If you have an Xbox Series X or are planning on getting one, you might need a new TV to use the Series X's full potential. When evaluating how good a TV is for gaming on an Xbox Series X, four main criteria are considered.
Gaming Features
The Xbox Series X supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth all the way up to 4k @ 120Hz. The HDMI 2.1 bandwidth means higher resolutions and faster refresh rates than the Xbox One series of consoles. A fast refresh rate, like 120Hz, improves the gameplay fluidity in games that support it. It also almost always improves the TV's input lag and perceived response time, so it's a big deal for competitive Xbox gamers or those prioritizing frame rate and fluidity over graphical fidelity. A high refresh rate also goes hand-in-hand with variable refresh rate (VRR) support, as it lets the TV dynamically adjust its refresh rate to match the game's frame rate. This minimizes, if not eliminates, any screen tearing that can result from the game's frame rate not matching the TV's refresh rate.
For more information on gaming features, look up our articles on VRR and supported resolutions of TVs.
Input Lag and Response Time
Another essential component of a good gaming TV for the Xbox Series X console is its input lag and response time. Input lag is the time it takes for a frame sent by a source (like a gaming console) to be displayed on screen. A low input lag makes the entire experience more responsive, as your inputs on a controller or mouse are reflected quickly on the screen. The best TVs can have an input lag as low as five milliseconds. Response time is how long it takes for a pixel to change from one color to the next, typically measured from a fully black pixel to a fully white one or from one shade of gray (either dark or bright gray) to the opposite shade of gray. OLEDs are the uncontested best TVs regarding response time, as their pixel transitions are nearly instantaneous. The best LED TVs for gaming also have very fast transitions; however, a slow response time is noticeable, as fast-moving objects on screen leave blurry trails behind them.
You can also check out our articles on input lag and response time if you want to know more.
Contrast and Dark Details in Game Mode
An important factor in how games look on a TV is its ability to preserve its contrast in Game Mode. To cut down on processing and thus improve input lag, TVs disable many of their processing features in Game Mode. We look at whether the TV's local dimming feature is still fast and accurate in that mode, which includes seeing if the TV's dimming zone transitions are more noticeable than in other picture modes and if the TV's blooming performance differs from these other modes. The best gaming TVs don't show any apparent reduction in contrast in Game Mode.
You can also read our in-depth article on contrast.
Peak Brightness and Reflection Handling
Finally, we pay attention to how bright the TV gets. For dark room gaming, contrast is more important overall, but HDR peak brightness is also important as the Xbox Series X supports HDR, and you want bright highlights to pop next to a TV's deep blacks. Of course, if you're gaming in a bright room, you want your TV's brightness to be high enough to compensate for any glare from direct or ambient lights. Reflection handling is also important here, as TVs with lower peak brightness, like many OLEDs, can compensate for it by having stellar reflection handling, allowing for bright room gaming. If you're planning on playing older Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles on your console, then a good SDR peak brightness is also crucial, although if you don't care about accuracy, you can set your Xbox console to do Auto HDR, which converts SDR games to HDR.
If you'd like to know more, we have in-depth articles about SDR peak brightness, HDR peak brightness, and reflection handling. While this recommendation is focused on the Xbox Series X, the picks are the same for the Xbox Series S.
We've bought and tested more than 455 TVs, and below are our recommendations for the best 4k TV for Xbox Series X. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best gaming TVs, the best 120Hz TVs, and the best TVs. You can also vote on which ones you want us to buy and test. To learn more about the 2024 models, check out our 2024 TV lineup page.
The best TV for Xbox Series X that we've tested is the Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED. It's a fantastic TV that delivers an incredible gaming experience. Fast-paced action games look outstanding thanks to its nearly instantaneous response time, so there's almost no blur behind fast-moving objects. The TV's input lag is incredibly low, which makes for extremely responsive gaming, and its VRR support means you also get a nearly tear-free gaming experience. It's bright and colorful in HDR and SDR, so your games really pop. Due to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports, the TV can take full advantage of almost everything the Xbox Series X offers, including 4k @ 120Hz gaming. Unfortunately, Samsung doesn't support Dolby Vision on their TVs, so you won't be able to game in that HDR format.
