The 4 Best 27-Inch Gaming Monitors - Spring 2025

The best 27-inch gaming monitor we've tested is the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. It's a 4k QD-OLED with fantastic picture quality and gaming performance. While it displays fast-moving objects crisply and its 240Hz refresh rate is quite responsive, its standout feature is its 4k resolution. Because it has such a high resolution for a 27-inch display, text looks as crisp as an IPS or VA panel of the same resolution, which isn't the case for 1440p OLEDs. It also has other useful gaming features like HDMI and DisplayPort 2.1 bandwidth and support for all common VRR formats to reduce screen tearing.

Because of its OLED panel games look vivid, and it displays a wide range of colors. It also has a near-infinite contrast ratio that helps it display perfect blacks next to bright highlights in a dark room, and it gets bright enough for small highlights to pop, so it has fantastic HDR performance. That said, while it looks incredible, it doesn't have the highest refresh rate. If this matters to you more than the display's sharpness, consider the Sony INZONE M10S. It's the most responsive monitor we've tested and is ideal for esports gamers, though it doesn't look as sharp because of its lower 1440p resolution.

While the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM provides the best performance in terms of picture quality and sharpness, there are still some great high-end OLEDs that you can find for less. One of those is the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG. The main trade-off of getting this monitor is that it has a lower 1440p resolution, so images and text aren't as detailed. It also has a WOLED panel instead of a QD-OLED panel like the PG27UCDM, so colors aren't as vivid.

That said, it still provides all the benefits of an OLED with deep and inky blacks and a near-instantaneous response time for sharp motion. It even gets brighter than most OLEDs, which is ideal if you want to use it in a well-lit room. However, it's not quite as vivid or responsive as 360Hz alternatives like the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED—though those monitors are more expensive.

There are monitors you can get for cheaper if you don't want an OLED, and one of those options in the mid-range price category is the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx. It often goes on sale for a cheaper price than the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG, and it's worth getting when you can find it on sale. Without an OLED panel, it doesn't deliver the same deep blacks as the ASUS, and it has a lower 160Hz max refresh rate. But this is still fine for most gamers, and it has good motion handling as well.

One advantage of the Acer over the ASUS is that it has a higher 4k resolution, which results in more detailed and sharper images. It also has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, but its input lag increases with fixed 60Hz signals, which is disappointing if your games require fast reactions. In terms of picture quality, it has a Mini LED local dimming feature that improves the contrast, and it makes highlights pop even more than the ASUS monitors above. It also easily gets bright enough to fight glare, so it performs well in any type of environment.

If you're looking for a 27-inch gaming monitor on a budget, there are a few good options you can choose from, including the AOC Q27G3XMN. It's a step down from the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx because it has a lower 1440p resolution, so images aren't as detailed, and it lacks HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of modern graphics cards and gaming consoles. However, this is what you have to expect from an entry-level monitor in terms of gaming features.

What makes it better than other budget-friendly monitors is that it features Mini LED backlighting, similar to the Acer. It has a good local dimming feature that helps it display deep blacks next to bright highlights, and it gets bright enough to make those highlights really pop, too. It even has a fast response time, but there's smearing with fast-moving objects. If you can't find it available in your region, check out the Acer Nitro XV275U P3biipx. It's a similar monitor that also has Mini LED backlighting, but it has worse motion handling.