The 6 Best 27 Inch Gaming Monitors - Fall 2020
Reviews

The best 27 inch gaming monitor that we've tested so far is the ASUS TUF VG27AQ. It's a 1440p monitor that delivers a great picture quality with outstanding motion handling, as it allows the optional black frame insertion feature to be used while FreeSync is enabled. This results in a clear picture with almost no blur trail behind fast-moving objects and a nearly tear-free gaming experience.

Input lag is remarkably low and the monitor's native refresh rate of 144Hz can be easily overclocked to 165Hz. This monitor performs at its best in a moderately-lit room. It gets bright enough to combat glare and its reflection handling is decent, but direct sunlight is definitely not recommended. It has built-in speakers for those who need them and the backlight is flicker-free, which is great for those gaming marathons. Gray uniformity is excellent, as only the edges of the screen look slightly darker, and thankfully, no dirty screen effect.

Like most IPS monitors, contrast ratio and black uniformity are mediocre, which is less ideal for gaming in the dark. However, it offers good viewing angles and its color accuracy is pretty decent out of the box. There's HDR support, but the lack of wide color gamut and the monitor's mediocre peak brightness results in a rather lackluster HDR experience. All in all, this is a feature-rich monitor that most gamers should be happy with.

The best 27 inch gaming monitor for esports is the ASUS VG279QM. It's one of the best gaming monitors we've seen so far as it's one of the few monitors with a 280Hz refresh rate and an IPS panel. It has native FreeSync support, and if you have a newer NVIDIA graphics card, it's certified to be G-SYNC compatible.

Fast-moving content on this monitor has almost no motion blur. The response time at its max refresh rate is one of the best we've seen on a monitor, and it also has an excellent response time at 60Hz. There's even a black frame insertion feature, which unlike most monitors, you can use when VRR is enabled. The input lag is also really low, except at 60Hz, so it's not ideal for console gamers. Despite having a 1080p resolution, the picture quality is good as it has great out-of-the-box viewing angles, outstanding gradient handling, excellent gray uniformity, and it gets bright enough to combat glare.

Unfortunately, as is the case with most IPS monitors, it has a low contrast ratio. It supports HDR10, but it can't display a wide color gamut, so HDR content doesn't look all that much different from SDR. However, like most ASUS gaming monitors, it has outstanding ergonomics, so you can place this monitor how you like in your setup. Overall, it's the best 27 inch gaming monitor for esports that we've tested so far.

The best 27 inch 4k gaming monitor we've tested so far is the Acer Predator X27. It's a monitor that delivers a superb picture quality with its high resolution and excellent motion handling. Its response time is fast, resulting in very little motion blur, and it performs equally well whether you play at its maximum 144Hz refresh rate or at 60Hz, which is good news for console gamers.

Input lag is extremely low and it supports NVIDIA's G-SYNC variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing. If you're in a moderate to bright room, then this monitor is a perfect choice. It gets searingly bright, enough to fight glare in any type of room setting, and its reflection handling is pretty decent. There are four USB 3.0 ports that you can use to charge your mobile devices and it comes with internal speakers. You can add a crosshair to shooter games or a frame rate counter overlay, and it even has some customizable RGB lights to match your mood.

Sadly, it doesn't have good dark room performance, as its IPS panel has significant black uniformity issues, even with its full-array local dimming enabled. Furthermore, its low contrast ratio makes blacks look gray, although this is expected of most IPS panels. On the bright side, it has wide viewing angles and there's almost no visible dirty screen effect. So if you're looking for a monitor that can do nearly anything and price is no object, you should check this one out.

The best budget 27 inch gaming monitor we've tested so far is the ASUS TUF VG27VQ. It's a good budget gaming monitor with a high refresh rate of 165Hz, an incredibly low input lag, and it supports FreeSync for a nearly tear-free gaming experience. Its response time is decent and it has an optional black frame insertion feature that can help reduce motion blur.

This monitor uses a VA panel that's capable of producing deep blacks, but it comes at the cost of poor viewing angles. Gray uniformity is excellent, so you shouldn't see any dirty screen effect, although there's some backlight bleed that can be distracting if you plan on gaming in the dark. Visibility should be fine in most rooms, but it may be an issue in very bright rooms with lights shining directly on the screen, as its reflection handling is just okay. Despite its budget price, this monitor is very well-built. Ergonomics are decent; however, it can't rotate to portrait mode.

Sadly, there's no HDR support and the 1080p resolution may be a bit disappointing for some. However, it comes with a few extra features that may be useful for some, such as a blue light filter, an FPS counter overlay, and a pair of internal speakers. Overall, if you don't mind its 1080p resolution and lack of HDR support, this is a budget-friendly monitor that's worth considering.