The best FreeSync monitors in 2022

The best FreeSync monitor will cut out any artefacts or tearing in the latest games. Not only that, many will deliver variable refresh rates whether you're using a FreeSync-compatible AMD Radeon graphics card or one of Nvidia's, through the G-Sync Compatible program.

The FreeSync standard is split into three grades: FreeSync, FreeSync Premium, and FreeSync Premium Pro.

FreeSync nets you standard variable refresh rate, with no guarantees of a top-tier range but the required support for smoother than standard gaming. Premium one-ups that with the requirement for 120Hz at FHD and support for low framerate compensation. The top tier is FreeSync Premium Pro, which delivers everything Premium does while also offering HDR support.

We've extensively tested each of the FreeSync gaming monitors recommended in this guide, in order to find the monitors that are worth your time and money. We've also done the same for the best G-Sync gaming monitors, so if you're rocking an Nvidia graphics card then we've also got you covered. Furthermore, we've wrapped up all of the best gaming monitors regardless of budget or setup.

Best FreeSync monitors

4K gaming is a premium endeavor. You need a colossal amount of rendering power to hit decent frame rates at such a high resolution. But if you're rocking a top-shelf graphics card, like an RTX 3080, RTX 3090, or RX 6800 XT then this dream can be a reality, at last.

The LG UltraGear is the first 4K Nano IPS 1ms gaming monitor that'll properly show off your superpowered GPU. This 4K 27-inch HDR monitor has a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, which is kind of wild for a 4K monitor. What is most impressive, however, is the Nano IPS tech that offers a wider color gamut and stellar viewing angles.

The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B bags you a terrific panel with exquisite IPS image quality. Despite the lesser HDR capabilities, it also nets beautiful colors and contrast for your games too. FreeSync offers stable pictures and smoothness, and the speedy refresh rate and response times back this up too. 

It's the whole package and truly the best gaming monitor going.

Read our full LG 27GN950 review.

The G27Q proves that you don't need to spend a fortune for a decent IPS 1440p display. At $330, Gigabyte's 27-incher packs in plenty of sought-after features, but more importantly, it provides rich color and smooth gameplay. The 144Hz refresh rate doesn't hurt, either.

The Gigabyte G27Q is a bit of a plain Jane compared to other more pricey options. It's a flat, 27-inch display and a design that wouldn't stand out in an office environment. But it's actually one of the best gaming monitors I've had the pleasure of using. Not only does it have a gorgeous, vibrant panel, but it's also HDR capable and packs plenty of useful features designed to enhance your gaming pleasure.

Read our full Gigabyte G27Q review.

Much like the mystical ways of the Force, PC gaming is all about balance. There's little point weighting your system too heavily in one direction without paying attention to the whole package. Why bother pairing your RTX 3080 Ti with a 60Hz 1080p screen? Likewise why spend big on a 4K monitor when you're only sporting a Radeon RX 6600?

The classic 27-inch Dell S2722DGM marries that screen real estate with a 2560 x 1440 native resolution, which gives you a great pixel pitch for fine detail. At 1440p it's also a decent resolution for getting high frame rates without the GPU demands of a 4K display.

It's also capable of delivering that resolution at 165Hz, higher than the IPS-based Gigabyte above it. This VA panel also means it has a far higher contrast ratio, too, given the technology's inherent strong contrast. It's also a great price. Dell delivers high quality gaming panels, with all the features you need and few extraneous ones to bump up the price. And that makes it one of the best gaming monitors for most PC gamers today.

Read our full Dell S2722DGM review.

It may have once been a niche, but 240Hz gaming has become more widespread, and Alienware has set itself ahead of the pack with the gorgeous AW2521HF gaming monitor. While not the cheapest on the market, it has the style and performance to make you want it on your desk.

Gamers will dig the Alienware 25's lightning-fast response time in games like Valorant and Destiny 2 with little to no ghosting or artifacts. This 1080p IPS panel is bright and vivid too. 

If you work or game in a bright room, the Alienware 25 handles even the most obnoxious glares. More importantly, the AW252HF has some impressive viewing angles regardless if you have it set in the middle of your desk for gaming or off to the side as a second monitor in portrait mode while you work. Our only real complaints are the lack of HDR support, along with a lack of contrast, but it remains one of the best gaming monitors. 

