If you're looking to buy the best gaming TV for your home entertainment setup, the best models combine excellent image quality with low input lag. It's essential for a TV to have shorter response times as this can make the difference between winning and losing a game. As far as picture quality is concerned, then Dolby Vision support is also beneficial, though it's not essential. Furthermore, if you're looking to pair your gaming TV with a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X -- or both -- you'll need a TV with HDMI 2.1, 120Hz and variable refresh rates. At CNET, David Katzmaier and I have tested hundreds of TVs using side-by-side comparisons, evaluating both gaming performance and picture quality, and the following gaming TVs are the ones I recommend.
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Best gaming TV overall
LG C4 OLED
Pros
- Better picture quality than any non-OLED TV we've tested
- Offers superior contrast and off-angle images
- Best-in-class gaming features
- Sleek styling with ultralight, thin panel
Cons
- Not as bright as higher-end OLED TVs
Who is it best for: While this year's G5 is the ultimate gaming TV, not everyone wants or needs to pay over $3,000 to play their favorite games. The 2024 C4 offers 100% of the gaming features and about 80% of the picture quality at half the price -- that's what we call mathematics! If you're looking for a TV that's fun to game on and looks just as good with movies, then the C4 is a great buy.
Performance: The C4, like the C3 before it, is an excellent gaming TV, and LG hasn't done much to change it. The Game Optimizer menu gathers all the gaming settings in one place and verifies refresh rate, VRR status and more at a glance. We also appreciate the ability to edit the gaming dashboard to swap in more status indicators (resolution, Dolby Atmos and so on).
The Dark Room mode is designed to reduce eye fatigue, but it also dulls the image, so we'd avoid using it unless you need to. Among the various gaming image modes, we liked Standard best for most games, with its balance of shadow detail and contrast. FPS is best if you want more visibility into shadows, or you can just crank up the Black Stabilizer control (at the expense of a washed-out image). Buried within Game Optimizer is another setting, labeled "Reduce input delay (input lag)," with two options: Standard and Boost. The former, which is the default for any game, serves up an excellent input lag result similar to past LG OLED models, just 13.5ms for both 1080p and 4K HDR sources. Engaging Boost cuts lag even further, to just under 10ms for both. The catch is that Boost is available only for 60Hz sources, so you can't use it with 120Hz games or VRR. And no, we don't think many humans would notice the extra 3ms of lag.
Overview: We also reviewed this year's C5, which performed well, too. (You can read that review here.) For now, we recommend buying the C4 as long as it's in stock, as not much has changed between the C4 and C5, yet the C4 offers substantial cost savings.
Best 4K gaming TV
Roku Pro Series
Pros
- Good picture quality thanks to local dimming
- One of the best smart TV systems out there
- Excellent gaming response times
Cons
- Not as bright and punchy as some similarly priced TVs
Who is it best for: If you're looking for a gaming TV and don't want to spend the money on an OLED model, the Roku Pro is a solid choice. It will also do 4K HDR and Dolby Vision. It has Roku on board, so you know that it has one of the most comprehensive suites of streaming apps on the planet.
Performance: It boasts a quick response time and is decently accurate in terms of color and shadow detail. Of course, any TV on this list is a gaming TV. Almost every unit I've reviewed recently has a gaming mode and undetectable pixel response times (under 15ms). This matters because the Roku doesn't have the best picture I've seen for less than $1,000, but the TCL QM6K, for example, does.
Overview: The Roku Pro is the best Roku-branded TV yet, and it's currently on sale for a few hundred dollars less -- so it's great for people who want to save some money on a gaming TV with a great smart TV system. Look out for the updated Pro Series in the next few months, though, which Roku says will be even better.
Best OLED gaming TV
LG G5 OLED
Who is it best for: The G5 is a huge step up on the C5 (and C4) and so will appeal to well-heeled gamers who are looking for an extra edge on their competition. That it will also play movies and TV shows to a high standard means it will also appeal to cinephiles looking for the ultimate in picture quality.
