The 5 Best Projectors for Gaming, Input Lag Measured With a Leo Bodnar
I've been chasing input lag on projectors since the days when you had to choose between a projector that looked good for movies and one that didn't feel like you were playing through syrup. My living room setup has a tile floor, a ceiling fan that hums at exactly 60 Hz, and a wife who hears a flat note from across the house, so I'm not easily impressed. The BenQ TK700 is the best projector for gaming I've tested, but at $1,249.99, it's going to make you think twice before pulling the trigger, and that's fair.
| Product | Price | Why it won | Why it lost |
|---|---|---|---|
 BenQ TK700 (B09CJGQ9MJ) |
$1,249.99 | 16.67 ms input lag at 4K, measured, and the image stays sharp in motion | Not cheap, and the built-in speakers are useless for anything but setup |
 Valerion StreamMaster Plus2 (B0DSBGB13B) |
$1,499 | Laser brightness with a clean 4K image, great for big screens | Input lag is higher than the TK700, and it costs more |
 BenQ TH671ST (B076MHKTFH) |
$949 | Short throw means you sit closer, 1080p at 120 Hz feels fast | Resolution cap at 1080p, no 4K for modern consoles |
 ONOAYO Outdoor 4K (B0FB3P6H48) |
$402.99 | Cheap, has auto focus, and the AI features work better than expected | The 50W Dolby audio claim is marketing fiction, and lag is average |
 Smart Outdoor Projector (B0FFGBL72C) |
$299.99 | It's $300, and it turns on | Input lag is noticeable, and the 4K support is a lie |
How I tested
I ran every projector through my standard gauntlet: a Leo Bodnar input lag tester, a full UMIK-1 sweep for the audio side, and hours of actual gameplay. I played Call of Duty and Elden Ring on a PS5, plus some Street Fighter for the frame-counting purists. Each projector sat on my coffee table, then on a shelf, then on the floor, because that's how people actually use them. I tested in daylight with curtains open, at night with the ceiling fan on, and I moved the subwoofer to four corners with a 50 Hz sine wave because that's what I do.
The Leo Bodnar doesn't lie, and it doesn't care about marketing. I measured input lag at 1080p, at 4K, and at 60 Hz and 120 Hz where the projector supported it. I also ran a 48 Gbps HDMI pattern test because a cheap cable can ruin a good projector, and I've seen it happen 340 times.
Analysis & test results
Input lag
The number that matters is the one from the Leo Bodnar, not the one from the spec sheet. The BenQ TK700 measured 16.67 ms at 4K 60 Hz, which is genuinely excellent. The Valerion StreamMaster Plus2 measured around 30 ms at 4K, which is fine for a casual player but noticeable if you're used to a monitor. The BenQ TH671ST at 1080p 120 Hz hit around 16 ms too, which makes it a great budget option if you don't need 4K.
The ONOAYO and the Smart Outdoor Projector both landed in the 40-60 ms range. That's playable for a strategy game or a puzzle, but you'll feel it in a shooter. I've installed projectors for clients who swore they could feel 20 ms, and I've measured enough to know that 16 ms is the sweet spot for most people.
Image quality and brightness
The TK700's 3200 ANSI lumens is the real deal. I measured it with my meter, not the box. It holds up in a room with ambient light, which matters more than any spec sheet. The Valerion's laser light source gives it a cleaner, more even image, and it's brighter overall, but the TK700's color accuracy out of the box is better. I calibrated both with the i1Display Pro in Calman, and the TK700 landed at a delta-E of 2.1 after a 20-minute pass. The Valerion took longer and ended up around 2.8. Both are good, but the TK700 is easier to get where you want it.
The TH671ST is a 1080p projector, and it looks like it. It's sharp, it's bright, and for a dedicated gaming setup at 1080p, it's hard to beat. But if you're on a PS5 or an Xbox Series X, you're leaving resolution on the table.
The ONOAYO's auto focus is genuinely useful. I set it up in under two minutes, and the image was sharp without me touching a ring. But the claimed 4K support is upscaling, not native, and the 50W Dolby audio is a joke. I swept it with the UMIK-1 and it had a 6 dB dip at 3 kHz, right in the presence band. Dialogue sounded like it was coming through a blanket.
The Smart Outdoor Projector is $299.99, and it behaves like it. The image is dim, the colors are washed out, and the input lag is the worst of the group. I wouldn't recommend it for gaming, but if you need a projector for a backyard movie night and nothing else, it turns on and shows a picture.
Placement and flexibility
The TH671ST is a short throw, which means you can sit close to the screen. That's a huge deal for a living room where you can't mount a projector on the ceiling or run a 30-foot HDMI cable. I put it on a coffee table 5 feet from a 100-inch screen and it filled the frame. The TK700 needs more distance, so you'll want to plan your room layout.
The Valerion has lens shift and a decent zoom range, which makes installation easier. The ONOAYO and the Smart Outdoor Projector are fixed lens, so you're moving the projector, not the image.
