A gaming monitor is responsible for making the output of your computer’s CPU and graphics card look as good as possible while you’re playing games. Gaming monitors can vary widely in the features they offer, so it’s important to understand what each one has to offer and how it fits into your overall gaming setup.

The best gaming monitor is a display that reflects the quality of your computer hardware and your own choices about other components. However, the spec sheet is not the whole picture: you also need to think about other considerations like viewing angles and resolution. Ultimately, it’s down to you to decide what is the most important for your own needs and budget.

Generally, the best gaming monitor is a flat panel with a standard resolution. The sweet spot is around 24 to 32 inches, which provides plenty of screen real estate while fitting comfortably on most desks. It’s also easy to find options with all the most important gaming-oriented features in this size range, including high refresh rates, fast response times, HDR support, and a wide color gamut.

Most gamers should focus on HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 ports for connecting their gaming monitor to their graphics card. The older versions are limited in terms of the video resolution and frame rate they can support, which is important for gaming. The other relevant input is USB-C, but few gaming monitors feature this port. You should also check that your gaming monitor supports the video formats of any consoles you plan to connect it to, such as an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5. You may need an adapter to do this.