You've surely seen the prices of 4K TVs coming down. It's now more or less the case that any TV you see a good deal on will be a 4K model. That's certainly great news for anyone who wants to get a 4K TV, but it also means that you can get 1080p and HD TVs at even lower prices. With that smorgasbord of budget gaming TVs in front of you, and even some 4K TVs, it's not a bad idea to think about snagging a quality gaming TV to enjoy your favorite Xbox Series games, PS5 games, or PC games across a big screen.
Not all of the budget TVs you come across are going equally suited to gaming, though. If you just pick up any budget TV, you might find that it introduces heavy input lag that can make a game feel unplayable, or you may see that turning on the TV's game mode undoes the processing that made its imagery actually look good outside of games. You can forget those worries, though, as we've rounded up a variety of TV models at a number of different budget price points that can do the job for your games. If you're browsing in the UK, click here to find out where you can go to find the most affordable gaming TVs available at the moment.
TL;DR – These are the Best Cheap TVs for Gaming:
- TCL 55" Class 6-Series Mini-LED QLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV
- TCL 50" Class 5-Series 4K QLED Roku TV
- Hisense 55" Class U8G Quantum Series ULED Smart TV (2021)
- Vizio 43" Class V-Series 4K HDR Smart TV
- TCL 55" Class 5-Series QLED Roku Smart TV
- LG 65" Class 80 Series NanoCell AI ThinQ
- Vizio 65" Class M-Series Quantum 4K HDR Smartcast TV
- Samsung 43" Class TU7000 Smart 4K TV
1. TCL 55" Class 6-Series Mini-LED QLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV
Best Budget TV for Gaming
TCL knows how to make a great TV more affordable, and the TCL 6-Series 55R646 continues to strike that excellent balance. This TV is $950, so it’s not exactly dirt cheap, but it is bringing some of the latest TV tech at the price and it’s well geared up for gaming. The 55-inch panel hits the sweet spot for affordability while providing a sizable screen to see all the action. And, as this is a new TV in 2021, it’s naturally offering a 4K picture with HDR in tow.
TCL is bumping up the HDR experience this time around, too, thanks to a Mini-LED QLED display. Between the more advanced Mini LED backlighting and the rich color of QLED, you’ll get some stunning color alongside bright visuals to enjoy Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content. When you’re gaming, you'll continue to enjoy HDR as well as high frame rates and VRR. The display has a 120Hz refresh rate you can continue to use even at 4K thanks to the inclusion of two HDMI 2.1 ports.
2. TCL 50" Class 5-Series 4K QLED Roku Smart TV
Best Ultra Cheap TV for Gaming
TCL knows how to make an affordable TV, and with the TCL 50S535, it made a great option for gamers who are looking for a bigger screen that can fit a smaller budget. This 50-inch TV comes in at $400, which is less than you'd pay for most 4K gaming monitors that are only a quarter the size.
One thing you won't be getting with the TCL 50S535 is speed, but that's just about the only thing you're going to miss out on (and let's be real, you'd need a graphics card more expensive than this TV to exceed 60fps at 4K without making other sacrifices to visuals). TCL has you covered for resolution with its 4K panel. And, you'll still be able to run at 60Hz for decently smooth visuals. You'll get more than resolution though, as this TV's QLED panel has the brightness and color to offer an HDR picture many budget displays will lack. You'll get support for the broadcast-friendly HLG as well as HDR10 and the more premium Dolby Vision. With four HDMI ports, you can plug a bunch of your gaming devices into this TV, and the TV's Auto Game Mode will help ensure you get minimal input latency.
3. Hisense 55" Class U8G Quantum Series ULED Smart TV (2021)
Best Budget 4K TV for Gaming
The 55-inch Hisense U8G may not be a shockingly cheap TV at first glance. The $1,000 sticker price does see it fall below a lot of options from other brands, but there are definitely cheaper models. But, if you’re in the market for a 4K TV for gaming that packs in a bunch of extra features that will really deliver more than just an increase in resolution, then the Hisense U8G becomes an impressive value.
This TV brings a Quantum Dot display to the $1,000 price point, allowing you to enjoy the wider color gamut it can present. So, you’re getting more pixels and more color, but Hisense takes it further still. The display uses full-array local dimming with 132 dimming zones to provide sharper contrast to images, with shadows going deeper and highlights shining bright (at up to 1,500 nits). That’ll make HDR10+ and Dolby Vision footage really pop. And, for the glory of gaming, the Hisense U8G even has a 120Hz native refresh rate with FreeSync support.
4. Vizio 43" Class V-Series 4K HDR Smart TV
Cheapest 4K TV for Gaming
Getting the best TV isn't always a priority, but there's no good reason not to get the best TV available in your budget. Vizio's 43-inch V-series TV meets a high bar of quality while costing far less than you'd likely expect. This TV is just a bit under $300, but you'll be getting a decently sized screen that delivers 4K visuals.
The picture is improved further by the display's use of full-array backlighting, which can help keep the brightness of the picture uniform – no weird bright corners or edges. The display also supports a variety of HDR formats, including the premium HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. An Auto Game Mode will also help cut down on input lag for a more responsive experience.
5. TCL 55" Class 5-Series QLED Roku Smart TV
Best Budget QLED 4K TV for Gaming
You may not want all the bells and whistles of a high-end TV when you look at the price, but you can actually still get a QLED panel at a bargain. The TCL 5-Series delivers a large, colorful QLED display for under $500. That panel is capable of giving you a 10-bit color depth that makes visuals richer. It even has 48 local dimming zones to improve the contrast of the display and deliver on HDR.
