Best Gaming Monitors Australia 2026: 1440p Picks for Every Budget

If you're still gaming on a 1080p 60Hz panel in 2026, you're leaving real performance on the table. The good news: 1440p has become the undisputed sweet spot for PC gaming, and the prices on some genuinely excellent 27-inch panels have dropped to a point where upgrading makes clear sense. Head to our monitors category and you'll see what we mean - there's a wide range on offer for Australian buyers right now.

Whether you've just picked up an RTX 5070 and want a display that can actually push it, or you're running an older rig and want more screen real estate without 4K crushing your GPU, the monitors on this list cover you from budget 1440p IPS panels up to 180Hz Mini LED with HDR 1000. They're all on Amazon AU, they're all in stock, and they suit different use cases. Here's what you need to know.

Quick Picks - Best Gaming Monitors in Australia 2026

What to Look for in a Gaming Monitor in 2026

Resolution: 1440p Is the Sweet Spot

4K gaming is still GPU-hungry. Unless you're running a top-tier card like an RTX 5080, you'll be trading frame rates to hit 4K at high settings. 1440p (2560 x 1440) delivers noticeably more detail than 1080p on a 27-inch screen without demanding nearly as much from your graphics card. It's the resolution most PC gamers - from casual players to enthusiasts - have landed on, and it's easy to see why.

Refresh Rate: 165Hz Is the New Baseline

60Hz feels slow once you've used 144Hz. In 2026, the entry point for proper gaming monitors is 165Hz. If you're into competitive games like CS2, Valorant, or Apex Legends, 240Hz is worth chasing. For single-player games and general PC gaming, anything above 144Hz is comfortable and you'll notice the fluidity every time you move the mouse. The jump from 165Hz to 240Hz is real but meaningfully smaller than the leap from 60Hz to 144Hz.

Panel Type: IPS vs VA vs Mini LED

IPS panels have better colour accuracy and wider viewing angles - they look good for gaming and for colour-sensitive creative work. VA panels have better contrast ratios and deeper blacks, which shows in dark game environments. Mini LED takes an IPS or IPS-type panel and adds a grid of tiny LED backlights with local dimming zones, giving you something much closer to OLED-level contrast without the burn-in risk. For the money, IPS hits the best all-round balance. Mini LED costs more but delivers HDR performance that's actually visible.

Response Time: GtG vs MPRT

Monitor specs quote either GtG (Grey-to-Grey) or MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) - and they're not the same thing. GtG is the real-world pixel transition time. MPRT is measured with backlight strobing enabled and looks impressive on paper (0.5ms or 1ms), but requires brightness reduction to achieve it. The practical difference for gaming is minimal unless you're highly sensitive to motion blur. Most gaming monitors in this price range are fast enough that response time isn't a real bottleneck.

ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ5A - Best Budget 1440p Gaming Monitor

ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ5ACheck Price →

~A$339 on Amazon AU

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ5A is the monitor you buy when you know what you want and don't want to overpay for it. It's a 27-inch 1440p Fast IPS panel that runs at up to 210Hz with overclocking enabled, and ASUS's ELMB Sync lets its motion-blur reduction work at the same time as variable refresh rate. There's no built-in KVM switch, so if you run a work PC and a gaming rig through one screen, you'll still need a separate KVM box.

The panel uses ASUS's Fast IPS technology with a 1ms GtG response time (0.3ms minimum) and 95% DCI-P3 colour coverage (130% sRGB). FreeSync Premium is on board, backed by VESA AdaptiveSync certification at 210Hz.

Two 2W speakers are built in, so you can get sound without separate speakers on the desk. The stand is tilt-only, which is the obvious cost-cutting compromise - it takes a 100 x 100mm VESA mount, so pair it with a cheap VESA arm if you need height adjustment and it becomes a non-issue.

The good: 210Hz (OC) 1440p Fast IPS, 95% DCI-P3, ELMB Sync, FreeSync Premium, built-in speakers, competitive price point.
The trade-off: Stand is tilt-only with no height adjustment, HDR10 support is nominal rather than meaningful, no KVM switch.

