- Top Pick: Samsung 32" Odyssey (G55C) Series QHD 1000R Curved Gaming Monitor,
- Best Value: SANSUI 32 Inch Curved 240Hz Gaming Monitor High Refresh Rate, FHD 1080P
- Premium Choice: Sceptre New 22-Inch Gaming Monitor, FHD 1080p, Up to 144Hz, HDMI, DisplayPort, Built-in Speakers, Machine Black (E225W-FW144 Series, 2026)
Built-in speakers on a monitor are a convenience feature, not a quality one. If you’ve just plugged a PS5 into a new display and realized there’s no soundbar on your desk and no budget left for one, this is about picking a screen that won’t make you regret skipping external audio, while still getting the refresh rate and panel quality that make PS5 games look right.
The honest version of this: almost every monitor with built-in speakers sounds mediocre. You’re dealing with two tiny drivers crammed into a thin plastic chassis, usually rated 2W to 5W per channel, firing sound either downward off your desk or backward into a wall. There’s no bass to speak of, dialogue can get thin at higher volumes, and stereo separation is basically nonexistal at normal sitting distance. If audio quality is your main concern, a $30 soundbar will outperform any monitor speaker setup. But if you want one cable, one power brick, and “good enough” sound for single-player games or casual sessions, built-in speakers are a reasonable compromise.
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What actually matters for PS5 on a monitor
Before speakers, get the core specs right, because this is a site about gaming monitors and the panel is what you’ll be staring at for hundreds of hours.
- HDMI 2.1 support. This is non-negotiable for PS5. You need HDMI 2.1 to get 4K at 120Hz or 1440p at 120Hz+ with VRR. A lot of budget monitors still ship with HDMI 2.0 ports labeled misleadingly, so check the actual bandwidth spec, not just the port shape.
- Resolution and refresh rate. PS5 games mostly target 4K/60 or 1440p/120 depending on the title’s performance mode. A 1440p 144Hz or 165Hz monitor is the sweet spot for price and motion clarity right now. 4K 120Hz panels exist but cost more and the PS5’s GPU often can’t sustain 4K/120 in demanding games anyway.
- Panel type. VA panels give you better contrast and deeper blacks, which matters a lot for games with dark scenes, but they can smear slightly in fast motion. IPS panels have better color accuracy and viewing angles with less smearing, but blacks look grayer. For PS5 gaming, a solid 1440p IPS panel is the safer all-rounder; VA is worth it if you play a lot of horror or atmospheric titles and sit relatively centered.
- Response time and VRR. Look for a real 1ms GtG (not “1ms MPRT” marketing numbers that don’t reflect typical use) and make sure VRR is confirmed working with PS5, since not every “VRR” monitor has been validated by Sony.
What built-in speakers can actually do
Manufacturers rarely publish real audio specs, but here’s what you’ll typically encounter:
| Speaker spec | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| 2W x 2 stereo | Fine for menu sounds and dialogue at low volume, distorts if pushed past 50-60% volume |
| 5W x 2 stereo | Noticeably fuller, usable for casual gaming sessions, still weak bass |
| Downward-firing | Sound bounces off the desk, muddier and quieter than forward-firing |
| Rear-firing | Depends heavily on wall distance, can sound boxy against a wall |
| DTS/Dolby certified | Marketing layer on top of the same small drivers, doesn’t fix physical limitations |
If you see a monitor advertising 5W speakers with front or downward-angled drivers, that’s about as good as it gets without external audio. Anything under 3W per channel is there to check a box, not to actually be your audio solution for anything beyond background noise.
What to actually buy
For most people gaming on PS5, I’d point you toward 1440p monitors in the 144Hz-165Hz range with HDMI 2.1 and built-in speakers rated at least 4W per channel. You can browse current options through this 1440p 144Hz gaming monitor with speakers search, which is where most of the realistic PS5-compatible options land price-wise, usually $200-$350.
If you’ve got the budget and want to chase native 4K/120 on PS5 for games that support it, look at 4K 120Hz HDMI 2.1 gaming monitors. Just know you’re paying a premium for a refresh rate ceiling the PS5 will rarely hit at native 4K in anything graphically demanding.
If the speakers genuinely matter to you as a secondary consideration, not the primary one, it’s worth cross-shopping gaming monitors with built-in speakers specifically, since not every spec sheet lists wattage clearly and you’ll want to compare reviews that mention actual loudness and clarity rather than trusting the box.
When to just skip built-in speakers entirely
If you play anything competitive, anything with positional audio you care about (shooters, horror games), or you just like music and movies on the side, don’t let built-in speakers be the deciding factor. A $25-$40 soundbar or a basic 2.1 desktop speaker set will outperform every built-in monitor speaker on the market, full stop. Save the money on the monitor’s audio feature and put it toward the panel quality instead, since that’s the part you can’t bolt on later.
The practical path: pick the monitor based on resolution, refresh rate, HDMI 2.1, and panel type first. Treat built-in speakers as a tiebreaker between two otherwise similar options, not a reason to choose a worse screen.
