The 5 Best 4k Gaming TVs - Fall 2021 Reviews

The LG C1 OLED is the best TV for gaming in the OLED category that we've tested. It's an outstanding gaming TV, with a near-instantaneous response time, resulting in crystal-clear motion with no blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has outstanding low input lag, so you can respond instantly to the action on-screen, and it has a slew of extra gaming features, including FreeSync variable refresh rate support. It also supports G-SYNC and HDMI Forum VRR, so it can deliver a nearly tear-free gaming experience from any source.

Like all OLED TVs, it delivers impressive picture quality, so the latest PS5 and Xbox Series X games look stunning. It has a nearly infinite contrast ratio, resulting in deep, inky blacks with perfect uniformity. It also has wide viewing angles, is great for co-op gaming, and is bright enough for almost any viewing environment. It also has four HDMI 2.1 ports, ensuring you can take full advantage of everything the new consoles have to offer.

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 with cumulative exposure to content with bright static elements, but we don't expect this to be an issue for most people who watch varied content. Overall, it's the best gaming TV with an OLED panel that we've tested.

The Samsung QN90A QLED is the best gaming TV with an LED panel. Unlike OLEDs, LED TVs 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 raises 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 best budget 4k TV for gaming that we've tested is the Hisense U6G. It's a well-rounded TV that delivers great picture quality, rivaling more expensive options, and it performs well for gaming in both dark and bright environments. It doesn't have as many features as other TVs, though, as it lacks HDMI 2.1 inputs and variable refresh rate support, so you're limited to 4k @ 60Hz games without VRR.

Besides the lack of features, gamers should still appreciate the quick response time for great motion handling, and we didn't notice any red ghosting in games. It also has low input lag for a quick and responsive gaming experience, and if you want to use it with a PC, it displays proper chroma 4:4:4 with 1080p and 4k signals. Its VA panel has a high native contrast, and the decent full-array local dimming feature helps improve the contrast without causing much blooming around bright objects.

Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles, so the image looks washed out and inaccurate from the sides, meaning it's not a good choice for wide seating arrangements. It also has banding with gradients of similar colors, especially darker colors, but that's only noticeable in scenes like sunsets with shades of similar colors and won't be an issue for most games. All in all, it's one of the best gaming TVs we've tested, especially if you're on a budget.