Performance: We tested the LG G5 with a host of different games, including Call of Duty, and found that the TV's ultrahigh brightness made games seemingly come to life. This TV made HDR effects truly pop in a way that no other OLED TV has done before. When you pair this brightness with almost infinite contrast and one of the lowest lag scores we've seen, this is a truly special television.
Overview: At $3,400 for the 65-inch, the LG G5 is undoubtedly a high-end TV, but it's definitely the one to choose if you want the ultimate gaming performance.
Best budget gaming TV
Samsung DU7200
Pros
- One of the best pictures you'll get under $500
- Excellent response times for gaming
- This TV boasts excellent black levels and shadow detail
Cons
- Like most Samsung TVs, it can't do Dolby Vision
Who is it best for: Whether you're a gamer or just want a TV that will fit in the bedroom, the Samsung DU7200 is a really good choice. It's got a pretty punchy picture for the money and plenty of streaming options.
Performance: The Samsung DU7200 is a TV that delivers a solid picture for an affordable price. The black levels and shadow detail are excellent for the money, and while my test unit looked a little desaturated out of the box, that was easily fixed by adjusting the Color control. The TV has onboard streaming, and the sound quality isn't too bad either.
Overview: In terms of the best bang-for-buck, the Samsung DU7200 is one of the most impressive models. If you're looking for a bedroom unit or a smaller gaming TV, then the Samsung DU7200 is the model we would choose. Don't buy it if you're a stickler for image quality, but for the price, it's pretty great.
Recent Updates
June 4, 2025: Updated list with all-new picks, including the Roku Pro, LG G5 and Samsung DU7200. Provided more information on CNET's gaming TV testing process.
What's the best gaming TV right now?
Side-by-side gaming comparisons help evaluate any picture quality and lag differences between TVs.
LG's C4 may be on the expensive side, but it pairs high-end image quality with impressive gaming features on every input. All of the TV's HDMI ports include the latest version of the HDMI standard: 2.1..The C4 is rare among high-end TVs in that all four of its HDMI ports support 4K/120 -- great for hard-core gamers with multiple next-gen devices. The TV also comes with a specialized Game Optimizer settings suite. It's a great choice for gamers who want an excellent picture and aren't afraid to splurge to get it.
If you're feeling even more spendy then the LG G5 is about the best TV I've ever tested and its boosted brightness really makes it stand out among the OLED competition. If you don't need such a significant wallet-hit then the Roku Pro and Samsung DU7200 have a lot to offer, too.
Factors to consider when choosing a gaming TV
A TV showing the Xbox Game Pass menu.
With all of the TVs available today, and all of the technical terms and jargon associated with television technology, it can be tough to figure out what's important. Here's a quick guide to help cut through the confusion.
Price: TVs range in price from $100 to more than $2,000. Smaller screens are cheaper, well-known brands are more expensive and spending more money can also get you better image quality. Most entry-level TVs have a good enough picture for most people, but TVs last a long time, so it might be worth spending more to get a better picture. It's also best to shop for a TV in the fall, when prices are lower.
Screen size: Bigger is better in my book. I recommend a size of at least 43 inches for a bedroom TV and at least 55 inches for a living room or main TV -- and 65 inches or larger is best. More than any other "feature," stepping up in TV screen size is the best use of your money. One of the most common post-TV-purchase complaints I've heard is from people who didn't go big enough. I rarely hear people complain that their TV is too large.
Capability: Among entry-level TVs the most important feature is what kind of smart TV system the TV uses. Among midrange models, look for features including full-array local dimming, mini-LED and 120Hz refresh rate, which (unlike some other extras) do help improve the picture in my experience. Among high-end TVs, OLED technology is your best bet.
