If you're a competitive gamer, getting a monitor with a high refresh rate can help you compete against lesser-equipped opponents. The faster refresh rates lead to a smoother gaming experience with the potential for lower input lag for a more responsive feel, but it's not always the case, so it's still important to consider the monitor's input lag if you play reaction-based games. You also want to make sure the monitor has a quick response time for minimal motion blur. VRR support is also important for a responsive experience with reduced screen tearing, but almost every modern gaming monitor works with common VRR formats.
While responsiveness helps for competitive gaming, monitors with good picture quality can also provide an immersive gaming experience. Luckily, OLED monitors have the best motion handling and best picture quality with deep blacks and bright highlights, so they provide the best of both worlds. It's important to consider that high-refresh-rate monitors with good picture quality tend to cost a lot, but there are some cheaper entry-level displays with high refresh rates that have limited picture quality.
We've bought and tested more than 370 monitors, and below are our recommendations for the best monitors with a high refresh rate. Also, check out our recommendations for the best 240Hz monitors, the best G-SYNC monitors, and the best 1440p 144Hz monitors.
Quick Look
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, with units that we buy completely on our own, without any cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized and custom tools to measure various aspects with objective data-based results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance against the competition, and whether or not it's easy to find.
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Best High Refresh Rate Monitor
Max Refresh Rate480 HzResponse Time9.9Refresh Rate Compliance9.8Input Lag9.3PC Gaming9.2HDR Picture8.9SDR Picture9.9Size27"Pixel TypeOLEDSee all our test resultsNative Resolution2560 x 1440The best high refresh rate monitor we've tested is the LG 27GX790A-B. It's a premium 27-inch, 1440p OLED gaming monitor with a 480Hz refresh rate, making it a fantastic choice for competitive gamers. Motion looks extremely sharp on it thanks to its near-instantaneous response time, which is fast enough that the monitor makes full color transitions before it draws the next frame. Combining this with its very low input lag for a responsive feel, it adds a minimal delay for a responsive feel.
Although the monitor supports all common VRR formats, the biggest downside when it comes to gaming is that it has distracting VRR flicker in dark scenes. This is common with any OLED and occurs when the frame rate changes rapidly. To avoid this issue, you must set a frame rate cap or disable VRR. Besides that, your favorite games look realistic and detailed thanks to its incredible picture quality. It displays deep and inky blacks in dark rooms, and small highlights pop against the rest of the image. If you can't find this monitor available in your region, you can also check out the similar Sony INZONE M10S, although it tends to cost more.
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Best 540Hz Refresh Rate Monitor
Max Refresh Rate540 HzResponse Time8.2Refresh Rate Compliance7.9Input Lag9.2PC Gaming7.0HDR Picture2.6SDR Picture7.2Size24"Pixel TypeTNSee all our test resultsNative Resolution1920 x 1080Although the 480Hz refresh rate of the LG 27GX790A-B is high enough for most gamers, its 1440p resolution also requires more power from your PC compared to lower-resolution displays. If you're a competitive esports gamer and want the highest refresh rate at the cost of a lower resolution, check out the BenQ ZOWIE XL2586X. It's an esports monitor with a 540Hz refresh rate for a smoother feel than the LG, but it doesn't have the same near-instantaneous response time. While this means that there's a bit more blur, fast-moving objects still look sharp at its max refresh rate.
Another advantage of this monitor is that it has a versatile backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur. It works across a wide refresh rate range and effectively improves the appearance of motion at its max refresh rate. However, this monitor has some drawbacks compared to the LG. For example, its TN panel has much worse picture quality, particularly in dark rooms, and it doesn't support HDR at all, so this is something to think about before buying the monitor.
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Best 360Hz Refresh Rate Monitor
Max Refresh Rate360 HzResponse Time9.8Refresh Rate Compliance9.7Input Lag9.1PC Gaming9.2HDR Picture9.5SDR Picture10Size27"Pixel TypeQD-OLEDSee all our test resultsNative Resolution2560 x 1440If you care about achieving better picture quality than the BenQ ZOWIE XL2586X and don't mind settling for a monitor with a lower refresh rate, consider the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27ACDNG. It differs from the BenQ in that it's a 27-inch, 1440p QD-OLED, offering significantly improved picture quality with deep blacks in dark rooms and bright highlights. Additionally, it displays more vivid colors than the LG 27GX790A-B, resulting in the best picture quality among the two previous monitors mentioned, and it's a fantastic choice for HDR gaming. However, because it's a QD-OLED, deep blacks look purple in bright rooms, so you need to use it in a dark room to get the best picture quality.
The biggest trade-off of getting this versus the LG or the BenQ is that it has a lower 360Hz refresh rate, so gaming doesn't feel as smooth. That said, it still has a near-instantaneous response time for sharp motion, better than that of the BenQ, and it has low input lag for a responsive feel. It even has a black frame insertion (BFI) feature to reduce persistence blur, though it only operates at a fixed 120Hz or 180Hz refresh rate.
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Best 240Hz Refresh Rate Monitor
Max Refresh Rate240 HzResponse Time9.9Refresh Rate Compliance9.7Input Lag8.9PC Gaming9.1HDR Picture9.4SDR Picture10Size27"Pixel TypeQD-OLEDSee all our test resultsNative Resolution3840 x 2160If you don't need the highest refresh rate, there are plenty of fantastic 240Hz monitors you can consider. If that's what you're interested in, check out the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. It's a premium QD-OLED monitor that has a higher 4k resolution than the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27ACDNG, so it offers the best of both worlds with high refresh rates and detailed images. That said, you need a powerful computer to take advantage of it with 4k @ 240Hz signals. Luckily, it features high-bandwidth HDMI and DisplayPort 2.1 ports, allowing for full utilization of modern high-end graphics cards, and supports all common VRR formats.
