Best Monitor for Overwatch 2

Based on 57 Pro Players

The most used monitors by Overwatch 2 players

The most popular monitors are calculated based on 57 professional players.

Introduction


Ever since the release of Overwatch 1, the game has been a massively popular game. Even though the hype levels (especially around its competitive scene) have died down, the release of Overwatch 2 has brought a bunch of new and returning players to the game, and in the more casual gaming world it’s still alive and kicking. Its mix of First Person Shooter mechanics along with MOBA-style abilities and ultimates was a real breath of fresh air when it first released, and having outlived many competitors and copycats we can now safely call it the most successful ‘hero shooter’ of the past couple of years.

In a game that can be as visually confusing as Overwatch 2 you’ll want to grab yourself a good monitor. Getting a high refresh rate monitor is going to be instrumental if you’ve got your eyes on climbing the ranks of this game, but even then there are many options to choose from these days. To help you out we’ve been analyzing the professionals to see what they are using, and we came up with this list of the most used monitors in the professional Overwatch scene. In this article we’ll go over the features of each monitor so that you can make an informed decision on your next purchase.

Our Guide

The Pro Usage Top 5 gets updated continuously and instantly so that you can always get an accurate overview of what the pros are using at any given time. In the body of the article itself, we go over the five most popular pro products in no particular order and, when relevant, we also give you some extra options in the form of products that fall just outside of the top 5 or are otherwise relevant.

What makes a monitor good for Overwatch?


If you want to get a good gaming monitor it’ll need one feature first and foremost: it’ll need to have a refresh rate of at least 144 frames per second, and preferably 240. Almost every pro that we analyze is using a monitor just like that, and it’s clear that this offers a multitude of advantages.

Regular monitors refresh the image 60 times per second, and while that’s fine for watching movies or for casual single player gaming this just doesn’t cut it for games that are as fast-paced as Overwatch. With a high refresh rate monitor it’s just way easier to (for example) track that Genji that’s been bothering your healers for the entire game, and since everything on the screen moves with much more fluidity it’s a lot easier to make sense of all the different projectiles and abilities that are being used in a hectic teamfight.

These two advantages alone can and will cause you to win more fights in a game such as Overwatch, so if you’re really serious about this game we do recommend looking out for a high refresh rate monitor. Of course you’ll also need a setup that can run the game at the required framerates so do make sure that your system is up to date, and feel free to check out our Best Settings and Options guide in order to get the most frames out of your system without sacrificing on visual clarity.

If you’re interested in reading more on this subject we’ve got an entire article dedicated to the subject of high framerate gaming and its advantages, you can check that out here.

OMEN X 25


The OMEN X25 first made its debut in professional Overwatch at the start of the second season of the OWL as the official stage monitor. This of course also lead many pros to pick it up as their practice monitor, and as a consequence this X25 is one of the most popular monitors with professional Overwatch 2 players.

The X25 has all the specs to be a top gaming monitor. With a response time of 1ms, a refresh rate of 240Hz and NVIDIA G-Sync it’s certainly not lacking anywhere. With the super thin bezels and ambient lighting it’s also got a pretty sleek look to it, but it is a bummer that there aren’t a lot of options to adjust the display itself. You can tilt the display and adjust the height but it’s always pleasant to also have the ability to swivel to screen to get that optimal viewing angle at all times. There are also no built-in speakers, but that’s not a huge issue as you should be using a headset or headphones to game anyway.

Aside from this it’s definitely a very nice gaming display, and while additions like the ability to draw a crosshair on the monitor itself (for those crisp no scopes) might not be the most useful features for Overwatch it does show that HP have also thought of the little things with this monitor.

Omen X25F

Used by 1 Overwatch 2 player ()
  • dafran
    dafran
Pro’s Choice

The Omen X25 is a very capable 240Hz gaming monitor that has served as the official monitor of Blizzard’s Overwatch League for years.

Pros

  • Low input latency
  • Good motion clarity
  • Stand has a decently small footprint

Cons

  • Picture quality isn’t the best
  • Low viewing angle due to the TN panel
  • Not fully adjustable

Specs

Size25″
Resolution1920×1080
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate240
G-SyncYes
FreeSyncYes
Panel TechTN

ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q


The PG258Q was the official stage monitor in the Overwatch League’s first season, and many players have decided to follow the ‘if it works, don’t fix it’ credo and opted to stay on the PG258Q.

Having appeared in many of our ‘best of’ articles (click here to check our Best Monitor for Gaming article by the way) over the years, it’s quite obvious that professionals across all games like what ASUS is offering here. This monitor gives you a 240Hz refresh rate along with a 1ms response time, a fully adjustable stand, very thin bezels, and it is G-Sync compatible to put that cherry on top of the sundae. Top specs, in other words, and it’s finished off by an offering of on-display features such as separate contrast profiles for different genres and the ability to draw things such as a crosshair, timer, or an FPS counter on your screen.

