The best ultrawide gaming monitors for 2024

If you want to completely lose yourself in a video game, an ultrawide gaming monitor is one of the best ways to expand your PC gaming setup. Standard widescreen is great, but ultrawide displays eliminate the need for a secondary display with a giant screen that stretches all the way across your field of vision. Just as with any other category of monitors, though, there are tons of options to choose from, and not all of them will get you what you need. In case you’re wondering, the LG 34GS95QE is our top pick. But if you’re not already suffering from TL;DR, we’ll walk you through the detailed decisions that go into picking the best ultrawide gaming monitors, then highlight some of the best options available in the space.

How we chose the best ultrawide gaming monitors

For a long time, the biggest change in PC monitors was the shift from old CRT screens to flat panel displays. In the last five or 10 years, though, they’ve begun to evolve at a breakneck pace. There are more options than ever now. I’ve been covering both display and GPU technology for the last five years, in addition to building my own PCs and paying attention to new developments in graphics technology as a personal hobby.

To make our selections, we drew upon our monitor testing program, sourced opinions from critics at multiple publications and user impressions from across the internet, and leveraged our general knowledge of display technology. We looked for interesting monitors to fit a few different categories. There’s no price limit on our picks, which means these displays can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.

The best ultrawide gaming monitors: Reviews & Choice

Flat or curved, big or small, HDMI or DisplayPort or Thunderbolt/USB—it’s time to figure out the best ultrawide monitor for your gaming rig, whether a desktop PC or a laptop. After doing our homework, we think these are top options you can get right now, from the best overall to the very best that money can buy to the best for less, as well as an option that was announced earlier this year that we’re really looking forward to taking for a spin.

Best overall: LG 34GS95QE

Why it made the cut: The LG 34GS95QE has all the big bells and whistles we look for without the heavy price tag.

Specs

• Panel type: OLED
• Native resolution (Aspect Ratio): 3440×1440 (21:9)
• Panel style: Curved (800R)
• Color depth: 10-bit
• Refresh rate: 240 Hz
• Response time: .03ms
• Max brightness: 275 nits (typical) / 400 nits (max)
• Ports: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4; 1 x HDMI 2.0; 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A
• Ergonomics: Tilt, Height, VESA 100mm mountable
• Variable refresh rate: Nvidia G-Sync Compatible/FreeSync Premium Pro
• HDR: HDR10, VESA HDR 400

Pros

• OLED Panel
• Ergonomically sound
• Support for both G-Sync and FreeSync

Cons

LG’s 34GS95QE is more than just a good ultrawide monitor for gaming. Its OLED panel will deliver perfect contrast and is a noticeable improvement compared to IPS displays. Its 240Hz maximum refresh rate is up to twice as fast as common external monitors, which is critical if you play fast-paced first-person shooter titles where fractions of a second matter. Similarly, it has an astonishingly low .03ms response time. Our only qualm is that this display’s maximum brightness is a little dim.

One of LG’s best decisions was to build this display with support for both NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. This ensures you’ll have an optimized experience regardless of the graphics card you have now and whether you decide to switch platforms later on. Console gamers will also be able to take advantage of many of these features, provided they’re playing titles that support ultra-high framerates.

The 34GS95QE is equipped with both DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 ports. If you’re connecting your PR or console to it using an HDMI cable, make sure to get one that supports data transfer speeds of 48Gbps (Gigabits per second). Some cables top out at 18Gbps, which isn’t enough bandwidth to send a 4K HDR signal at 120 or 240Hz.

If you’re going to be gaming for several hours at a time, you’ll appreciate the fact that this monitor is height and tilt adjustable, so you can move it around throughout the day. You can also hook the 34GS95QE up to a VESA arm if you’d prefer having total control over its positioning.

Whether you’re considering an ultrawide gaming monitor for the first time or upgrading from a previous model, LG’s 34GS95QE is the first one to consider.

Best super ultrawide: Samsung Odyssey Neo G9

Why it made the cut: The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 outshines every other ultrawide with its giant, rich display … and its sky-high price tag.

Specs

• Panel type: VA
• Native resolution (aspect ratio): 5120 x 1440 (32:9)
• Panel style: Curved (1000R)
• Refresh rate: 240Hz
• Response time: 1 ms
• Max brightness: 420 nits (Typical) / 2000 nits (Max)
• Ports: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4; 2 x HDMI 2.1; 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A; Earphone Jack; Audio line-out
• Ergonomics: Height, Swivel, Tilt, VESA 100mm mountable
• Variable refresh rate: Nvidia G-Sync Compatible/AMD FreeSync
• HDR: HDR10+

Pros

• Massive screen
• Top-tier gaming features
• HDMI 2.1

Cons

If you can afford the $2,500 price tag, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is as good as it gets when it comes to ultrawide monitors for gaming. The 49-inch, 32:9 screen is quite literally the same screen (and desk) real estate as two displays pushed together, and the 1000R curve allows the display to surround you with bright, vibrant colors whenever you boot up a game. The G9 has tons of ports, including two HDMI 2.1 ports—the only screen on this list that offers them (so you’ll want to pick up the best ultra-high-speed HDMI cables). You could put this screen in almost any category on this list and have it make sense. It’s just that good. You just have to come up with the money to bring it home.

Best for consoles: MSI MPG 491CQP

Why it made the cut: The MSI MPG 491CQP is one of the few ultrawide gaming monitors with console-minded features.

Specs

• Panel type: OLED
• Native resolution (aspect ratio): 5120 x 1440 (32:9)
• Panel style: Curved
• Color depth: 10-bit
• Refresh rate: 144 Hz
• Response time: .03 ms
• Max brightness: 400 nits
• Ports: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4; 2 x HDMI 2.1; 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A; 1 x USB Type-C, Earphone Jack
• Ergonomics: Height, Swivel, Tilt, VESA 100mm mountable
• Variable refresh rate: MSI custom
• HDR: VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400

Pros

• Rapid response/refresh rates
• Robust features
• OLED protection built-in

Cons

• Consoles don’t support ultrawide aspect ratios directly
• Expensive

I’ll be blunt: We do not recommend pairing a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X with an ultrawide gaming monitor. Right now, only the PS5 supports ultra-wide monitors at 1440p, and it only gained support for variable refresh rates in mid-2022. Many TVs for gaming are far more optimal.

That said, we do have an option if you feel compelled. MSI says that certain monitors have a specific “console mode” with support for variable refresh rates to minimize delays and screen tearing. Additionally, it can receive a 4K 120Hz signal from a console with HDR enabled. This means there will be no degradation in quality when compared to a 4K TV. Additionally, the MPG 491CQP supports CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), which means you can turn the display on by powering on your console.

Ultrawide screens are generally not a good fit with game consoles. And they’re expensive for something that isn’t necessarily the most optimized (though there are cheaper options than what we’re showing here). But if you just want a stellar PC gaming monitor that you can also use to play a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series console into a display, this is your best bet.

Best OLED: Alienware 34 QD-OLED AW3423DW

Why it made the cut: Alienware made the first QD-OLED gaming monitor, and they put it on a 21:9 display.

Specs

• Panel type: Quantum Dot OLED
• Native resolution (aspect ratio): 3440 x 1440 (21:9)
• Panel style: Curved (1800R)
• Refresh rate: 175Hz over DisplayPort, 100Hz over HDMI 2.0
• Response time: 0.1 ms
• Max brightness: 250 nits (typical) / 1000 nits (max)
• Ports: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4; 2 x HDMI 2.0; 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A; Earphone Jack; Audio line-out
  
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