Input lag is one of those things you don’t notice—until you do. I used to think my aim was just a bit off or that my mouse needed replacing, until I switched from a 60Hz office monitor to a proper gaming screen. Suddenly, my shots lined up, and the whole game felt more connected to what I was doing.

So what is input lag? It’s the delay between your action—like clicking a mouse or pressing a key—and seeing that action happen on screen. It’s not the same as lag from bad internet or dropped frames. This is about your setup, not your ping.

At Best Monitor Radar, we’ve tested enough monitors, mice, and GPUs to know how even small amounts of input lag can throw off your aim. Especially in games like Valorant, Apex Legends, or CS2, where reactions matter.

What Causes It?

Monitors are often to blame. Some models do extra image processing in the background—things like contrast adjustments or motion smoothing—that look good in movies but add delay in games. Game Mode usually disables those features, helping reduce lag.

V-Sync can also introduce input delay, especially if your frame rate doesn’t consistently match your screen’s refresh rate. And while wireless devices are convenient, they can add a small but noticeable amount of delay in competitive shooters.

Why It Matters

In FPS games, input lag can mean missing a flick that should’ve hit. In fighting games, it can throw off combos. In racing games, it makes turning feel slow or unresponsive. And even in slower games, it just makes everything feel a little off.

Once you play on a screen with low input lag, going back is hard. The difference isn’t just about performance—it’s about comfort and confidence in what you’re doing.

We explain all the technical details and testing methods in our full Input Lag in Gaming guide, if you want to go deeper.

How to Fix It

Here’s what we usually recommend:

Enable Game Mode on your monitor.

Use a wired mouse for better response.

Turn off V-Sync if your GPU can handle it.

Match your frame rate to your monitor’s refresh rate.

You don’t need to spend thousands to get a responsive setup. You just need to know what’s slowing you down.

For more hands-on testing and real gaming experience, check out Mamija Gaming. Everything we write is based on what we actually test—and what we’d use ourselves.