Greatest ultrawide gaming screens 2023: Immerse your self

Wish to recreation on an enormous, immersive monitor? An ultrawide monitor must be your subsequent show. Ultrawide gives a bigger viewing space than a widescreen different and a broader perspective that actually shows extra in-game content material. Right this moment’s finest ultrawide gaming screens additionally ship top-tier movement efficiency and help for the newest adaptive sync requirements.

These are the very best ultrawide gaming screens proper now.

Additional studying: See our roundup of the very best gaming screens to find out about competing merchandise.

Up to date 07/11/2023: Take a look at our newest assessment of the Philips Evnia 7000 monitor. This 34-inch 1440p ultrawide comes with a 165Hz refresh price and robust SDR picture high quality, however the value holds it again from being a prime worth contender.

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Alienware AW3423DWF – Greatest ultrawide gaming monitor

Execs

• Wonderful distinction ratio 
• High-notch shade gamut and accuracy
• Nice movement readability 
• Respectable HDR efficiency
• Extraordinarily aggressive value

Cons

• Stand is a bit too giant
• No USB-C
• Most HDR brightness is lackluster

Worth When Reviewed:

$1,099.99

The Alienware AW3423DWF is an superior gaming monitor, bringing the unimaginable distinction and realism of OLED in a 34-inch widescreen panel. Although priced at $1,099—not cheap for most individuals—it’s a greater worth than most high-end gaming screens.

The monitor’s wonderful picture high quality offers a vivid, immersive, wealthy expertise with deep black ranges and shiny highlights. Video games appear to leap out of the show, as if you happen to’re trying by a window reasonably than gazing your laptop display. Players who like darkish, moody genres, reminiscent of horror video games, will admire the monitor’s skill to achieve deep black ranges with minimal lack of element.

This monitor gives an enhanced refresh price of as much as 165Hz and helps AMD FreeSync Premium Professional for easy body pacing in video games. It additionally has better-than-average movement efficiency at decrease refresh charges, a good thing about the OLED panel’s quick pixel response instances.

The monitor isn’t shiny and has a shiny show coat that may mirror gentle, so it’s finest in a darkish room. We additionally observed the OLED panel has hassle rendering small fonts easily. These are minor points and have much less affect on video games than different situations.

Connectivity is suitable, with two DisplayPort inputs and one HDMI, and a USB-A hub with 4 ports. There’s a wholesome vary of menu choices that assist players change the picture high quality to their choice.

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Alienware AW3423DWF assessment

LG Ultragear 34GN850-B – Greatest ultrawide gaming monitor beneath $1,000

Execs

• 21:9 panel with a 34-inch display
• Curved monitor
• Spectacular gaming efficiency
• Ergonomic adjustment choices

Cons

• Solely common energy consumption
• Costly

Worth When Reviewed:

999.99

Launched in 2020, the LG Ultragear 34GN850-B, was the very best ultrawide gaming monitor to debut that yr, and solely just lately defeated by the Alienware AW3423DWF. In response, LG slashed the previous champion’s value from an MSRP of $999.99 to $699.99 at most retailers (and it has sometimes bought for as little as $599.99).

Although now not on the prime of its class, LG’s Ultragear 34GN850-B is a gorgeous monitor with wonderful shade efficiency, a excessive most brightness, and good movement efficiency from its quick “Nano IPS” panel. It appears barely sharper than the Alienware, regardless of the very fact they each have the identical native decision. The LG is arguably higher than the Alienware for combined productiveness and gaming use, as show glare isn’t a problem and small textual content doesn’t seem pixelated.

The LG Ultragear 34GN850-B gives an enhanced refresh price of as much as 144Hz (with a 160Hz overclocked mode) and is formally suitable with each AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. Its general movement efficiency is inferior to the Alienware, but it surely’s shut, and higher than price range options just like the AOC CU34G2X.

What’s the catch? Distinction. The monitor’s IPS panel has the bottom distinction ratio of the three screens we advocate right here and may look hazy in darkish scenes. It appears finest in a reasonably to brightly lit room, as this makes the shortage of distinction much less noticeable.

The monitor’s connectivity and options are in step with high-end screens: two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and a two-port USB hub. Just a few extra USB ports could be appreciated however, at this value, the obtainable choices are acceptable.

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LG Ultragear 34GN850 assessment

AOC CU34G2X – Greatest ultrawide gaming monitor beneath $500

Execs

• Gaming monitor in ultrawide 21:9 format
• Spectacular gaming efficiency
• Massive 34-inch curved panel
• Ergonomic adjustment choices

The AOC CU34G2X is a uncommon budget-friendly ultrawide monitor, retailing at or beneath $349.99. It does make just a few compromises to achieve that value level—however picture high quality isn’t amongst them.

The 34-inch ultrawide monitor has a VA panel that gives good distinction and vibrant shade efficiency. Its most brightness is a bit low, however just like the Alienware AW3423DWF in SDR content material (the CU34G2X doesn’t help HDR). The AOC monitor gives 3440×1440 decision, the identical as the opposite screens on this record, so it appears simply as sharp. Players who aren’t specific about picture high quality will discover it troublesome to inform the distinction between this monitor and the costlier LG Ultragear 34GN850-B.

