xbox Series X – Best 4K TV For Gaming 2021: OLED, HDMI 2.1, And Budget TVs For PS5 And Xbox Series X

With the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, many people are considering upgrading to a new 4K TV for gaming. To meet the demand, top brands like Samsung have announced new 4K TVs over the last several months, but many of those TVs won’t hit the market for some time. Despite that, you still have plenty of great 4K TV options right now. While you could go to the store and pick up any modern TV, the best 4K TVs for gaming in 2021 have specific features that make them most suited for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The big one is HDMI 2.1, which supports a 120Hz refresh rate for games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition. While not a requirement, 4K TVs with HDMI 2.1 can run games more smoothly and have them look even better in motion. Most 4K gaming TVs don’t support HDMI 2.1 on every port, so be sure you are connecting your PS5 or Xbox Series X to the right ports on your TV.

What is HDMI 2.1, and why is it important?

If you want a 4K resolution with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR, you’re going to need a TV with an HDMI 2.1 port. This ensures that your TV can accept the speeds afforded by HDMI 2.1 cables–48Gbps–which are what the PS5 and Xbox Series X utilize to transfer video and audio signals to your television. HDMI 2.1 is still relatively new to consumer displays, with only a select few TVs supporting it and no PC monitors currently available on the market that support it–though Asus has announced HDMI 2.1 monitors that should release in the near future. (If you’re still interested in using your new console with a monitor, see our picks for the best 4K gaming monitors available now.)

Two of the benefits that HDMI 2.1 provides to gamers are built-in variable refresh rate (VRR) and low-latency technologies. VRR provides you with a smooth, stutter-less image during gameplay, while Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) provides zero lag between your inputs and the action on-screen.

Do I need an HDMI 2.1 TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X?

Xbox Series X and PS5 games play just fine on any TV that has HDMI ports; a 120Hz TV is not required. While a gaming monitor in comparison to a TV will ultimately have higher refresh rates, you’ll be more than happy with any good 4K TV running at 60Hz as long as it has decent input lag or a specific game mode. At this time, the majority of games target 4K and 60 frames per second, though we’re sure to see a number of different resolutions and frame rates across titles, consoles, and performance modes.

Despite this, the benefits of HDMI 2.1 are clear to see in compatible games. 120Hz provides a much smoother experience than 60Hz and is most helpful in competitive gaming. Most compatible games only offer 120Hz modes in specific modes, such as multiplayer in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Gears 5. Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition, on the other hand, lets you enable 120Hz in its single-player campaign.

What about 8K?

The PS5 and Xbox Series X both claim that they’re capable of an 8K resolution, and HDMI 2.1 does support the transfer of 8K and 60Hz. Despite this, the PS5 and Xbox Series X don’t currently feature any games that output a true 8K resolution, and I don’t expect either one to be able to do this with a stable 60 FPS frame rate. 8K resolution TVs are currently being sold, but they are incredibly expensive. Even if you have an exorbitant amount of money to burn, we’d still suggest going with one of the 4K, 120Hz options available and save the rest of your money for the consoles and games themselves.

Best TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X