Best Gaming TV 2023: The best TVs for gaming

Modern TVs are ladled with helpful gaming features such as auto low latency mode, variable refresh rates and 4K/120Hz, and leading that charge is LG, its OLED42C2 is a OLED suited for smaller spaces and bedroom gaming.

It’s currently LG’s smallest OLED TV at 42-inches, which means it can double up as a gaming monitor as well as screen for watching films and TV. Auto low latency mode, variable refresh rates and 4K/120Hz are available across all the HDMI inputs, useful for those with multiple HDMI 2.1 sources and it also means you won’t have to worry about using up the eARC port, which passes through high quality audio to a connected soundbar.

Of the three 42-inch OLEDs we’ve tested, a list that includes the Panasonic LZ980 and Sony A90K, neither of those models match the LG for its connectivity of gaming features.

We measured latency at 12.9ms, which is not the fastest on the market but with HDMI VRR, Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support, whether you’re a console or PC gamer, you can get even lower levels of lag for a faster, performance.

Features such as Game Optimiser adapt the TV’s performance for specific game genres. You can view the TV’s current performance in terms of frame rates and change aspects of the picture such as black levels to peak into the darker parts of the picture. If you ask us, that rather sounds like cheating…

We found picture quality to impress playing Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5. It’s a sharp, clear and detailed, with a peak brightness we measured of 699 nits on a 5% window, which is a very good HDR performance for a TV of this size. That level of luminance helped brighten the highlights, especially the decals of the cars and the glint of sunshine off their surfaces, as well as making for a bright picture performance in general. Unlike cheaper TVs, we didn’t find that switching to game mode doesn’t affect the colour performance in a negative way.

The OLED42C2 has support for Dolby Vision Gaming, which is of more use to Xbox Series gamers, and improves the HDR performance of compatible games, as well as offering a high performance with 4K/120Hz frame rates (where supported) and improved contrast.

We found it’s a decent-sounding TV, though we wouldn’t opt for the Game Optimiser sound mode. While it’s smoother than the sharp AI Sound Pro mode, it’s still a little too crisp when playing GT7, which made it hard to distinguish between the music, car engines and other effects. Standard mode is much smoother by comparison.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED42C2

This spot was originally occupied by the QN900A model, but as stock appears to run low and availability is limited, we’ve decided to put Samsung’s QE75QN900C as the best 8K TV for gaming.

You’ll still need to pay a fair amount for the privilege of an 8K TV, with current prices putting the QN900C at £5399 / $5499 but you do get outstanding gaming support.

We measured peak brightness up to 2260 nits on a 10% window, which is a good few hundred nits better than even the best OLED models for brightness such as the OLED65G3 can muster. We measured input lag at 10.5ms, which is slightly slower than Samsung’s 4K TVs, but you have to factor that the TV is also upscaling the image up to 8K resolution.

VRR, ALLM, 4K/120Hz are supported across all the HDMI inputs, with refresh rates up to 144Hz supported for PC gaming. Compatibility with AMD FreeSync VRR ensures a fast, responsive and improved picture performance with compatible games on a PC, while there’s uncertified Nvidia G-Sync gaming possible too.

Other gaming related functions include Game Bar, that gives users quick access to settings at the bottom of the screen. Game Motion Plus improves image quality at a hit to latency while PC gamers get features in the Super UltraWide Game View mode that widens games to a 21:9 or 32:9 aspect ratio that mirrors the type of performance you get from Samsung’s curved Odyssey Neo screens.

We found the picture performance to rival that of OLED in terms of deep, rich blacks. The brightness of the panel also allows for colourful, and wide-ranging HDR colours. The backlight isn’t perfect, there are still instances of blooming and haloing, but they are reduced compared to previous generations.

The OTS sound system offers a wide soundstage with impressively accurate positioning of sounds. Voices are clear, soundtracks come across as balanced and detailed, and it plays nicely with Dolby Atmos too.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE75QN900C

LG’s C-Series OLED TVs are some of the best gaming TVs, and the OLED65C2 is one of its best.

Its HDMI 2.1 support allows it to output at a full 4K/120Hz with compatible games on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The C2 features creature comforts such as VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync) and ALLM and in terms of input lag, we measured latency at 12.9ms.

