The Best Gaming Monitors Under 200 USD (2024 Reviews)

If $200 is all you can give away for your new display, do not despair — you won’t need a $500+ monitor to enjoy crisp image quality and smooth gaming performance.

In this guide, you’ll find the best monitors for gaming under 200 USD.

All monitors are different from each other, and there’s no doubt that at least one is perfect for you, depending on what type of games you play.

Even with less than 200 USD, you can nowadays get a great monitor with either a 1440p high refresh rate panel, 4K UHD resolution or an ultrawide format!

Check out the reviews below to find the best gaming monitor under 200 USD for you!

If you want to view our changelogs for this particular buying guide, you can do so at the end of this article.

About The Monitor

The KTC H27T22 is a 27″ 1440p 165Hz IPS gaming monitor with a quick pixel response time speed and a wide color gamut, ensuring both an immersive and responsive gaming experience.

Image Quality

Based on an IPS panel, the KTC H27T22 boasts 178° wide viewing angles meaning that the image will remain perfect regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen.

Thanks to its 95% DCI-P3 wide color gamut, you get rich and saturated colors – and can even do professional color-critical work.

As it’s the case with all IPS monitors, there’s some IPS glow and the native contrast ratio is mediocre at ~1,000:1, so you won’t get as deep blacks as that of VA panel monitors with a contrast ratio of around 3,000:1. However, VA technology has other disadvantages, which we’ll get into later.

Moving on, the KTC H27T22 monitor has a strong peak brightness of 450-nits and a rapid response time speed for no visible ghosting behind fast-moving objects.

In addition to its rapid response time speed and low input lag, theKTC H27T22 supports variable refresh rate (VRR) for tear-free gameplay up to 165Hz.

VRR synchronizes the refresh rate with GPU’s frame rate. So, if your frame rate is 70 FPS (Frames Per Second), the refresh rate dynamically changes to 70Hz in order to display 70 whole frames without tearing; what’s more, no perceptible latency is added like it is the case with V-Sync.

You can use VRR as long as you have an AMD FreeSync-compatible GPU. While not officially certified as ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ by NVIDIA, VRR also works with compatible GeForce GPUs (10-series or newer) over DisplayPort without any issues.

The KTC H27T22 also supports MBR (Motion Blur Reduction) technology called MPRT, which uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion blur at the cost of picture brightness. However, VRR and MBR cannot be active at the same time.

Other features include crosshair overlays, Black Equalize (improves visibility in darker scenes), a refresh rate tracker, crosshair overlays and various picture presets.

Check out our in-depth KTC H27T22 review for more details.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is sturdy and offers height adjustment up to 135mm, tilt by -5°/23°, +/- 45° swivel, +/- 90° pivot and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs, two HDMI 2.0 ports (max 144Hz), a headphone jack and a USB port for firmware updates.

Alternatives

There are plenty of excellent 27″ 1440p high refresh rate IPS gaming monitors available nowadays ranging from $150 to $200 (depending on sale).

So, we recommend checking them all out and choosing whichever is the cheapest or according to your design/feature preference:

• ASUS VG27AQ3A
• Dell G2724D / Dell G2725D
• KTC H27T22S
• Acer XV271U M3

If you want a smaller 24″ 1440p 165Hz IPS gaming monitor, check out the Koorui GP01, which goes for $200 – $220.

About The Monitor

Under $200, you can also get a great 1440p 240Hz gaming monitor with a VA panel, the KTC H27E22S.

Image Quality

The VA panel of the KTC H27E22S offers a high static contrast ratio of 2,500:1 in comparison to the 1,000:1 contrast ratio of IPS panels.

Now, such a high contrast ratio provides you with deeper blacks and better relation between the darkest and the brightest tones, which is the main asset of VA panels.

The colors aren’t as consistent as that of IPS displays, but they are vibrant and vivid regardless thanks to the 90% DCI-P3 (~130% sRGB) wide color gamut support of the KTC H27E22S. So, you get more saturated colors than that of the standard gamut displays.

For entry-level color-critical work, IPS is still the better technology due to its wider viewing angles and no gamma/saturation shift.

The KTC H27E22S is also one of the rare VA panel monitors with fast pixel response time speed which prevents smearing in fast-paced games.

Moving on, the monitor supports AMD FreeSync over both HDMI and DP with a 48-240Hz VRR range, and although it’s not certified as G-SYNC Compatible by NVIDIA, Adaptive-Sync works with compatible NVIDIA cards.

Unfortunately, the KTC H27E22S (and most monitors based on VA panels) are affected by the VRR brightness flickering issue when FreeSync / G-SYNC is enabled.

This brightness flickering is mostly visible when your FPS fluctuates a lot, in in-game menus and loading screen, and when it gets below 48FPS and triggers LFC.

Design & Connectivity

The KTC H27E22S has a tilt-only stand, but it is VESA mount compatible via the 100x100mm pattern.

Connectivity options include HDMI 2.0, HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 and a headphone jack.

Alternatives

For $40 more, you can get the KTC H27E22 model with an ergonomic stand and USB-C.

Other models under $200 have a lower 144Hz – 165Hz refresh rate and more importantly, significantly slower pixel response time speed, resulting in infamous VA smearing behind fast-moving objects in dark scenes; therefore, we don’t recommend them.

About The Monitor

For less than $200, you can even find a gaming monitor with proper HDR support!

