Hey there! As an expert in TV technology with a passion for gaming myself, I‘ve done extensive research into whether LG‘s smart TVs are good options for gaming. The short answer is yes – LG TVs have some great gaming features that make them very responsive and optimized for gaming across consoles, PCs, and the cloud.
Let me walk you through the key strengths of LG TVs for gaming and how they compare to competitors. I‘ll also share some of the best settings to use to get the most out of them.
Low Input Lag for Responsiveness
One of the most important specs for gaming is low input lag, which is the delay between pressing a button on your controller and seeing the result on screen. You want this to be as low as possible for a responsive, real-time gaming experience.
LG TVs excel here – when Game Mode is enabled, LG OLED TVs have achieved impressively low input lag of around 13ms according to rtings.com testing [1]. Here‘s how that compares to others:
As you can see, LG beats out other popular TV brands for fast responsiveness. This really makes a difference in how snappy and precise controls feel across various games.
Nearly Instantaneous Response Times
In addition to input lag, a TV‘s response time – how quickly pixels can change color – is key for reducing motion blur in fast-paced gaming scenes.
LG‘s OLED TVs are unmatched here with response times of around 0.1ms, thanks to their self-illuminating pixel technology. This gives them nearly instant on/off switching.
By comparison, even the fastest LED/LCD TVs average 2-5ms response times. The quick response of OLED eliminates distracting motion blur so you can clearly track fast-moving objects in competitive games.
Dark Room Gaming Performance
I don‘t know about you, but I prefer gaming in a dark room to really get immersed and see all details in darker game scenes. OLED TVs excel in dark room performance with their ability to achieve perfect black levels – when an OLED pixel is off, it emits no light at all, so blacks appear truly black with infinite contrast.
This level of inky darkness makes atmospheric horror games or space shooters really come alive. Even LG‘s LED TVs with full-array local dimming provide solid black levels in a dark room.
HDMI 2.1 Gaming Features
To keep up with gaming consoles and PCs, having HDMI 2.1 ports with high bandwidth is becoming essential. This allows advanced gaming functionality like:
- 4K at 120Hz for ultra-smooth action
- Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) to prevent stuttering
- Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) for fast response
LG has been leading the way in adopting HDMI 2.1, with full 48Gbps ports for 4K 120Hz and VRR included even on mid-range models. This ensures LG TVs won‘t become outdated as gaming visuals continue improving.
G-SYNC and FreeSync Support
Through HDMI 2.1 VRR support, LG‘s TVs are compatible with Nvidia G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync variable refresh rate technologies.
This synchronizes the TV‘s refresh rate with your graphics card‘s frame rate output between 40Hz and 120Hz. The result is super fluid gaming free from stutter, tearing, and lag.
LG OLED TVs – Exceptional Gaming Performance
LG‘s OLED TVs consistently earn praise as some of the best TVs for gaming on the market. Here are some of their advantages:
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Response Times: Nearly instantaneous 0.1ms – Critical for fast action gaming without motion blur.
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Input Lag: Around 13ms when enabled Game Mode among the lowest of all TVs.
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Contrast: Infinite contrast and true blacks thanks to pixel-level dimming – makes dark scenes truly immersive.
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HDR: LG‘s latest OLEDs reach up to 1000 nits peak brightness for vivid, accurate HDR effects.
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Features: HDMI 2.1 ports, VRR, ALLM, G-SYNC/FreeSync ensures compatibility with gaming devices and formats.
Really the only negative is the risk of temporary image retention or permanent burn-in with static HUD elements. But with normal varied usage this is rarely an issue. Overall LG OLED TVs provide an exceptional gaming experience.
Affordable LED Gaming Performance
I know OLED TVs are out of reach for many gamers. Thankfully, LG‘s lower-priced LED TVs like their NanoCell series still offer great gaming specs:
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Solid response times, averaging 6-7ms according to DisplaySpecifications [2].
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Low input lag of around 15ms when Game Mode enabled.
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Full array local dimming for improved black levels compared to edge-lit LED TVs.
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High peak brightness up to around 700 nits for vivid HDR games.
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HDMI 2.1 features like VRR and ALLM available on select models.
The Nano85 and Nano90 series provide excellent performance for more casual gaming. While not as fast as OLED, they‘re still very responsive for games and risk-free from burn-in.
LG Gaming Features Compared to Samsung
How do LG‘s gaming TVs stack up against chief competitor Samsung? Let‘s compare the numbers:
When it comes to input lag and response times, LG TVs match or beat Samsung‘s best TVs. Where Samsung has the edge is peak brightness, with their QLED TVs achieving up to 1500+ nits for intense HDR highlights.
But LG OLED TVs provide noticeably better dark room performance thanks to perfect black levels. And they lack the viewing angle limitations of Samsung QLED screens.
Overall both LG and Samsung make excellent TVs for gaming purposes with close performance. LG provides better value, while Samsung offers higher peak brightness.
Optimizing Game Mode on LG TVs
To enable the fastest gaming speeds on your LG TV, here are some key settings to adjust in Game Mode:
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Picture Mode – Set to Game Mode to reduce input lag
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OLED Motion Pro – Off removes all motion smoothing for lag-free response
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Instant Game Response – On further reduces input lag
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HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color – On for HDR gaming
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Local Dimming – High for best contrast (OLED Pixel Brightness on OLED TVs)
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Black Frame Insertion – Useful for smoother motion clarity (may darken image)
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Variable Refresh Rate / G-SYNC – On for tear-free variable frame rates
Start with those enabled for responsive gaming! You can then tweak image settings like color temp, sharpness etc. to your preference without affecting lag.
The Bottom Line
After digging into all the numbers and expert reviews, I can confidently say that LG TVs – especially the OLED models – provide an absolutely phenomenal gaming experience.
With extremely low input lag, instant response times, and support for features like HDMI 2.1, VRR, and HDR, they have all the right specifications for responsive, high-performance gaming. Picture quality is also stunning with infinite contrasts and wide color gamuts bringing games to life.
For a balance of gaming prowess and value, LG TVs are hard to beat. I hope this overview has helped explain what makes them such compelling options for gaming duty. Let me know if you have any other questions!
[1] https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/lg/c2-oled[2] https://www.displayspecifications.com/en/model/7b5cb82
