The PS5 and Xbox Series X have proven themselves to be quite capable 4K gaming machines, but if you want to make the most of your new system you're going to want a great gaming TV. While almost any TV will give you a decent gaming experience, do you really want to settle for less with a console designed to deliver 4K 120Hz games with HDR color?
The best gaming TVs should deliver a crisp 4K picture with true pitch blacks and the brightest highlights, plus spectacularly vibrant color. At the same time you should look for a 4K gaming TV that comes outfitted with HDMI 2.1 ports that can carry all the bandwidth required for 4K 120Hz gaming. For the most part the latest crop of sets have all of this with the exception of a few budget gaming TVs, but even then these TVs still can offer an excellent picture and smooth gaming at 60Hz.
TL;DR – These are the Best Gaming TVs:
- LG 65" Class C1 Series Smart OLED 4K TV
- Sony 65" Class X90J Smart LED 4K TV
- TCL 55" Class 6-Series Mini-LED QLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV
- Hisense 55" Class U8G Quantum Series ULED Smart TV
- Vizio 55" Class 4K OLED Smart TV
- Samsung 65" Class QN90A Smart QLED 4K TV
- Vizio 75" Class P-Series Quantum
- Samsung 65" Class QN900A Smart Neo QLED 8K TV
1. LG 65" Class C1 Series Smart OLED 4K TV
Best High-End Gaming TV for Next-Gen Consoles
The LG C1 is built ready for everything the latest generation of gaming consoles can throw at it. It has a 4K display that runs at a 120Hz refresh rate for sharp and smooth gaming. Better still, it includes support for Variable Refresh Rates via G-Sync or FreeSync Premium and Auto Low Latency Mode. That's all happening on a stunning OLED panel that can deliver rich detail and unbeatable contrast while still maintaining incredible low input lag – no special local dimming processing to slow things down.
The LG C1 may not be incredibly different from the LG CX that it supersedes, but it comes with a new processor to handle upscaling content to 4K, and it has a new Game Optimizer to put all gaming features and options in one handy interface. It's also ready for an improved audio experience with virtualized 5.1.2-channel sound for Dolby Atmos support.
2. Sony 65" Class X90J Smart LED 4K TV
Best Mid-Range Gaming TV for Next-Gen Consoles
If you want a big gaming TV but don't want to fork out too much cash for it, the Sony X90J can get you that sweet 65-inch class for about $1800 while still packing it full of features that are ready for the latest consoles. The Sony X90J will give you a bright and colorful image with Sony's XR Triluminos Pro technology and full-array LED backlighting. All of that will come through in fine detail on the 4K panel, and you can even have it run at an incredibly smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
The Sony X90J also has a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports that can support 4K/120Hz alongside HDR and top it off with features like Auto Low Latency Mode, eARC, and even Variable Refresh Rate technology (though that will come later in an update). When you're not gaming, you can use the built-in Google TV interface to easily pick out streaming content.
3. TCL 55" Class 6-Series Mini-LED QLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV
Best Budget Gaming TV for Next-Gen Consoles
TCL is back again with an upgrade to the 6-Series. The TCL 6-Series Mini-LED QLED TV isn’t just a tweak, as this new 6-series TV is now packing Mini LEDs behind its QLED panel. This gives it a major boost in brightness, allows for a thinner design compared to standard LEDs, and lets it squeeze in a ton of local dimming zones for finer control of contrast on your screen.
The TCL 55R646 makes great use of these technologies to deliver a 55-inch screen geared up for gaming. You’ll be able to enjoy the stunning visuals in games right alongside a 4K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate thanks to the inclusion of two HDMI 2.1 ports. The TV also supports VRR and ALLM, helping make sure latency and screen tearing don’t disrupt your experience. It may cost about $1,000, but that’s a fair price considering all that this TV is offering for gaming.
4. Hisense 55" Class U8G Quantum Series ULED Smart TV
Best Ultra Cheap Gaming TV for Next-Gen Consoles
If you want to get a more affordable TV that can still take advantage of the latest features available on the Xbox Series consoles or PS5, then the Hisense 55U8G is the model you should be looking at. At right around $1,000, it’s offering up the 4K picture the latest consoles are targeting, and it comes with gaming ready features to help you make the most of the experience.
The 120Hz refresh rate of the Hisense U8G can deliver smooth visuals, and the TV supports variable refresh rates with FreeSync, so you won’t have to worry about screen tearing ruining that 4K picture. You’ll also find Auto Low Latency Mode supported to cut down on input lag. Then there’s the HDR experience, which the TV can deliver on a high-level thanks to support for not only 10-bit color depth but also 1,500 nits of brightness alongside 132 local dimming zones, letting you take advantage of the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.
5. Vizio 55" Class 4K OLED Smart TV
Best OLED Gaming TV for Next-Gen Consoles
LG and Sony may have the market cornered for premium OLED TVs, but Vizio has made a viable alternative that can come in clutch for gamers on the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5. The Vizio OLED H1 brings a 55-inch 4K OLED panel to the table at $1,300, undercutting LG’s C1 and matching some recent pricing for the 48-inch LG CX, which it beats out for screen size.
