The 5 Best 27-Inch Gaming Monitors - Black Friday 2022 Reviews

The best 27-inch gaming monitor that we've tested is the LG 27GP950-B. It's a high-end gaming monitor with a 4k resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate that you can overclock to 160Hz. It means it's an excellent choice for PC gaming, especially if your graphics card can handle the high resolution, and it's even better for console gaming. Its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth allows you to play 4k games up to 120 fps from the Xbox Series X or PS5. The high resolution helps result in sharp images, which is great if you like detailed games.

Motion looks smooth at any refresh rate you game at thanks to its quick response time, and it has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience. It has native FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) support to reduce screen tearing, and it's also G-SYNC compatible if you have an NVIDIA graphics card. It even has a few extra gaming features, like the ability to add a virtual crosshair that your system won't detect, giving you a competitive advantage in FPS games.

If you want to save a bit of money or your graphics card can't handle the 4k resolution of the LG 27GP950-B, then a mid-range monitor like the Samsung LC27G75TQSNXZA is a good choice. It's available in both 27 and 32-inches, and although we tested the 32-inch model, the results are also valid for the 27-inch variant. It's an excellent gaming monitor with many features, but it has a lower 1440p resolution than the LG, so images aren't as sharp. Instead, it has a higher 240Hz refresh with a quick response time, whether you're gaming at its max refresh rate or 60Hz. It also supports FreeSync natively and has G-SYNC compatibility.

It's a great choice for dark room gaming because it has a high native contrast ratio resulting in deep blacks, but its edge-lit local dimming feature is terrible, so it's better to disable it. It also displays a wide range of colors and has okay HDR peak brightness if you want to use it for HDR gaming, but as expected for many monitors, it doesn't deliver the most impactful HDR experience.

If you're looking for something cheaper but still want excellent gaming performance, a lower mid-range option like the LG 27GP850-B is a great alternative. Although it's also a 1440p monitor, it's a bit different from the Samsung Odyssey G7 LC32G75T because it has a lower 180Hz max refresh rate, which isn't ideal for competitive gaming, but this is what you have to expect for a cheaper monitor. It also has a different panel type than the Samsung, resulting in a worse dark room gaming experience as blacks look gray, but it has wider viewing angles that make the image remain consistent from the sides.

It still provides excellent gaming performance as it has an incredible response time, especially with high-frame-rate signals, and even motion in 60 fps games looks very smooth. It also has an optional backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur, but it works with limited frequencies, so if you don't want to use it, the backlight remains flicker-free. Lastly, it has low input lag across its entire refresh rate range for a responsive feel.

If you're on a budget and want a 27-inch gaming monitor, there are a few good options to choose from. The ViewSonic XG270 is excellent for gaming, and even though it has a lower 1080p resolution than the LG 27GP850-B, meaning images aren't as sharp, it has a higher 240Hz refresh rate. It's great if you're a competitive gamer and don't need a high-resolution display. It has all the gaming features you're looking for, like native FreeSync VRR support, G-SYNC compatibility, and a backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur. It has a few other features, like the ability to add a virtual crosshair that your system won't detect.

Motion is exceptionally smooth on this monitor as it has a fantastic response time across its entire refresh rate range, and it has low input lag for a responsive feel. It also delivers good picture quality, which is a nice touch for a budget display, as it gets bright, has great reflection handling, and has decent color accuracy, but like most monitors, it has a low contrast ratio.

Although it's easier to find cheap monitors in smaller sizes, there are some cheap 27-inch monitors available if you want something cheaper than the ViewSonic Elite XG270. In that case, the LG 27GL650F-B is a great alternative, but the trade-off you have to make for getting a cheaper monitor is that it has a much lower 144Hz refresh rate. It's still fine for entry-level gamers, or if you don't have an advanced graphics card and 1080p @ 144Hz gaming is good enough for you. While you don't get the same motion handling as on the ViewSonic, it's still great thanks to its excellent response time at its max refresh rate, which remains good even with 60Hz signals.

It has a flicker-free backlight that helps reduce eye strain during long gaming sessions and an option to introduce flicker to reduce persistence blur, but it only works within a limited range. Input lag is low for a responsive feel, and it has VRR support to reduce screen tearing. While it provides great gaming performance, it doesn't offer many extra features, but there's a black stabilizer feature that makes it easier to see opponents in games.