Research shows this monitor feature can actually make you better at video games

Whether you’re a casual playing Mario Kart every now and then or a competitive player playing Valorant every day, the desire to improve and beat others is natural. However, not everyone has the time to invest hundreds of hours into a game, and sometimes it seems like something beyond simple skill is holding you back. This is why the question of whether your monitor’s higher refresh rate makes you better at gaming or whether 60Hz is enough for gaming is so prevalent.

There have been many studies done on this, and a recent analysis from LG Display seems to provide conclusive proof that a monitor with a higher refresh rate makes you a better gamer. The study took 31 adults with some level of gaming experience and had them play an unmentioned FPS game on monitors with refresh rates of 60Hz, 240Hz, 360Hz, and 480Hz.

The company presented the results at SID Display Week 2026, showing that as you increased the number of frames per second, performance also increased. The results showed, on average, a gain rate increase of 38% from 60 Hz to 480 Hz, 10% from 240 Hz to 480 Hz, and 5% from 360 Hz to 480 Hz. This also showed a reduction in reaction times, and LG researchers mentioned that OLED monitors with higher refresh rates generally perform better than alternative technologies, even though they display the same number of frames per second.

LG is one of the best computer manufacturers in the world today. The company produces its own monitors, including high-end OLED monitors with high refresh rates. This might make the study seem biased, because claiming that the company’s more expensive monitors improve your gaming performance means more profit for LG.

After all, even though the results paint a clear picture, many details are not mentioned. We don’t know the details of the test, for example. The results could be influenced by the fact that participants were simply more accustomed to monitors with higher refresh rates, or they could have become more accustomed to the game as testing progressed. We also don’t know what FPS game was played or the participants’ history and preferred game genre, all of which could skew the results in one way or another.

However, even without knowing all the details, the results are essentially consistent with what other studies show. A more open study from 2024 also showed a significant improvement in reaction time and tracking of moving targets when moving from 60 Hz to 120 Hz, but a minimal change from 120 Hz to 144 Hz or even 240 Hz. Another in-depth analysis by the YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips showed largely similar results: using a 240 Hz monitor allowed each participant to perform better than when on a 60 Hz monitor.

The results unanimously agree that refresh rates are one of the most important things to consider when purchasing a new monitor, but whether that means 120Hz, 240Hz, or even 480Hz is more subjective. With such high refresh rates, the numbers should exceed what the human eye can see, but there is still a performance improvement. However, this improvement is negligible, with even LG’s results only showing a 5% increase going from 360Hz to 480Hz, compared to the much larger 28% difference going from 60Hz to 120Hz.

This makes 120Hz or 144Hz the sweet spot to aim for, and while you may see some level of improvement up to 480Hz or even LG’s UltraGear 1000Hz (most likely not), aiming for an absurdly high refresh rate is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when purchasing a monitor due to its price.

There are also other interesting things to note. While it’s generally accepted that those more accustomed to higher refresh rates find it easier to differentiate between different monitors – someone who’s only used to 60Hz won’t be able to tell the difference between a 120Hz monitor and one at 240Hz – casual gamers and complete beginners show more improvement when upgrading to better monitors. According to another test by Linus Tech Tips, competitive gamers can find ways to mitigate the lag caused by lower refresh rates, while those who rely solely on their hand-eye coordination benefit much more from faster information delivery.