The choice of the right monitor is a bigger decision for gamers than one might think at first. Ultrawide monitors are becoming more affordable, look impressive, and promise more overview while gaming. But how well does the wide format really work in everyday gaming? MeinMMO tech author Julian Schröder loves his ultrawide screen, but with some limitations.
For about 6 months, a 45-inch ultrawide monitor has adorned my desk. I opted for an LG 45GX950A, a gigantic OLED monster. The screen has a strong 800R curvature. This means: it is significantly curved and is supposed to provide more immersion.
Since then, I have spent many great hours with the screen – I have worked, played video games, and watched movies. All were great experiences, yet I would not recommend such a monitor to every gamer.
What is an ultrawide monitor actually? An ultrawide monitor is basically a screen that is significantly wider than a classic 16:9 monitor. Instead of the usual aspect ratio, many models use 21:9, with particularly extreme variants even using 32:9. This gives you noticeably more screen real estate on the left and right, without having to place two individual monitors side by side.
The first time with an ultrawide monitor
After unpacking and setting up the monitor, I was initially excited about its size and simultaneously shocked by the strong curvature of the display. “I have to return this,” was my first panicked thought. But I gave the giant a chance, set it up, and it took less than an hour for me to be absolutely thrilled.
I quickly got used to the massive space and high resolution of 5120 x 2160 pixels. And I didn’t even notice the strong curvature after less than a day. It feels natural now, and flat monitors actually irritate me.
Suddenly, I had space. A lot of it.
The monitor on my desk feels like it replaces two smaller screens side by side – just without the annoying bezel in the middle. Multitasking is thus no problem and even becomes really fun.
But gaming is also heavenly often, especially with selected games. I have spent about 150 hours in a game of Anno 1800 in the past few weeks. I have never had such an overview of my islands, production chains, and shipping routes. Especially in Anno, ultrawide does not feel like a gimmick but like a natural extension of the game.
However, racing games are a dream. My monitor has already seen many hours of Forza Horizon 5 and will soon also get to know part 6 – I am really looking forward to it, especially to the cockpit view, which looks particularly cool on an ultrawide.
MeinMMO editor Dariusz has already played over 40 hours of Forza Horizon 6. What he has to say about the latest installment in the series can be read here:
In shooters, ultrawide brings me less than I thought
When you launch a modern shooter like Counter-Strike 2, you realize that ultrawide doesn’t always come with advantages. It looks wider, sure, but that doesn’t automatically make it better. In shooters, the focus is often in the center of the screen. More field of vision to the left and right can even be distracting. For example, looking at the minimap on such a large screen now requires an additional head movement, taking the focus away from the center of the image.
Furthermore, not every competitive shooter supports the ultrawide format. For example, Valorant actually recommends the 16:9 format, and the offered ultrawide resolution simply stretches the image, causing round objects to become oval and content at the edges to be stretched. This is meant to keep the shooter fair and prevent anyone from gaining an advantage from a larger field of vision. Other shooters do something similar or sometimes display black bars on the left and right.
A wider field of view can be nice, but from my experience, it is not a magical advantage. In many shooters, I still stare at the center of the image.
In Anno, ultrawide feels like more game. In shooters, it often feels like more edges.
More screen real estate also means: more work for your PC
Ultrawide looks fantastic but requires a lot of computing power. More screen area means not only more view but also more pixels that your graphics card has to calculate.
Many ultrawide monitors run at 3440 × 1440 pixels, my model even at 5120 × 2160 pixels, so 5K2K. It looks sharp and wonderfully wide in the game — until you look at the FPS. The graphics card has a lot to do.
High details, high frame rates, and high Hz numbers are not a given on an ultrawide but a luxury. The format looks sleek but consumes power. If you are already struggling with stable FPS at normal 1440p, you should seriously consider whether you want to burden your PC with even more screen area.
Ultrawide support has improved, but is still not a given
Ultrawide monitors have been around for years, but they are still far from the norm. Many modern games now support the wide format decently, but you can’t rely on it. And even if a game generally offers ultrawide, that doesn’t mean everything is properly implemented for it.
I last noticed this again with Hogwarts Legacy. The actual gameplay looks great on 21:9, but as soon as a cutscene starts, the picture suddenly falls back to the classic 16:9 format. Thick black bars appear on the left and right. This is not the end of the world, but it noticeably breaks immersion.
That’s exactly why I understand anyone who immediately asks for ultrawide support for new games. Anyone who owns such a monitor wants to utilize it. However, the past six months have shown me:
Ultrawide support on paper is not enough. A game must also use this format properly.
For some gamers, ultrawide is great, for others unnecessary luxury
Basically, I wouldn’t recommend ultrawide monitors to everyone. Whether you have a great gaming experience or not ultimately depends heavily on your games and your system.
Here’s a brief overview of who I would recommend an ultrawide to and who I would rather advise against:
I certainly don’t want to give up my ultrawide monitor after 6 months. I love the format too much for that – especially in games like Anno, while working, and for the overall feeling of sitting in front of such a huge screen that offers all possibilities. Yet as a gaming recommendation, it remains complicated.
In strategy and building games as well as MMOs and simulations, the format can be really great. In shooters, the advantage is much smaller than many believe. And the additional computing power is not something everyone can afford.
Ultrawide is not a monitor that every gamer needs. It is a luxury format for certain types of gamers.
What about you? Do you also have an ultrawide monitor? If so, which games benefit the most from the format? Feel free to tell us in the comments.
And if you want to know what a really good method is to stream your own Steam games of good quality into the living room, then feel free to check this out: With a small device, I conveniently play my Steam games on the sofa without setting up a bulky gaming PC in the living room
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