It features low input lag for a responsive feel, the same sharp motion that OLEDs are known for, and a BFI (Backlight Image Enhancement) feature to improve motion appearance, but it only works with fixed 120Hz signals. Its QD-OLED panel also offers fantastic picture quality with vivid colors, bright highlights, and deep blacks in dark rooms. However, the black levels are compromised in bright rooms, and if that's an issue for you, consider the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWMG instead. It's a glossy WOLED that maintains low black levels in bright rooms. Additionally, it features a dual mode that boosts its 240Hz refresh rate to 480Hz, albeit at a lower 1080p resolution. However, it has a few less features than the PG27UCDM, and colors aren't as vivid.
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Best Budget High Refresh Rate Monitor
Max Refresh Rate240 HzResponse Time8.1Refresh Rate Compliance8.0Input Lag9.2PC Gaming7.2HDR Picture4.6SDR Picture6.2Size24"Pixel TypeIPSSee all our test resultsNative Resolution1920 x 1080If you're on a budget and looking for a high refresh rate monitor, the ViewSonic XG2431 is a good choice. Besides its lower 1080p resolution, the biggest trade-off in the budget category is a loss of picture quality, which is evident when comparing this monitor to the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. It doesn't display the same deep, inky blacks with bright highlights, so it appears worse in HDR. Another difference is that because it isn't an OLED, it doesn't have the same near-instantaneous response time as the ASUS.
However, with a 240Hz refresh rate, it's still good enough for most gamers. Additionally, it features a unique backlight strobing function that many entry-level monitors lack. It works across a wide range of refresh rates, and you can customize the flicker to your liking, which helps improve the appearance of motion. However, if you don't need this feature and find the monitor too expensive, you can also consider the Dell G2524H. It has a 280Hz refresh rate, but it performs worse overall in terms of motion handling than the ViewSonic.
Notable Mentions
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LG 32GS95UE-B:
The LG 32GS95UE-B is a premium 32-inch gaming monitor with a unique Dual-Mode feature. This switches it from a 4k, 240Hz display to 1080p, 480Hz. This makes it an alternative to the LG 27GX790A-B if you're going to take advantage of such a feature, but it also costs more than the LG.
See our review -
ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDP:
The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDP is a 1440p, 480Hz OLED that competes with the LG 27GX790A-B. It's a bit more well-rounded with a brighter screen and a BFI feature, but it has some bugs, and costs more than the LG.
See our review -
Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q3:
The Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q3 is a 360Hz QD-OLED that competes with the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27ACDNG. It's very similar in terms of gaming, and you can't go wrong with either, so you should opt for whichever one you can find for a cheaper price. However, the Gigabyte can be harder to find.
See our review -
Dell Alienware AW2725Q:
The Dell Alienware AW2725Q is a cheaper alternative to the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM with the same 4k resolution and 240Hz refresh rate. It performs similarly for the most part, but lacks DisplayPort 2.1 bandwidth to fully utilize high-end graphics cards.
See our review -
ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG:
The ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG is lower-end and cheaper than the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM, with a lower 1440p resolution. It's something to consider if your graphics card can't maintain high frame rates with a 4k resolution, but it's also a step down in picture quality, as colors aren't as vivid as on the PG27UCDM.
See our review
Recent Updates
Nov 07, 2025:
We replaced the Sony INZONE M10S with the LG 27GX790A-B and the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG with the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM for consistency with other recommendations. In the Notable Mentions, we removed the Dell Alienware AW2523HF and the Dell Alienware AW2725DF, and added the Dell Alienware AW2725Q and the XG27AQDMG.
Jun 26, 2025:
Replaced the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED with the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27ACDNG, as the MSI is hard to find.
May 21, 2025:
We replaced the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM with the Dell Alienware AW2725DF in the Notable Mentions, as the ASUS is now mentioned elsewhere in the article.
Apr 14, 2025:
We replaced the BenQ ZOWIE XL2566K with the BenQ ZOWIE XL2586X and renamed it the 'Best 540Hz Monitor' to give another high-refresh-rate option. We also replaced the Dell G2524H with the ViewSonic XG2431 and renamed it to the 'Best Budget Monitor' for consistency with other recommendations. Lastly, we replaced the Samsung Odyssey OLED G60SD S27DG602S and the Dell Alienware AW2725DF with the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM and the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDP in the Notable Mentions to reflect changes to the recommendation and the current market.
Mar 19, 2025:
Replaced the LG 32GS95UE-B with the Sony INZONE M10S, as it's more responsive, has a higher resolution at its max refresh rate, and costs less. Replaced the ASUS ROG Swift Pro PG248QP with the BenQ ZOWIE XL2566K, as the ASUS is hard to find. Replaced the ViewSonic XG2431 with the Dell G2524H, as it's more responsive and costs less. Replaced the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDP with the LG 32GS95UE-B in the Notable Mentions.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best high refresh rate monitors currently available. They are adapted to be valid for most people in each market segment. The rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
If you would prefer to make your own decision, here's the list of our monitors. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.