Updated Aug 01, 2024 at 03:24 pm
By Nicholas Di Giovanni
overview 0 comments
Ultrawide monitors are useful for immersive gaming as you can see more of your surroundings in games than standard 16:9 monitors. Most ultrawide gaming monitors have a 21:9 aspect ratio with a 34-inch screen, but some have larger49-inch super ultrawide displays with a 32:9 aspect ratio, and you can even find others with a 38 or 45-inch screen size. While the market for ultrawide gaming monitors isn't as diversified as the market for smaller displays,you can still find some great ultrawide gaming monitors.
It's important to consider your budget when looking for a monitor, as there are options at a wide range of prices. When considering the monitor's gaming performance, its response time is important for motion handling, and it's important to know the VRR formats it supports to ensure it works with your PC. You can also consider the monitor's input lag, but most have low enough input lag anyway.
We've bought and tested over 320 monitors, and below are our recommendations for the best ultrawide gaming monitors to buy. See our recommendations for thebest curved gaming monitors, thebest ultrawide monitors, and thebest 34-49-inch monitors.
Note: We recently published our Test Bench 2.0, and we're in the process of updating our reviews to this new test bench. As such, it may seem that two similar monitors have very different scores, but scores aren't comparable between different test benches.
-
Best Ultrawide Gaming Monitor
Dell Alienware AW3423DWF 95
PC Gaming
8.9
Performance Usages: Brightness
6.7
Response Time
9.9
HDR Picture
9.3
SDR Picture
9.9
Color Accuracy
9.4
Size
34"Pixel Type
QD-OLEDMax Refresh Rate
165 HzNative Resolution
3440 x 1440See AlsoThe best ultrawide monitors in 2024: top picks for gaming beyond 16:9Is an ultrawide monitor actually worth it?UltraWide vs Dual Monitors [The Complete Guide] - Display NinjaShould You Upgrade to An Ultrawide Monitor?See all our test results
The best ultrawide gaming monitor we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF. It's an excellent gaming monitor with high-end performance and fantastic picture quality. It has a 34-inch screen with an 1800R curve that helps bring the edges closer to your field of vision, especially if you sit close to the monitor. The main advantage of this monitor is that it has a near-instantaneous response time for incredible motion handling, so there isn't any visible blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has a 165Hz refresh rate for a smooth and responsive feel.
This monitor uses a QD-OLED panel, providing exceptional picture quality. It displays deep blacks next to bright highlights in dark rooms, and colors are vivid and life-like.Thismakes it an ideal choice for playing HDR games as highlights also pop. It supports native FreeSync VRR to reduce screen tearing, and it's also G-SYNC compatible, but if you want a monitor with native G-SYNC support to take full advantage of NVIDIA graphics cards, check out the Dell Alienware AW3423DW. However, it costs more for similar performance to the AW3423DWF.
See our review
-
Best Upper Mid-Range Gaming Monitor
LG 34GS95QE-B 45
PC Gaming
9.0
Performance Usages: Brightness
6.9
Response Time
9.9
HDR Picture
8.7
SDR Picture
9.9
Color Accuracy
9.0
Size
34"Pixel Type
OLEDMax Refresh Rate
240 HzNative Resolution
3440 x 1440See all our test results
If you don't need a high-end monitor with a QD-OLED panel like the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF, then check out the slightly cheaper LG 34GS95QE-B. It has a 34-inch, 1440p screen like the Dell with a more aggressive 800R curve, so the edges are really brought closer to your field of vision. It also has an OLED panel for perfect blacks, but because it isn't a QD-OLED like the Dell, it doesn't display the same vivid colors and bright highlights. That said, it has a higher 240Hz refresh rate, which is great even for competitive gaming, and it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of HDMI 2.1 graphics cards.
Besides those differences, this monitor has the same near-instantaneous response time as the Dell, resulting in extremely sharp motion, and it supports all common VRR formats. It has two USB-A ports to which you can connect your devices, but if you want something with a USB-C port, you can also look into the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM. It has the same panel as the LG, but it also costs more.
