The 5 Best HDR Gaming Monitors - Winter 2025

The best gaming monitor for HDR that we've tested is the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM. It offers both high-end gaming performance and premium picture quality. It's a 32-inch, 4k monitor that's fantastic for gaming because of its near-instantaneous response time, which results in crystal-clear motion in games with no distracting blur trail. Its 240Hz refresh rate benefits most gamers, and it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of both the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

HDR content looks amazing because its QD-OLED panel has a near-infinite contrast ratio, and highlights really pop. It also displays perfect blacks in dark rooms, but they look purple in bright rooms as ambient light causes the black levels to rise. Luckily, it even displays an incredibly wide color gamut with remarkable color volume, so your favorite games look stunningly vivid and life-like, and the high resolution makes content appear full of detail. It even supports Dolby Vision after a firmware update and has different modes available in HDR, giving it an advantage over other monitors. However, it's expensive, and if you don't need these extra features, you can get very similar picture quality with the cheaper MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED. But, the MSI can also be harder to find at times.

If you don't need a high-end 4k monitor like the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM, check out the lower-end MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED. It has a QD-OLED panel like the ASUS, so the picture quality is nearly the same in HDR with deep blacks and vivid colors, but there are a few trade-offs for getting the cheaper MSI. It has a lower resolution than the ASUS, so images aren't as detailed, and it has a smaller screen, but size is a personal preference anyway.

Besides that, it's still fantastic for gaming as it has a near-instantaneous response time, so fast-moving objects are sharp, and it even has a higher 360Hz refresh rate, ideal for competitive gaming. It also has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take advantage of modern graphics cards and gaming consoles. This includes supporting any signal from consoles like downscaled 4k @ 120Hz, which is useful because the Xbox Series X|S only supports HDR with 4k signals, but unlike the ASUS, it doesn't support Dolby Vision. If you can't find this monitor available in your region, you can also consider the similar Dell Alienware AW2725DF, but it lacks HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and tends to cost a bit more.

If you don't need high-end QD-OLEDs like the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM or the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED, you can still find the best HDR monitor for gaming in the mid-range price category, with the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG. It's an OLED monitor, but unlike the higher-end monitors, it has a WOLED panel and not QD-OLED, so colors aren't as vivid. That said, it still offers incredible picture quality in HDR with deep blacks, and it also gets bright enough to make small highlights pop.

Aside from those small differences, it provides everything you'd expect from a gaming monitor, like a near-instantaneous response time and support for all common VRR formats. It has a lower 240Hz refresh rate than the MSI, but it's still high enough for most gamers. Unfortunately, it doesn't support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so it can't take full advantage of HDMI 2.1 sources. If that's important to you, the LG 27GS95QE-B is a similar monitor that supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, but it doesn't get as bright as the ASUS.

There aren't as many monitors with good HDR performance in the budget category, but some are still ahead of the competition, like the AOC Q27G3XMN. It's a step down from the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG because it doesn't have an OLED panel, so it doesn't display the same deep and inky blacks without any blooming. Instead, it uses Mini LED backlighting with a good local dimming feature that helps it improve its picture quality in dark scenes with deep blacks next to bright highlights, but there's just a bit more blooming compared to an OLED. On the plus side, it gets very bright in HDR, so highlights really pop.

While it doesn't have a 240Hz refresh rate like the ASUS, its 180Hz refresh rate is still good enough for most gamers. And while its response time isn't near-instantaneous either, it's still fast, but there's some smearing with fast-moving objects. Unfortunately, it doesn't have HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of gaming consoles either, but that's what you have to expect for a budget monitor.

Should you be on a strict budget and looking for a cheap monitor, check out the Acer Nitro XV275U P3biipx. It's actually very similar in specs and features to the AOC Q27G3XMN, but there are a few trade-offs when it comes to performance. It has Mini LED backlighting like the AOC and delivers good picture quality in HDR with deep blacks and bright highlights, but its local dimming feature results in more black crush and blooming. However, it does get brighter than the AOC and even has more vivid colors.

Overall, it's a decent gaming monitor thanks to its 170Hz refresh rate, but there's smearing with fast-moving objects. It has low input lag for a responsive feel and a handful of gaming features, like Black Boost and Aim Point, that give you a competitive advantage.