We'd all love to have a thousand bucks burning a hole in our back pockets to blow on a new gaming monitor. But back in the real world, the Dell S3222DGM wants a crack at the kind of budget most of us actually have.

It's a 32-inch beast with a VA panel running at up to 165Hz and delivering 2560 by 1440 pixels. Yup, the tried and tested 1440p resolution, the sweetspot for real-world gaming according to many, the perfect balance between performance and visual detail. The catch is all that normally applies to 27-inch models. 32 inches? That makes for a pretty big panel for 1440p in terms of pixel density. 

Where the low pixel density hurts most is actually in Windows. If you like crisp fonts and lots of desktop real estate, this isn’t the monitor for you. For everyone else, well, it comes down to the value proposition. There are faster monitors. There are monitors with superior IPS-powered image quality. There are monitors with all kinds of HDR support not found here. And others with far more pixels or more dramatic aspect ratios. 

But it's worth remembering that pricing for this class of display - a 32-inch 165Hz 1440p panel - extends all the way up to $800 in the Corsair Xeneon 32QHD165. So, while the Dell S3222DGM isn't all that exciting from a technical point of view, for the money, it's pretty convincing.

Read our full Dell S3222DGM review.

The M28U ticks all the boxes for both the PC gamer and the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 owner.

It features a stunning 28-inch IPS panel, which delivers excellent picture quality and depth of color. However, the big sell for gamers will be the 144Hz (120Hz on console) refresh rate, and 2ms MPRT response time. That's certainly quick enough for our tastes, and to look good while delivering that speed is a huge deal.

What makes the M28U an even bigger deal is that it's actually rather affordable. It's still quite a lot of money to throw down on a monitor alone, but considering what other 4K monitors with this sort of feature set are going for, it's as close to a steal as you're going to get at 4K.

Read our full Gigabyte M28U review.

Best FreeSync gaming monitor FAQ

Jargon buster - gaming monitor terminology

Refresh Rate (Hz)
The speed at which the screen refreshes. For example, 144Hz means the display refreshes 144 times a second. The higher the number, the smoother the screen will appear when you play games. 

V-Sync
Graphics tech synchronizes a game's framerate with your monitor's refresh rate to help prevent screen tearing by syncing your GPU frame rate to the display's maximum refresh rate. Turn V-Sync on in your games for a smoother experience, but you'll lose information, so turn it off for fast-paced shooters (and live with the tearing). Useful if you have an older model display that can't keep up with a new GPU.

G-Sync
Nvidia's frame synching tech that works with Nvidia GPUs. It basically allows the monitor to sync up with the GPU. It does by showing a new frame as soon as the GPU has one ready.

FreeSync
AMD's take on frame synching uses a similar technique as G-Sync, with the biggest difference being that it uses DisplayPort's Adaptive-Sync technology which doesn't cost monitor manufacturers anything.

Ghosting
When movement on your display leaves behind a trail of pixels when watching a movie or playing a game, this is often a result of a monitor having slow response times. 

Response Time
The amount of time it takes a pixel to transition to a new color and back. Often referenced as G2G or Grey-to-Grey. Slow response times can lead to ghosting. A suitable range for a gaming monitor is between 1-4 milliseconds.

TN Panels
Twisted-nematic is the most common (and cheapest) gaming panel. TN panels tend to have poorer viewing angles and color reproduction but have higher refresh rates and response times. 

IPS
In-plane switching, panels offer the best contrast and color despite having weaker blacks. IPS panels tend to be more expensive and have higher response times. 

VA
Vertical Alignment panels provide good viewing angles and have better contrast than even IPS but are still slower than TN panels. They are often a compromise between a TN and IPS panel. 

HDR
High Dynamic Range. HDR provides a wider color range than normal SDR panels and offers increased brightness. The result is more vivid colors, deeper blacks, and a brighter picture. 

Peak Brightness
This refers to the maximum brightness of a monitor or television and is measured in nits.

Ultrawide
Shorthand for monitors with aspect wider aspect ratios like 32:9 or 21:9

Resolution
The number of pixels that make up a monitor's display, measured by height and width. For example: 1920 x 1080 (aka 1080p), 2560 x 1440 (2K), and 3840 x 2160 (4K).