The 4 Best Ultrawide Gaming Monitors - Fall 2024

The best ultrawide gaming monitor we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF, as it has fantastic picture quality and high-end performance. It has a 34-inch screen with an 1800R curve that helps bring the edges closer to your field of vision, especially if you sit close to the monitor. This monitor has a near-instantaneous response time for incredible motion handling, so there's virtually no visible blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has a 165Hz refresh rate for a smooth and responsive feel.

This monitor uses a QD-OLED panel, providing exceptional picture quality. It displays deep blacks next to bright highlights in dark rooms, with vivid and life-like colors. This makes it an ideal choice for playing HDR games as highlights also pop. It also supports native FreeSync VRR to reduce screen tearing and is also G-SYNC compatible. However, deep blacks appear slightly purple if there's a lot of ambient light, so it's not ideal for gaming in brighter rooms. Additionally, while this monitor has outstanding picture quality, it doesn't have as high a refresh rate as some newer 240Hz QD-OLEDs, such as the Acer Predator X34 X5bmiiphuzx or the MSI MPG 341CQPX QD-OLED, though these cost more.

If you're looking for a monitor that's more responsive and looks better in a bright room, check out the LG 34GS95QE-B. It has a 34-inch, 1440p screen like the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF, but it has a more aggressive 800R curve, so the edges are really brought closer to your field of vision. It has a higher 240Hz refresh rate, and the same near-instantaneous response time as the Dell, so it's a better choice for competitive gaming. Also, because it's a WOLED, it doesn't appear slightly purple in a brighter room, unlike the Dell, so it's a better choice for brighter rooms. Additionally, it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of HDMI 2.1 graphics cards.

However, its colors aren't as vivid because it doesn't have a QD-OLED panel. Additionally, the text doesn't look quite as sharp as on the Dell, which you may notice in text-heavy games like RPGs, strategy, and simulation games. It has two USB-A ports to which you can connect your devices, but if you want something with a USB-C port, you can also look into the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM. It has a very similar performance to the LG, but it also costs more.

If you don't need the best performance or picture quality possible, other low-cost options exist without an OLED panel, such as the LG 34GP83A-B. It has the same 34-inch screen size and 3440x1440 resolution as the more expensive LG 34GS95QE-B, and it's good for gaming. Despite having a lower 160Hz refresh rate, it's still good enough for most gaming situations. Fast-moving objects look fairly crisp, though not nearly as crisp as on the 34GS95QE-B.

Its picture quality also isn't as good as LG 34GS95QE-B because it has an LED-backlit IPS panel. As a result, it can't display deep blacks in a dark room, but that's the trade-off you need to make for getting a cheaper display. It still displays a wide range of colors in HDR, though they don't look as vivid as on the 34GS95QE-B. However, it does have sharper text, and you may prefer it if you play a lot of text-heavy games.

While budget ultrawide monitors often cost quite a bit, especially compared to other budget displays, there are some models you can find for less than others. The Dell S3422DWG is a great gaming monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 34-inch screen, similar to the LG 34GP83A-B, but you do lose a bit on performance. For example, it has more smearing with fast-moving objects, but its overall response time is still good, and it has a backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur.

One advantage of the Dell over the LG is that it delivers better picture quality, particularly for HDR gaming. It has a higher native contrast ratio, and deep blacks don't look as gray in darker rooms as on the LG. It also has good HDR brightness, though it doesn't get bright enough for highlights to pop against the rest of the image. And while it has worse viewing angles than the LG, it also has an 1800R curve, so the edges are brought closer to you, and colors don't look too washed out.