The Vizio OLED isn’t just boasting a high resolution and contrast ratio though, as it also has a 120Hz refresh rate. That can let you enjoy super-smooth gaming visuals alongside HDR and all the other perks that come from a 4K OLED display. With dual HDMI 2.1 ports with 48Gbps bandwidth, you can take full advantage of the display’s capabilities with two consoles or a console and a PC. Vizio also has HDMI Forum VRR support on this TV to help avoid screen tearing.
6. Samsung 65" Class QN90A Smart QLED 4K TV
Best QLED Gaming TV for Next-Gen Consoles
Samsung has taken QLED to the next level with the Samsung QN90A. This 65-inch model features the new Neo QLED technology that features much smaller Quantum Mini LED backlights. That size may be how Samsung has managed to pack in 792 local dimming zones in this model, giving it enhanced control over contrast ratio while still maintaining high brightness levels for highlights. All of that technology also comes packed into an incredibly thin frame that gives OLED a run for its money.
The Samsung QN90A is also as ready as ever for gaming. Thanks to an HDMI 2.1 port, it can accept a 4K/120Hz input for super sharp and smooth gaming along with support for ALLM and VRR technologies. Samsung has also introduced a special gaming mode called Ultrawide GameView that will let you opt for letterboxing above and below your game image to then play with a 21:9 or even 32:9 aspect ratio.
7. Vizio 75" Class P-Series Quantum
Best Big-Screen Gaming TV for Next-Gen Consoles
Vizio can put a massive picture in front of you that’s ready for the best gaming experience you can throw at it. The 75-inch Vizio P-Series Quantum provides a large display, and actually offers it up at a surprisingly reasonable price. It’s not just the size of the display that makes it a winner for gaming but also the technologies Vizio has built in.
For one, it comes with Quantum Color for extra vibrance to make your games that much more lifelike or stylized. The display is also fitted with full-array backlighting that provides a stunning 1,200-nit peak brightness while also offering a rich contrast ratio by implementing 210 local dimming zones. Highlights will pop while shadows can remain deep and not washed out. Meanwhile, your games can cruise along with 4K sharpness and HDR at up to 120Hz thanks to HDMI 2.1 support. Vizio even offers FreeSync Premium VRR capabilities, so no massive screen tears rearing their head.
8. Samsung 65" Class QN900A Smart Neo QLED 8K TV
Best 8K Gaming TV
If you liked the sound of the Samsung QN90A but think you want to go for something a little more future-proof with an 8K display, then you're going to love the Samsung QN900A. This is a similar TV in many regards, except that its 8K resolution gives it four times the number of pixels for ultra-fine detail while only costing twice as much.
You'll find the Samsung QN900A still has the gaming features with 4K/120Hz or 8K/60Hz gameplay available alongside ALLM and VRR technologies. You'll also be getting that Neo QLED experience just dialed up to even higher levels for improved HDR with Samsung's Quantum HDR 48X (by contrast, the 65-inch QN90A has Quantum HDR 32X). A TV this premium also comes with a premium design that includes Samsung's Slim One Connect box to keep your media center free of cable clutter.
Where to Get the Best TVs for Gaming in the UK
What to Look For in a Gaming TV for Next Generation Consoles
Between color accuracy, screen brightness, contrast, viewing angles, smart TV features, and everything else there’s already a lot to consider when buying a TV. Now when shopping for TV you also have to factor in a few other things like refresh rate, adaptive sync support, and low-latency gaming modes.
The good news is more and more TVs these days are being built with gaming in mind. In fact, the number of TV brands that offer FreeSync has ballooned from just one to five going from last year to now. Still, you’ll want to pay particular attention to these specs and features below when shopping for a new TV for your gaming setup.
Adaptive Sync
Most PC gamers and Xbox One owners should already be fairly familiar with adaptive sync or variable refresh rate technology. For the uninitiated, adaptive sync is essentially a process that synchronizes the refresh rate of your monitor or TV with the number of frames shooting out of your GPU.
In the olden days, you may have seen some screen tearing or hitching if you have a really fast graphics card capable of rendering a game at 240 frames per second but only had a display capable of displaying at 60Hz. Well, adaptive sync is designed to quash these exact issues to ensure you never see a terribly torn frame of animation and your frame rate stays at a silky-smooth 60 fps without going too far above or below that level.
Nowadays most of the 2020 TVs you’ll see from Samsung, LG, Vizio, TCL, and Sony this year will all support FreeSync, which is exactly what the PS5 and Xbox Series X will feature.
HDMI 2.1
The second most crucial spec you’ll want to keep an eye out for is HDMI 2.1 ports. This is basically the latest version of the HDMI standard and it finally allows you to carry a 4K signal at up to 120Hz, whereas HDMI 2.0 was limited to 4K at 60Hz.
With HDMI 2.1 you’ll be able to play games at Ultra HD resolutions and at high-refresh rates assuming the PS5 and Xbox Series X make good on their promise to deliver such an experience.
With that in mind you’re also going to want to double-check any TV you’re interested in can support 120Hz or higher natively. If the product listing says the set is capable of 240 MR (Motion Rate), 960 CA (Clear Action), or something else strange but if its Hertz caps out at 60, that means the TV is only simulating a higher refresh rate and it’s not giving you the real deal.
Kevin Lee is IGN's SEO Updates Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
