The 5 Best Curved Gaming Monitors - Fall 2023 Reviews

The best curved gaming monitor we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3423DW. It's excellent for gaming as it has a 175Hz refresh rate and a near-instantaneous response time, meaning there's no blur trail behind fast-moving objects. It also has native G-SYNC variable refresh rate (VRR) support, which is great if you have an NVIDIA graphics card. Even if you don't need something with native G-SYNC support and have an AMD graphics card, the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF is a similar monitor that costs a bit less and offers the same excellent gaming performance.

Whichever model you get, both offer fantastic picture quality. They use a QD-OLED panel that delivers perfect black levels in dark rooms and offers a wide range of colors thanks to its quantum dot technology, which makes highlights pop and colors look vivid. The 21:9 aspect ratio and 1800R curve also help deliver an immersive gaming experience as you can see more of your game at once. It's important to remember that OLEDs like the AW3423DW and AW3423DWF are prone to burn-in with constant exposure to the same static elements over time.

While it isn't a problem for most gamers, if it concerns you, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 and the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75 are both excellent 4k monitors with curved 32-inch screens. They have Mini LED backlighting to get brighter than the Dell monitors, but they don't deliver the same perfect blacks. Their HDMI 2.1 bandwidth is also useful for console gaming, but the AW3423DW still offers the best performance for PC gamers.

If you're looking for the best curved monitor for gaming with an even bigger screen than the 34-inch Dell Alienware AW3423DW, you can look into a super ultrawide monitor like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95. It's different from the Dell because it has a larger 49-inch screen, which makes it a fantastic choice for games that support this super ultrawide format, as you get a competitive advantage by seeing more of the game at once. It also has the same 1800R curve as the Dell, so it isn't overly aggressive either. It even has a higher 240Hz refresh rate, making it an excellent choice for competitive gaming.

It uses a QD-OLED panel, which displays perfect black next to bright highlights and vivid colors. On top of that, motion looks incredibly smooth without any visible blur, thanks to its near-instantaneous response time. While it doesn't have native G-SYNC support, it's still G-SYNC compatible and has FreeSync support, so VRR works with any type of graphics card. Unfortunately, it has the same risk of burn-in as any OLED, so if that concerns you, you can also look into the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9. It has many of the same gaming features but uses Mini LED backlighting and has a more aggressive 1000R curve.

While you can find cheaper ultrawide gaming monitors than the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95, like the LED-backlit LG 34GP950G-B, you can save even more money with mid-range curved monitors that have a 16:9 aspect ratio. The Gigabyte M32UC is an excellent curved gaming monitor that's different from the Samsung monitor in a few ways. Besides its smaller screen size and 16:9 aspect ratio, it doesn't display the same outstanding picture quality because it doesn't have a QD-OLED panel. However, it offers a higher 4k resolution, resulting in sharper and more detailed images. It's great if you want something for console gaming, and its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth makes it take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series Series X|S. It also has a max 160Hz refresh rate, which is useful if you want to use it for PC gaming.

The main downside is that it has worse motion handling than the Samsung, with more smearing with fast-moving objects. However, it has a backlight strobing feature that works across a wide refresh rate range and at the same time as VRR, which isn't something all monitors can do, and it helps improve the appearance of motion by reducing persistence blur.

If you still want to save money without getting something in the budget category, a lower mid-range option like the Dell S3422DWG is a good alternative. It's different from the Gigabyte M32UC because it doesn't have HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of current-gen gaming consoles. With a lower resolution, images are less sharp and detailed, too. However, it has an ultrawide format with a 34-inch screen and 3440x1440 resolution, so it's a much cheaper alternative to the Dell Alienware AW3423DW with an LED-backlit screen. It still offers great gaming performance, and the 1800R curve helps bring the edges more within your field of vision.

It features a native 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync VRR and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing. While it has visible smearing with fast-moving objects, the overall response time is still good. It also has a backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur, but unlike the Gigabyte, it doesn't work simultaneously with VRR and is only available in a limited range. One advantage of this monitor over the Gigabyte is that it displays deep blacks and gets brighter in HDR to make some highlights stand out.

If you're looking for the best curved monitor for gaming on a budget, it's better to look for 16:9 monitors instead of ultrawide monitors, as those tend to cost more, and the Dell S2722DGM is a good option as a low-cost 16:9 monitor. It has a 1440p resolution like the Dell S3422DWG, but you don't get the same immersive gaming experience as there's less horizontal screen space. Luckily, it has a slightly higher 165Hz max refresh rate and has the same FreeSync VRR support with G-SYNC compatibility, reducing screen tearing no matter which type of graphics card you have.

Its main downside is that its response time is just okay across its entire refresh rate range, so there's visible blur with fast-moving objects. However, this is what you can expect from lower-cost displays. Its VA panel has a somewhat aggressive 1500R curve to help bring the edges within your field of vision, which is helpful because it has narrow viewing angles, so the edges would look washed out otherwise. It also displays deep blacks for a good dark room gaming experience, and its black uniformity isn't bad either.