What’s the Best Viewing Distance for a Gaming Monitor?

Gamers have become spoiled for choice. So many resolutions and options to choose from and more games than they could have enough time to enjoy on multiple platforms. And things will only get busier (and happier) in the future for gamers. Yet, some nagging questions remain. One of them has to do with viewing distance. In a previous article, we established that a great sweet spot for gaming monitors uses a 2560 x 1440 resolution (or QHD) with a 27" "panel. But to make the most of such a screen, where should you place yourself relative to the display? WWhat'sthe best viewing distance? 

Things become murky and complicated because human vision is neither analogue nor digital. While we have tests to measure eyesight quality, none offer precise standards. We can't determine people's vision in pixels or resolutions as neatly as we do with technology – not yet at least!

That means viewing distance tends to come across as very subjective, almost like a taste test. You have people that think good 1080p content looks like 4K and others who can't tell the difference between 8K and 720p. But assuming "perfect eyesight" in a theoretical person (20/20 vision, also known as 6/6 and other terms), we can assert reasonably applicable markers you can use for the best results possible.

To be blunt, if you sit too far from a display, you'll waste whatever benefits it may offer. From far enough, even 16K looks the same as 480p. Humans simply can't notice details beyond a certain distance, usually 7m or farther out. Go to a movie theatre and check that for yourself. Can you tell if the movie's playing in 4K, QHD, or 1080p? We'll answer that for you: you can't. And at movie theatre distances, it doesn't really matter. You could sit close to the screen, but then your field of vision may get drowned out, or you'll see individual pixels, which makes for a very unpleasant experience. 

Your preferred viewing distance depends on your field of vision, or FOV, and the size of your gaming monitor. Eye experts believe healthy and average humans have a FOV of 140 degrees. Imagine an arc extending directly in front of your eyes as you sit still. That arc covers 140 degrees, and research indicates a person with perfect vision can notice details as small as 1/60th of a degree. That 1/60 should also provide a hint as to why monitors use refresh rates based on multipliers of 30Hz and 60Hz.

In any case, if those numbers are more or less accurate, then a quick calculation tells us someone with ideal eyesight detects 8,400 "details" or, as we'll call them, pixels. Since QHD or 1440p runs 2560 pixels wide, even people with less than ideal vision should be fine as long as the entire screen fits within their 140-degree FOV. 

Between eye doctors and technology associations and companies, you’ll get a lot of different opinions on viewing distance. The above figures for a 27” 1440p gaming monitor are confirmed by our own experience and research by monitor manufacturers such as BenQ. However, you’ll have to figure out your ideal viewing distance by yourself. The objective is to avoid strain of any kind – eye or neck. You don’t want to tire out your eyes by sitting too close and seeing pixels one by one, nor should you injure your neck muscles by repeatedly moving your head left to right to take in a display.

Importantly, if your eye sight isn’t 20/20 then you need to adjust viewing distance to compensate – typically by sitting closer or getting a bigger display. 

Aside from all of that numerology, ultimately you’ll figure out the best viewing distance for you through trial by gaming. If you need to lean in and squint to make out details on a regular basis then you’re sitting too far. If you constantly swivel your head side to side to focus on details you’re sitting too close. If the whole screen fits within your field of vision more or less comfortably – you’re good.

Remember though, there’s an absolute “too far”, even for a 100” screen showing 8K. That seven meter figure we mentioned at the start holds true for pretty much anyone. So exercise common sense and listen to your eyes and body movements to get the gaming joy you want.