Get ready — 8K gaming monitors with dual-mode 4K could arrive before the end of the year

We've been chasing the 8K unicorn for years now, but it looks like the ultra-high resolution is finally making its way to gamers. China's BOE, the largest panel maker in the world, showed off a new 31.5-inch, 8K panel that was shared by the 8K Association (and spotted by VideoCardz). 8K monitors exist, such as Dell's UltraSharp UP3218K, but BOE's panel is not only packing a 120Hz refresh rate, but also dual mode capabilities like the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE, allowing it to scale down to a 4K resolution that runs at 240Hz. Even better, it'll start mass production later this year.

BOE shows off impressive 8K gaming monitor that runs at 120Hz

Details are light at the moment, however

We know precious little about BOE's 8K panel, outside the fact that it runs at 8K with a 120Hz refresh rate or 4K with a 240Hz refresh rate. BOE hasn't shared panel details yet, though I suspect BOE is using an IPS panel. This almost certainly isn't an OLED monitor, and if it is, it's shocking that BOE hasn't been more forward about that fact. Regardless, the big news is the resolution and refresh rate. The aforementioned Dell UltraSharp UP3218K not only costs over $4,000 as the only mass-produced 8K monitor on the market, it's also locked to 60Hz.

With a 120Hz refresh rate, BOE's new panel is capable of powering a new generation of ultra-high-resolution gaming monitors. It certainly helps that it comes with dual mode capabilities. Although Nvidia has been pushing 8K gaming on its flagship GPUs since the release of the RTX 3090, even the highest-end RTX 5090 will struggle to run games at that resolution without some serious help from DLSS 4 upscaling and Multi-Frame Generation (MFG). Still, as you can see from the 8K check-in Linus Tech Tips did a few months ago, 8K gaming is possible on flagship hardware with the right software tweaks.

The issue is content. You won't find a ton of movies or videos in 8K, and the vast majority of games don't use 8K textures. Most games have textures mastered at 4K, with rare exceptions pushing up to 8K, such as Death Stranding. So, while you're getting the improved pixel density of 8K for the 3D models and geometry, the textures themselves will look like they're at a lower resolution because, frankly, that's exactly what they're doing.

Although 8K still feels like a pipe dream for PC gaming, a mass-produced 8K panel with a high refresh rate could finally kick the resolution into the mainstream. It certainly helps that BOE's display has a 4K mode that runs at 240Hz, allowing you to achieve a high refresh rate while gaming and leverage the incredible pixel density of 8K when doing any work on the desktop.

BOE says it's entering mass production of the panel this year, but we likely won't see a monitor from BOE itself. Other brands, such MSI, Asus, and Alienware, will be the ones to bring the panel to market properly, if they decide to jump on board. If this panel catches on among monitor brands, I suspect we'll see some early 8K gaming monitor prototypes around the beginning of next year.