- Top Pick: Sceptre Curved 24-inch Gaming Monitor 1080p R1500 98% sRGB HDMI x2 VGA Build-in Speakers, VESA Wall Mount Machine Black (C248W-1920RN Series)
- Best Value: SANSUI 24 Inch 180Hz Gaming Computer Monitor, FHD 1080P for Game Office
- Premium (~$300+): Sceptre Curved 24.5-inch Prime Gaming Monitor up to 240Hz 1080p R1500 1ms DisplayPort x2 HDMI x2 Blue Light Shift Build-in Speakers, Machine Black 2025 (C255B-FWT240 Series)
Why 24 inches still makes sense for a PS5
24-inch monitors are the one category where going smaller is actually the smart move for console gaming. At typical desk distance, 27-inch and 32-inch 1440p screens look great in photos but mean more eye travel across the screen and a lower effective pixel density unless you’re paying for 4K. A 24-inch 1080p panel sits at roughly 92 PPI, which is plenty sharp for the PS5’s 1080p and 1440p output modes, and you don’t need to turn your head to track action in Call of Duty or Street Fighter 6. If you already own a 27-inch or bigger display, there’s no urgent reason to downsize. But if you’re buying fresh for a desk setup, 24 inches keeps cost down and lets you prioritize refresh rate and response time instead of raw size.
Panel type: this matters more than resolution
For PS5 use, panel type affects you more day-to-day than whether you’re running 1080p or 1440p. There are three realistic options at 24 inches:
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IPS gives you the best color accuracy and viewing angles, which matters if the monitor doubles as a work or media screen. The trade-off is “IPS glow,” a faint haze in dark scenes near the corners, visible mostly in horror games or space sims with lots of black.
VA panels have deeper native contrast, often 3000:1 or higher versus IPS at 1000:1, so blacks look genuinely black. The catch is slower pixel response, which can smear fast-moving dark objects — noticeable in competitive shooters, less so in story-driven games.
TN panels are mostly gone at 24 inches now except budget models, and I wouldn’t actively seek one out. Color and viewing angles are noticeably worse, and the response time advantage TN used to have over IPS has shrunk to the point where it’s not worth the trade-off anymore.
For most people buying a 24-inch monitor for PS5, IPS is the safer all-rounder. If you’re mainly playing dark, atmospheric games and don’t care about color work, VA’s contrast is genuinely nice to look at.
Refresh rate and what the PS5 actually uses
The PS5 outputs up to 120Hz at 1080p and 1440p over HDMI, and up to 4K at 120Hz on monitors that support HDMI 2.1 with VRR. At 24 inches you’re almost always looking at 1080p or 1440p panels, so a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor is overkill on paper, but it’s not wasted: these panels generally have better response time binning than base 60Hz or 75Hz models, and VRR support (FreeSync, which the PS5 recognizes natively) smooths out frame pacing in demanding games like Elden Ring or Dragon’s Dogma 2 that dip below their target frame rate. A 165Hz 24-inch panel running at console-capped 120Hz still gives you a cleaner image than a 60Hz panel at the same input, because the pixel response and VRR range tend to be better across the board.
Don’t pay a premium chasing 240Hz or 280Hz at 24 inches for a PS5 setup. The console physically can’t push past 120fps in any current game, so that headroom is for PC players running competitive shooters at high frame rates, not console use.
HDMI 2.1 is the one spec you shouldn’t skip
This is where people get burned buying a cheap 24-inch monitor. A lot of budget 1080p 144Hz monitors still ship with HDMI 2.0 only, which caps you at 1080p 120Hz but blocks 4K entirely and often lacks VRR over HDMI (some only support FreeSync via DisplayPort, which the PS5 doesn’t use). If you want 4K 120Hz, HDR, and VRR all working from the PS5’s HDMI port, confirm the monitor explicitly lists “HDMI 2.1” in the spec sheet, not just “supports 4K.” Manufacturers have been inconsistent about labeling this, so check the port specs page, not just the marketing bullet points.
Quick comparison: what each tier gets you
| Tier | Typical specs | Good for | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget (~$130-170) | 1080p IPS/VA, 100-144Hz, HDMI 2.0 | Casual and story games, tight budgets | No 4K, VRR often DisplayPort-only |
| Mid-range (~$180-280) | 1080p or 1440p, 144-165Hz, HDMI 2.1 | Shooters, fighting games, general PS5 use | Smaller screen real estate at 1440p |
| Premium (~$300+) | 1440p or 4K, IPS, HDMI 2.1, HDR600+ | Visual showcase titles, mixed PC/PS5 use | Diminishing returns at 24 inches vs going 27-inch |
If you’re PS5-only and not chasing HDR showcase visuals, the mid-range tier is where the value actually sits. You get real HDMI 2.1 VRR benefits without paying for 4K resolution that a 24-inch panel can’t display with much more sharpness than 1440p anyway.
What to actually search for
For a general-purpose pick, look at 24-inch 144Hz IPS monitors with HDMI 2.1, which covers color accuracy, VRR, and future-proofing in one spec sheet. If contrast matters more to you than color precision, check 24-inch VA gaming monitors instead. Budget shoppers who just want smooth 1080p without 4K ambitions can get solid results from 24-inch 1080p 144Hz monitors, which routinely run $50-80 less than their HDMI 2.1 counterparts.
The actual trade-off you’re making
Buying 24 inches for a PS5 means accepting that you’re optimizing for sharpness, response time, and desk space over cinematic scale. That’s a reasonable trade if you sit close to your monitor or share the room with other gear. If you find yourself wanting a more “TV-like” experience with the same console, that’s a sign you’d be happier with a 27-inch or larger 4K display instead, and no amount of refresh rate on a 24-inch panel will fix that mismatch.