LG 32GS85Q - Best Overall Mid-Range

LG 32GS85QCheck Price →

~A$499 on Amazon AU

The LG 32GS85Q is for anyone who wants more screen without stepping up to 4K. It's a 31.5-inch Nano IPS panel with a native 180Hz refresh rate, and it hits all the right numbers at a price that doesn't sting. LG's Nano IPS technology uses nanosized particles to widen the colour gamut over standard IPS - the result is a rated 98% DCI-P3 coverage.

HDR10 is supported, but there's no VESA DisplayHDR certification and LG rates typical brightness at 350 nits. It's not transformative HDR, so treat it as a bonus. 1ms GtG response time. G-Sync Compatible and AMD FreeSync. The stand has full ergonomic adjustment - height, tilt, and pivot - which matters if you're sitting in front of it for long stretches at a desk in Brisbane in January.

The 32GS85Q stretches the same 1440p resolution across 31.5 inches, so you trade some sharpness for size. It doesn't have the Mini LED contrast of the Xiaomi G Pro 27Qi, and it's not 240Hz. But if you want a fast, wide-gamut 1440p gaming monitor on a bigger screen from a brand you trust, this is the sensible mid-range pick. The 98% DCI-P3 coverage also makes it comfortable for creative work alongside gaming - photographers and video editors who also game will appreciate it.

The good: Nano IPS with 98% DCI-P3, native 180Hz, 1ms GtG, full ergonomic stand adjustments, G-Sync Compatible, bigger 31.5-inch screen.
The trade-off: HDR10 without DisplayHDR certification is modest compared to the Xiaomi's HDR 1000, no Mini LED local dimming, lower pixel density than the 27-inch picks.

Xiaomi G Pro 27Qi - Best Mini LED Under $600

Xiaomi G Pro 27QiCheck Price →

~A$498 on Amazon AU

Mini LED is what happens when panel engineers try to deliver OLED-level contrast without the burn-in risk or the OLED price tag. The Xiaomi G Pro 27Qi uses a Mini LED backlight with 1,152 local dimming zones to achieve HDR 1000 peak brightness - 1,000 nits certified, which is a number that actually changes how a game looks rather than just appearing on a spec sheet. Dark scenes go genuinely dark. Bright highlights push through. It's the kind of HDR performance that makes you reconsider games you thought you knew.

The core specs are strong: 27 inches, 2560 x 1440, 180Hz with FreeSync, 1ms GtG on a Fast IPS panel. Xiaomi rates colour coverage at 100% sRGB and 99% DCI-P3 and quotes peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits, and the local dimming zones manage contrast across different parts of the frame simultaneously. In games that shift between bright outdoor environments and dark interiors - think horror games, shooters with night maps, anything with strong lighting contrast - the difference is visible compared to a standard IPS panel.

The stand adjusts for height (up to 120mm), tilt, swivel and pivot, so it can sit at eye level without a monitor arm. Two HDMI 2.0 ports sit alongside two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs, so it doubles as a console display without adapters.

The honest caveat: Mini LED local dimming can produce a subtle "blooming" halo effect around bright objects on very dark backgrounds - this is common across Mini LED monitors. The G Pro 27Qi's 1,152 zones give its backlight finer control than monitors with fewer zones, but blooming still exists if you're looking closely at high-contrast scenes.

The good: HDR 1000 Mini LED with 1,152 local dimming zones, 180Hz, 1ms GtG, height, tilt, swivel and pivot adjustment, genuine high-contrast HDR performance you'll actually notice.
The trade-off: Minor blooming possible in extreme contrast scenes (a Mini LED characteristic, not unique to this model), costs more than budget IPS options, HDR content is needed to show its real advantage.

Samsung Odyssey G65B 32" - Best Curved 240Hz

Samsung Odyssey G65B 32"Check Price →

~A$658 on Amazon AU

The Samsung Odyssey G65B is for anyone who's settled on a curved display and wants the highest refresh rate on this list. The 1000R curve is tight - tighter than most curved monitors - and it either clicks for you or it doesn't. People who game close to the screen tend to find it immersive; those who sit further back or use the same screen for work can find the curve distracting for documents and straight lines. Worth figuring out which camp you're in before buying.

