Does monitor size affect gaming experience more than people think?
Posted by KRGKart_Support@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 19 comments
This is something that comes up quite often when people are choosing a new monitor.
A lot of focus usually goes toward resolution and refresh rate, but screen size also seems to play a big role depending on how far you sit and the type of games you play. Some prefer 24-inch for better focus and competitive play, while others go for 27-inch or larger for immersion, especially in story-driven and open-world games.
For those who have switched between different monitor sizes, did it actually change your gaming experience in a noticeable way?
Did a larger screen improve immersion, or did it feel less comfortable over long sessions?
Also curious if size affects performance perception, like spotting enemies or managing UI in different types of games.
Would be great to hear what worked best for different setups and use cases.
CivilChaos@reddit
I think 27inch would be ideal for competitive gaming.
Elitefuture@reddit
It depends on how close you are to the screen and its resolution
Some pros are within a hair away from their screen so a small screen is better for them. Meanwhile casual players like leaning back, so a big monitor is better
lichtspieler@reddit
The gaming genre makes a big difference.
If you need to track the entire screen for UI elements and can’t just focus on the center (as in most shooters), then monitor size and viewing distance start to matter. Otherwise, neck and head movement can limit how long you can play—often causing pain.
In a hardware-focused subreddit, it’s hard to know what kinds of games people actually play or what they prefer.
Unlucky_Cucumber_002@reddit
imho it does. For example I still prefer playing on a 120" projector (1080p, 60hz). Even though it's been years that I own a 34" ultrawide (3440*1440, 180hz)
In fact.. to be honest I bought this latter monitor for work (I needed more space for the layout of the software I use.. and I appreciate the higher resolution and refresh rate).
But when paying games or watching movies -> projector + gamepad.
Automatic-Leg1668@reddit
Kinda. I feel fps matters more/frame smoothness
Tyraid@reddit
I’m on a 48in 4K 120hz OLED and it’s just totally rad. Everyone says my face is going to melt off but I just don’t care. I don’t have eye strain, it doesn’t cause me discomfort. I love looking around the screen in my favorite games. I’ve never considered myself a threat to anyone’s e-sports career so I don’t care about any of those factors.
Size is what matters to me.
GiantOutBack@reddit
I have for years now had my primary PC set up with the living room TV as primary monitor. 75" QLED 4K for a larger room with big windows, 65" OLED 4K for a better light controlled room.
It's awesome. I do it that way because my partner likes watching my gaming and why buy two screens when one screen do trick.
Hemmikuhsxhlemur@reddit
yes i don’t recommend anything above 24’’ because your eyes have to travel to much
Chipper_Bandit@reddit
bro, what?
kayknox_@reddit
His eyes are still only working at 60 fps.
perilousrob@reddit
it really depends on what you're playing. anything that requires constant scanning of the full screen - fps & high-click rts, for example - you'll likely benefit from a smaller screen if you are trying to be as good as possible. it's as simple as your eyes don't need to move as much to scan everything.
I don't play fps's as much these days. occasionally CoD. So, my new monitor is a 32" 4k thingy. I have aaaaall the screen real estate I could want for non-gaming, and I find it works brilliantly for the games I do play these days. civ/sim stuff, wow, weird stuff like Kaizen or Opus Magnum, BG3, etc etc. It suits me, now.
vaurapung@reddit
Monitor size depend most on where you sit and how you play.
Then the size of the monitor dictates the resolution you need to run.
And resolution then tells you how to spec your pc.
I want to play 4ft away from a 65" tv which adds a whole nother layer of compatibility problems since pc hardware is not designed to seamlessly talk to tvs and avrs the same way consoles are.
kcajjones86@reddit
After testing out a 100 inch 1080p projector and screen in the living room and then going back to a 65 inch 4k tv, I can confidently say that there's no replacement for size. The projector has a slightly softer and obviously lower resolution but the immersion from being so large is amazing. Captivating. When I move I'd gladly get a bigger screen for the lounge.
Going back to PC's, I went from a 22 inch 16:10 at 1680x1050 monitor to a 27 inch 16:9 2560x1440p monitor and it was well worth it. I'm looking out for 4k 240hz monitors that are mini led and 32 inch size. I dont know if the distance I sit from my monitor will benefit any further than 32 inch in 16:9. I could see myself going for a taller screen rather than wider once the screen gets above 32 inch.
Sparky_ZA@reddit
I play on a 43 inch 16:9 120Hz monitor that is about 1m in front ofme and absolutely love it. It definitely helps a lot for the immersion side of things. I don't play any competitive games nor any kind of shooter, because frankly I am absolutely terrible at them. So for the Skyrim/Witcher 3/No Man's Sky, Diablo 4 and city builder games I play I wouldn't want to change. It also makes for a brilliant work monitor simply because there is so much real estate. I also have two 27 inch monitors on either side in portrait mode that I usually use for info or tracking.
Inevitable_Virus_765@reddit
45"ultrawide here. Immersion is very important to me. I don't mind lower DPI as I'm sitting a couple feet away
Telucien@reddit
Too big is actually bad if you have a short desk. As long as you have the depth on your desk, you'll move a big monitor back so that it conformable fills your field of vision without having to look too far to the side.
I had a 49" ultrawide but my desk was too short for it so I was actually not noticing game chat and notifications in the bottom corners of my screen.
Lucky_Comfortable835@reddit
I use the same size in 4K and it is fantastic. I tried the ultrawide 49” but they are too short for immersion.
Haurian@reddit
It can have an impact in some games where increasing both size and resolution can allow smaller and potentially more UI elements, depending on how the scaling works. Think MMOs or RTS where a smaller-scaled UI that takes up the same amount of the screen can potentially display more items, need less scrolling etc.
This also leads to those people who end up multi-boxxing MMOs and things. Because why play one game when you can play four (or more) copies at the same time?
For most games, everything scales with resolution so other than the sharper/smoother graphics and being harder to run, there isn't that much of a benefit.
qkni7@reddit
Ive had a 1080p 24 inch and 27 inch, 27 inch was better for seeing small details in competitive games cuz it was bigger. Never had an issue with pixel density.