Being an OLED, the TV's near-infinite contrast ratio and perfect black levels mean that blacks are inky. In combination with its excellent HDR brightness, it delivers an impactful HDR experience. The TV even overcomes glare in a bright room due to its exceptional reflection handling. Whether you're in a pitch-black room or gaming with the lights on, the TV truly delivers. Just make sure that you purchase the 55, 65, or 77-inch sizes, as those are the ones with a QD-OLED panel. Even then, this varies depending on your region.
If you regularly game in a room with lots of lights on and don't want to deal with pesky reflections, the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED is the best TV to pair with your Xbox Series X in a bright room. This TV easily overcomes glare in the brightest rooms due to its superb SDR brightness, and it can display exceptionally bright highlights in HDR games. Speaking of HDR, the TV supports Dolby Vision gaming at up to 120Hz, so you can take full advantage of your Xbox's HDR capabilities. Colors are also very vibrant due to the TV's wide color gamut. Although its black levels aren't quite as good as an OLED like the Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED, it still delivers exceptionally deep blacks with very minimal blooming thanks to its stellar local dimming.
The TV is also loaded with modern gaming features. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two of its ports that support up to 4k @ 120Hz with VRR, meaning it's fully compatible with Series X. Fast motion has minimal blur behind it due to the TV's excellent response time. You also get a responsive gaming experience due to its very low input lag, although it's a bit higher than competing models from other brands. Unfortunately, it has a mediocre viewing angle, so the image degrades when viewed from the sides of the screen. It's not as bad as a lot of other TVs that use a VA panel, but it's still not the best choice if you like to play couch co-op games with a large group of friends.
If you want something cheaper in the mid-range price category, check out the LG C4 OLED. It's another fantastic gaming TV with many of the same features and high-end gaming performance as the Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED. The LG uses a different type of OLED panel than the Samsung, resulting in less vibrant colors and dimmer highlights. However, it still delivers the same excellent picture quality in dark rooms thanks to its perfect black levels, with no blooming around bright objects. It also has similarly impressive reflection handling and SDR brightness, so it overcomes glare in rooms with the lights on.
Besides the differences in HDR brightness and color vibrancy, the LG also offers HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all of its ports. It also supports VRR, 4k @ 120Hz (144Hz on PCs), and Dolby Vision, so it's fully compatible with the Series X. Like the Samsung, it has a near-instantaneous response time, so fast motion is crystal clear. It also has the same incredibly low input lag, so you're not at a competitive disadvantage on this TV.
The LG B4 OLED is the best TV for Xbox Series X in the mid-range category that we've tested. It's truly an awesome TV, with only a few drawbacks compared to the more expensive LG C4 OLED. The TV has all the features of the C4, although the B4 is dimmer in HDR outside of Game Optimizer. While using Game Optimizer, the TV's HDR brightness is essentially the same as that of its more expensive sibling, which is great. Like the C4, it delivers outstanding picture quality, with its near-infinite contrast ratio delivering inky blacks at the same time as bright highlights, making it look outstanding in a dark room. It even gets bright enough to fight some glare in a room with the lights on.
Its four HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports offer up to 4k @ 120Hz support, and you won't miss out on the 144Hz support the C4 has since the Series X is limited to 120Hz. It's also compatible with every VRR technology, has a nearly instantaneous response time, and has an extremely low input lag. Overall, this TV is a great entry point into the OLED market. If you pretty much only use the TV for gaming on your Xbox, you don't really miss out on much by choosing it over the more expensive C4, and it still looks excellent if you also use it to watch movies and TV shows.
If you'd like the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED or LG B4 OLED but are looking to save some money, you can safely step down to the best lower mid-range TV for the Xbox Series X that we've tested, the Hisense U7N. It's dimmer than the Sony, with worse contrast, but it has almost the same feature set. Plus, it's still bright enough for a very good HDR experience. Its contrast is excellent overall, so it looks great when gaming in a dark room. The TV has fantastic reflection handling, so it handles very bright rooms well. It looks great in a dark room, as it has a good local dimming solution to emphasize highlights and further improve the TV's contrast. It's also a very colorful TV, making it very pleasant to watch in any context.
