Getting yourself in the best monitor settings for gaming is essential for your gaming activities because the monitor is one of the essential elements to have as it becomes the output of your gaming PC or any console that you have.

That being said, the monitor is indeed essential, and getting a good monitor is more essential than that. What’s more, having good monitor settings is another important matter and today, we will discuss that.

Why do you need to calibrate your monitor for gaming?

Getting your monitor calibrated is like pushing a 1.5L inline-four engine to produce a further quality from the stock. Because there are monitors that are released fresh uncalibrated which you can leave it by, or calibrate it yourself.

The best settings for monitor calibration will be involved the right setting for brightness, gamma, and contrast to get the best color balance that fit your criteria. But just a bit of note. To do the display calibration, you will need a bit of knowledge regarding the mentioned field, So it’s not really recommended unless you know what you are doing.

For those who just entered the PC master race, there are three things that you can do; either you can leave the monitor at stock settings, learn how to calibrate the monitor correctly, or get the best gaming monitor with a factory to calibrate the display.

Parameters for the best monitor settings for gaming

For those who seek wisdom on the best monitor settings for gaming, there is a bit of thing that you can consider changing to get the maximum ability of your gaming monitors. These things are:

Resolution Display Settings

To put it simply, Screen Resolution is the visual dimension that the monitor has to project the image from the PC tower. The bigger the resolution, the smaller the pixel that it has, and at the same time, giving further detail to image quality.

Among all of the lists, the resolution is something that is set up by default from your computer. It means you don’t need to make any adjustments as the setup has already been done once the monitor is plugged in.

However, you do need to set up the resolution if you find something weird like all the icons being bigger or the game graphic becoming pixelated. Then, you need to adjust to the maximum that your monitor had.

To set the resolution, here’s the step:

Simply click the right button on your mouse on the desktop window

Then, choose Display Settings

When you see a System > Display on the top, then you’ll on the right place. Simply scroll down until you find the Scale & Layout section which includes Scale, Display Resolution, and Display Orientation.

Now click the Display Resolution’s right part which shows the resolution number, for example, 1920×1080 if you are using an FHD display.

Just click any resolution you want basically.

Optimal Viewing Distance

I believe it’s something that gamers would mind, especially if you are using a laptop with a 15″ monitor (like me) but if you are PC master race and your monitor is as big as 24″ or bigger, then make sure you have a good distance between your monitor and your position.

It might not fall in the direct display settings, but it makes sure you are seeing the screen properly. Especially if you use a big monitor screen. On the other hand, it also keeps your eyes from a direct. Also, it helps to keep your eyes healthy by keeping the distance so the light can’t hit harder.

To know the best optimal viewing distance from your monitor display, you may see the graphic below

Refresh Rate

Another essential thing for your monitor outside the resolution. I mean, once you have done setting up the resolution (or… you basically don’t need to do anything else as it’s already adjusted by the OS already), then it’s time to set up the refresh rate. Refresh rate is the number of times per second the image is refreshed on the screen. It determines how smooth the motion that will appear on your screen.

For further understanding, the different monitors will have different abilities to produce the refresh rate. The entry-level monitors or gaming monitors will have 60Hz (read: Hertz) to 75Hz and the more premium gaming monitors will have 144Hz or can be more, like the Alienware 25 AW2521H that has 360Hz. It’s high, isn’t it?

More further, getting an ideal refresh rate also depends on your graphics card. If both monitor and VGA are compatible, then there is a chance you can get a high refresh rate. Gamers tend to get a high refresh rate for a better gaming experience.

The refresh rate section is almost the same as how you setup your resolution which is:

simply right-click the desktop window and choose Display Settings

You need to scroll a bit further, right below the Scale & Layout section to find Advanced Display.

Click it, then you’ll enter a new window with Display Information and Choose a Refresh Rate.

Now you can choose whichever you want, from the standard 60Hz to the highest that your monitor or your graphics card you can get.

