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Oct 14, 2024

The Best Gaming Chairs: Our Top Reviewed Picks for 2024

Gaming chairs are one of the best investments a gamer can make: After all, during those long gaming sessions, where are you going to sit? So while gaming keyboards and gaming monitors can really lift

Gaming chairs are one of the best investments a gamer can make: After all, during those long gaming sessions, where are you going to sit? So while gaming keyboards and gaming monitors can really lift your gaming experience to the next level, none of it really matters if you don't have a comfortable gaming chair to sit in. Our top entry, the SecretLab Titan Evo, is a perfect example – it's a chair big enough for pretty much any body, and it's comfortable and sturdy enough to sit for hours.

I've been reviewing gaming chairs for years, and the overall best gaming chairs you can buy provide a place to sink into for hours of gaming without fatigue or pain. Amping up ergonomics with the inclusion of customizable lumbar support, adjustable armrests, and a movable headrest only adds to your comfort, letting you focus on the action in the best PC games.

However, there are an excess of options to choose from. To help you out, I've cut the list down to seven tested and researched gaming chairs offering solid frames, high-quality material, and all the creature comforts you could want – and for those in the UK, go here for our top picks on your side of the pond.

Contributions by Jacqueline Thomas and Danielle Abraham

It has been two years since I first tested the Secretlab Titan Evo and even after all this time, it remains the best all-around pick for most gamers. It has stood the test of time in every way and still looks as good as the day we received it. If you’re looking for something that, while maybe a little more expensive than some of the competition, can offer all-day comfort and look good while doing it, look no further than the Titan Evo.

The Evo challenged many conventions when it first came out, but those same qualities allow it to remain great to this day. The biggest of these is its L-Adapt adjustable lumbar system that flexes with you as you move. This small feature allows the chair to be more supportive and comfortable over extended gaming sessions. And over our multi-year test phase, we can attest that this feature is no gimmick. You can game all day with confidence.

The Evo is available in leatherette or fabric finishes in an incredible array of options, including themed versions from big games, properties, and esports teams. Each comes with top-tier, stylish embroidering and an overall fit and finish that demonstrates Secretlabs’s attention to detail. The foam is soft enough to be comfortable out of the box but firm enough to keep its shape and support over time. Hidden beneath the upholstery is also a series of magnets that hold the headrest in place, so you no longer have to contend with an old-school elastic strap.

The Secretlab Titan Evo is an impressive gaming chair in virtually every regard. It simply doesn’t get much better than this for racing-style gaming chairs.

Corsair isn’t new to the gaming chair game, and that expertise extends to its wallet-friendly option, the TC100 Relaxed. This racing-style throne offers a robust steel frame and wide seat packed with plush padding to ensure your behind is comfortable during long playing sessions. The entire seat is then wrapped in a durable leatherette or soft fabric material with perforated sections for extra breathability to stay cool during intense play sessions.

Setting you back only $250, this affordable gaming chair is my recommendation for anyone on a budget. Though it isn’t as feature-rich as more expensive chairs, it has all the basics you need, and 2D armrests and a gas lift with a wide range of height adjustments make for an ergonomic alignment with your desk. There is no built-in lumbar support. However, back and neck pillows come with it, while a deep recline lets you kick back between matches.

Most imporantly, it's comfortable without sacrificing support. While you'll lack more advanced armests, it's a fair trade-off for a chair that gets the basics – and the price – so right.

Exceptional ergonomics meet gaming features with the Mavix M9. This chair offers outstanding support with a great sense of style. That comes as no surprise since Mavix is owned by the same parent company as X-Chair, a longtime leader in ergonomic office seating. That experience is put to good use in Mavix’s range of gaming chairs, blending features gamers need with the support their bodies demand.

It just takes a glance to see what this seat is after. The backrest features a prominent lumbar support Mavix calls its DVL, or Dynamic Variable Lumbar, system. Though it looks a little intense at first, it’s designed to move with your body. Whether you bolt upright playing Battlefield or kick back with God of War, it stays in place exactly where you need it.