Unfortunately, its viewing angle is narrow, so it's best viewed from the front. Thankfully, its response time is excellent, making it an enticing option for gamers hoping to save money on a great TV. It has superbly low input lag and offers an extremely responsive gaming experience. Just like the higher-end Sony and LG options, it has two HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports, with each capable of up to 4k @ 144Hz. Furthermore, it supports VRR, and it has 120Hz Dolby Vision support, so it's fully compatible with the Xbox Series X.
If you're on a budget, you can save money by getting the TCL Q6/Q651G QLED. As you get into budget TVs, the main difference between them and higher-end TVs is that you usually won't get a 120Hz refresh rate or HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. Even though this TV has HDMI 2.0 bandwidth on all its ports, alongside a 60Hz panel, it can output 1080p @ 120Hz and 1440p @ 120Hz with a wide VRR range through resolution halving on all sizes except for the 43 and 50-inch models. It's hard to notice the drop in picture quality from resolution halving unless you really look for it, so it's a great feature, making it one of the cheapest TVs on the market with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Still, it has worse picture quality than the more expensive models on this list, with worse contrast due to the lack of a local dimming feature. It gets fairly bright and is quite colorful, but without local dimming, it can't truly emphasize bright highlights. And like the models from Hisense, it has a disappointing viewing angle, so again, it's not great for a wide seating arrangement. Nevertheless, it's an impressive TV for gaming thanks to its low input lag and decent response time. It's not the best gaming TV for Xbox Series X, but all in all, it's a great bang-for-the-buck option for gamers.
The Roku Select Series is a good choice if you're looking for the best gaming TV for Xbox Series X and need something cheap and simple. It's an okay option that's a step down from the TCL Q6/Q651G QLED, as it can't do 120Hz. Its contrast is okay, especially for a TV at this price point, so it looks adequate in a dark room, even without local dimming. That's a good thing since the TV doesn't get bright enough in HDR for rooms with lots of lights, even with its decent reflection handling. It's bright enough for moderately lit rooms, though, especially when playing SDR titles since its SDR brightness is very good. A great feature of this TV is the sheer amount of models available, from a small 24-inch to a big 75. Remember that the 24- and 32-inch models are limited to a 720p resolution, and the 40-inch model is limited to 1080p. The bigger sizes are 4k TVs.
The Roku is light on features; it doesn't have VRR, is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, and doesn't support 1440p resolution. Still, its low input lag and great response time make it a good TV for gamers. However, like many other LED TVs, there's a noticeable black smear in shadow details due to the TV's slower dark state transitions. You won't have any issues with slower and brighter titles.
Sep 30, 2024: Replaced the Samsung S90C OLED, the LG C3 OLED, the LG B3 OLED, and the TCL Q5/Q550G QLED with their 2024 successors. We also updated the Notable Mentions section.
Jul 08, 2024: Replaced the Hisense U7K with the Hisense U7N in the 'Best Lower Mid-Range TV For Xbox Series X' category and replaced the Sony X93L/X93CL with the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED in the 'Best Bright Room TV For Xbox Series X' category. We also added the Hisense U8/U8N as a Notable Mention and refreshed some text throughout the article for accuracy.
May 09, 2024: Added mentions of the Hisense U7N, the LG B4 OLED, the LG C4 OLED, and the Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED in the 'Best Lower Mid-Range TV For Xbox Series X,' the 'Best Mid-Range TV For Xbox Series X,' the 'Best Upper Mid-Range TV For Xbox Series X,' and the 'Best TV For Xbox Series X' categories, respectively.
Mar 13, 2024: Replaced the TCL Q6/Q650G QLED with the TCL Q5/Q550G QLED as our pick for 'Best Budget TV For Xbox Series X' and moved the Q6 into the Notable Mentions section.
Jan 30, 2024: Confirmed that all picks are accurate and available to purchase, and added the TCL Q5/Q550G QLED as a Notable Mention.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best televisions for the Xbox Series X. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our TV reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.