Best monitor size for gaming 2023: display sizes compared

All you need to know about different monitor sizes.

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What is the best monitor size for gaming? While it might seem like a fairly easy-to-answer question, finding the perfect size monitor for your needs has become much more difficult at sizes available sizes continue to expand. Today’s market is a sea of available monitor sizes, ranging from the portable 13-15″ monitor right up to the enthusiast level 55″ and above.

Luckily, we have a ton of experience when it comes to reviewing the best gaming monitors and can confidently recommend what gaming monitor size is right for what game, scenario, or environment. So, if you want to find the best monitor size for gaming, look no further, we have you covered.

Best monitor size for gaming: quick summary

• Up to 15″ – portable gaming for on the road
• 23″ – 25″ – 1080p esports
• 27″ – 1440p gaming
• 25″ – 29″ (ultrawide) – 1080p ultrawide gaming
• 28″ – 32″ – 4K gaming
• 34″ (ultrawide) – 1440p ultrawide gaming
• 38″ (ultrawide) – up to 4K ultrawide gaming
• 40″ (ultrawide) – up to 4K ultrawide gaming
• 43″ (ultrawide) – up to 4K ultrawide gaming
• 45″ (ultrawide) – up to 4K ultrawide gaming
• 49″ (ultrawide) – up to 4K ultrawide gaming
• 55″+ (ultrawide) – Up to 8K gaming

How is monitor size measured?

Before we dive too deep into the nitty-gritty, monitor size is measured diagonally, just like TV dimensions. So, a 27-inch monitor will actually be about 24 inches wide and 17 inches tall. In comparison, a 24-inch display will be about 20 inches wide and 12 inches tall. This may not sound like a lot, but there is a pretty significant bump in available screen space for every few diagonal inches you get.

In fact, you can figure it out by just finding the area. Multiply 18 by 10 and you get 180 square inches. Multiply 20 by 12 and you get 240 square inches. A mere two diagonal inches gives you 60 square inches.

Below, we’re going to dive into the standard monitor sizes and common resolutions that go along with them.

What are the standard monitor sizes?

22-inch monitor

There are a plethora of gaming monitor sizes to chose from, with manufacturers catering for every budget and environment. A commonplace to start is around the 22-inch mark but gaming monitors can go all the way up to 49″ ultrawide and this is before we even get on to gaming TVs!

Considered on the smaller side nowadays, 22-inch monitors often have anywhere from a 1366×768 to a 1920×1080 (Full HD/1080p) resolution. These have been pretty much wiped out by the spread of 24-inch monitors, but you’ll still see a few of them popping up as solid budget options.

24-inch monitor

24-inch monitors are the standard and are most frequently seen with a 1080p resolution. You may also see some 1440p and even 4K 24-inch monitors out there, but these aren’t typically considered ideal for this resolution. 

27-inch monitor

27-inch monitors are usually seen with 1440p resolutions nowadays, though occasionally you’ll see 1080p or 4K on them as well. 27-inch monitors are the norm these days, with even the odd esports fanatics picking this up over the more sensible 24-inch.

32-inch monitor

This is where some of you might be thinking,“Wait, isn’t that just a TV?”. While 32-inch monitors are on the larger side, they still hold a place with some gamers, offering a better viewing experience, and are usually found with resolutions anywhere from 1080p to 4K.

49-inch monitor

The 49-inch Super ultrawide monitor is currently a smash hit amongst gamers – with AAA games looking absolutely fantastic on this size and aspect ratio.

Beware, a 49-inch monitor doesn’t come cheap, but if budget is no option, playing games like Flight Simulator or racing games get taken to an entirely new level.

Bigger, smaller, and everything in-between

There are smaller, larger, and in-between displays. There’s nothing magically different about in-between sizes; they’re just out of the norm. However, I truly recommend sticking in the 24 to 27-inch range. Smaller and you lose too much. Larger and it starts to defeat the purpose of using a desktop to begin with.

What about ultrawide displays?

Most modern monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:9. Although 16:10 is seen somewhat rarely, for the sake of this article, we’re assuming the monitors to be 16:9. However, there is a recent influx of 21:9 monitors in the market; otherwise known as “Ultrawides”.