When it comes to gaming, the TCL 5-Series does miss out on some premium features like VRR and high refresh rates, but it offers a low input lag to make sure your games feel responsive. If you want to game at 4K/60 on your gaming PC or a console, this TV will keep up.
6. LG 65" Class 80 Series NanoCell AI ThinQ
Best Budget Big Screen TV for Gaming
The bigger the TV screen, the higher the price (at least most of the time). LG's 65-inch 80 Series NanoCell TV makes an extra large display a bit more attainable, though. This big screen comes in at a flat $1,000. With the LG 80 Series NanoCell TV, you'll be getting a 4K picture that will help you make the most of that 65-inch screen size, and LG's built-in quad-core processor and ThinQ AI can help take non-4K content and upscale it to 4K. You also get LG's Smart TV platform and voice controls, making it easy to find the content you want to watch.
The TV also makes sure it's delivering more than just resolution, as the panel uses dithering to produce a 10-bit color depth and built-in nanoparticles to filter that color for a vibrant image well-suited to HDR. And, for gaming, it can kick into an Auto Low Latency Mode that'll help keep your controls feeling responsive.
7. Vizio 65" Class M-Series Quantum 4K HDR Smartcast TV
Local Dimming at a Bargain
Affordable local dimming comes with just a $700 price tag, but that also gives you a 65-inch display to enjoy it on with the Vizio M-Series. Not only is this big screen offering a 4K picture, but it combines Vizio's Quantum Color with 30 local dimming zones and a peak brightness of 600 nits for a strong visuals all around.
When it comes to gaming on this display, you won't be able to go over 60Hz, but you get support for a variable refresh rate between 48Hz and 60Hz, letting you avoid screen tearing when your gaming rig has occasional, small dips below 60 FPS. And, this TV kicks in Auto Low Latency Mode while you're gaming, so you can react faster to everything that happens.
8. Samsung 43" Class TU7000 Smart 4K TV
Best Budget Smart 4K TV for Gaming
Samsung is driving down the price of affordable 4K TVs with the 43-inch TU7000. This model comes in at just $300, but you're getting a sizable display with that sharp resolution that's all the rage right now. The clarity of 4K is one thing, but a good TV goes even further with HDR support, and this model offers up HDR10+ for an extra high-quality picture. The TV's Auto Game Mode is also ready to ensure you enjoy your games with low input lag and fast response times.
Where to Get the Best Budget Gaming TVs in the UK
Gaming can be an expensive hobby, so if you're looking to save a little extra cash while completing your set up UK gamers, we're here to help. We couldn't find all the TVs in the UK, but there's still a decent selection available right now. But, if you are looking for a bit more, check out our best 4K TV deals article for an extensive list of great TVs available in the UK
What to look for in a Budget Gaming TV
When shopping for a budget gaming TV, expect to make some sacrifices. To stay on a budget under $700 or $500, don't expect to see too many quality screens bigger than 55-inches. You can also basically forget about OLED, as the screen technology demands a premium of $2,000 and up.
There are two ways of going about buying a budget gaming TV: get a big screen with poor image quality or a good quality screen that might be smaller than you want.
I highly suggest going with the latter route as your TV might only be 43-inches, but if it's 4K in resolution and produces accurate colors, you can always sit closer to the screen to remedy its small size.
Having a big screen might be nice, but if it has muted blacks and an off-putting color cast, no amount of distance is going to fix the way it looks. And you certainly can't fix a poor quality display panel on your own.
To 4K or not to 4K
It’s worth taking a moment to discuss whether or not you should buy a 4K TV. Even if you only have a console capable of 1080p gaming (a PS4 Slim or Xbox One S), there are a couple of benefits to buying a 4K TV.
First, there’s High-Dynamic Range (HDR), a feature found almost exclusively in 4K TVs. However, that's not to say all 4K TVs support HDR. Instead, you should look for budget models featuring a peak brightness above 300 nits to get the full HDR effect.
Increasingly, games are starting to support HDR on the PS4 Slim and Xbox One S, and it can make a big difference in image quality. These games will look a lot better on a 4K TV with HDR support than on a 1080p TV without it.
Second, you're running out of options anyway. If you've been shopping for a new TV anytime in the last year, you've probably noticed HD sets aren't the dominant force in TVs they used to be. You're hard-pressed to find a new TV bigger than 49-inches in 1080p.
Manufacturers and consumers to have already moved on. If you do a quick search of 55-inch TVs on Amazon, you're going to find the results are overwhelmingly 4K. That almost sounds concerning, but the prices on 4K TVs have come down much more dramatically, and in a much shorter time, than similarly-sized televisions during the HD era.
Bargain brands like Vizio and TCL have helped push the price of 4K sets down across the board. It's not hard to find a 55-inch 4K TV with tons of features for less than $400, which is pretty amazing if you look at the historical prices of televisions. As little as 20 years ago, 32-inch CRTs were out of reach of most people. Now a 32-inch TV seems almost quaint.
It's almost surprising how quickly 4K is taking over. You've long been able to get 4K computer monitors, but with the new round of the best graphics cards for gaming, you can now actually take advantage of all those pixels. Gaming laptops, too, are starting to squeeze in those new GPUs, making 4K closer to the norm than the exception. So what's next for display technology? Why 8K of course.
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