See our review
-
Best Mid-Range Ultrawide Gaming Monitor
LG 34GP83A-B 0
PC Gaming
7.1
Performance Usages: Brightness
7.3
Response Time
7.7
HDR Picture
5.1
SDR Picture
6.7
Color Accuracy
8.7
Size
34"Pixel Type
IPSMax Refresh Rate
160 HzNative Resolution
3440 x 1440See all our test results
If you don't need the best performance possible, there are other low-cost options without an OLED panel. Ifthat's what you're interested in, check out the LG 34GP83A-B. It's different from the LG 34GS95QE-B because it has an LED-backlit LCD panel, meaning the picture quality is worse. It can't display perfect blacks and the same vivid colors, but that's the trade-off you need to make for getting a cheaper display. It also has a lower 160Hz refresh rate, so it isn't as good for competitive gaming.
However, fast-moving objects look fairly crisp, though not nearly as crisp as on the 34GS95QE-B. It has the same 34-inch screen size and 3440x1440 resolution as the more expensive 34GS95QE-B, and it's good for gaming. However, it lacks HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so it can't take full advantage of modern gaming consoles, which is normal for most mid-range ultrawide gaming monitors.
See our review
-
Best Budget Ultrawide Gaming Monitor
Dell S3422DWG 14
PC Gaming
7.2
Performance Usages: Brightness
7.7
Response Time
6.8
HDR Picture
5.7
SDR Picture
8.3
Color Accuracy
7.1
Size
34"Pixel Type
VAMax Refresh Rate
144 HzNative Resolution
3440 x 1440See all our test results
While budget ultrawide monitors often cost quite a bit, especially compared to other budget displays,there are some models you can find for less than others. The Dell S3422DWG is a great gaming monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 34-inch screen, similar to the LG 34GP83A-B, but you do lose a bit on performance. For example, it has more smearing with fast-moving objects, but its overall response time is still good, and it has a backlight strobing feature toreduce persistence blur.
One advantage of the Dell over the LG is that it delivers better picture quality, particularly for HDR gaming. It has a higher native contrast ratio that makes blacks look deeper in dark rooms, and it also has good HDR brightness so that highlights pop against the rest of the image. And while ithas worse viewing angles than the LG, it also has an 1800R curve, so the edgesare broughtcloser to you, andthey don't look too washed out.
See our review
Notable Mentions
- Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95: The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 is a super ultrawide QD-OLED monitor with a faster 240Hz refresh rate than the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF, which is great for competitive gaming. However, it costs more and has a much bigger screen than the Dell, so only consider it if you want such a big display. See our review
- LG 34GP950G-B: The LG 34GP950G-B is a mid-range gaming monitor with similar specs to the LG 34GP83A-B. It has native G-SYNC VRR support, which is great if you want to take full advantage of your NVIDIA graphics card, but it costs more than the LG 34GP83A-B. See our review
- Gigabyte M34WQ: The Gigabyte M34WQ is a budget-friendly ultrawide gaming monitor with better motion handling and more features than the Dell S3422DWG. However, it has worse picture quality in dark rooms, and it tends to cost a bit more. See our review
Recent Updates
-
Aug 01, 2024: Added the LG 34GS95QE-B as 'Best Upper Mid-Range Monitor' to give another option after the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF. Replaced the Dell Alienware AW3423DW and the Corsair XENEON FLEX 45WQHD240 with the LG 34GP950G-B and the Gigabyte M34WQ in the Notable Mentions to reflect the current ultrawide gaming monitor market.
-
May 09, 2024: Replaced the Dell AW3423DW with the Dell AW3423DWF as the 'Best Ultrawide Gaming Monitor,' as it has similar performance and costs less, and moved the AW3423DW to the Notable Mentions. Removed the 'Best Upper Mid-Range' category as theDell AW3423DWF is close in price to theMSI MEG 342C QD-OLED, and the MSI is harder to find.Removed the LG 38WN95C-W as a Notable Mention, as it's now mentioned in the 'Best Mid-Range' section.
-
Feb 13, 2024: Removed the Gigabyte M34WQ as it's becoming harder to find; added the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF to Notable Mentions.
-
Nov 14, 2023: Removed the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 because it isn't what people are expecting when looking for ultrawide monitors; added the MSI MEG 342C QD-OLED as the 'Best Upper Mid-Range Monitor'; updated Notable Mentions based on changes.
-
Sep 20, 2023: Replaced the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 with the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 for consistency with other articles; added the Corsair XENEON FLEX 45WQHD240 and the LG 49GR85DC-B to Notable Mentions.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best ultrawide monitors that you can get for gaming currently available. They are adapted to be valid for most people in each price range. Rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
If you would prefer to make your own decision, here is the list of all of our ultrawidemonitorreviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.