Image Quality

The Acer XV275U has an MSRP of $400, but it’s often on sale for just $180.

What makes this monitor different from the rest models included in this guide is that it has a 384-zone mini LED FALD (full-array local dimming) backlight.

These zones can individually dim parts of the screen that are supposed to be dark for deeper blacks without affecting areas that are supposed to remain bright, thus significantly increasing the contrast ratio.

In some demanding scenes (fireworks, stars in the night sky), the light from a small illuminated object will bleed into the surrounding dimmed zones and create blooming. This is an expected drawback of FALD displays and given that they only occur in those demanding scenes, most users will find it tolerable.

Additionally, the Acer XV275U has an exceptional color gamut with 99% Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color space coverage and a stellar 1000-nit peak brightness for punchy highlights.

Check out our full Acer XV275U review for more details.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor offers full ergonomic support, including up to 150mm height adjustment, +/- 25° swivel, 90° pivot, -5°/25° tilt and 75x75mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include DP 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports and a headphone jack.

Alternatives

We recommend investing $260 – $280 in the AOC Q27G3XMN. It has a bit better HDR accuracy and overdrive implementation for less ghosting.

If you don’t want to deal with slow response times and VRR brightness flickering of VA panels, you’ll need to invest ~$350 in the Xiaomi G Pro 27i.

About The Monitor

Nowadays, you can even get an ultrawide monitor for under 200 USD!

Image Quality

This type of monitor offers a 21:9 aspect ratio as opposed to the standard 16:9 giving you extra horizontal space for a more cinematic viewing experience.

Ultrawide monitors are great for PC gaming, watching movies and multi-tasking as well.

The Sceptre C305B-200UN1 is the only high refresh rate 21:9 monitor available for under $200. Note that the monitor is 30-inch in diagonal but longer in width than a standard display.

So, the monitor is as tall as a regular ~24-inch 16:9 monitor but wider — which may take some time to get used to.

The Sceptre C305B-200UN1 offers 2560×1080 Full HD Ultra-Wide resolution and since it is a fairly small monitor in size, it will provide you with a decent pixel density of 96 PPI (Pixels Per Inch).

This means that the image will have very sharp details and plenty of screen real estate for you to work with.

It’s based on a VA panel with a high 3,000:1 contrast ratio for deep blacks, supports a high 200Hz refresh rate and covers ~90% of the sRGB color space, resulting in relatively accurate colors without over-saturation.

Keep in mind that video games that don’t support ultrawide resolutions will just have black borders at the sides or stretch the image. You can check which games support the 21:9 aspect ratio here.

Design & Connectivity

Unlike the 29WQ600, the Sceptre C305B has a curved screen (1800R), which adds a bit of depth and immersion to the viewing experience. The stand is tilt-only, but you can mount the screen using the provided VESA mount adapter.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, a headphone jack and dual 3W built-in speakers. There are also two red LED strips at the back of the monitor.

Alternatives

We recommend saving up to $50 more for the KTC H34S18S instead. It has a bigger 34″ screen with a higher 3440×1440 screen resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate.

If you’d rather have an ultrawide monitor with an IPS panel under $200, check out the LG 29WQ600 (or one of its alternatives mentioned in the review). However, note that it has a smaller 29″ screen with a lower 100Hz refresh rate.

About The Monitor

You can even find a 4K monitor below $200, though without some nifty features such as AMD FreeSync.

Image Quality

Even though it’s $50 – $100 cheaper than most budget 4K monitors, the Sceptre U275W-UPT features an IPS panel with wide viewing angles, 99% sRGB color gamut and a strong peak brightness of 350-nits!

4K UHD resolution results in a high pixel density of 163 PPI on 27″ monitors, which translates to plenty of screen real estate with crystal-clear details and text!

Keep in mind that you’ll need a powerful PC system to run the latest games at 4K with decent frame rates and picture settings. For office and everyday use, this won’t be an issue.

Just like most IPS monitors, the Sceptre U275W has a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, so don’t expect particularly deep blacks as that of VA panels.

However, it has a fast response time speed, so there won’t be any prominent trailing behind fast-moving objects. The monitor even supports 70Hz over DisplayPort for a very subtle boost in motion clarity as opposed to 60Hz.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is fairly sturdy and offers tilt adjustment by -5°/15° as well as VESA mount compatibility via the 100x100mm pattern.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2 for 4K 70Hz, one HDMI 2.0 port (for 4K 60Hz), two HDMI 1.4 ports (limited to 30Hz at 4K) and a headphone jack.

Alternatives

Note that the Innocn 27M2U-D 4K IPS monitor with a 384-zone mini LED FALD backlight can sometimes be found on sale for $200. Another alternative worth considering around this price is the LG 27US500.

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of our best gaming monitor under 200 USD buyer’s guide. As you can see, for just $200, you can get a pretty neat monitor.

Overall, the Acer XV275U offers exceptional value for the price if you can get it on sale and want an HDR display.

If you’d rather have a faster pixel response time speed, the KTC H27T22 and the KTC H27E22S will suit you better.

The IPS model offers wider viewing angles and smooth VRR performance, whereas the VA variant provides a higher contrast ratio and a faster 240Hz refresh rate.

In case you’d rather have an ultrawide or a 4K monitor, Sceptre’s C305B-200UN1 and U275W-UPT models are worth considering as well.

Each monitor on the list has its advantages and disadvantages, so only you can know which one is the best for you.