Cloud gaming: Many gaming TVs also offer cloud gaming services and this can be handy if you don't want to connect a dedicated gaming console to your new TV. Apps which let you stream from the cloud include Amazon Luna, Xbox (Game Pass) and GeForce Now, while Steam Link, Xbox and PlayStation Remote Play will let you stream from a machine in another room.
For more TV buying advice, check out the guide on how to buy a TV.
How I test gaming TVs
In every CNET TV review, I compare three or more similar TVs side by side in a dedicated, light-controlled test lab. With each review, I employ a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process that has been honed by more than two decades of TV reviews. I test TVs with a combination of scientific measurements and real-world evaluations of TV, movies and gaming content.
To ensure I can evaluate the picture quality of every TV, I connect each one to an AVPro Connect 8x8 4K HDR splitter so each one receives the same signal. I test the TVs using various lighting conditions, playing different media, including 4K HDR movies and console games, across a variety of test categories, from color to video processing to gaming to HDR.
In order to measure each TV, I use specialized equipment to grade them according to light output and color. My hardware includes a Konica Minolta CS-2000 spectroradiometer and a Murideo Six-G 4K HDR signal generator. I use Portrait Displays CalMan Ultimate software to evaluate every TV I review according to its brightness, black levels and color.
The Leo Bodnar Lag Tester samples three regions of the screen for latency, and these are averaged to give each TV's lag score
I play a variety of games from an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, and note the effects of gaming modes and settings as well as the 4K/120Hz and VRR input capabilities. Helpfully, the Xbox includes a 4K/120Hz and HDR compatibility test: Settings>TV and display options>4K TV details. The page will detail the HDR modes it supports (including Dolby Atmos) and whether it will support VRR -- if a TV gets ticks in all the boxes it means it has the best compatibility with high-end Xbox games.
Our reviews also account for such things as features, design, smart TV performance, connectivity including HDMI inputs and gaming compatibility.
Measuring input lag (in milliseconds) is an important component of my process for testing gaming TVs.
Check out the page on how CNET tests TVs for more details.
Input lag will often be lower in game mode than in any other mode on your TV. Here are a few more gaming-specific aspects I looked at for each TV.
How to turn on game mode. In most cases, viewing in game mode isn't automatic, so you'll have to turn it on manually, and sometimes the gaming monitor setting can be difficult to find. Many use a picture mode called "Game" while some, like Samsung and Vizio, let you apply game mode to any setting.
Game mode makes a difference, but not at all frequencies. As you can see in the table above, many TVs cut lag substantially when you turn on game mode, but plenty don't. In general, expensive TVs with elaborate video processing get more of a benefit when you engage game mode. Additionally, and as I noted above, the Boost mode on LG OLEDs only works on 60Hz and not 120Hz.
Most TV game modes are good enough for most gamers. No matter how twitchy you are, it's going to be tough to tell the difference between 13 and 30 milliseconds of input lag. Many gamers won't even be able to discern between having game mode on and off -- it all depends on the game and your sensitivity to lag.
Turning game mode on can hurt image quality (a little). TV-makers' menus often refer to reduced picture quality. Reduced picture quality is generally the result of turning off that video processing. In my experience, however, the differences in image quality are really subtle with console gaming, and worth the trade-off if you want to minimize lag for a great gaming experience.
4K HDR gaming lag is different from 1080p. The display resolution you play at has an impact, and since new consoles prominently feature 4K HDR output for games, I started testing for 4K HDR lag in 2018. In general, the numbers are similar to the lag with standard 1080p resolution, but as you can see from the chart above, there are exceptions.
Testing is an inexact science. I use Leo Bodnar lag testers. Here's how they work, and how I use them. I use two of these Bodnar lag testers -- one in 1080p and one in 4K HDR -- which use onboard optical sensors to measure and report input lag. When plugged into an HDMI port, the Bodnars make the screen flash in three different places and you place the unit's onboard optical sensor flush onto the screen at these points. They calculate the lag at each position and you average the three readings to get a score. You might see different lag test results from different review outlets, which may use Bodnar or another method.
