Best TV for PS5 and GTA 6: 120Hz, VRR and HDMI 2.1

What GTA 6 asks of your screen: 30 frames per second on every console

On 10 November, as pre-loading opened, Rockstar published its first official performance details: GTA 6 is built for current-generation consoles and targets 30 frames per second on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The PS5 Pro gets a sharper image through PSSR upscaling and ray-traced shadows that the other consoles do not have – the frame rate stays the same.

Rockstar has not stated a resolution for any console. Digital Foundry analysed the ‘An Extended Look’ video, captured on a standard PS5, and counted an image of around 1440p at a stable 30 frames – that is an analysis of a video, not an official specification, and the finished game may differ. No 40fps or 60fps mode has been announced, either for launch or for later.

• What this means for your TVAny 60Hz TV shows 30 frames per second exactly as smoothly as a 120Hz TV. You do not need a 120Hz panel for GTA 6.
• Where the difference showsIn the depth of the picture: black level, contrast, HDR brightness and colour. Vice City at night with its neon looks very different on an OLED or Mini LED screen than on a budget LED TV.
• Why 120Hz is still worth consideringMany other games – racing, football, shooters – have a 120fps mode. And if GTA 6 ever gets a higher-frame-rate update, the TV will be ready for it. Nothing of the kind has been promised.

Release date, pre-loading, editions and console prices in Estonia.GTA 6: what we know →

HDMI 2.1: what it really gives you and how to spot the on-paper kind

HDMI 2.1 is not one feature but a bundle. The standard lets a manufacturer print ‘HDMI 2.1’ next to a port even when the TV supports only part of that bundle. So the label alone tells you nothing – look at what the port can actually do.

Three things to check in the specifications

• Panel refresh rateA TV with a 60Hz panel cannot show 120 frames, even if the port says HDMI 2.1. On such a TV the label usually means only ALLM and eARC. European price lists often describe a 120Hz panel as 100Hz – it is the same 100/120Hz panel.
• How many ports accept 4K 120HzOn many TVs it is only two ports out of four. On the Philips OLED820, for example, HDMI 1 and 2 are full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps), while HDMI 3 and 4 are HDMI 2.0. The Samsung S85H and S90H accept 4K 120Hz on all four ports.
• Where the soundbar goeseARC often sits on one of the two fast ports. With a PS5, an Xbox and a soundbar, a TV with two fast ports leaves one device on a slower port. With a single console there is no problem.

The cable matters too: 4K 120Hz needs an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable (48Gbps). One comes in the box with the PS5 and Xbox Series X – use it rather than an old cable from the drawer. For a longer or a second cable, see HDMI cables.

Input lag and game mode: why it matters most at 30 frames

Input lag is the time from a button press to the result on screen. Part of it comes from the game itself: at 30fps one frame lasts 33 milliseconds, at 60fps it lasts 17. The slower the game, the less the TV can afford to add on top.

• Game modeSwitches off the processing that smooths the picture for films. On a good TV, input lag in game mode stays at about 10–15ms; in a regular picture mode it can be several times higher – the car responds to steering noticeably later.
• ALLMAuto low latency mode: the TV recognises the console and switches by itself. Check in the TV settings that it is enabled for the console's HDMI port.
• Motion smoothingSmoothing that calculates extra frames adds lag. Some TVs have a separate light smoothing option in game mode – try whether the lag bothers you and switch it off if it does.
• A cheaper TVInput lag does not depend directly on price: many 60Hz TVs are fast in game mode too. Before buying, look up your model's measured input lag in an independent test – manufacturers do not usually publish the figure.

OLED, Mini LED or regular LED: what differs in games

The panel type decides how black the blacks are and how bright the highlights get. In games with lots of night scenes and bright lights, this is the most visible difference of all.

Burn-in, honestly

OLED pixels wear faster the brighter and longer they show the same image. In games that means static elements: the minimap, the health bar, the weapon wheel. Today's OLED TVs shift the image imperceptibly, dim static logos and run panel maintenance in standby – with varied use (games, films, series) burn-in is not usually a problem. The risk grows if you play the same game for several hours every day for years, or leave a news channel on for hours. In that case choose Mini LED. The manufacturer's warranty mostly does not cover burn-in – check the terms.

One OLED trait in 30fps games: because the pixels change almost instantly, a slow camera pan looks slightly more stuttery on OLED than on an LCD TV, which blurs each frame a little. Most people get used to it within a couple of evenings, but it is worth knowing.