Aspect Ratio

Aspect ratio and resolution are something that is connected, but somehow different from one another. Because today’s game will automatically fit the screen based on the resolution, the aspect ratio will determine how big the image is projected to your monitor in full-screen mode.

A bit of example here, the standard monitor today is 16:9 and the game will be automatically set up in that ratio. If you would like to change it, make sure you’ll have the right monitor to do it. Otherwise, the game would be cropped. Trust me.

So here’s a bit of guidance to determine the display ratio of each monitor from different devices

Now changing the aspect ratio on a new version of windows is impossible, but normally you can set it up on the VGA card settings. In my case, I’m using an Nvidia Graphics card so it will be the Nvidia Control Panel.

Brightness and Contrast

For this matter, brightness and contrast are something of a reference for each of the gamers, but some others are likely to set it based on their own preferences. Contrast is the balance between brightness and darkest of white and black. while brightness is a way to set up the backlight of your monitor. Both of them will determine how you will see things on your monitor.

Because of that, some games can be played with high brightness and contrast while the others will require to have higher level, like horror games that require you to walk in the dark. Well, luckily some games actually have their own brightness settings which are cool.

Now there are several brightness settings that you can try. First, you can try on the Display Settings that you can get by right-clicking the desktop, then choose the brightness on the Brightness & Color.

For the laptop user, normally you can get this by tapping the Function button. It is shown directly on the keyboard which you wouldn’t go to miss.

Color Temperature

Going from a simpler matter, into something that requires more attention if you want to set it up. the Color temperature is a color that is shown depending on the temperature of the light source. The temperature is normally shown in Kelvin, which is also used to measure thermodynamic temperature.

When the light source is cold, the color that is shown is gonna be red. When the temperature is increased, the color will be changed to white, then go to blue when the core is getting hotter.

That being said, the default color temperature setting is 6500K for PC use (like gaming of course) and it can be changed depending on your preference.

To change the color temperature or the color settings, it’s located directly in:

right-click on the desktop then go to Display Settings

In the Brightness & Colour Section, there are some options that you can choose. If your windows are the latest one which is Windows 11, you can enable or disable the Night Light which is also known as the Blue Light filter.

Below that is the Colour Profile, but it depends on the on-screen display monitor that you have.

Gamma settings

Gamma. Is a way to describe how smooth a transition from black to white in a monitor or… gaming monitor is. It’s normally noticeable if you have an older but it’s different when you have a flat LED monitor.

Setting up the gamma settings can be quite tricky. For the recent Windows 10 or 11, first, you need to:

Go into Display Settings from a desktop by right-clicking it, then move to the Related Settings section where you can find the Advanced Display settings option.

On the display information, move to the Display Adapter Properties of the display (normally indicates the display number)

After a new display properties pop up, move to the Color Management section and click the Colour Management button.

You will then be directed to the new Color Management Window, then search the Advanced setting on the top.

Go down to the Display Calibration and click Calibrate Display. In this case, you will need Administration permission to do it.

If this is the first time you set the Gamma, then you will get a tutorial on the first page giving you the information on how to adjust the gamma. Just follow this step until the Adjust Gamma section comes up.

Then, you can just set the Gamma settings.

Sound settings

Sounds like it’s unrelated but do you know the gaming monitors nowadays have built-in speakers? which is convenient so you don’t need to buy an external speaker or just take a rest from hours of gaming sessions.

There are things to note when having a built-in monitor speaker, sometimes it doesn’t automatically enable when you plug in the HDMI. To enable it, just simply go down to the right corner of the volume setting and you will see an arrow that pointed to the right at the end of Volume control. Click it, then you will see a selection of audio that you can choose. Make sure the volume doesn’t go down or anything.

If you have a laptop on you, some laptops are equipped with third-party audio hardware, like the HP Pavilion Gaming with its Bang & Olufsen audio Settings.

Other ways to calibrate the best monitor settings for gaming

If you find it hard to set the monitor from the PC’s control panel, then you can try another way that is more convenient for you as well as easier. It’s called the monitor’s On-Screen Display Settings or OSD Settings for short.