The OLED65C2 also features excellent picture quality thanks to its OLED Evo panel that produces classy colours, strong contrast and perfect blacks that only an OLED can. Features such as Dolby Vision Gaming help to increase detail in the brightest and darkest parts of the image for a more revealing picture.

The Game Optimiser menu customises the LG C2’s performance for whatever game you’re playing, whether it’s adjusting the latency or changing in-game brightness levels. The LG OLED65C2 also supports game streaming services such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now and Utomik, so you don’t even need a console or PC as long as you’re willing to pay a subscription fee.

When it comes to speakers, the OLED65C2 features some crisp and clear audio, complete with spacious Dolby Atmos for extra immersion, which will be of major importance for games for an increasingly cinematic experience. At times, we felt the audio lacked heft and power, so we’d suggest getting a separate dedicated audio unit. The OLED65C3 is available but we don’t feel it’s a big enough update over the C2. If we had to choose between the two, we’d stick with the OLED65C2 model.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65C2

The Samsung QN85C has dropped considerably since we first reviewed it with several hundred pounds/dollars chalked off the asking price to bring to its current price of £1599 / $1599. That’s an excellent deal for a TV of its capabilities.

It is the entry-level Neo QLED model in the 2023 TV range, and we don’t feel it sacrifices much in terms of performance to earn that status. It features a dedicated Game Hub that comes with cloud gaming options such as Xbox Game Pass and Utomik, and there’s also a Game bar that overlays on the screen to show the user all the vital info such as input lag, VRR performance and HDR.

We measured input lag at an impressive 9.4ms at 1080p resolution, which is one of the best out-of-the-box performances you can get. For a smoother picture, Game Motion Plus can be activated but we found input lag reduced to 25ms

HDMI 2.1 is supported across all the QN85C’s inputs with support for ALLM, VRR, and 4K/120Hz frame rates to get a top-tier performance from current-gen gaming consoles. There’s official support for AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro VRR technology and uncredited support for Nvidia G-Sync to get the best performance from PC gaming titles.

We found the QN85C really impressed as a gaming display. Our reviewer measured brightness at 1096 nits on a 10% window, which is more than enough to produce a bright, punchy, and colourful performance with the right settings. Playing Overwatch in 4K 120fps was a smooth and detailed performance, though we found you’ll need to manually activate HDR in the Game Picture Expert menu, setting Game HDR to on, and Basic. We found that when left off, the average picture level was overly bright.

We also found the audio quality to be extremely good for a flatscreen TV, painting a large soundstage and a good deal of panning across the front of the soundstage. We’d recommend giving the AI sound mode a pass as it can sound strident.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full review: Samsung QE65QN85C

If you’re gaming on a PS5, Sony’s own Bravia TVs serve as offering the best integration in terms of performance with a number of features that are exclusive to the TVs.

And of the 2023 range of TVs, the A80L is the TV we’d currently recommend as the best option for PS5 owners. Those ‘exclusive’ features aren’t necessarily any different from what you’d find on other TVs, though. Auto Genre Picture mode is essentially ALLM, to automatically switch the TV in and out of its game-ready state so the A80L isn’t stuck in game mode all the time.

Auto HDR Tone Mapping enhances the HDR performance of the A80L’s screen for best brightness and contrast. Dolby Vision Gaming is not supported either by the PS5 or the A80L but 4K/120Hz and variable refresh rates (VRR) are, and they’re available across two HDMI 2.1 inputs (one of which is shared with the eARC port). We measured input lag at 16.4ms before VRR is applied, which is solid, but TVs such as the LG C2 can achieve a quicker performance out of the box.

The Sony A80L is short of other gaming features for PC gamers, so it’s not as versatile as the LG is. It also pitches itself as more of a home cinema telly, so once you’re done playing games on the PS5, you can enjoy the impressive picture and sound quality. While it’s not as bright as the LG C-series OLED, we found it to be a much more nuanced, and balanced image that produces a very natural look. Upscaling is also of very high quality, boosting detail and clarity while preserving the look of the source. Motion processing is excellent, smooth and with very few noted issues such as judder.

The sound quality is punchy, dynamic, and loud; good enough that we wouldn’t rush out for a new soundbar, though if you did, the likes of the HT-A5000 would be a good partner (if you have space for it).

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony A80L