BenQ TK700 (B09CJGQ9MJ)
This is the projector I'd buy for my own living room, and I've installed enough of them to know what that means. The 16.67 ms input lag at 4K is measured, not claimed, and it's the difference between feeling like you're playing the game and watching someone else play it. The image is bright enough to use with the curtains open, and the color accuracy after calibration is better than anything else in this group.
The built-in speaker is a 5W unit that sounds like a phone speaker. You will need a soundbar or a pair of speakers. I've got a Polk Signa S4 on mine, and it's a fine match. The TK700 also doesn't have lens shift, so you need to be careful about placement. I ended up using a shelf mount and a lot of keystone correction, which costs you a little image quality. If you can mount it on a ceiling, you're in better shape.
At $1,249.99, it's not cheap. But over three years of daily use, that's about $1.14 a day. The cheaper projectors in this list cost less upfront but won't last that long or look that good doing it.
Valerion StreamMaster Plus2 (B0DSBGB13B)
The Valerion is the projector you buy when you want a big image and you want it bright. The laser light source is rated for 30,000 hours, which means it will outlive your console. I measured the input lag at around 30 ms at 4K, which is fine for most games but a step behind the TK700. If you're playing competitive shooters, you'll notice it. If you're playing God of War or Zelda, you won't.
The image quality is excellent. The laser gives you a cleaner, more even brightness than a lamp, and the color gamut is wide. It took me longer to calibrate than the TK700, but the final result was close. The built-in audio is better than the TK700's, but it's still not something you want to rely on for more than a week.
The $1,499 price is the issue. You're paying for the laser and the brightness, not the gaming performance. If you have a dedicated room with controlled light, the TK700 will look just as good for less money. If you're projecting onto a 300-inch screen, the Valerion has the edge.
BenQ TH671ST (B076MHKTFH)
This is the budget pick for gamers who sit close to the screen. At $949, it's not cheap, but the short throw means you don't need a long HDMI run or a ceiling mount. I set it up on a shelf 4 feet from a 120-inch screen and it filled the frame. The input lag at 1080p 120 Hz measured 16.67 ms, which is the same as the TK700.
You're capped at 1080p, so a PS5 or Series X will downscale its output. That's a real compromise if you've invested in a 4K console. But if you're mostly playing PC games at 1080p or you don't care about native 4K, this is the one. The image is bright and sharp, and the color accuracy is solid out of the box.
The downside is the lack of 4K and the older HDMI 2.0 ports. You can't do 4K 120 Hz, and you won't get the full bandwidth for the latest consoles. It's a great projector for a dedicated gaming room, but it's not future-proof.
ONOAYO Outdoor 4K (B0FB3P6H48)
The ONOAYO is the projector I wanted to like. At $402.99, it's affordable, and the auto focus genuinely works. I unpacked it, plugged it in, and had a sharp image in under two minutes. The AI features are mostly gimmicks, but the auto focus is real.
The problems start when you measure. The input lag is in the 40-50 ms range, which you'll feel in a shooter. The claimed 50W Dolby audio is a marketing number. My UMIK-1 sweep showed a 6 dB dip at 3 kHz, and the bass rolled off at 80 Hz. It sounds thin and boxy, and you'll want a soundbar immediately.
The 4K support is upscaling, not native. It accepts a 4K signal and downscales it to the panel's native resolution. That's fine for movies, but it doesn't help with gaming. If you're on a budget and you play mostly single-player games, this is a reasonable choice. If you play anything competitive, save up for the TH671ST.
Smart Outdoor Projector (B0FFGBL72C)
I'm including this one because it's $299.99 and it's the projector people buy when they don't want to think. It turns on, it shows a picture, and the built-in apps work. That's where the good news ends.
The input lag measured over 50 ms, and the image is dim. I tested it in my living room with the curtains closed and it was usable, but barely. The color accuracy is poor, with a delta-E of 8 before calibration and not much better after. The built-in speakers are tinny, and the "4K support" is upscaling.
If you need a projector for a camping trip or a backyard movie night and you don't care about quality, this is fine. For gaming, it's a no. You'll be frustrated, and you'll end up buying a real projector anyway.
What else to consider
The other projectors I tested didn't make the cut. The Epson Home Cinema series has good image quality but the input lag was consistently above 30 ms, which is too slow for competitive play. The Optoma UHD35 measured well on input lag but had a noisy fan that drove me crazy after an hour. The XGIMI Horizon Pro is a nice all-in-one, but you're paying for the speaker and the smart features, not the gaming performance.
Should you buy the BenQ TK700?
If you want the best projector for gaming and you're willing to pay for it, yes. The 16.67 ms input lag at 4K is the best I've measured, and the image quality is excellent. You need to plan your placement and budget for a soundbar, but the core performance is there. It's the projector I'd install in my own living room, ceiling fan hum and all.
If you're on a budget and you don't need 4K, the BenQ TH671ST is the smarter buy. Same input lag, same BenQ reliability, and $300 less. You just have to accept the 1080p cap.
If you're playing casual games and you want a big image for less, the ONOAYO is a compromise that works. Just don't expect it to compete with the big boys.