Each monitor or gaming monitors have a very different on-screen display setting so everything is depending on what brands you have. But I can say these settings will include the Color presets, Auto Adjustment for different kinds of activities like gaming, movies, etc. Or even changing the refresh rate as well as the color temperature which… really convenient.

the OSD settings don’t really need to be accessed through your PC by the way, but normally there’s a dedicated button to do it. Simply just press the menu button and you will enter the setting right away.

Top Monitor Settings for Your Gaming Activity

Now let’s say, you have your PC set up for gaming purposes. Is there anything to do to make gaming activities more fun? the answer is yes. There are some settings that you can try in order to improve your gaming session. Here we are:

Increase the Brightness

There are two ways to do it basically – from the OSD settings or from the PC settings but both will change the monitor setting and it might affect some games (and might not affect the others). Then, the other way is to set it up from the in-game setting on the game you have played, it will be necessary because different games might need different types of brightness.

Accurately Set your Refresh Rate

To put it simply, setting the right refresh rate means you need to understand the maximum your monitor can get. Let’s say your monitor’s ability is 75Hz, then you can set into that setting for a gaming experience.

On another note, some displays nowadays have the built-in G-sync. It means you can enable it up, to make sure the refresh rate can be synchronized with your VGA output rate. It’s really convenient.

Set the Blur Setting to Off

Normally this setting can be found right inside the game actually. To turn this off and on can be done directly in the game graphics settings. Because most of the monitors have it on by default from the factory some monitors might not have this setting in the OSD settings.

Adjust Your Monitor’s Color Settings

On the monitor nowadays, the color setting normally can be done quickly and easily with the selection that is available in OSD Settings. These normally can be found in Display Mode which includes Standard, Web, movie, picture, and game.

If these display modes can’t really match your preferences, let’s try this manual setting with the detail below:

Contrast: Adjust between 50-55

Sharpness: Adjust between 7-10

Blue Light: Adjust between 35-40

Black equalizer: Enable

Color Temperature: Red -99, Green -100, Blue -98

The settings above can work for most of the new gaming monitors, but some might be different so you will definitely need to learn how to set up your gaming monitor.

FAQ

How should I adjust the monitor as a gamer?

This year isn’t the same as the last year. So, the monitor picture settings are relatively easier compared to the old times. Although manual settings will give you a wide setting coverage, there is still a shortcut that you can get through the OSD settings.

What I mean is the extra option to select the modes. There are various that you can choose and different monitors have different modes, but I believe gaming mode is one of them. You just simply select that to save time 🙂

But If you insist, you can find the settings above the FAQ for your references, but also do note that different products will have different settings, especially for gaming.

What Are The Best Refresh Rates For Monitor?

Some gamers will think that the highest refresh rate is the best setting for your gaming monitor. But the highest the refresh rate, the power output that it needs will increase as well. The compatibility of your graphics card with the monitor also has a big influence on the refresh rate.

That being said, the refresh rate of around 75Hz can be considered good since some entry-level monitors have it as default. But if you would like to get more, the 144Hz or as high as 360Hz?

What Do I Need To Know About Response Time?

Monitor’s Response Time is the amount of time the monitor needs to switch between colors, like from black to white then going back to black again. The average response time for the monitor will be 10ms but the newer LCD screens can get below that. So basically, the smaller the number the better the motion production.

Should I use sRGB mode gaming?

The answer is, well, it depends on your preferences about the color mode. SRGB is basically the most popular color mode and most monitors will have SRGB as the basic preset. I too use sRGB for my mode so I think you can use it as well.

Do I need a 144hz monitor?

Some gamers might like to have a monitor with a high refresh rate. But normally the monitor with 144Hz can be quite pricey with the standard FHD LCD monitor with a standard refresh rate. But fortunately, it’s not as expensive as the monitor with 360Hz so if you got the cash, I can recommend you to get one 🙂

But if I can say, a good gaming experience can’t be determined by how high your refresh rate… I mean, yes it’s good to have a higher one but I think 75Hz is quite a good number though. And it’s relatively cheap as well, so… yeah.