TV for gaming: what matters on the spec sheet?

• Native 120 Hz: how many times per second the screen refreshes the image from the factory. What counts is the nativa. Marketing rates, like the ones the ad calls "effective", add software effects and are not the screen’s rate; the Radar only counts the native rate listed on the spec sheet.
• HDMI 2.1: the version of the port that carries 4K video at 120 frames per second from a new-generation console, like the PS5 and Xbox Series, to the TV. Without it, the console delivers 4K at 60 frames.
• VRR (variable refresh rate): the TV follows the pace of the game, and the picture doesn’t tear when the console’s frame rate fluctuates.
• ALLM (auto low latency mode): the TV switches to game mode on its own when the console is turned on.

To play at 4K and 120 frames per second, the TV needs Native 120 Hz and HDMI 2.1 together. If you play at 60 frames, in Full HD or 4K, you don’t need either one.

Of the 315 TVs in the 05/11/2026 catalog, 61 confirmam native 120 Hz or more and 1 confirma HDMI 2.1; 21 confirmam VRR. 254 don’t list it the native rate and 314 don’t say whether have HDMI 2.1. A detail the spec sheet doesn’t list is not the same as "doesn’t have it": the TV may have the feature, and the store just didn’t write it down. That is why the Radar’s "Gaming" filter shows only the TVs that confirm it, and confirmation is the floor, not the ceiling.

Watch out for one more detail the spec sheet often leaves out: on many TVs, only one or two of the HDMI ports are 2.1. If you have a console and a soundbar, check the manual to see which port each one goes in.

The median price of TVs that confirm native 120 Hz is $900.00; for those that confirm HDMI 2.1, it is $679.00. Anyone who needs both features has fewer choices:

If your console runs at 60 frames, the feature that matters most is native 120 Hz for sports, along with the panel; without requiring HDMI 2.1, that is 61 TVs:

The Radar’s gaming score reads three spec sheet items: the native refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 and VRR. It does not measure input lag (the time between pressing the button and seeing the result on screen), the panel’s response speed or the quality of game mode. Those numbers only come from lab tests. Two TVs with the same gaming score can have different lag. For competitive play, look for an independent test of the model before buying.