What the G65B does well without argument: 240Hz on a 1440p VA panel. VA panels have better native contrast than IPS, and the G65B's contrast ratio makes dark in-game environments look genuinely deep in a way that flat IPS monitors at this price point don't match. FreeSync Premium Pro is on board. Samsung's DisplayHDR 600 certification means it hits 600 nits peak - a meaningful step above HDR 400 and usable for HDR gaming, short of the Xiaomi's HDR 1000.

For competitive gaming, 240Hz is where you want to be if the budget stretches. The G65B delivers that frame rate ceiling with Samsung's reliability and the added immersion of the 1000R curve. If esports titles are your primary use and you sit reasonably close to your desk, this is the pick for raw frame rate performance.

The good: 240Hz refresh rate, 1000R curved immersion, strong VA contrast, FreeSync Premium Pro, Samsung build quality, DisplayHDR 600.
The trade-off: VA response can show trailing in some fast transitions (check if this bothers you), the tight 1000R curve is not suited to multi-monitor setups or heavy productivity use, the priciest pick on this list.

Comparison Table

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 1440p worth it over 1080p for gaming in 2026?

On a 27-inch display, the jump from 1080p to 1440p is significant - you go from 93 pixels per inch to 109 pixels per inch, which means sharper text, cleaner game textures, and a screen that doesn't look soft when you're sitting close. Most mid-range GPUs from 2022 onwards handle 1440p gaming comfortably at high settings. If your GPU is from the RTX 3000 or RX 6000 series or newer, 1440p is the right resolution to pair with it.

What GPU do I need for 1440p 165Hz gaming?

As a rough guide: an RTX 4070, RTX 5060 Ti, or AMD RX 7800 XT and above will drive 1440p at high settings in most titles at or near 165Hz. Demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum settings may need frame generation (DLSS 4 or FSR 4) to hit consistent high frame rates. All the monitors on this list support variable refresh rate via FreeSync or G-Sync, so the actual frame rate doesn't need to be perfectly locked - the monitor syncs to whatever your GPU delivers within its supported range.

Is Mini LED worth the extra cost over standard IPS?

It depends on how often you actually use HDR content. If you play HDR-enabled games or watch HDR video through your PC regularly, the Xiaomi G Pro 27Qi's HDR 1000 certification produces a viewing experience that's visibly different from HDR 400 monitors. If you game exclusively in SDR, the Mini LED advantage is smaller - though the local dimming still improves contrast even in SDR. At around $498, it's about $160 more than the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ5A and roughly the same price as the LG 32GS85Q. Worth it if HDR is a priority; less compelling if you rarely toggle it on.

Curved or flat?

Curved monitors are genuinely divisive. The 1000R curve on the Samsung Odyssey G65B is aggressive - built for immersive gaming, less suited to multi-monitor setups or productivity tasks with lots of straight lines. If gaming is the primary use and you sit around 60-80cm from the screen, you might appreciate it. If you're mixing gaming with spreadsheets, documents, and creative work, a flat IPS monitor like the LG 32GS85Q or ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ5A is the less contentious choice.

Which Gaming Monitor Should You Buy?

For most Aussie gamers after a solid 1440p upgrade without spending $500-plus, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ5A at ~A$339 on Amazon AU is a sensible buy. The 210Hz (OC) Fast IPS panel covers most use cases, and colour coverage reaches 95% DCI-P3.

If you want a bigger flat screen with Nano IPS colour, the LG 32GS85Q is the answer. Nano IPS, 98% DCI-P3, 180Hz, and full ergonomic adjustments. Around $499 on Amazon AU.

Bump up to the Xiaomi G Pro 27Qi if HDR 1000 Mini LED is the spec you're chasing. It's the only monitor on this list that delivers HDR you'll actually notice, with 1,152 local dimming zones to back it up.

And for competitive gamers who want 240Hz and can live with - or actively prefer - a curved VA panel, the Samsung Odyssey G65B delivers the highest frame rates here with Samsung's proven reliability.

For more on monitors, check out our 4K vs 1440p comparison if you're still deciding on resolution, our best budget 4K monitors guide for anyone pushing into UHD territory, or our USB-C monitor guide if you're after single-cable connectivity for a MacBook or laptop. Browse our full monitors category for the complete picture on what's available to Australian buyers right now.