Want to sport on an enormous, immersive monitor? An ultrawide monitor ought to be your subsequent show. Ultrawide affords a bigger viewing space than a widescreen different and a broader perspective that actually shows extra in-game content material. Today’s finest ultrawide gaming screens additionally ship top-tier movement efficiency and help for the most recent adaptive sync requirements.

These are one of the best ultrawide gaming screens proper now.

For suggestions on a wide range of monitor sizes at a variety of costs, see our roundup of the best gaming monitors.

1. Alienware AW3423DWF – Best ultrawide gaming monitor

Pros

• Excellent distinction ratio 
• Top-notch colour gamut and accuracy
• Great movement readability 
• Respectable HDR efficiency
• Extremely aggressive worth

Cons

• Stand is a bit too massive
• No USB-C
• Maximum HDR brightness is lackluster

The Alienware AW3423DWF is an superior gaming monitor, bringing the unbelievable distinction and realism of OLED in a 34-inch widescreen panel. Though priced at $1,099—not cheap for most individuals—it’s a greater worth than most high-end gaming screens.

The monitor’s wonderful picture high quality gives a vivid, immersive, wealthy expertise with deep black ranges and brilliant highlights. Games appear to leap out of the show, as for those who’re wanting by way of a window quite than gazing your pc display screen. Gamers who like darkish, moody genres, resembling horror video games, will respect the monitor’s means to succeed in deep black ranges with minimal lack of element.

This monitor affords an enhanced refresh fee of as much as 165Hz and helps AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for clean body pacing in video games. It additionally has better-than-average movement efficiency at decrease refresh charges, a advantage of the OLED panel’s quick pixel response instances.

The monitor isn’t brilliant and has a shiny show coat that may replicate mild, so it’s finest in a darkish room. We additionally observed the OLED panel has bother rendering small fonts easily. These are minor points and have much less influence on video games than different situations.

Connectivity is suitable, with two DisplayPort inputs and one HDMI, and a USB-A hub with 4 ports. There’s a wholesome vary of menu choices that assist avid gamers change the picture high quality to their desire.

Read our full
Review Alienware AW3423DWF

2. LG Ultragear 34GN850-B – Best ultrawide gaming monitor below $1,000

Pros

• 21:9 panel with a 34-inch display screen
• Curved monitor
• Impressive gaming efficiency
• Ergonomic adjustment choices

Cons

• Only common energy consumption
• Expensive

Released in 2020, the LG Ultragear 34GN850-B, was one of the best ultrawide gaming monitor to debut that 12 months, and solely lately defeated by the Alienware AW3423DWF. In response, LG slashed the previous champion’s worth from an MSRP of $999.99 to $699.99 at most retailers (and it has often offered for as little as $599.99).

Though now not on the prime of its class, LG’s Ultragear 34GN850-B is a sexy monitor with wonderful colour efficiency, a excessive most brightness, and good movement efficiency from its quick “Nano IPS” panel. It appears to be like barely sharper than the Alienware, regardless of the very fact they each have the identical native decision. The LG is arguably higher than the Alienware for blended productiveness and gaming use, as show glare isn’t a problem and small textual content doesn’t seem pixelated.

The LG Ultragear 34GN850-B affords an enhanced refresh fee of as much as 144Hz (with a 160Hz overclocked mode) and is formally suitable with each AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. Its general movement efficiency is not so good as the Alienware, nevertheless it’s shut, and higher than price range options just like the AOC CU34G2X.

What’s the catch? Contrast. The monitor’s IPS panel has the bottom distinction ratio of the three screens we advocate right here and may look hazy in darkish scenes. It appears to be like finest in a reasonably to brightly lit room, as this makes the dearth of distinction much less noticeable.

The monitor’s connectivity and options are in line with high-end screens: two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and a two-port USB hub. A couple of extra USB ports can be appreciated however, at this worth, the out there choices are acceptable.

Read our full
Review LG Ultragear 34GN850

3. AOC CU34G2X – Best ultrawide gaming monitor below $500

Pros

• Gaming monitor in ultrawide 21:9 format
• Impressive gaming efficiency
• Large 34-inch curved panel
• Ergonomic adjustment choices

The AOC CU34G2X is a uncommon budget-friendly ultrawide monitor, retailing at or beneath $349.99. It does make just a few compromises to succeed in that worth level—however picture high quality isn’t amongst them.

The 34-inch ultrawide monitor has a VA panel that gives good distinction and vibrant colour efficiency. Its most brightness is a bit low, however just like the Alienware AW3423DWF in SDR content material (the CU34G2X doesn’t help HDR). The AOC monitor affords 3440×1440 decision, the identical as the opposite screens on this checklist, so it appears to be like simply as sharp. Gamers who aren’t specific about picture high quality will discover it troublesome to inform the distinction between this monitor and the dearer LG Ultragear 34GN850-B.

The AOC CU34G2X is an ultrawide gaming monitor with a refresh fee as much as 144Hz, and it delivers strong movement efficiency. However, it doesn’t formally help both AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. Both requirements ought to work unofficially however, as a result of the show isn’t licensed, house owners could expertise flickering when sport body charges dip too low. Gamers could have to depend on utilizing V-Sync in some titles.