HDR and brightness: what the console outputs

HDR makes the dark and the bright parts of the picture visible at once: the sun, lights and reflections are bright while shadows keep their detail. But ‘HDR’ on the box means little by itself – almost every 4K TV accepts an HDR signal, yet only a screen that is bright and contrasty enough can show it.

• PS5Outputs HDR10 in games. The PS5 does not use Dolby Vision in games, so a TV without Dolby Vision is no drawback for a PS5 player.
• Xbox Series X|SAlso supports Dolby Vision in games. If you play on Xbox, a TV with a Dolby Vision game mode (the Philips OLED820, for example) is an advantage; Samsung TVs do not have Dolby Vision.
• HGiGA setting where the TV does not re-process the HDR picture but trusts the console. Turn on HGiG on the TV and run the HDR calibration in the console settings – it takes two minutes and changes the picture more than any other setting.
• BrightnessOn budget LED TVs, peak HDR brightness is usually below 400 nits and HDR looks almost like a standard picture. Noticeable HDR on LCD TVs starts at around 600 nits with a local-dimming backlight; OLED achieves the same impression through perfect black.

Screen size and distance: you can sit closer for games

A game fills your field of view differently from a news bulletin: the more of it the screen takes up, the more you are inside the game. For films, a comfortable distance from a 4K TV is taken to be about 1.5 times the diagonal; for games, the 40-degree viewing angle recommended by the THX cinema standard also works – about 1.2 times the diagonal.

If you are torn between two sizes, take the bigger one – almost nobody wants to go back to smaller. The exception is a 42–48-inch OLED: it is the best choice if you play up close or at a desk.

VESA patterns, load capacity and mounting height if the TV is going on the wall.How to choose a TV wall mount →

TV or gaming monitor: which is better for a console

If the console sits on a desk, or the room has no space for a TV, a monitor is a perfectly sensible choice. Besides 1080p and 4K, both consoles also output 1440p, so the most popular class of gaming monitor – 27 inches and QHD – suits both.

• Monitor prosLow input lag, a sharp picture up close, and it works for a PC as well. The price level for 27″ QHD 144–180Hz monitors in Estonia is about €170–300 – several times less than a 120Hz TV.
• Monitor consA small screen for playing from the sofa, weak HDR and speakers, no remote and no smart TV apps. Plan on headphones for sound.
• OLED monitorTV picture quality on a desk: perfect black and instant response. Price level about €450–950; the range is on the OLED monitors page.

Our advice: a TV for playing from the sofa, a monitor for playing at a desk. If you buy a monitor for the PS5, check that its HDMI port accepts 120Hz – on some monitors the high refresh rate is only available over DisplayPort, which consoles do not have. The full range: gaming monitors.

Sound: headphones or a soundbar

The speakers of a thin TV are the weakest link in a game. There are two fixes, and the choice depends on whether you play alone or share the room.

• HeadphonesTempest 3D Audio on the PS5 creates spatial sound with any pair of headphones, and Rockstar has confirmed support for it in GTA 6. Note: the PS5 does not connect to ordinary Bluetooth headphones directly – choose a wireless headset with a USB transmitter, or a wired one that plugs into the controller. Price level about €50–85; see gaming headsets.
• SoundbarFor playing in the living room when you want to feel the bass. Connect the soundbar to the TV's eARC port; the PS5 and Xbox output Dolby Atmos too. Sets with a subwoofer are at a price level of about €150–210; the range is on the Soundbars page.
• BothOne does not rule out the other: the soundbar by day, headphones in the evening when others are asleep.

What to buy: three budgets

The price level in the table is the median of Estonian shop offers on 13 November 2026, not our price. Prices move in late November and December – see the product page for the current price.

If you are buying a TV for GTA 6 alone and the budget is tight, there is no need to pay extra for 120Hz – put the money into a bigger diagonal or a panel with better contrast instead. If you play other games too and the TV has to last for years, 120Hz and two real HDMI 2.1 ports are a sensible minimum. We compare more affordable 4K TVs in the guide Best TV for Black Friday 2026, and the wider choice in Best TVs 2026.

Verdict: which TV to buy for your console

GTA 6 targets 30 frames per second on every console, so a 120Hz TV is not a requirement for this game. What counts is contrast, HDR, low input lag in game mode and screen size – and those are the things that really separate OLED and Mini LED from a budget LED TV.

120Hz and real HDMI 2.1 are worth having if you play other games too, or are buying a TV for many years. Always check three things: the panel refresh rate, the number of 4K 120Hz ports, and where the soundbar connects. For playing at a desk, a 27-inch QHD monitor is the cheapest route to a smooth picture.