of local dimming zones. Local Dimming Zones allow the TV to adjust the brightness of certain parts of its display depending on what’s being shown on the screen — this helps bridge the gap between an LED and OLED TV.
The 6-Series’ support for Dolby Vision HDR is exceptionally useful— colors and shadows looked great in the games I played on the previous gen 6-Series, and this feature alone makes the 6-Series a worthwhile upgrade if you have an older TV.
That’s doubly true because this is a Roku TV, which has an easy-to-navigate interface, and access to an App Store that’s consistently updated with new services, and updates to older ones. Roku has a good track record of supporting older TVs with new software updates, so you can expect this TV to last you a long time.
TCL’s 6-Series slowly become the default TV for anyone who wants excellent performance in a TV under $1,000 — and we think it’s a great entry-level TV for anyone looking to expand their gaming setup on a budget.
TCL 6-Series 4K TV
Sony A95K
For bright, vivid 4K picture go with the Sony A95K. The 55-inch model is a good size for your gaming or living room but you can also get this 4K TV in 65 inches on Amazon — albeit at a considerably higher price point.
This TV comes equipped with a special gaming mode for PlayStation 5 users with 120FPS and incredibly low lag times. (120FPS is recommended for players who love multi-player gaming).
The colors on this TV are particularly amazing: the brand uses XR TRILUMINOS Pro technology which essentially highlights even the smallest cinematic details and makes the picture look more evenly lit, compelling and realistic. The contrast ratio is great too, so you’ll get clear, inkjet blacks, especially if you dim the lights in your game room.
As for the sound, there are built-in subwoofers for thumping bass beats as well as support for Dolby Atmos which will produce room-filling sound without the need of setting up an extra speaker system.
There’s also Google TV built-in so you’ll be able to set this gadget up into your smart home and use it hands-free. Plus, since it’s WiFi-enabled, you can download your favorite streaming apps for when you’re taking a break from jumping off buildings in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Sony A95K OLED 4K TV
Samsung QN90B
If you’re looking to upgrade your LCD TV, consider buying a QLED model. This Samsung TV features Neo QLED technology which means that your TV is filled with Quantum LED mini lights which will produce brighter picture quality and enhance contrasts and highlights, great if you’re playing a game set at night like Batman: Arkham Knight. The display is also anti-reflective, which means you don’t have to worry about placing it closer to the window.
There’s also an integrated game view that lets you alter screen ratio, FPS, input lag times and more, so you can easily customize your settings depending on your console or game choice. When you’re not gaming, you can stream from your favorite apps like Netflix, Hulu or HBO Max. Samsung also offers Samsung TV Plus which lets your stream certain movies and TV shows completely free of cost.
The sound is quite decent, it features object tracking sound+ which means that the sound automatically tracks motion for a more seamless listening experience. We’ve used this TV without the need for an additional speaker system but if you’re hoping for a more bass-heavy, room-filling sound, we suggest purchasing a soundbar to go with your TV.
Finally, it’s got Alexa built-in but also works with Samsung’s voice assistant Bixby as well as fits in the Google Home ecosystem (I use it with Google and it works perfectly fine). We’ve recommended the 65-inch here but there are multiple sizes available, even as wide as 85 inches.
SAMSUNG 65-Inch QLED TV
Do You Need a 4K TV for Gaming?
Whether you’re a FIFA player, an RPG enthusiast, or you just love gaming with your team, the best gaming TVs let you see what’s happening on-screen in ways you never could before. A good 4K gaming TV takes the action to an even higher level — think sharper images, more realistic graphics and smoother, more fluid motion for less blurriness during fast-paced action sequences in your gameplay. The same technologies also make these 4K gaming TVs great for non-game nights as well, with their better frame rates and wide-angle viewing screens ideal for watching sports or your favorite movies, too.
We’ve rounded up three of our favorite 4K TVs for gamers. With more pixels than regular TVs, no lag time and crisp, realistic images, these 4K gaming TVs deliver an immersive gaming experience that lets you tune out the noise and focus in on the action.
How to Choose a TV for Gaming?
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best gaming TV for you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.
Refresh Rate: A gaming TV’s refresh rate determines how quickly it can update information on the screen. The faster the refresh rate, the smoother your games will look, and the less lag you’ll experience while playing.
OLED vs. LED: The biggest contributor to a TVs color and contrast quality is its lighting system. LED TVs have lights behind the display, which illuminate the screen when necessary. This is the lighting system a majority of TVs use today, and those back lights take up a fair amount of space.
OLED TVs are a lot thinner because they don’t have those LEDs, and light up the pixels on their screen by running an electric current through them. The downside is that OLED technology is still pretty new, so gaming TVs with this tech are a lot more expensive.
High Dynamic Range: Shortened to HDR, this screen technology also contributes to a TV’s ability to produce accurate-looking colors and manage contrast.
Screen Resolution: All of the gaming TVs in this guide are 4K, which means they’ll display a crisp, detailed image when playing video games.
Screen Size: The latest gaming TVs are available in a wide range of sizes, and our guide features sets between 55 and 65 inches. Our largest TV recommendation is also available in a 77-inch size, which is great if you’re setting up a professional home theater system.
1. SAMSUNG 65" Class Crystal 4K UHD TV
Samsung’s Crystal Color technology meshes millions of individual colors to create crisp and vibrant images that go well beyond the realm of 4K. A built-in 4K UHD processor adds more realism to everything you see on screen and the wide-viewing angle means you’re able to enjoy awesome image quality no matter where you sit.
Best of all, Samsung’s "Auto Game Mode" is designed to help provide a smoother, cleaner and all-around better gaming experience with less motion blur and noise.
SAMSUNG 65" Class Crystal 4K UHD TV
2. LG 65" 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV
This LG model comes with the latest 4K technology to help provide clear and accurate image quality. The powerful quad core processor helps pinpoint and accentuate color accuracy, which can definitely help if you find yourself gaming in low-light environments. And with extra high dynamic ranges and stunning sound, you’re able to enjoy better images, better audio and an all-around heightened gaming experience.
LG’s tone-mapping technology helps to optimize each scene for more consistent picture quality and more realistic depictions. This TV includes LG's popular "Magic Remote," which makes it easy to find your favorite streaming platforms and content.
LG 65" 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV
3. Hisense 50″ 4K Ultra HD Android Smart LED TV
Hisense may not be a household name (yet), but the Chinese TV manufacturer has been turning eyes with its recent models. The ultra 4K model features Hisense’s patented ULED technology, which works intuitively to constantly adjust color and brightness depending on your lighting conditions and the type of media being played. Tracking rogue cops through a dark underground world? The TV will turn up the contrasts so you can spot things more easily. With a vast color range that includes more than a billion colors, you can see characters, scenery and terrains in more detail. The TV also features motion smoothing, to eliminate any lags during particularly fast-action scenes.
This model also comes with Google Assistant already built-in, so you can control the volume, settings and more using your voice for convenience.
Hisense 50″ 4K Ultra HD Android Smart LED TV
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