The 5 Best 4k Gaming TVs - Spring 2021 Reviews

The best gaming TV with an OLED panel that we've tested is the LG CX OLED. It delivers stunning picture quality as it can produce perfect blacks by turning pixels off completely, making it a fantastic choice for dark room gaming. It has wide viewing angles and exceptional reflection handling with decent peak brightness. Its out-of-the-box color accuracy is impressive, and its wide color gamut helps deliver HDR content with vibrant and saturated colors.

Motion handling is truly outstanding. It has a native 120Hz refresh rate that makes motion look incredibly smooth, a near-instantaneous response time that results in almost no motion blur in fast-moving scenes, and an optional Black Frame Insertion feature to improve clarity. It supports FreeSync, HDMI Forum VRR, and is G-SYNC compatible. It has an 'Auto Low Latency Mode' that detects when a game is launched from a compatible device and automatically switches the TV to 'Game' mode, ensuring that you always get the lowest input lag. It's also fully compatible with both the Xbox Series X and PS5.

Unfortunately, OLEDs are susceptible to permanent burn-in, which occurs when static elements display for an extended period, like a channel logo or a video game's user interface. That said, it shouldn't be an issue for most people who watch varied content. Most resolutions are supported, and it can display proper chroma 4:4:4, which is great for gaming on a PC. All in all, the LG CX is one of the best TVs for gaming that we've tested.

The Samsung Q80/Q80T QLED is the best TV for gaming with an LED panel that we've tested. It's a well-built model that's packed with gaming features. It delivers stunning picture quality and offers excellent gaming performance that most people should enjoy. You also won't have to worry about permanent burn-in, as LED TVs seem to be immune to it in our testing.

Fast-moving content looks smooth thanks to its excellent response time and Black Frame Insertion feature. It also has an incredibly low input lag that stays low with VRR enabled. It has native FreeSync support with G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing. The HDMI 2.1 support allows you to play 4k games up to 120fps, but it doesn't support 4k @ 120Hz games in HDR with the PS5, which seems to be a common problem with 2020 Samsung TVs. It has a high contrast ratio and, despite having a VA panel, it still has fairly wide viewing angles thanks to the 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology, but that's only available on the 55 and larger models.

Unfortunately, it's not the best choice for HDR gaming. It has okay HDR peak brightness and disappointing local dimming in Game Mode, and it performs worse in Game Mode than in the regular HDR picture mode. The 49 and 50 inch models also don't support VRR and are limited to 60Hz panels, so we expect them to perform differently for gaming. Regardless, the 55 inch and larger models are among the best gaming TVs we've tested.

The Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2020 is the best budget 4k TV for gaming that we've tested. It sits alongside the Vizio M8 Series Quantum 2020 in the 2020 lineup, which has a few more local dimming zones, but it's harder to find. It offers a few gaming features, which is a nice touch for a budget-friendly option, and it provides very good gaming performance.

The native 60Hz refresh rate is lower than other high-end TVs on this recommendation, but luckily, it has native FreeSync support to reduce screen tearing. It has a good response time with a Black Frame Insertion feature to help improve the appearance of motion. Input lag is low, and the TV doesn't have any issues displaying content up to 4k @ 60Hz with either the PS5 or Xbox Series X. The TV's VA panel has a high native contrast ratio to display deep blacks; there's a local dimming feature, but it's mediocre and doesn't improve the contrast. 

Sadly, this TV isn't the brightest, so it's not the best choice for well-lit rooms. It only has decent brightness in SDR, and the reflection handling is good, but it's best to avoid placing it in a bright environment. It also struggles to upscale lower-resolution 480p and 720p content as there are some artifacts, but that shouldn't be a problem since most games are at least 1080p. Overall, this is one of the best TVs for gaming that we've tested.