by You don’t have to spend an exorbitant amount of money to get a great gaming monitor. While high-end monitors can be beneficial for competitive gaming and for showing off games at their best (provided you have a rig -capable form, of course), most PC gamers can probably do just fine with reasonably priced monitors. $300 or less. Regardless of your budget, you always want to pick a monitor that’s suitable for what you’re gaming on. We’ve rounded up the best cheap gaming monitors in 2022. We’ll keep adding more choices to this list as new monitors come out. Every year it seems like manufacturers push the bar even further in terms of quality for a decent price.
As mentioned, you should purchase monitors with your needs in mind. FPS and competitive gamers will want a monitor with a high refresh rate – at least 144Hz – to gain an edge over their competition. Those who are more interested in single-player gaming and want the best picture quality can opt for an ultra-wide monitor or even one with 4K resolution and HDR support to get the most vibrant picture.
A number of factors played a role in our choices, the most important being our experience with the respective companies and their monitors. We’ve also considered each monitor’s tech specs, user reviews, and availability, and where possible, we’ve also tried to stay under $300.
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LG 34 inch Ultra Wide Full HD IPS HDR Monitor
Ultrawide monitors are often the most expensive you can find on the market, but the 34-inch IPS gaming monitor is a great budget option that delivers a great experience without breaking the bank. It offers 2560 x 1080 resolution, 75Hz refresh rate and FreeSync support along with 5ms response time. It is compatible with FreeSync and has a pair of HDMI ports.
BenQ 27″ EL2870U Monitor
4K is a resolution that often comes with a premium tag, but the BenQ EL2870U gaming monitor offers a solid 4K experience at an affordable price. Of course, with high resolution, you sacrifice refresh rate. The EL2870U only has a 60Hz refresh rate, but you get a beautiful 4K TN display with a 1ms response time and HDR10 which is also supported by FreeSync for smooth and responsive gaming. It holds a 4.5/5 rating on Amazon with over 3,000 reviews.
Along with its gaming features, it also has adaptive brightness, low blue light, and anti-flickering technology, all of which help to make gaming sessions more comfortable for your eyes. Adaptive brightness automatically adjusts throughout the day as the lighting in your room changes.
Gigabyte 27″ G27Q Monitor
Gigabyte’s G27Q gaming monitor is a great budget monitor if you’re looking for a 1440p option. Its IPS display offers 1440p resolution and 144Hz refresh rate backed by FreeSync Premium and G-Sync compatibility. This gives you a resolution over 1080p as well as a refresh rate over 60, providing both a crisp image and smooth, fluid gameplay. FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility helps eliminate screen tearing no matter what graphics card you have.
It also supports HDR400, but don’t expect the brightest and most colorful picture from this budget display. It looks great for its price and is well worth its sub-$300 price tag. It has a DisplayPort port and two HDMI ports.
Asus 24″ VP249QGR Monitor
The Asus VG248QG gaming monitor offers 1080p resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and FreeSync support. When it comes to gaming monitors for around $200, this is one of the best options. The refresh rate allows for fast and smooth gameplay, and 1080p makes it easier for low-end and mid-range graphics cards to reach the high frame rates it supports. Nvidia G-Sync support keeps your image clean and smooth as this frame rate fluctuates. Moreover, it has a fast refresh rate of 0.5ms.
It is equipped with Asus’ Eye Care technology, which produces a flicker-free image and a blue light filter. You also have a range of input options here, with HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI-D supported.
AOC 32″ C32G2 Monitor
The curve craze hasn’t quite taken hold as some thought, but there are still quality curved gaming monitors out there. One of the best budget monitor makers, AOC, has one that’s well worth its price tag of around $250. The 32-inch AOC C32G2 gaming monitor features a curved bezel-less display that offers 1080p resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. It also comes with FreeSync Premium, which helps keep the image smooth and fluid.
AOC’s C series of monitors are hugely popular, garnering over 20,000 reviews with a 4.5/5 rating. If you’re not shopping on Amazon, you may not have heard of them, but they are worth paying attention to. There are better monitors out there, but it’s hard to beat AOC at its prices.
AOC 24″ Monitor C24G1A
AOC also makes an excellent 144Hz monitor for under $200. The C24G1A is a 24-inch curved gaming monitor with 1080p resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time. It also features FreeSync Premium to help keep your image smooth and tear-free. Couple that with its 1ms response time and frameless design, games look and feel great when you play them on the C24G1A.
Additionally, the AOC C24G1A has an adjustable stand that allows you to adjust the height, tilt, and swivel of the display.
LG 27GN750-B UltraGear 27″ Monitor
Competitive gamers may want to look to monitors with extremely high refresh rates, sometimes even above 144Hz. That’s where 240Hz gaming monitors come in. The LG 27GB750-B UltraGear comes with a 27-inch IPS display capable of rendering 1080p games with a 240Hz refresh rate. It also has a 1ms response time as well as HDR 10 compatibility. Hz, it’s ideal for competitive games where the action is fast-paced and every little bit of visual clarity counts. It does all of this while maintaining a smooth image, and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility certainly helps too.
MSI Optix G241VC FHD 24″ Curved Monitor
If you’re shopping on a budget and don’t really like competitive gaming, you might not necessarily benefit from a gaming monitor with a high refresh rate, especially if your rig isn’t so powerful. If so, you can get a really solid MSI curved monitor for $150. The MSI Optix G241VC features a 24-inch display that renders in 1080p with a 75Hz refresh rate. It has an anti-glare coating and a 1ms response time.
