The Best TVs For PS5 And Xbox Series X (2023 Reviews)

It would be a shame to hook up your brand new PS5 or Xbox Series X/S console to an old TV with washed out colors, grayish blacks, smearing, and other unwelcome visual artifacts.

Luckily, you don’t need a particularly expensive TV to put your console’s powerful hardware to good use.

Whether you need a budget 4K TV that’s good for gaming or a high-end TV that’s every gamer’s dream – we’ve got you covered!

We’ll start with the most affordable TVs you should consider for gaming, and gradually move up to the more expensive models with better image quality, smoother performance, and additional features.

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

About The TV

So, what exactly makes a TV good for gaming?

First of all, you need low input lag in order not to feel any delay between your commands and the result on the TV. For 60Hz TVs, input lag under 16ms is great, whereas for 120Hz TVs, it should be 8ms or lower.

Secondly, you’ll want a fast response time speed, which is the speed at which pixels change from one color to another. If they take too long, you will be able to notice trailing artifacts behind fast-moving objects. The faster the response time, the better.

The S535 TVs from TCL’s 2020 5-series are the most affordable 4K gaming TVs that offer low input lag and fast response time, which is why we highly recommend saving up for it.

Image Quality

Another reason why we recommend the TCL S535 is that it also offers an excellent picture quality for the price!

It uses a VA (Vertical Alignment) panel with a high static contrast ratio of ~7000:1, which is even higher than that of many more expensive TVs.

Local dimming is supported as well, but since there are too few dimming zones (for instance, only 48 zones on the 55″ model), it’s not particularly effective.

Sadly, it has a peak brightness of only ~450-nits, so highlights (such as explosions) fall short when watching HDR content.

Of course, if you want a really good HDR TV, you would need to invest more money as well.

Of course, if you want a really good HDR TV, you’ll need to invest more money in a TV with a peak brightness of over 1000-nits and more dimming zones.

The TV also has a wide ~95% DCI-P3 color gamut for vibrant and lifelike colors. Supported HDR formats include HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision.

Features

Unfortunately, the TV doesn’t support 120Hz at any resolution and it doesn’t support a variable refresh rate. The lack of these two features is expected at this price range, though.

It does support BFI (Black Frame Insertion) at 60Hz, which, as the name suggests, inserts black frames between the regular ones and thus removes perceived motion blur.

To enable it, turn on the LED Motion Clarity option in the TV’s settings menu.

You can also use motion interpolation up to 60FPS for the so-called Soap Opera Effect, though we highly recommend not using this.

There’s a 960Hz PWM flicker for brightness regulation, but such a high frequency shouldn’t cause any problems to those sensitive to flickering.

Another useful feature of the TV is the Natural Cinema mode, which can remove 24Hz judder from 24p Blu-ray/DVD content and from 60p and 60i signals, including streaming devices, cable and satellite TV, as well as streaming applications such as Netflix.

Chroma 4:4:4 is supported as well, so text won’t be fringy when using the TV as a PC monitor.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the TV is fairly sturdy and has thin bezels.

Connectivity options include four HDMI 2.0 ports, one USB port, both digital and analog audio jacks, Ethernet, a tuner, WiFi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), composite-in and dual 8W speakers.

HDCP 2.2, CEC, ARC, and eARC are supported over HDMI, while other supported audio formats include DTS, DTS:X, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Atmos.

Alternatives

• TCL S546 – The newer version of this TV with an even higher 10,000:1 contrast ratio and 600-nit peak brightness, but it has really bad factory calibration, so we don’t recommend it unless you have a colorimeter. It supports FreeSync, but cannot remove 24p judder from 60p/60i content.
• TCL S435 – A cheaper 4K TV that’s good for gaming. However, it has a lower 200-nit peak brightness, no wide color gamut support, and a slower response time speed.
• Hisense U6G – A good alternative with a bit lower 5000:1 contrast ratio, but a higher 750-nit peak brightness. It’s based on Android TV and cannot remove 60p/60i 24Hz judder.
• Vizio M7 Quantum 2021 – Offers a 6500:1 contrast ratio and 550-nit peak brightness with AMD FreeSync support, albeit with a limited 40-60Hz range.

About The TV

If you want to take advantage of 120Hz, TCL’s 2020 6-series TVs are the cheapest models with this feature; luckily, they are exceptionally good!

Image Quality

The TCL R646 has only a slightly faster pixel response time speed than the S535, so some smearing will still be noticeable in fast-paced games.

However, the higher 120Hz refresh rate makes fast-paced motion significantly smoother making for a more enjoyable gaming experience.

The TV refreshes the image twice as fast, essentially cutting input lag in half, thus providing you with a slight advantage over your opponents with regular 60Hz displays.

