Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • ChatGPT
  • Best laptop
  • Best VPN
  • NYT Wordle today

Recommended reading

Dutch and the rest of the Van Der Linde gang ride out across a snowy field
Consoles & PC The best story games 2025 - video game stories that are unforgettable
A ship docked on a red and blue planet, littered with bulbs of glowing light and dense foliage
Virtual Reality Gaming Best VR games 2025 - top virtual reality experiences to play on your headset
Baldur's Gate 3 official artwork showing Astarion, Showdowheart, Gale, and Tieflings
PC Gaming Best PC games 2025: the must-play titles you don’t want to miss
Geralt rides alongside two knights across a vibrant farmland
Xbox One Best Xbox One X games - what to play on the enhanced console
Baldur's Gate 3 keyart with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel
PC Gaming Best Mac games 2025: the best Apple-friendly gaming experiences you can get
Four Spartans face down waves of Covenant aliens in Firefight mode
Xbox Series X Best Xbox Series X games 2025: smash hits for Microsoft's top console
Blur-ray Bounty March 2025 hero image with Wicked on Panasonic MZ1500 screen
Blu-ray I've been watching the latest 4K Blu-rays with a flagship OLED TV and soundbar setup for six months – here are my 7 favorites so far
  1. Gaming
  2. Consoles & PC

7 best cinematic games: top titles for your ultra-wide monitor

News
By Matt Hanson published 11 July 2016

You want immersion? Try these on for size

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

Short of strapping on a VR headset, the best way to immerse yourself in games is to splash out on an ultra-wide monitor. Many models on the market are almost as wide as your desk, and they're often described as cinematic due to their letterbox-like 21:9 aspect ratio that's used by Hollywood blockbusters.

Common variations come in 25- and 29-inch sizes, but if you're really looking to envelop yourself in the ultra-wide experience then a 34-inch curved model is the only way to go. Packing a 3,440 x 1,440 pixel-resolution, these monster monitors place you squarely at the heart of the action while requiring less GPU horsepower than playing games at 4K (3,840 x 2,160) does.

Don't get us wrong, you'll still need a plenty capable rig to do modern titles justice at ultra-wide resolutions. But at least you'll be able to game at healthy frame rates using a single graphics card. And making the leap to ultra-wide lets you see more of your surroundings in action games, gives you the upper hand in shooters due to having a wider peripheral vision - and playing racers feels like being at the arcades.

Note, however, that not every game supports ultra-wide. We've picked out some of the best ones that deliver cinematic bliss straight to your eyeballs and feature ultra-wide support (either out of the box or with a small tweak). A sample of LG's 34UC88 was supplied to us by ebuyer to take the screenshots for this article.

  • Looking for even more pixels? Check out our best 4K games
Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
1. Doom

1. Doom

Hell hath no fury until it's experienced in 21:9, or so the saying goes. Bethesda and iD's gloriously gory reboot packs even more demons into your screen when played in the cinematic aspect ratio., When you've got two Pinkies charging at you from opposite ends of the room, being able to see out of the corners of your eye is an absolute life-saver.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

Doom

Doom

Doom

Doom

Doom

Doom

Doom

Doom

Doom

Doom

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
2. GTA V

2. GTA V

Forget Trevor, Franklin and Michael - GTA V's best character is one that never speaks but keeps you returning time after time. It is, of course, Los Santos - the game's sprawling metropolis that acts as your personal playground. GTA V always had a blockbuster-like quality to it - Rockstar even added a movie editor to the PC version - which makes it perfect for playing in ultra-wide.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

GTA V

GTA V

GTA V

GTA V

GTA V

GTA V

GTA V

GTA V

GTA V

GTA V

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
3. The Witness

3. The Witness

Like GTA V, The Witness feels part movie, part videogame - one that could have been created by Pixar or Dreamworks. Created by Braid developer Jonathan Blow, the puzzler relies heavily on atmosphere and story as you progress on your quest to find out why you've woken up on a luminous, mysterious island. This is actually one title that we think would be perfect for VR, but it's undeniably gorgeous in ultra-wide - and there's no danger of feeling motion-sickness.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

The Witness

The Witness

The Witness

The Witness

The Witness

The Witness

The Witness

The Witness

The Witness

The Witness

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
4. Dirt Rally

4. Dirt Rally

In our opinion, Codemasters' racer is one of the best pick-up-and-play rally games in recent years. Its varied dirt tracks and detailed in-car camera view really shine when played in ultra-wide, and the immersion is hugely satisfying. You can see more of the track on either side of you, and racing in the first-person view brings back the thrill of jumping into an empty seat on a rally sim at the arcades.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
5. The Division

