A volumetric display device is a display device that forms a visual representation of an object in three physical dimensions, as opposed to the planar image of traditional screens that simulate depth through a number of different visual effects. One definition offered by pioneers in the field is that volumetric displays create 3D imagery via the emission, scattering, or relaying of illumination from well-defined regions in (x,y,z) space.

A true volumetric display produces in the observer a visual experience of a material object in three-dimensional space, even though no such object is present. The perceived object displays characteristics similar to an actual material object by allowing the observer to view it from any direction, to focus a camera on a specific detail, and to see perspective – meaning that the parts of the image closer to the viewer appear larger than those further away.

Volumetric 3D displays are technically not autostereoscopic, even though they create three-dimensional imagery visible to the unaided eye. This is because the displays do not generate stereoscopic images; They naturally provide focally-accurate holographic wavefronts to the eyes. Due to this, they have accurate characteristics of material objects such as focal depth, motion parallax, and vergence.

Volumetric displays are one of several kinds of 3D displays. Other types are stereoscopes, view-sequential displays, electro-holographic displays, "two view" displays, and panoramagrams.

Although first postulated in 1912, and a staple of science fiction, volumetric displays are still not widely used in everyday life. There are numerous potential markets for volumetric displays with use cases including medical imaging, mining, education, advertising, simulation, video games, communication and geophysical visualisation. When compared to other 3D visualisation tools such as virtual reality, volumetric displays offer an inherently different mode of interaction, providing the opportunity for a group of people to gather around the display and interact in a natural manner without having to don 3D glasses or other head gear.