But that’s not all!

The R646 series also offers considerably better image quality. It has a stellar peak brightness of 1200-nits and a static contrast ratio of ~8,500:1.

Further, its mini LED backlight has an excellent local dimming implementation, which can push the contrast ratio up to ~20,000:1 for even deeper blacks and punchier highlights.

Alas, there aren’t that many dimming zones (128 on the 55″ variant), so some blooming and haloing will be visible in certain scenarios.

In addition to its ~93% DCI-P3 color gamut, it delivers an eye-catching HDR viewing experience for the price. Supported HDR formats include HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision.

Features

Additionally, AMD FreeSync is supported up to 120Hz, which allows the TV to change its refresh rate dynamically. So, at 100FPS, the TV changes its refresh rate to 100Hz and thus eliminates screen tearing and stuttering completely, without noticeably (~1ms) affecting input lag.

It also supports BFI at 120Hz via its LED Motion Clarity technology and it can interpolate frames up to 120FPS (Soap Opera Effect).

Just like the S535 series, it can remove judder from all content, it supports 4:4:4 chroma, and it has a 960Hz flicker backlight.

Design & Connectivity

The TV features excellent build quality with a slim design and thin bezels.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 and two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, both digital and analog audio jacks, composite-in, tuner, Ethernet, WiFi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and dual 15W integrated speakers.

HDCP 2.2, CEC, ARC (HDMI1 only), and eARC are supported over HDMI, while other supported audio formats include DTS, DTS:X, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Atmos.

Alternatives

In case the R646 is not available, check out the R655 with similar image quality and performance. Unlike the R646 with Google TV, the R655 has Roku TV smart OS.

About The TV

If you want something a bit better than the TCL R646, we recommend the Samsung QN90A series, however, keep in mind that the 43″ variant has a 60Hz refresh rate and no VRR support.

Image Quality

In comparison to TCL’s R646, you get a notably higher peak brightness of up to 1800-nits, so highlights will be even more vivid and punchy!

Further, while the native contrast ratio of the QN90A is lower at ~3,500:1, the local dimming solution is much better implemented, resulting in less blooming and an exceptional contrast ratio of up to 27,000:1.

Colors are vibrant and vivid with ~95% DCI-P3 gamut, while the supported HDR formats include HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG.

Features

The Samsung QN90A TVs have very low input lag of ~6ms, as well as an excellent pixel response time speed of ~9ms.

So, some ghosting will be noticeable, but it’s mostly negligible.

There’s a BFI feature available called LED Clear Motion which works at both 60Hz and 120Hz, while framerate interpolation is also supported up to 120FPS.

The TV can remove judder from all content and it supports 4:4:4 chroma, while its backlight flickers at 960Hz to regulate brightness, which shouldn’t bother those sensitive to flickering due to such high frequency.

Design & Connectivity

The TV has a very slim design with thin bezels at all four sides of the screen, while the stand is fairly sturdy. There are four HDMI ports, but only one (HDMI4) supports HDMI 2.1 for 4K 120Hz.

Other connectivity options include two USB ports, a digital audio-out port, a tuner, Ethernet, WiFi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 and a 4.2.2 speaker system with 60W total.

HDCP 2.2, CEC, ARC (HDMI3 only), and eARC are supported over HDMI, while the supported audio formats include Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital.

Alternatives

The newer version, the Samsung QN90B has wider viewing angles and higher brightness for small highlights, but it doesn’t have as wide color gamut, as good local dimming, or as high brightness for larger bright windows as the QN90A. It’s still an excellent mini LED TV, but we recommend getting the QN90A if you can.

About The TV

OLED TVs offer the best image quality and the smoothest performance, but they’re a bit more expensive and you have to be careful about screen burn-in.

Image Quality

Unlike LED-backlit displays, OLED TVs and monitors don’t rely on a backlight to produce the image as each pixel is self-emissive. This makes for a basically infinite contrast ratio. Black is black. White is white, and there’s no backlight bleeding or glowing of any kind.

Additionally, the OLED technology offers superior color quality and viewing angles. The C1 has a wide ~98% DCI-P3 color gamut, and the picture will remain perfect regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen.

Its peak brightness is a bit lower than that of LED TVs at this price range, but at ~800-nits maximum luminance for HDR content, you still get an amazing HDR viewing experience, especially in dark rooms, where the infinite contrast ratio really shines at.

Supported HDR formats include HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG.

The main downside of OLEDs is the risk of permanent image burn-in and temporary image retention. Basically, if you leave the TV on for a long time, the static elements of the picture can permanently burn in.

However, there are plenty of built-in features to prevent this, such as screen savers, pixel refreshers/shifters, etc.

