The best budget gaming chair
The GT Racing gaming chair offers padded comfort, adjustable support, and a colorful design without breaking the bank.
Pros : Affordable, some adjustable support
Cons : Can get uncomfortable after a while, prone to faults
If you need a seat that can carry you through hours of gaming but your budget is limited, then the GT Racing gaming chair could be ideal. With bucket style seats, covered in polyurethane leather, extra cushions, and logos all over, this gaming chair certainly looks the part.
There's padding over the metal frame, so this is a reasonably comfortable chair to sit in for a few hours. More padding would be nice, and the raised sides and metal frame can make this chair uncomfortable after a couple of hours, especially for larger folks. While the height of the armrests and the seat can be adjusted, the armrests don't go as high as we'd like.
There's a removable headrest pillow, and you'll find a lumbar cushion on the back that you can slide up and down. A lever at the side enables you to recline the chair all the way back to a 170-degree angle. This chair also spins 360 degrees, and the wheels roll freely and quietly on hard floors or carpet.
The GT Racing chair starts from just $169.99, which makes it the cheapest option on our list by a distance. You can get red and black, blue and black, or plain black in the polyurethane covering. While it wipes clean easily, it can also get sweaty, and it's not something you want against your skin, so you may prefer to pay a little more for a fabric finish.
While this chair feels reasonably sturdy and does a good job of emulating more expensive gaming chairs, you can feel the difference when you sit in it. This is a budget gaming chair, and the quality reflects that. We can't speak to longevity either. Online research reveals reports about different faults and parts of this chair breaking. Customer service looks to be good, but we have some concerns about long-term durability. Ultimately, although there are better gaming chairs, we can't find a superior option at this price.
The best office chair for gaming
The Steelcase Leap V2 eschews loud design in favor of functionality, so this is a fully adjustable chair that will blend in seamlessly with your office.
Pros : Fully adjustable, very durable, understated style
Cons : The seat and back can get warm, expensive
Most gaming chairs have a certain style, and it usually involves bucket seats designed to emulate sports cars. Vibrant patches of color and prominent logos are also common. If you're hunting for a great gaming chair that has to pull double duty as an office chair, then you probably don't want a garish seat that will catch people's eyes during video calls.
Our pick, which served as my office chair for more than a year, is the Steelcase Leap V2 . It has a well-deserved place in our best office chairs guide . What sets it apart from the competition there and makes it especially suitable for gaming is the padding and adjustability. This is a chair that's comfortable enough to sit in all day for work and then sit in all night for gaming. Trust me; I do it far too often.
The Steelcase Leap V2 is fully adjustable. It's designed to support your body whether you're leaning forward, sitting upright, slouching down, or reclining back with your feet up on the desk. There's fully adjustable lumbar support. You can tweak the resistance of the back, change the height and seat depth, and adjust the height and orientation of the armrests. It also spins through 360 degrees, and the wheels roll easily across carpeted or hard floors.
You can get the Steelcase Leap in a wide range of fabric or leather finishes in various colors, with or without the arms and headrest. You can get just the right look for your office, though some combinations are very pricey.
It's a relatively expensive chair to buy new. If you buy directly from Steelcase, prices start at $880, though it does offer a lifetime warranty. On the other hand, this is a chair that's built to last, and if you shop around, you can find heavily discounted refurbished chairs with plenty of life left in them.
Read our full Steelcase Leap V2 review .
The best gaming chair for kids
The Arozzi Verona Junior offers classic gaming chair looks with adjustable support, but in a smaller package that's suitable for kids and smaller gamers.
Pros : Designed for kids and shorter gamers, adjustable, comfortable
Cons : 132-pound weight limit
If you're below a certain height, some gaming chairs are just never going to work for you. The Arozzi Verona Junior is built for kids and shorter gamers, offering comfort, adjustability, and durability in a typical racing seat style. The chair comes in a choice of four colors, and it's finished in PU leather that's very easy to wipe clean.
It comes with foam padding and cushions for your head, as well as an adjustable lumbar support cushion. The armrests can also be moved up and down and rotated to different angles. You can set the chair to have some tilt if you want a rocking motion, and it reclines up to 165 degrees. The wheels allow for smooth travel across the floor.
There's a positive review of the Arozzi Verona Junior at PC Gamer . Choices for kids and shorter gamers are very limited, so the Arozzi Verona Junior fills a niche. Arozzi suggests a maximum height of 5'2" and a maximum weight of 130 pounds. It's a shame that the weight limit is so low, because this gaming chair would probably suit a lot of shorter, adult gamers.
The best wide gaming chair
The adjustable Corsair T2 Road Warrior is tall and wide for larger gamers or anyone who prefers a roomy seat.
Pros : Comfortable, durable, adjustable, smooth wheels
Cons : Quite firm, armrests can be wobbly
Known for its headsets, keyboards, cooling fans, and other essential gaming gear, Corsair also makes gaming chairs. The Corsair T2 Road Warrior caters to big and tall gamers, so it has a high seat back and a strong, steel frame that allows for a maximum weight of up to 300 pounds.