Make no mistake, ultrawide monitors can be a great option depending on the game title you favor most. Racing games, in particular, look their absolute best with an ultrawide, so getting a monitor with a high resolution could make a lot of sense.

Many modern FPS titles, for instance, won’t support a horizontal FOV wider than 90 degrees. This is fine on a 16:9 monitor, but on an ultrawide monitor, it can result in a stretched or distorted image. If you’re playing competitively or playing primarily FPS titles, then you probably don’t want to use an ultrawide display unless you know it’s compatible with your games of choice. Furthermore, with there being so much screen space, you can find yourself taking an extra second to check the mini-map, leaving you at a disadvantage over gamers with smaller aspect ratios.

Ultrawide monitors are in a shakier position when it comes to game support because a full implementation of ultrawide in a multiplayer game can be considered a competitive advantage.

A wider display equals a wider field of view, much wider, in the case of an ultrawide display. For this reason, many multiplayer titles, especially those in the FPS genre,  choose not to support ultrawide displays, at least not to the point of giving them a higher FOV. For example, Overwatch had proper ultrawide support in beta but Blizzard opted for a FOV reduction approach in the full release.

What about multi-display setups?

Multi-display setups are a whole other can of worms. Nobody seems to agree on what the right screen size is, how many screens you should have, or what configuration you should run them in.

But gaming with these can be pretty great, especially if you run them in a 1×3 or 3×3 configuration. They offer a similar level of immersion as an ultrawide display, but the same issues that apply with ultrawide gaming apply here.

Generally speaking, you don’t need to worry as much about compatibility here, since you can still play a game in fullscreen on one monitor and use the rest of your monitors for something else.

Which monitor size is best for me?

What is the best screen size for gaming? The fact is, different size monitors are great for specific games but it is also down to what you do with your monitor too. For the ultimate immersive experience with your single-player games, there is no doubt that a 27-inch and upward will be best for the job. This goes for gamers who work from home too, giving you more screen real estate to play with when writing up those documents or editing videos. Competitive players may want more information available to their eyes without having to move their head or they may have a low powered PC that cant handle the larger screen sizes.

Let’s go over each size and run through why each option might be best for you.

22-inch

If you are tight on space, play relatively close to the screen, or are on a strict budget, a 22-inch monitor may be the only one you can go for. That being said, if you can afford a little extra you should always bump up to at least a 24-inch, 1080p display if you want a good gaming experience.

24-inch

If you’re going to be gaming at a 1080p resolution, then a 24-inch display would be best. A higher-res display at this size may result in a sharper image, but you can accomplish that with supersampling or anti-aliasing for much less money. Additionally, higher resolutions on 24-inch displays can make UI elements, subtitles, and even the operating system harder to interact with.

24-inch is still favored amongst a lot of esports enthusiasts and is also a great starting point for any new gamers out there.

27-inch

At normal viewing distance and a 1440p resolution, this would generally provide the best gaming experience. While 24”/1080p is fine, 27”/1440p is undoubtedly the better experience, thanks to the fact that it takes up more of your field of view and boasts a higher resolution. If you can run your games at native resolution on this display, you probably won’t need to kick up AA too much, and you shouldn’t experience any problems with UI and system navigation, either.

27-inch displays work well with 1080p too but at 1440p resolution you have a lot more screen space to work with, making this size monitor great for gaming and working from home too.

32-inch

Well as good as 32-inch gaming monitors look, the extra viewing distance required can potentially cause some eye strain depending on the games you are playing. With gaming monitors this size, you probably aren’t going to be able to sit as close as you would with your 24-27-inch monitored so beware of that. We are encroaching on TV territory here but in all honesty, a single-player game has never looked better than on a 32-inch screen, especially in 4K.

A TV

If you want to game at 4K on console, you should probably just get a TV. For PC gamers, 4K monitors vary in all the sizes above, giving you a nice plethora of options to choose from. If 32-inch seems small for your gaming plans though, it still may be worth investing in a TV over a monitor as you can benefit from the resolution and aspect ratio along with better viewing angles.