Image retention, on the other hand, is when the static elements (such as in-game HUDs or mini-maps) remain visible once the picture changes, but it goes away after watching different content for a while.

If you’re careful, this won’t be an issue, it’s just something to keep in mind. You can still enjoy playing your favorite games for up to ~8 hours, and then display something else on the TV so that the pixels ‘refresh.’

Many games offer ways to help with this, like hiding the HUD, scoreboards, mini-maps when not needed, etc. You should avoid using the TV as background noise or leaving it paused at game menus for hours, and you’ll be good to go.

Features

The LG C1 supports both AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA’s G-SYNC Compatible variable refresh rate up to 120Hz. So, you can use VRR with both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as with compatible AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards without any issues.

Another big advantage of the OLED technology is the instantaneous pixel response time speed, which makes for zero ghosting in fast-paced games and incredible motion clarity.

You can even use the BFI technology implementation called OLED Motion to further reduce perceived motion blur at both 60Hz and 120Hz. Framerate interpolation is also supported up to 120FPS. Input lag amounts to ~6ms, which makes for imperceptible delay.

PWM is not used for brightness regulation, but there are some luminance fluctuations every ~8ms. However, it’s not noticeable. Naturally, 4:4:4 chroma is supported and you can remove judder from any content.

Design & Connectivity

Yet another advantage of the OLED technology is that the TVs are incredibly thin, as you can see from the picture.

Connectivity options include four HDMI 2.1 ports, three USB ports, both digital and analog audio-out ports, composite-in, a tuner, Ethernet, WiFi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, and dual 10W speakers + a 20W subwoofer.

Other supported features include HDCP 2.2, CEC, ARC (HDMI2), eARC, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital.

Alternatives

• LG A1 – if you’re looking for an even cheaper OLED TV, check out LG’s 2021’s A1 series with a 60Hz refresh rate and no VRR support.
• LG C2 – the newer C2 series also includes a 42″ variant, but they’re currently more expensive and don’t have 120Hz BFI support

About The TV

If you want an even better OLED display, check out the Samsung S95B!

Image Quality

The Samsung S95B is based on an OLED panel that’s enhanced by quantum dot technology (QD-OLED) for even better colors and brightness.

In fact, while the C1 has a maximum sustainable brightness of ~140-nits for a 100% white window, the S95B can easily maintain 200-nits! Additionally, it can reach up to around 1200-nits for small highlights.

On top of that, the Samsung S95B has a wider color gamut with 100% DCI-P3 coverage for more lifelike colors. The extra color saturation also makes for higher perceived brightness.

Other advantages over the C1 OLED TV include a bit wider viewing angles, better factory calibration and better burn-in resistance.

Features

The TV supports variable refresh rate via HDMI 2.1 VRR, FreeSync Premium and G-SYNC Compatible technologies, though it lacks NVIDIA’s official certification at the moment.

Some users have also been able to set it to 144Hz via a custom resolution. Black Frame Insertion is supported as well, but sadly only at 60Hz.

It’s based on Samsung’s Tizen OS and it supports HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG HDR formats, but there’s no Dolby Vision support.

Samsung’s QD-OLED panels have peculiar RGB subpixels in a triangular layout, which can cause small text to have minor fringing, but it’s not an issue for playing games or watching videos at a normal viewing distance.

Design & Connectivity

The TV boasts a slim design with rich connectivity options, including four HDMI 2.1 ports (e/ARC with Dolby Atmos/Digital), two USB 2.0 ports, both digital and analog audio jacks, a tuner, RJ45, WiFi, Bluetooth, and integrated 2.2.2 channel 60W audio output.

The main drawback of the Samsung S95B TV is the screen coating, which doesn’t have a polarizer, causing the image to have a pink tint (more obvious at skewed viewing angles) and raised blacks when there’s strong ambient or direct lighting aimed at the screen.

Alternatives

LG’s G2 OLED TV has a higher peak brightness than the C series. It can sustain around 180-nits and reach up to ~1,000-nits, but it doesn’t have quite as wide color gamut as the S95B. Due to LG’s better reflection handling, the G2 is better suited for brighter rooms, while the S95B is superior in dark rooms.

Conclusion

These are the best TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S we recommend! Not sure which one to get? Feel free to leave us a comment below!

Overall, if you’re on a limited budget, you can’t go wrong with the TCL S535, but we recommend saving up for the TCL R646 as you’ll get a significantly better image quality and smoother performance.

To take your gaming and viewing experience to the next level, go with LG’s C1 or Samsung’s S95B OLED TVs. In case you can’t afford them or you’re too worried about burn-in, Samsung’s QN90A TVs are excellent LED-backlit alternatives.