The AOC CU34G2X is an ultrawide gaming monitor with a refresh price as much as 144Hz, and it delivers stable movement efficiency. Nevertheless, it doesn’t formally help both AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. Each requirements ought to work unofficially however, as a result of the show isn’t licensed, homeowners could expertise flickering when recreation body charges dip too low. Players could must depend on utilizing V-Sync in some titles.

Although the monitor’s picture high quality is spectacular for the value, its aggressive red-and-black design is much more in-your-face than LG’s Ultragear and may flip off some players. Materials high quality is mediocre, as effectively, so the monitor doesn’t look as premium because the LG or Alienware options.

Connectivity, then again, is great, with two HDMI and two DisplayPort and a four-port USB-A hub. That’s the very best of any monitor on this record—not one thing we’d count on from a price range show. The monitor additionally features a height-adjustable stand, a perk that price range ultrawide screens typically ditch.

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AOC CU34G2X assessment

What to search for in an ultrawide gaming monitor

Ultrawide gaming screens are an superior selection for PC gaming, but stay a tiny area of interest in comparison with much more fashionable 27-inch and 32-inch widescreen gaming screens. In response to the newest Steam {Hardware} Survey outcomes, lower than 2 p.c of all PC players on Steam have an ultrawide monitor.

That’s a disgrace, and limits selection when shopping for an ultrawide monitor. Nonetheless, players ought to key an eye fixed on these options when making a purchase order.

Panel sort is a giant deal

Ultrawide screens supply IPS, VA, and OLED panels. Every has benefits and downsides.

IPS panels are the commonest, and for good purpose. They show a variety of shade, have nice shade accuracy, can attain excessive ranges of brightness, and look sharp at any given decision. Nevertheless, their low distinction ratio generally is a drawback for darker video games, which might seem hazy and lack element. IPS panels are finest for combined use in brightly lit rooms.

VA panels are sometimes present in price range ultrawide screens, although some corporations (most notably Samsung) additionally use them in high-end shows. They’ve higher distinction than IPS panels and ship comparable shade efficiency. VA panels can wrestle with movement efficiency and price range VA panels are likely to fall behind IPS in brightness.

OLED is the chief in general picture high quality. It offers the very best ends in shade gamut, shade accuracy, distinction, and movement efficiency. Sharpness is usually diminished in comparison with IPS and VA, however most individuals will discover it a minor downgrade. OLED tends to steer in HDR as effectively: Mini-LED can exceed it in some instances, however few ultrawide screens use Mini-LED expertise.

On the whole, OLED is best than IPS, and IPS is best than VA. Some players may choose VA over IPS, nonetheless, particularly when gaming in a darkish room.

Refresh price and pixel response instances

All of the ultrawide gaming screens we advocate share the same refresh price (between 144Hz and 165Hz). That suggests they’ve comparable movement efficiency, however there’s extra to it.

OLED screens, such because the Alienware W3423DW, have the very best movement efficiency general. They provide not solely a excessive refresh price however the lowest pixel response instances (typically quoted at .03 to .05 milliseconds), which suggests pixels transition between colours rapidly. This reduces movement blur at each excessive and low refresh charges, giving OLED an edge.

IPS screens are likely to have the second-best pixel response instances, with fashions just like the LG Ultragear 34GN850-B quoting response instances of 1 millisecond. VA panels can even obtain one millisecond response instances, although some panels could lag this normal.

In abstract: take a look at refresh price first, then take a look at pixel response time to match screens with the identical refresh price.

Be cautious of enormous ultrawide shows

The one ultrawide gaming screens we presently advocate are 34-inch ultrawide gaming screens with 3440×1440 decision.

A wide range of bigger ultrawide gaming screens can be found. This contains 45-inch ultrawide screens just like the Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 and LG Ultragear 45GR95QE, in addition to super-ultrawide screens just like the Samsung Odyssey G9 collection.

Nevertheless, these bigger screens carry excessive value tags and have a tendency to have points in general usability. The bigger 45-inch ultrawide choices don’t enhance decision in comparison with 34-inch fashions, to allow them to seem a bit smooth and pixelated. The 49-inch super-ultrawide fashions generally is a match for hardcore simulation players however aren’t broadly supported in additional mainstream recreation genres.

Extraordinarily giant and super-ultrawide gaming screens are a distinct segment inside a distinct segment. They is perhaps a go-to choose sooner or later, however for now it’s finest to stay with extra broadly supported 34-inch, 3440×1440 screens.

Don’t purchase an ultrawide for console gaming

Seeking to purchase a monitor for console gaming? Don’t purchase an ultrawide monitor.

None of the present recreation consoles help ultrawide resolutions. That is true even in video games which have a PC launch with ultrawide help.  

A recreation console linked to an ultrawide monitor will nonetheless show a picture, however it is going to be restricted to the standard widescreen show house, leaving black bars on both facet of the display.

How we take a look at screens

PC World’s workers and freelance reviewers spend tons of of hours conducting in-depth testing that compares screens throughout a broad vary of value factors and capabilities, from $100 price range screens to legendary top-tier shows priced past $3,000. We personally take a look at dozens of screens yearly to search out the very best choose for each class and value level.

We use a SpyderXElite shade calibration software. It delivers goal measurements for a spread of metrics together with brightness, distinction, shade gamut, shade accuracy, shade temperature, and gamma. These outcomes are logged, which makes it simple for PC World reviewers to match completely different screens. It additionally eliminates subjective bias—an essential level, as variations in room lighting, time of day, and the kind of content material seen can simply change a reviewer’s expertise.