This is a classy-looking seat that comes in plain black or options that combine black with red, blue, yellow, or white highlights. It's shaped exactly like a car seat and is finished in perforated PU leather. While it is clearly a gaming chair, it won't look out of place in most home offices.
There are microfiber cushions for neck support and adjustable lumbar support. The armrests are also fully adjustable, so you can raise or lower them, slide them left or right, and swivel them for the angle that suits you best. Internal pneumatics afford easy height adjustment, and the chair reclines through 170 degrees. The rollerblade wheels finish off a smart design with the ability to coast smoothly across different floor types, though they're best suited to hard floors.
There are positive reviews of the Corsair T2 Road Warrior at IGN and KitGuru . While this is a roomy chair that feels very durable, it's also on the firm side, so not everyone will find it comfortable. It does also require some assembly, and Corsair offers a two-year warranty for the chair.
At $399.99, the Corsair T2 Road Warrior is a good choice for taller gamers or anyone seeking a wider seat. The racing style does mean this is firm and curves in at the sides to hug your body. If you need something really roomy and capable of supporting weights of up to 390 pounds, then we suggest you look at the $480 Secretlab Titan XL instead.
What we're looking forward to testing
AmazonAs a fast-growing product category, new gaming chairs come onto the market all the time. These are the gaming chairs we hope to test over the next few months.
- Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair , from $1,495: A dream partnership between popular gaming peripheral manufacturer Logitech and office chair king Herman Miller is something to get excited about. The Embody Gaming Chair promises a research-based ergonomic design specifically for gamers. Extra thick seat padding and a layer of cooling foam in the back set this apart from your average gaming chair, but it is very expensive.
- AndaSeat Fnatic Edition Gaming Chair , from $419.99: With a range of gaming chairs featuring a typical racing-seat style, AndaSeat is a popular choice for many gamers. Building on its reputation for affordable gaming chairs, AndaSeat is beginning to turn out a range of higher quality seats with price tags to match. The Fnatic appears to offer a good balance between adjustability and price.
- Razer Iskur , from $499: One of the top gaming brands on the planet, Razer has created a gaming chair for the first time, the Iskur. This synthetic black leather beauty has Razer's signature green branding in the stitching with a prominent logo. The ergonomic design boasts an interesting, fully adjustable lumbar support system, thick foam padding, customizable armrests, and a memory foam cushion for your head. Sadly, it's currently out of stock.
How to choose a gaming chair
With such a wide and growing choice of gaming chairs, it can be tricky to pick the perfect one. Here are a few of the important factors to keep in mind when you're shopping for a gaming chair.
Size : It's vital to find a gaming chair that's suited to your height and weight. You'll generally find a suggested range or maximum height and weight in the specs of each chair. Bear in mind that the ideal height and weight for a chair will likely be in the middle of the stated range. This is especially important if the chair isn't adjustable or has limited adjustability. Make sure you read reviews and see what people are saying about the sizing. If you can, it's always a good idea to try before you buy.
Adjustability : A good gaming chair will be fully adjustable, allowing you to tailor the chair to your body. Ideally, you should be able to adjust the seat height and the armrests and tilt and recline in the chair. The best chairs will also offer adjustable lumbar support and extras like seat depth adjustments, but these are often lacking in cheaper chairs. Bear in mind that you can always add a cushion for lumbar support, but make sure that you get one that can be strapped into the correct position.
Material : The majority of gaming chairs are finished in polyurethane (PU) leather, but you can also find fabric finishes and real leather chairs, though they will be more expensive. Fake or real leather has the advantage of being easy to wipe clean but can lead to an uncomfortably sweaty back. Fabric tends to be more breathable but may stain more easily.
Style : You can get gaming chairs emblazoned with esports logos or styled after videogame characters, but if you're buying something for the home office it's a good idea to consider what the chair will look like during a business video call. Some options bridge the gap between traditional office chair and gaming chair.
Our office chair guide also includes expert advice on the best way to sit and how to set up an ergonomic space .
Testing methodology
My gaming addiction stretches back nearly four decades to the days of the Atari 2600. I also spent eight years working in the game industry. I have a lot of experience playing games into the night, and I spent most of them in unsuitable chairs, as my back problems will attest. Nowadays, I take comfort and support more seriously, and I've tested out a lot of different gaming chairs over the years.
For this guide, I gathered recommendations from game developers and hardcore gamers, pored over authoritative reviews, and read countless user reviews and forum discussions to identify the best gaming chairs.
I tested our top pick, the Secretlab Titan, for several weeks to ensure it measures up to its reputation. I used the Steelcase Leap, picked as the best gaming chair for the office, for many months and it also features prominently in our best office chairs guide. I have also briefly tested our budget pick, the GT Racing gaming chair.
Via PakApNews