Determining the Best Monitor Refresh Rate for PS5 Gaming

As a passionate PS5 gamer and gaming content creator, the question I get asked constantly is: "What is the best monitor refresh rate to match with the PS5‘s capabilities?"

It‘s an important question – the fluidity and responsiveness you experience in-game depends greatly on having a display with a high enough refresh rate to keep up with the PS5‘s up to 120 fps frame rate.

After extensive testing and research between popular refresh rates – through analyzing the metrics and seeing the difference myself across countless gaming sessions – I‘ve concluded 120Hz to be the recommended monitor refresh rate for PS5.

Here‘s a detailed breakdown on refresh rates when it comes to next-gen console gaming:

Refresh Rate Basics: What It Means for Gaming

The refresh rate refers to how many times per second your display updates or "refreshes" the image. It‘s measured in Hertz (Hz).

The higher the refresh rate, the smoother and more fluid motion will look in games when you turn quickly or scroll across the screen. It also allows the display to keep up with faster frame rates from gaming devices, showing more frames per second.

For gaming, a 60Hz refresh rate has been the standard. However, fast-paced first person shooters and competitive esports titles have pushed monitors technology forward. This has led to 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz and even 360Hz gaming monitors.

Higher refresh monitors allow your screen to keep up with triple digit frame rates from high-end graphics cards and now – new consoles like the PlayStation 5.

But you ideally want your monitor‘s refresh rate to sync up with and not exceed your game console or computer‘s frame rate output.

Having a much higher Hz monitor than fps just results in unused headroom:

The PS5 Difference: Why 120Hz Is Recommended

The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S represents a new era for console gaming. Unlike previous generations capped at 60 fps, these new systems can power games at up to 120 frames per second – but only if your TV or monitor can refresh fast enough to display all those frames.

At 60Hz, you can only see 60 of the 120 frames per second being rendered. The additional frames are wasted. So by upgrading to a 120Hz display, you‘re getting the full benefit of silky smooth doubling of frame rates in supported next-gen games like Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, Dirt 5 and Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition.

• According to Sony, the PS5 is designed raise video game graphics to "the next level of realism". Their Tempest Engine and custom SSD enable 120 fps support specifically for bringing "lightning fast response times" for competitive and multiplayer titles.

• Digital Foundry conducted performance testing on PS5 games and noted visible "noticeable judder" in 120 fps mode when using 60Hz TVs compared to "ultra-smooth motion" on 120Hz-144Hz displays.

So while a 60Hz TV or regular monitor is fine for slower paced cinematic games where high frame rates aren‘t as impactful, a 120Hz display provides the truly optimal way to experience everything next-gen consoles can deliver. Especially for popular ESports and competitive online games.

Why Not Go Higher Than 120Hz?

With high-end gaming monitors going up to 360Hz, you might be wondering if getting an even higher 144Hz, 240Hz or 360Hz display would be beneficial.

The short answer is no, not for the PS5 or Xbox Series X.

As covered earlier, there‘s no advantage to having a refresh rate much higher than your game console or PC‘s frame rate cap. You won‘t magically get 240 fps from a PS5 game rendered at 120 fps just because your monitor can refresh at 240Hz.

You might be thinking – "Well what if next-gen consoles raise frame rates even higher later on? Wouldn‘t a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor future proof me?"

While possible, 120 fps will likely remain the ceiling for this entire console generation. The level of visual detail and graphics processing power required to hit beyond that while upholding 4K resolution is extremely challenging even for the PS5 and Series X hardware.

There are also diminishing returns in perceivable differences going higher than 120Hz/fps…

Analysis via RTINGS Eyes Tracking tests on motion clarity.

So while 144Hz or 240Hz monitors still offer a slight experience boost over 120Hz with other gaming devices, they provide zero actual benefit paired with a PS5.

Instead, it‘s better to focus that extra budget on picture quality – contrast, color gamut, black levels, etc. As well as additional gaming-centric features like adaptive sync and low input lag.

My Recommended Displays for PS5 Gaming

Given the PS5‘s 120 fps frame rate target, after extensive testing across numerous monitors and TVs, I can confidently recommend the following displays to take full advantage of next-gen gaming:

1. LG C1 OLED 4K Smart TV

• Stunning OLED contrast and colors
• 4K resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate w/ HDMI 2.1
• Extremely low input lag

2. Samsung Odyssey G7 Gaming Monitor

• 240Hz refresh rate w/ VRR
• Curved 1440p QLED panel
• HDR 600 + Quantum dot colors
• G-Sync and FreeSync support

3. ASUS TUF Gaming VG279QM Monitor

• 280Hz IPS panel
• 1080p resolution
• Fast 1ms response time
• ELMB motion blur reduction

Of course, these are pricier "enthusiast-grade" options. There are more affordable 120Hz gaming displays as well. The key is ensuring HDMI 2.1 compatibility for 4K resolution at 120Hz.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, while displays with higher maximum refresh rates theoretically offer a bit more fluidity – you ultimately want to match your monitor‘s rate with the game frame rate. This avoids wasted headroom that you never benefit from.

For next-gen gaming, the PS5 and Series X/S consoles are designed to deliver up to 120 frames per second. So a 120Hz display is your best option to experience those cutting edge titles to their fullest while future proofing yourself over cheaper 60Hz screens.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help fellow gamers get the most out of their gear.