Gaming on consoles has been a fun activity for years and years. In recent time, it has even become recognized as an official sport in some countries. Video games become more graphically demanding every year, which means that technical characteristics of console increase like clockwork. Your TV should improve too – this calls for a good gaming TV!
Playstation 5, Xbox Scarlett, and Google Stadia are three upcoming consoles that are long awaited by the worldwide community. Even if you’re not looking for the best graphic performance available: We also have something up our sleeves for occasional gamers who just want to play a round of FIFA or Battlefield after work or on weekends. We have prepared three gaming TVs that are suitable for beginners, enthusiasts, and demanding professionals.
These are the Best Gaming TVs in 2020
- 1080p and 4K with 60 Hz
- Low input lag
- No burn-in risk
- No VRR
- No HDMI 2.1
- Viewing angle
- HDR gaming
- 1080p with 120 Hz (55 inch and up)
- 4K with 60 Hz
- VRR (FreeSync)
- Auto Low Latency Mode
- Very low input lag
- No burn-in risk
- Viewing angle
- No HDMI 2.1
- HDMI 2.1
- 4K with 120 Hz
- VRR (HDMI Forum) (except 77")
- Auto Low Latency Mode
- HDMI eARC
- Very low input lag
- Viewing angle
- Risk of burn-in
The Best budget Gaming TV
Hisense H8F
First of all: The Hisense H8F is not quite enough for demanding gaming. For occasional players, however, it is a great choice! Full HD and 4K gaming are possible at 60 Hz. It scores with a very low input lag of less than 14 ms at both resolutions, provided you are using the “game mode”. Outside this picture mode, the input lags are significantly higher. Please note that you have to switch into game mode manually. Additional gaming features, VRR or Auto Low Latency Mode, are unfortunately not available here. Also HDMI 2.1 is missing.
Due to the VA panel, the viewing angle of the H8F is not particularly wide. If you sit directly in front of the TV and play, you won’t have any problems. However, those who like to play with several people in front of the TV will notice that a black areas start turning grey and colors start to fade.
However, the H8F has a pleasing feature for retro fans: it is the only TV in this list that has analog video inputs. So you can also use old consoles! Super Nintendo, Playstation 1 and 2, Gamecube or Xbox – anything is possible.
The Best Gaming TV with VRR through FreeSync
Samsung Q70R
Compared to the Hisense H8F, the Samsung Q70R makes a big step up. The 10-bit VA panel allows full HD gaming at 120 Hz and 4K at 60 Hz. There’s also VRR through FreeSync to avoid tearing. Be careful though, FreeSync is only available on Xbox One X and S, as well as PCs with AMD graphics cards. Auto Low Latency Mode is also included. Video games work very well on new and older consoles, as black levels and contrast for HDR content look great.
Unfortunately, the viewing angle also suffers from the construction of the TV. The VA panel offers very good blacks, good brightness and strong contrast. The picture is even better than that of the Hisense H8F. HDR Content looks sharper and more vivid.
Caution: Only the models from 55 inch and up support 120 Hz and VRR. The 49 inch version only boasts 60 Hz. If you are looking for a more affordable alternative that performs well in gaming, too, check out the Samsung RU8000. You have to make some compromises compared to the QLED series here, but its overall feature set is decent.
The Best future-proof Gaming TV for high end gaming
LG C9
For gaming, the LG C9 is one of the best TVs currently on the market. Probably the most convincing argument is its compatibility with HDMI 2.1. This standard enables a transmission speed of 48 Gbps. The LG C9 is also ready for HDMI 2.1. This is the only way to achieve 120 fps at 4K resolution. Other features are also possible with HDMI 2.1: For example, HDMI eARC for using an AV receiver including hi-fi system for uncompressed Dolby Atmos sound.