5. The Division

The Division is a gritty portrayal of an apocalyptic New York that's dark and constantly threatening. Playing in ultra-wide helps you see even more of the map, which is already in full view thanks to the game's clever 'floating' UI. When it comes to tactics, being able to rotate the camera to see what's around you can snag you a huge advantage when playing Tom Clancy's third-person shooter. It's easier to pick out enemies while identifying cover locations that won't get you killed, which come in especially useful in multiplayer.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

The Division

The Division

The Division

The Division

The Division

The Division

The Division

The Division

The Division

The Division

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
6. Rocket League

6. Rocket League

Sports games are naturally a great fit for ultra-wide monitors due to their wide camera angles, and Rocket League is no different. Playing Soccar on a smaller panel can feel a bit cramped, especially when the camera angle is locked on ball view. Playing in widescreen unlocks your field of view, allowing you to see where the ball is more of the time while being able to pick out those crucial passes that can win a hard fought game in the dying seconds.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

Rocket League

Rocket League

Rocket League

Rocket League

Rocket League

Rocket League

Rocket League

Rocket League

Rocket League

Rocket League

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
7. Skyrim

7. Skyrim


An oldie but a goodie, Skyrim is well worth revisiting if you've just got hold of a widescreen monitor. Whether you dive in now or wait until the remaster to land in October is up to you. Playing Skyrim in ultra-wide is really about that first-person view. The obvious benefit is that having a wider field of vision means that you're less likely to end up with an axe lodged in the side of your cranium. But it's the whole experience that benefits - its 350-odd locations, that soothing, yet ominous soundtrack. You already know why you love Skyrim, and playing it in ultra-wide just made us love that bit more.

Screenshots (click to enlarge)

Skyrim

Skyrim

Skyrim

Skyrim

Skyrim

Skyrim

Skyrim

Skyrim

Skyrim

Skyrim

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Matt Hanson
Matt Hanson
Social Links Navigation
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.

Read more
Dutch and the rest of the Van Der Linde gang ride out across a snowy field
The best story games 2025 - video game stories that are unforgettable
A ship docked on a red and blue planet, littered with bulbs of glowing light and dense foliage
Best VR games 2025 - top virtual reality experiences to play on your headset
Baldur's Gate 3 official artwork showing Astarion, Showdowheart, Gale, and Tieflings
Best PC games 2025: the must-play titles you don’t want to miss
Geralt rides alongside two knights across a vibrant farmland
Best Xbox One X games - what to play on the enhanced console
Baldur's Gate 3 keyart with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel
Best Mac games 2025: the best Apple-friendly gaming experiences you can get
Four Spartans face down waves of Covenant aliens in Firefight mode
Best Xbox Series X games 2025: smash hits for Microsoft's top console
Latest in Consoles & PC
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy will get a major visual boost on Nintendo Switch 2 thanks to Nvidia’s DLSS, but another key feature could be missing
The Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld Fortnite event.
The Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld TV show premiere will take place in Fortnite, and you're invited
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 shopping on eBay? Beware of deals that aren't worth the paper they're printed on
resident evil village lady dimitrescu
The latest PlayStation Store sale is here, and with big discounts on everything from Resident Evil Village to Disco Elysium, these are the deals in my basket
Three sustainability-themed games (Reus, Terra Nil and Eco)
7 sustainability-themed games to celebrate Earth Day
A person streaming a PC game onto a handheld gaming device using Razer PC Remote Play.
Razer PC Remote Play lets you stream games to your iPhone – and it could convince me to switch from my gaming PC
Latest in News
Samsung Galaxy Buds FE
Samsung's next pair of affordable Galaxy earbuds could come with a battery boost
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
iOS 19 tipped to bring big Wi-Fi convenience upgrade, as iOS 18.5 prepares to land in days
Teams on iPhone and Mac
Microsoft Teams adds 'Prevent Screen Capture' meeting mode to secure sensitive data
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
The latest Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge leak shows off the phone's design – and a potential price
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, May 12 (game #1204)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, May 12 (game #701)
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Samsung's next pair of affordable Galaxy earbuds could come with a battery boost
  2. 2
    Microsoft Teams adds 'Prevent Screen Capture' meeting mode to secure sensitive data
  3. 3
    5 hottest tech reviews of the week: the perfect-sounding pocketable Bluetooth speaker and a blazingly bright 4K projector
  4. 4
    iOS 19 tipped to bring big Wi-Fi convenience upgrade, as iOS 18.5 prepares to land in days
  5. 5
    Panasonic reveals full 2025 TV lineup, and the flagship OLED TV could be its best one yet

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...