If you’re looking to upgrade your display to complement your PS5, you might assume you’d get the best experience from a top-notch 4K TV. The truth is more complicated.
If you take a step back to look at what’s available, you’ll find there are plenty of different display types you can plug into your PS5, and some of the best PS5 games can benefit from unorthodox choices. Gaming monitors are an excellent alternative to expensive 4K TVs.
There are many reasons why you should consider a gaming monitor for PS5. Sure, they can be more affordable and friendlier to smaller gaming setups. Still, their technical specs may also be preferable based on what games you play. Hint: if you’re big into online multiplayer, you should seriously consider investing in a gaming monitor.
These are some of the key reasons you should think about using a gaming monitor to play your PS5 games.
Monitors can be cheaper
Unlike the best 4K TVs on the market, you don’t necessarily need to break the bank when purchasing a great gaming monitor. Many of the best PS5 gaming monitors, like the 4K capable Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q, can be picked up at a much more affordable price. And with the best gaming monitor deals occurring fairly often, it’s not hard to pick out your ideal display for a fraction of the cost of, say, a top-end LG C2 OLED TV.
Similarly, the excellent Samsung Odyssey G7 has extremely impressive specs for its price point. And while we wouldn’t say these gaming monitors are outright cheap, for most, you will be spending much less than you would on a top-shelf 4K screen.
1440p support
One of the best things about gaming monitors is that 1440p resolution is a common standard, much more than with TVs. 1440p is a fantastic sweet spot between 1080p HD and 2160p 4K resolutions. On smaller gaming monitor displays, 1440p produces a clear, sharp image quality that’s hard to beat.
And ever since Sony launched official 1440p support on PS5, games running at that resolution now look excellent. Whereas prior, the console would downscale from 4K to achieve 1440p, often leading to a blurrier image and poorer in-game performance. Thankfully, that’s no longer an issue with PS5’s official 1440p support, and it’s a feature that’s practically tailor-made for gaming monitors.
Less input latency
The best gaming monitors can offer response times as low as 1ms. Screens always lag a little behind what is happening in a game, because it takes time for the display data to travel from your console to the screen – the lower the response time, the shorter the delay between the console and the display.
At a glance, it’ll be difficult to tell the difference in response time between a monitor and a 4K TV. But if you frequently play online multiplayer games, those precious few milliseconds can make a surprisingly significant difference.
Space friendly
One fantastic reason to own a gaming monitor is, perhaps obviously, that they take up way less space. So if you don’t have much room to spare, or if you’d prefer a much smaller gaming setup than what a larger TV would allow for, gaming monitors are certainly worth considering here.
Typically, the display size of the best gaming monitors will range between 27 to 43 inches. Larger models exist, too, but these tend to be less space friendly and more expensive. Although, if you’re looking for an ultrawide or curved monitor, a larger display might benefit you.
Variable Refresh Rate
In 2021, Sony finally added Variable Refresh Rate support to the PS5, which adjusts a game’s output frame rate to keep the experience smooth, avoiding noticeable peaks and dips. Many of the best gaming monitors support refresh rates of 120Hz and beyond and an increasing number of PS5 games also have performance modes that support 120Hz. Thanks to VRR, the console can better maintain these high refresh rates with less stuttering when playing on a display that can use the tech.
VRR can also eliminate screen tearing that’s otherwise caused by the disabling of V-sync (or vertical sync). Overall, it’s a fantastic feature for both gaming monitors and the PS5 console. Smooth, high frame rate action games like Returnal seriously benefit from VRR, then. Plus, it keeps the split-second action of online multiplayer games buttery smooth, helping you stay on top of your game.
We hope this guide has helped you gather up some informed reasons as to why you should consider playing PS5 games on a gaming monitor. And if you’re on Xbox Series X|S, you may also want to check out our guide to the best Xbox Series X gaming monitors so you can get an experience tailored to your console of choice.