This, in other words, is unmistakably a top tier gaming monitor and it also looks the part. The very aggressive and gamer-oriented aesthetics of the stand won’t please everyone, so if you’re looking for a subdued looking product this isn’t the one to go for but aside from that this is one hell of a 240Hz gaming monitor.

ASUS ROG SWIFT PG258Q

Used by 3 Overwatch 2 players ()
  • Kragie
    Kragie
  • Jay3
    Jay3
Pro’s Choice

The ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q is a ‘reference monitor’ in the world of 240Hz gaming panels. It has all of the bells and whistles you could ask for out of a high refresh rate gaming monitor.

Pros

  • Good response times
  • Good motion clarity
  • Good image quality for a TN panel

Cons

  • Stand has a large footprint
  • Limited viewing angles

Specs

Size25″
Resolution1920×1080
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate240
G-SyncYes
FreeSyncNo
Panel TechTN

ZOWIE XL2540


The XL2540 and XL2546 (the difference between the two lies in the fact that one comes with DyAc while the other does not; other than that there are no big differences) are two monitors that we see extremely often in our data. That’s for good reason, too. Zowie is known to focus on performance and ease of use, and not on aesthetics or ultimately useless features, and that’s something that professional gamers always seem to appreciate.

Aside from the 1ms response time and 240Hz refresh rate, the XL2540 also offers a bunch of very nice features that can help you get a clearer view of the battlefield. There’s Black eQualizer, for one, which will help lighten up darker areas without overexposing the light parts of the map. You can also tweak the color vibrance on the display itself, and that’s something that can always come in handy for most games. All in all, we can say that the ZOWIE monitors pop up so often in our lists for a reason: these are fantastic gaming-focused monitors.

It’s worth noting that the XL2540 was succeeded by the XL2540K, which has a slightly better panel and a stand with a smaller footprint. This means that you can get the XL2540 at reduced prices in some stores, making it a great budget option.

ZOWIE XL2540

Used by 4 Overwatch 2 players ()
  • Wanted
    Wanted
  • ryujehong
    ryujehong
  • Viol2t
    Viol2t
Pro’s Choice

The XL2540 is the DyAc-less sibling of the ZOWIE XL2546. Aside from that, there are no differences between the two monitors.

Pros

  • Subtle design
  • S-Switch is amazing to navigate the OSD and change settings
  • Very fast response times

Cons

  • Viewing angles aren’t great
  • Picture quality could be better
  • Lack of DyAc (see towards the XL2546 for that)

Specs

Size24.5″
Resolution1920×1080
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate240
G-SyncNo
FreeSyncNo
Panel TechTN

Samsung Odyssey Neo G7


If you want to go for immersion and visual fidelity all while not suffering (too much) in the performance department then the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 could be a good option. This large 4K gaming monitor will give you a crystal clear image so that you can pick out enemies with ease, even at larger distances, and the curved display is great for immersion.

If you’re a gamer who is completely focused on performance and you want to absolutely min-max your gaming setup then we would recommend going for a faster panel that’s aimed squarely at competitive players since this isn’t the best at displaying fast-paced games, but if you want a bit of a ‘best of both worlds’ experience then this is a good option to consider.

Samsung Odyssey G7

Used by 3 Overwatch 2 players ()
  • summit1g
    summit1g
  • Harbleu
    Harbleu
  • emongg
    emongg
Pro’s Choice

The Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 is a large and curved 4K monitor that’s also packing some impressive gaming performances. If you’re looking for a mixture between eye candy and performance, this could be on your list.

Pros

  • Good response times
  • Good picture quality

Cons

  • Motion clarity isn’t the best
  • Build quality could be better

Specs

Size32″
Resolution3840×2160
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate165
G-SyncYes
FreeSyncYes
Panel TechVA

ASUS ROG Swift PG259QN


For the Overwatch 2 player who wants to have a top tier monitor combining the best in display tech and gaming tech, there is the ASUS ROG Swift PT259QN. This IPS monitor has a refresh rate of 360Hz, making it one of the fastest monitors out there for gaming. The picture quality is a lot better than what you’d get out of a typical TN monitor (most high refresh rate gaming monitors use a TN panel) and even though you trade away some motion clarity for a better picture with this monitor, the response times are extremely good.

It’s needless to say that you need a really powerful PC system if you want to get the absolute best out of a monitor like this. Yes, it’s only 1080p, but even at those resolutions you need a rig that’s up to the task if you want to get enough frames to get the most out of this PG259QN.

