PC Gamer Hardware Awards: The best gaming monitor of 2025
Check out more of the year's best tech in our PC Gamer Hardware Awards 2025 coverage.
In 2025, as graphics cards, memory, and storage have become harder to find at reasonable prices, monitors have only become better value. So, should you have the rig to run it, there has never been a better time to upgrade to a 4K screen.
Philips remains in good form, with its Evnia 27M2N3800A being arguably the best-priced 4K panel we've seen (and with a neat dual resolution mode). MSI just barely missed out on a nomination for its 271QR OLED monitor, which is a bright and super snappy panel.
Acer, Asus, LG, and AOC all had strong showings this year, too, but in such a packed year, you need to pick just a handful and the Alienware and KTC below just managed to beat them out. Our Alienware pick is super quick, with a gorgeous HDR QD-OLED panel.
The KTC monitor is a bit of an underdog without the recognisable name of Philips or Alienware, yet it's still a punchy, quick and affordable 1440p panel.
If you're in the market for a new monitor, we have picked out three that deserve a nomination for the best monitor of the year. Come back on New Year's Eve to discover which one will take the gold.
Best gaming monitor 2025: the nominees
Philips Evnia 27M2N3800A
This reasonably priced beauty can swap between 4K (at 160 Hz) and 1080p (at 320 Hz) quickly, which makes it a dynamic choice for almost any rig. At just 27 inches, this monitor is a bit on the small side, but it's hard to argue that it doesn't fight for every single penny it costs. At MSRP, it's already beating out tonnes of other 4K choices, and it tops this off with an IPS panel with a 0.5 ms response time. Impressive.
That price has to come with some compromises, and those come in the form of limited HDR capability, a cheap-feeling chassis, and the lack of USB Type-C. This means you can't use your monitor as a hub, but it's a worthwhile tradeoff for such a lovely screen.
Perhaps the biggest downside to this Philips panel is that it signifies the pricing mismatch between 4K monitors and the rigs needed to run them. Something tells me this gulf will only widen over the coming years. Still, it's remarkable to think of how little a great panel costs you nowadays.
Read our full Philips Evnia 27M2N3800A review.
Alienware 27 AW2725Q QD-OLED
I know, putting Alienware and 'reasonably priced' together feels like a typo, but this QD-OLED panel undercuts its competition by hundreds of dollars, whilst giving great HDR performance at the same time.
27 inches is, once again, a tad small, and the full-screen 250 nits brightness is a bit basic, but it knocks it out of the park in many regards. The 4th Gen QD-OLED screen is lush, and it comes with a snappy 240 Hz refresh rate and 0.03 ms response time. You're getting competitive-level stats here, and a pretty panel at the same time.
You could fairly argue 4K is a tad much for a monitor so small, and the 32-inch 4K screen may be a better choice if you have to go for just a single screen, but this high-DPI panel is a bit of a beast, even if good QD-OLED screens are still a real luxury.
Read our full Alienware 27 AW2725Q QD-OLED review.
KTC H27T22C-3
Not only are OLED and 4K monitors getting cheaper, but so too are 1440p picks. KTC's H27T22C-3 is pretty much down to the price of a 1080p panel, and it comes with a super quick 210 Hz refresh rate, paired with an about average 1 ms response time. As is the case with pretty much all monitors, the name of this one is a bit funky, and you have to make sure you pick the model with 3 at the end, as missing that will cost you brightness and refresh rate.
However, with this one in your basket, it does pretty much everything you might want from a value-oriented 1440p monitor, apart from its just okay DisplayHDR 400. Our Jeremy said, right out of the box, the IPS panel is "immediately impressive". It has solid brightness, strong viewing angles and colours look great. You aren't getting any USB ports (a common compromise for value-based monitors), and the stand is tilt-only. This means adjustments can be hard to make.
Still, what makes this KTC monitor stand out is that it manages to avoid the pitfalls of budget monitors, not needing any calibration and not losing out on any of the basics. If you're in need of a screen on a budget, this 1440p wonder is beating out similarly priced 1080p choices easily, and I suspect it will be the best budget 1440p gaming monitor for some time.
Read our full KTC H27T22C-3 review.
With that, we have the three best monitors of the year. Alienware and Philips are no strangers to accolades, but KTC has already secured a morale win, even if it doesn't take first place. Our winner will be selected on New Year's Eve, so keep your eyes peeled for the big day.