Optimize Your LG OLED TV for Gaming (And Movies Too)

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional calibrator. This guide distills what I’ve learned from trusted sources into a simple, practical reference. If you’re after highly technical or professional calibration advice, I’d recommend going straight to the specialists.

Coming from a background in graphic design, I’ve been conditioned to care more about picture accuracy, and that’s definitely spilled over into my gaming habits. I want to experience games as close to their creators’ intent as possible.

When I bought my first TV, an LG C1 OLED, I dove straight into the display settings knowing that out-of-the-box presets are often less than ideal. If you’re an LG OLED TV user like me, I recommend checking out the two HDTVTest videos below. They cover the best picture settings for both general viewing and gaming, with a focus on preserving creator intent.

That said, even if you’re on a different TV (or monitor) brand, the underlying principles are worth understanding and can help you get more out of your display.

Note: for professional work, you’ll still want to have your display properly calibrated.

BEST PICTURE SETTINGS FOR GENERAL VIEWING

BEST PICTURE SETTINGS FOR GAMING

While the video focuses on the PS5, the settings generally apply to other modern gaming devices as well.

‍

LG OLED TV Settings Cheat Sheet

Watch both videos first! This is the quick reference.

STEP 1: DISABLE ENERGY SAVING

This prevents excessive darkening and/or luminance fluctuations. This is a one-time change—it applies system-wide.

STEP 2: ADJUST FOR MOVIES & GENERAL VIEWING

In SDR, HDR, and Dolby Vision modes respectively, check and adjust the following:

• Picture Mode: set to Filmmaker Mode.
• White Balance: Warm 50 for 2024 and older models and Warm 40 for 2025 models and newer.
• Clarity: set Sharpness to 0.

STEP 3: ADJUST FOR GAMING

In SDR, HDR, and Dolby Vision modes respectively, check and adjust the following:

• Picture Mode: set to Game Optimiser.
• White Balance: Warm 50 for 2024 and older models and Warm 40 for 2025 models and newer.
• Turn off Super Resolution and any sharpening filters.
• [HDR only] set Dynamic Tone Mapping to HGiG.

‍

Don't Forget These Gaming Device Settings

HDR SETTING

‍To preserve creator intent, set HDR to On When Supported rather than forcing it on non-HDR titles.‍

HDR CALIBRATION

Each gaming device has its own HDR calibration tool. With HGiG enabled on your TV, adjust the slider until the reference symbol/visual just disappears (clips). On PS5 specifically, this is still the recommended approach, even though the help text says “barely visible.” I’ve linked an extra video here that explains why.‍

RGB RANGE

For most modern gaming devices, set this to Full since LG OLEDs default their Video Range to Automatic on the TV side, which handles this correctly. But it's worth double-checking under Brightness settings to be sure.

The one exception is PS5; per HDTVTest, leave it on Automatic on the console itself rather than forcing Full.

‍

A Few Extra Notes

OLED BRIGHTNESS

In HDR and Dolby Vision, always keep OLED Brightness at 100%. The mastering process already defines how bright highlights should appear, so lowering this setting will only distort the intended image.

In SDR, adjust brightness according to your viewing environment. A darker room may call for a lower setting and vice versa.

RGB RANGE

The most important thing is that your device and display are set to the same range — Full/Full or Limited/Limited. A mismatch leads to washed-out colours or crushed blacks. In most cases, Full on both sides is the safe default, though there's nuance depending on the device and content. Worth looking into further if you want to go deeper on it.

INPUT-SPECIFIC SETTINGS ON LG OLED TVS

LG OLEDs store picture settings per HDMI input and per picture mode, so your PS5 and Switch can each have their own setup. There's also a handy option to apply the same settings across all inputs.