The 5 Best Gaming Monitors Under $300 - Summer 2022 Reviews

The best gaming monitor available for under $300 we've tested is the LG 27GL850-B. It's a great gaming monitor with a fast refresh rate and an outstanding response time at any refresh rate, resulting in very clear motion with almost no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has outstanding low input lag and supports both FreeSync and G-SYNC Compatible variable refresh rate technology, ensuring a responsive, nearly tear-free gaming experience. Its 27-inch, 1440p screen delivers impressive visuals and is well-suited for both fast-paced action games and immersive RPGs.

If you're in a dark room, the LG's low contrast ratio and poor black uniformity aren't ideal. The Dell S2722DGM is a great alternative, with a high native contrast ratio, so blacks look black instead of gray. The Dell has a slower response time than the LG, so it's not as good for fast-paced action games, as there's more noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects.

The best cheap 1080p gaming monitor we've tested is the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx. It's an excellent gaming monitor with an exceptionally fast response time, resulting in crystal-clear motion with barely any blur noticeable behind fast-moving objects. It has wide viewing angles and provides good visibility in well-lit environments because it gets bright and has good reflection handling. While its small screen size isn't the most immersive, the higher pixel density results in clearer text and sharper images.

It's packed with features that most gamers expect to find in a gaming monitor. You can overclock its native 144Hz refresh rate to 165Hz. It has native FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) support and G-SYNC compatibility, resulting in a nearly tear-free gaming experience from almost any source. It also has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. Sadly, the BFI feature flickers within a narrow frequency range, and you can't use it when VRR is enabled, so it's not a perfect implementation.

The best esports gaming monitor under $300 we've tested is the ASUS TUF Gaming VG258QM. It's an excellent gaming monitor, with an extremely fast refresh rate and a fast response time at the max refresh rate. There's barely any noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects, making it a great choice for competitive gamers. It also has incredibly low input lag at the max refresh rate, ensuring your actions are in-sync with what you see on the screen. It's compatible with both FreeSync and G-SYNC variable refresh rate technology, ensuring you'll hardly see any distracting screen tearing while gaming.

It has fantastic ergonomics, so you can quickly and easily adjust the screen to your optimal viewing position, and if you need more flexibility, it can also be VESA mounted. Finally, it has great visibility in bright rooms, with impressive peak brightness in SDR and great reflection handling, so you don't have to worry about glare.

The best 32-inch gaming monitor under $300 we've tested is the LG 32GN600-B. The large screen provides a more immersive gaming experience as you see more of your game at once, and it has a 1440p resolution, making it easier to see fine details in your favorite games. As expected for an entry-level monitor, it's not the most versatile, but it still has great gaming performance. It has a fast 165Hz refresh rate with native FreeSync support to reduce screen tearing, and even though it's not certified by NVIDIA to be G-SYNC compatible, it still works with NVIDIA graphics cards.

Gaming feels responsive, as it has low input lag and a quick response time, but as is the case with many VA panels, there's black smearing with dark objects. The VA panel displays deep blacks and has decent black uniformity, making it a good choice for dark room gaming.

The best HDR gaming monitor under $300 that we've tested is the Gigabyte G27Q. Most monitors at this price point don't even support HDR, and the few that do, can't deliver a true HDR experience, but this monitor delivers an okay HDR experience overall. It has decent peak brightness in HDR, so bright areas in some games stand out a bit. It has an excellent HDR color gamut, with surprisingly good coverage of the DCI-P3 color space used by most current HDR content, ensuring it looks vivid and realistic. It lacks a local dimming feature, and it has low contrast, so really bright highlights don't stand out as well as they should.

Of course, HDR performance is only half the story here. It's also a great gaming monitor, with a very good response time at the max refresh rate and low input lag for a smooth, responsive gaming experience. Like most monitors on this list, it supports FreeSync, but it's also compatible with G-SYNC, which helps reduce tearing in games. It has great peak brightness, good reflection handling, so you don't have to worry about glare, and wide viewing angles, so you can easily share your screen with someone else.