Especially the upcoming consoles Playstation 5 and Xbox Scarlett will definitely use the HDMI 2.1 standard. This makes the C9 a solid investment for future-proof gaming. Action-packed games feel very lifelike thanks to good motion handling. The input lag is very low: 6 ms at 1080p @ 120 Hz and about 14 ms at 4K @ 60 Hz. Due to the OLED design, the viewing angle is also very wide and colors do not fade even when viewed from the side – perfect for cooperative gaming. Even demanding HDR gaming is possible without any problems. The LG C9 offers everything a gamer’s heart desires!
Caution: VRR is only available on the 55 and 65 inch version of the C9. The 77 inch version doesn’t support this feature!
Update September 2019: LG Electronics has announced that the LG C9 and E9 will also be capable of Nvidia G-Sync in the near future. This way VRR for gaming without tearing is also possible with Nvidia graphics cards.
The Best Gaming TVs compared
| | | |
Hisense H8F | Samsung Q70R | LG C9 | |
| Picture quality Here the overall picture quality of the television is measured during gaming. | |||
| HDR gaming Just as there are videos and movies with HDR, there are also video games with a particularly large contrast range. | |||
| Viewing angle The viewing angle of a TV is the angle at which you can sit in front of the TV without colors washing out and black areas losing their depth. | |||
| Refresh rate at 1080p This number indicates the number of images displayed in one second at Full HD resolution. | 60 Hz | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Refresh rate at 4K This number indicates the number of images displayed in one second at 4K resolution. | 60 Hz | 60 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Input lag The Input Lag is the delay of the input signal from the movement on the controller / keyboard and mouse to the screen. | 11ms | 6 to 16 ms | 6 to 14 ms |
| Motion Handling Motion handling refers to the presentation of fast content. The aim here is to avoid motion blur as well as possible. | |||
| Variable Refresh Rate VRR is the general term for a dynamic refresh rate that can change continuously and seamlessly during operation on screen. | No | FreeSync | HDMI Forum |
| Auto Low Latency Mode Auto Low Latency Mode is a mode to which a TV is switches automatically when a game console is switched on. This mode reduces the latency between input and output signal. | No | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI 2.1 HDMI 2.1 is a 48 Gbit/s transmission standard. This makes it possible to implement particularly demanding requirements for gaming, for example 120 Hz at 4K resolution. | No | No | Yes |
| Burn-In The burning (or "burning out") of a single pixel is called burn-in. Only OLED televisions are exposed to this risk. Examples are very bright or static contents (white news bars). For normal users, however, the risk is virtually non-existent. | No | No | Theoretically possible |
| | | |
Hisense H8F | Samsung Q70R | LG C9 | |
| Available sizes The compared Gaming TV are available in following screen sizes | 50 Inch
See price 55 Inch
See price 65 Inch
See price All prices | 49 Inch
See price 55 Inch
See price 65 Inch
See price 75 Inch
See price 82 Inch
See price All prices | 55 Inch
See price 65 Inch
See price 77 Inch
See price All prices |
What makes the best gaming TVs?
The best TV for gaming meets your needs as well as your available budget. If you need a device that is ready for Playstation 5, Google Stadia or Xbox Scarlett, I would recommend the LG C9. Not only is it an amazingly good TV that can do just about anything that’s important in the TV world – HDMI 2.1, VRR through HDMI Forum, Auto Low Latency Mode, 4K at 120 Hz are also supported. This is an yet unmatched feature set.
If you’re not planning on buying the Playstation 5 or Xbox Scarlett at release and just looking for a budget friendlier option with sophisticated graphics, the Samsung Q70R could meet your needs. There are also some specialties like VRR through FreeSync and Auto Low Latency Mode, but unfortunately no compatibility with HDMI 2.1, which is currently not offered by Samsung at all. On the other hand, 4K and HDR video games look very good due to good black and high contrasts.
The Hisense H8F offers a solid base for beginners. It’s great for occasional gaming in 4K after work or on weekends. However, no peak performance is to be expected here either, as it offers virtually no extra features.