ASUS ROG SWIFT PG259QN

Used by 3 Overwatch 2 players ()
  • Kephrii
    Kephrii
  • xQc
    xQc
  • Ado
    Ado
Pro’s Choice

The ASUS ROG Swift PG259QN was one of the first 360Hz IPS monitors to hit the market, and it hit the mark straight out of the gate. The quick response times combined with the IPS panel make this a great choice for gamers who want to focus on both performance and aesthetics.

Pros

  • Picture quality is great for a high refresh rate monitor
  • Comes with a number of extra gaming-focused features
  • Quick response times

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Stand has a large footprint
  • Design won’t be for everyone

Specs

Size25″
Resolution1920×1080
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate360
G-SyncYes
FreeSyncYes
Panel TechIPS

ZOWIE XL2546K


With the rise of 360Hz monitors (from ZOWIE themselves as well as other brands) the popularity of the XL2546K is on a slight downtrend, but this monitor has been the de facto ‘standard gaming monitor’ in the professional (Overwatch 2) scene since it came out.

An upgraded version of the XL2546, this K version has a stand with a smaller footprint, as well as a better panel, and it also comes with ZOWIE’s Setting to Share functionality. This allows you to download (or upload) monitor configuration profiles, so you’re never more than a few clicks away from trying your favorite pro’s setup or downloading your own personal profile when you’re gaming on a monitor that isn’t yours.

The XL2546K is, thanks to ZOWIE’s excellent panel implementation, simply one of the best 240Hz 1080p gaming monitors on the market, so if you’re laser-focused on competitive performance you have to consider this one.

ZOWIE XL2546K

Used by 4 Overwatch 2 players ()
  • Sayaplayer
    Sayaplayer
  • LiNkzr
    LiNkzr
  • Striker
    Striker
  • mL7
    mL7
Staff’s Choice
Pro’s Choice

If you’re looking for a competitive gaming monitor this is a fantastic option, and it’s without a doubt one of the best monitors you can buy right now.

Read review (12/2020)

Pros

  • Stand has a small footprint
  • Subtle design
  • Markings on all adjustable points to help with achieving the perfect panel position
  • S-Switch and joystick make navigating the OSD a breeze
  • Lightning fast response times
  • Myriad of gaming-focused options to configure and use

Cons

  • Viewing angles aren’t great
  • Picture quality isn’t the best due to the usage of a TN panel

Specs

Size24.5″
Resolution1920×1080
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate240
G-SyncNo
FreeSyncNo
Panel TechTN

ZOWIE XL2566K


This is ZOWIE’s first foray into the world of 360Hz gaming monitors, and it’s definitely a good first effort to say the least. If motion clarity and response times are all that matter to you, the XL2566K is one of the best choices out there, and when looking purely at gaming performance it beats a lot of other offerings in the same monitor space.

All of this performance comes at a price, though. We mean that both literally and figuratively. The price of this monitor is high, and ZOWIE also uses a TN panel for this XL2566K. That’s a very fast panel and excellent for motion clarity, but the picture quality isn’t up to par with other panel technologies. If you don’t really care about the picture quality and are solely focused on your Overwatch 2 performances then that’s all fine, but if you also like to play other games where you’re focused on visual fidelity a bit more and/or you also consume content on your PC, this might not be it for you.

ZOWIE XL2566K

Used by 1 Overwatch 2 player ()
  • JJoNaK
    JJoNaK
Staff’s Choice
Pro’s Choice

If you are a competitive gamer who takes their game extremely seriously and you want to get the fastest and smoothest gaming monitor to help you be the best player you can be, then you have to get the ZOWIE XL2566K right now.

Read review (12/2022)

Pros

  • 360Hz refresh rate along with fast TN panel makes it one of the smoothest monitors out there
  • Subtle design
  • Small footprint of the base
  • Lots of QoL features such as the stand markings, the S switch, the included (and detachable) glare panels, …
  • Picture quality is great for a TN panel…

Cons

  • … but it doesn’t match IPS panels when it comes to quality
  • Expensive for a 1080p monitor
  • Low viewing angles

Specs

Size24.5″
Resolution1920×1080
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate360
G-SyncNo
FreeSyncNo
Panel TechTN

Best Monitor for Overwatch 2 – Conclusion


Overwatch 2 is an extremely fast paced game with a ton of action happening on your screen at any given time, so getting a high refresh rate (at the very least 144Hz, though 240Hz is without a doubt the current competitive standard) monitor is pretty much a requirement if you’re serious about competing in this game. Going for a slow monitor that isn’t meant for gaming is going to be a massive handicap in a game such as Overwatch 2.

Of course every game benefits from being played on a higher refresh rate monitor, but with Overwatch 2, the advantages of going for a higher refresh rate are even more pronounced.

If you have any questions or remarks, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Best Monitor for Overwatch 2 product lineup
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