ASUS Monitor Stops Bullet in Reddit Incident
A Reddit user says an ASUS TUF 280Hz monitor blocked a bullet that passed through the wall of their home.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in eSports
A Redditor reported that an ASUS TUF VG258QM 280Hz gaming monitor, which cost $280, stopped a bullet that had first passed through an exterior wall of their home while they were playing Call of Duty late at night. The monitor still functions apart from the damaged portion of its LCD, and ASUS responded to the post with a promise to investigate.
Why it matters
The incident draws attention to how ordinary consumer electronics may offer incidental protection, though ASUS does not test TUF monitors for bullet ingress. It also highlights the gap between the military-style durability testing ASUS applies to TUF gear and the specific threats the product was never designed to withstand.
The figures come from a single user account rather than any independent test, with the monitor priced at $280 and rated at 280Hz. ASUS has confirmed no replacement and has not said whether the incident will change its testing practices.
The players
ASUS
ASUS is a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer known for its TUF Gaming line of monitors, laptops, and components.
The details
The user said a bullet passed through the exterior wall of their home before striking the monitor during a late-night Call of Duty session, damaging the LCD area but leaving the rest of the display working. The user had been planning to buy a new display anyway, and the post prompted ASUS to promise an investigation.
Timeline
Late at night, date not specified: the bullet struck the monitor during a Call of Duty session.
November 2, 2026: an article about the monitor incident was published.
Durability Testing
ASUS subjects TUF gear to U.S. Department of Defense MIL-STD-810H protocols, a benchmark for environmental durability rather than ballistic protection. A previous Tom's Hardware report covered a gaming PC that deflected a bullet earlier this year, suggesting a pattern of consumer hardware surviving incidental gunfire.
Gamers relying on TUF monitors should note that ASUS does not test them for bullet ingress, so the protection seen here is incidental rather than guaranteed. Anyone weighing a durable display purchase should judge it by its specified standards rather than by this single user account.
The takeaway
Durability ratings reflect the specific tests a manufacturer runs, and a monitor's survival of an unexpected event does not mean it was built to withstand one. Readers buying hardware should check what a product is actually tested against.
Further reading
For more on the gaming hardware behind stories like this, browse eSports coverage.