Though the monitor’s picture high quality is spectacular for the worth, its aggressive red-and-black design is much more in-your-face than LG’s Ultragear and would possibly flip off some avid gamers. Material high quality is mediocre, as nicely, so the monitor doesn’t look as premium because the LG or Alienware options.

Connectivity, however, is superb, with two HDMI and two DisplayPort and a four-port USB-A hub. That’s one of the best of any monitor on this checklist—not one thing we’d count on from a price range show. The monitor additionally features a height-adjustable stand, a perk that price range ultrawide screens typically ditch.

Read our full
Review AOC CU34G2X

What to search for in an ultrawide gaming monitor

Ultrawide gaming screens are an superior selection for PC gaming, but stay a tiny area of interest in comparison with much more fashionable 27-inch and 32-inch widescreen gaming screens. According to the most recent Steam Hardware Survey outcomes, lower than 2 p.c of all PC avid gamers on Steam have an ultrawide monitor.

That’s a disgrace, and limits selection when shopping for an ultrawide monitor. Still, avid gamers ought to key an eye fixed on these options when making a purchase order.

Panel kind is an enormous deal

Ultrawide screens supply IPS, VA, and OLED panels. Each has benefits and downsides.

IPS panels are the commonest, and for good purpose. They show a variety of colour, have nice colour accuracy, can attain excessive ranges of brightness, and look sharp at any given decision. However, their low distinction ratio generally is a downside for darker video games, which might seem hazy and lack element. IPS panels are finest for blended use in brightly lit rooms.

VA panels are sometimes present in price range ultrawide screens, although some corporations (most notably Samsung) additionally use them in high-end shows. They have higher distinction than IPS panels and ship related colour efficiency. VA panels can battle with movement efficiency and price range VA panels are likely to fall behind IPS in brightness.

OLED is the chief in general picture high quality. It gives one of the best ends in colour gamut, colour accuracy, distinction, and movement efficiency. Sharpness is usually lowered in comparison with IPS and VA, however most individuals will discover it a minor downgrade. OLED tends to guide in HDR as nicely: Mini-LED can exceed it in some circumstances, however few ultrawide screens use Mini-LED know-how.

In normal, OLED is healthier than IPS, and IPS is healthier than VA. Some avid gamers would possibly favor VA over IPS, nonetheless, particularly when gaming in a darkish room.

Refresh fee and pixel response instances

All the ultrawide gaming screens we advocate share an identical refresh fee (between 144Hz and 165Hz). That implies they’ve related movement efficiency, however there’s extra to it.

OLED screens, such because the Alienware W3423DW, have one of the best movement efficiency general. They supply not solely a excessive refresh fee however the lowest pixel response instances (typically quoted at .03 to .05 milliseconds), which suggests pixels transition between colours rapidly. This reduces movement blur at each excessive and low refresh charges, giving OLED an edge.

IPS screens are likely to have the second-best pixel response instances, with fashions just like the LG Ultragear 34GN850-B quoting response instances of 1 millisecond. VA panels may obtain one millisecond response instances, although some panels could lag this normal.

In abstract: have a look at refresh fee first, then have a look at pixel response time to match screens with the identical refresh fee.

Be cautious of enormous ultrawide shows

The solely ultrawide gaming screens we presently advocate are 34-inch ultrawide gaming screens with 3440×1440 decision.

A wide range of bigger ultrawide gaming screens can be found. This contains 45-inch ultrawide screens just like the Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 and LG Ultragear 45GR95QE, as well as super-ultrawide monitors like the Samsung Odyssey G9 series.

However, these bigger screens carry excessive worth tags and have a tendency to have points in general usability. The bigger 45-inch ultrawide choices don’t enhance decision in comparison with 34-inch fashions, to allow them to seem a bit tender and pixelated. The 49-inch super-ultrawide fashions generally is a match for hardcore simulation avid gamers however aren’t broadly supported in additional mainstream sport genres.

Extremely massive and super-ultrawide gaming screens are a distinct segment inside a distinct segment. They is likely to be a go-to decide sooner or later, however for now it’s finest to stay with extra broadly supported 34-inch, 3440×1440 screens.

Don’t purchase an ultrawide for console gaming

Looking to purchase a monitor for console gaming? Don’t purchase an ultrawide monitor.

None of the present sport consoles help ultrawide resolutions. This is true even in video games which have a PC launch with ultrawide help.  

A sport console related to an ultrawide monitor will nonetheless show a picture, however it will likely be restricted to the standard widescreen show house, leaving black bars on both facet of the display screen.

How we check screens

PC World’s workers and freelance reviewers spend lots of of hours conducting in-depth testing that compares screens throughout a broad vary of worth factors and capabilities, from $100 price range screens to legendary top-tier shows priced past $3,000. We personally check dozens of screens yearly to seek out one of the best decide for each class and worth level.

We use a SpyderXElite colour calibration software. It delivers goal measurements for a variety of metrics together with brightness, distinction, colour gamut, colour accuracy, colour temperature, and gamma. These outcomes are logged, which makes it straightforward for PC World reviewers to match completely different screens. It additionally eliminates subjective bias—an necessary level, as variations in room lighting, time of day, and the kind of content material considered can simply change a reviewer’s expertise.