If you insist on having the highest resolution and the highest fidelity gaming experience, you should look into getting a 45-65 inch 4K TV. Then you can mount it on your wall, and use it for playing games from your couch or bed.

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FAQs

What is the ideal monitor size for gaming?

When it comes to choosing the best size monitor for gaming, a 24-inch monitor tends to be the best choice. While in theory, you can use any size monitor, a 1080p 24-inch is the optimum size.

It is large enough that you can see your gameplay, without having to turn your head, and the resolution is great. While a 24-inch monitor is ideal for gaming, you can choose to use a smaller or larger monitor, it is down to personal preference.

However, with a larger monitor, this may require you to move your head to see all the screen, which is not always ideal for all types of games. With a smaller monitor, this may be too small that you will miss out on the smaller details of games.

Is a 27-inch monitor too big for gaming?

While 24-inches is the ideal size for gaming, this may lead you to question whether a 27-inch monitor is too big for gaming. The most simple answer is that no, it is not too big for gaming.

A 27-inch monitor is far from being too large, and on the whole it is still a great choice for gaming if you would prefer to use a larger screen. The picture will still be crisp and clear. You will also be able to see the finer details of your game.

The only thing that you will need to take into consideration when using a 27-inch monitor is that because it is larger than 24-inches, you may need to move your head to see the corners of the screen. While this does not bother many people, it can be a dealbreaker for others who want to see all the areas of their screen at all times.

When looking at certain types of games, a 27-inch monitor may not be the best option. However, it is not too big, and if you already own this size of monitor, there is no real need to purchase a smaller one, it will work just fine.

Is a bigger monitor better for gaming?

When it comes to the size of monitor you should purchase, everyone does have their personal preferences.

However, the consensus is that if a monitor is too large this can impact your gaming experience negatively. This is because larger monitors require you to move your head in order to see all of the screen, which is not ideal for some games.

In addition to this, while you will need to take into consideration the inches of the monitor, the resolution of the monitor will need to be factored in too. For example, using a 4K monitor to play a 1080p resolution game is not a great idea as this will cause the image to be blurrier.

In general, 24-inch monitors are the best option. Anything smaller than this can make it more difficult to see the game effectively. While you can use 27-inch monitors, they are not as ideal for gaming. 32-inch monitors do tend to be too large for gaming.

However, there are no set rules to this. The ideal screen size will be down to the individual person.

Is 32 inch too big for gaming?

When it comes to screen sizes for gaming, there are mixed opinions on 32-inch screens. In general, 32 inches is likely too big for gaming, and it is not the optimum size. However, some people disagree with this and prefer to use larger screens.

The only issue with 32-inch screens is that they will have a lower refresh rate. For gaming, you will want to have the best refresh rate as possible, and you will want to avoid using a monitor that will impact this.

Why do pro gamers use 24-inch monitors?

The majority of pro gamers will use 24-inch monitors for gaming because this is the standard size that is used in professional tournaments. Given this, when playing games in general, it makes sense for them to use the same screen size, resolution and refresh rate that would be used in a tournament.

There are set specifications given in tournaments to ensure that they are fair for all the people participating.

Final word

Different monitor sizes can be best for a number of different gaming scenarios but assuming normal viewing distance and a 16:9 display, we recommend either a 1080p 24-inch monitor or a 1440p 27-inch monitor. A 1440p 27-inch monitor could be considered a little big for some esports players but if you can get used to a panel of this size, this is the optimal overall.

Aside from monitor size, you may also want to take aspects like panel type and refresh rate into consideration. Modern displays and GPUs will all support standards like HDMI and DisplayPort, but if you’re still using VGA or DVI you may want to double-check what ports your monitor supports and consider buying an adapter if you need one.

All that being said, don’t go buying large monitors with big resolutions unless you have the hardware to back it up. Before you look into buying a higher-res display, make sure that you have a system powerful enough to play games at your ideal resolutions. We recommend our and $500 and $600 builds for 1080p gaming, with $1000 and higher being ideal for 1440p, and $2000 and higher for 4K gaming.

What monitor size are you currently rocking? have you increased the size and noticed any changes with gameplay from your favorite AAA titles? Let us know over in the comments.