The 5 Best 4k Gaming TVs - Fall 2021 Reviews

The LG C1 OLED is the best TV for gaming in the OLED category. It's outstanding for gaming because it has a bunch of features and delivers exceptional picture quality. It's available in a wide range of sizes, including a 48 inch variant that we tested as a monitor, so you can easily find the size that best suits your needs. It comes with a stylish stand and should look nice in any setup.

It offers fantastic picture quality for dark room gaming because OLEDs have a near-infinite contrast ratio with perfect black uniformity, so blacks look deep and inky. In terms of gaming features, the C1 supports FreeSync and HDMI Forum variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies natively and is also G-SYNC compatible to reduce screen tearing. Motion looks crispy smooth thanks to the near-instantaneous response time, and it has low input lag. You shouldn't have any issues using the PS5 or Xbox Series X to their full capabilities because the four HDMI 2.1 inputs allow you to play 4k games up to 120fps.

Sadly, our unit has bad out-of-the-box accuracy, so you may need to get it calibrated to enjoy it to the fullest, but this can also vary between units. Also, OLEDs can suffer from permanent burn-in if you constantly watch the same content with static elements, but we don't expect it to be an issue for those who watch varied content. Overall, it's the best gaming TV with an OLED panel.

The Samsung QN90A QLED is the best gaming TV with an LED panel. Unlike OLEDs, LED TVs like this one don't suffer from the risk of permanent burn-in, so you can use it for PC gaming and not worry about the static elements damaging your screen. It's available in a wide range of sizes, and all of them should perform like the 55 inch model we tested, except for the 43 inch variant, which doesn't have VRR and is limited to a 60Hz panel.

It has one HDMI 2.1 input, allowing you to take full advantage of the Xbox Series X and the PS5's capabilities. However, it's a bit disappointing that it's only one input, so you'll need to use an HDMI 2.1 compatible receiver if you want to hook up multiple devices. It has a very quick response time for smooth motion, and gaming feels responsive thanks to the low input lag. It has both FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing.

It has a great Mini LED local dimming feature that helps it produce deep blacks, but sadly local dimming performs worse in Game Mode because it seems to raise the black level more. Its VA panel also has a lower contrast ratio than other VA panel TVs because of Samsung's 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology that aims to improve the viewing angles at the cost of the contrast. If this doesn't bother you, it's one of the best TVs for gaming.

The Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2021 is the best budget 4k TV for gaming that we've tested. It's a great gaming TV, and although it's slightly more expensive than some other budget TVs, it has gaming perks that people should be happy with. It's fairly well-built and is available in a wide range of sizes; we expect our results from the 55 inch model we tested to be valid for all other variants.

It's one of the few budget-friendly TVs that supports VRR in the form of FreeSync, but it's not G-SYNC compatible. It has a quick response time for smooth, but like other VA panel TVs, it has a slow response time with dark transitions, so there's some black smearing. Input lag is also really low for responsive gaming. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and even though it displays deep blacks, its local dimming feature isn't anything special, and it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop in HDR.

Unfortunately, you can't take full advantage of the next-gen consoles' capabilities because it has HDMI 2.0 inputs and not HDMI 2.1. This means that you're limited to 4k gaming at 60 fps instead of 120 fps. It's not the best choice for gaming in well-lit environments either because its peak brightness and reflection handling are both just decent. If this doesn't bother you and you're on a budget, it's one of the best gaming TVs that we've tested.