But that’s only the beginning of its adjustments. To accommodate users of different heights, the entire backrest can move up and down to perfectly position the DVL for every gamer. The seat depth is also adjustable, a feature that’s often overlooked but important for proper support and circulation to your legs. It’s height adjustable, of course, and you can adjust how difficult it is to rock and recline with a knob below the seat.

To accommodate gaming, Mavix has outfitted the M9 with 4D armrests and just-soft-enough arm cushions to keep you supported. There’s 127° of tilt, so you can get comfortable with a controller, and it’s the only ergo chair we know of that allows you to recline the backrest like a traditional gaming chair and not the whole seat. Its breathable mesh lumbar helps keep you feeling fresh even on the hottest days while the memory foam leatherette seat ensures you won’t want to get up anytime soon. Mavix also offers the ability to upgrade the experience with 360° rotational armrests and a rechargeable heating, cooling, massage pillow that tucks into the DVL.

There’s no way around its pricing. The M9 doesn’t come cheap, but the black and white colorway can be found on sale for less than its small sibling, the Mavix M7. And if you’d rather not spend as much in general, the M7 offers nearly all of the same features with a mesh seat. No matter which you choose, you’ll be doing your back and body a big favor.

While the Razer Fujin Pro I personally reviewed doesn’t look much like a gaming chair, it's designed to offer the support you need to dominate long gaming sessions. Designed to compete with legendary ergonomic chairs like the Herman-Miller Aeron, it offers an extensive range of adjustments to ensure it matches your body perfectly.

In many ways, the Fujin Pro is the gaming chair all grown up. It doesn't sport bright colors or racing bolsters. Instead, it's designed to fit just as well in an office as with your gaming desk. This isn't just a re-skinned office chair, however. It offers gaming-first features like 4D armrests and a lockable recline to ensure it's just as supportive whether you're typing at a keyboard or kicking back with a controller.

Easy to assemble, this gaming chair can be built in around 15 minutes, so you can get your gaming on in no time. When it's time to sit down, its breatheable mesh is great for airflow. You can’t fully recline the chair, so cat naps might be out of the picture, but with 130° degrees of lockable tilt, relaxation is only a lean away.

The Razer Enki cheats a little bit in this category. It’s part fabric, part EPU leather, but the portion that actually touches your body is a soft, breathable suede, so we think it counts. The mix of materials lends this gaming seat a unique look that’s equal parts premium and eminently cool.

More importantly, in my review of this gaming chair, I found it to be one of the most comfortable gaming chairs you can buy for entire workdays and beyond, which isn’t something gaming chairs are typically known for. The mix of its integrated lumbar arch and precise shoulder arch gently guides you to the center, keeping your body in alignment for superior comfort throughout the day. The cushion is soft enough to be comfortable straight out of the box, and a magnetic neck pillow (trimmed in a soft velour) makes adjustments easy. I admit, it seems like marketing-speak at first, but it really works, and it’s really comfortable.

The chair features the usual suite of gaming features, including a deep 152°, adjustable tilt and height, as well as 4D armrests. Unlike most gaming chairs, these armrests are soft enough to be comfortable and offer an extended height range to keep your arms in line with your desk. At around $450, it’s not the cheapest chair, but Razer also offers a more affordable Razer Enki X version that lacks a magnetic pillow and features 2D armrests.

The Secretlab Titan Evo series is already in this guide, but we’re happy to see it in an XL model, making it the best big and tall gaming chair. It features a slightly larger form, with a wide 19.3-inch seat, while the bolsters on either side add to that total width. Secretlab also uses a Class 4 lift that combines with the rest of its sturdy structure to support a 395-pound max load.

The Secretlab Titan Evo Series doesn’t forget taller gamers, as it’s ready for individuals ranging from 5'11" to 6'9" with its high back. Of course, you still get ergonomic luxuries like integrated adjustable lumbar support, a magnetic neck pillow, and magnetic 4D armrests that you can swap out to get your optimal arm position. Your behind rests in a well-cushioned memory foam seat with cooling gel, and the base of the chair can even tilt as you recline, letting you comfortably sink back without sliding out in between matches on your gaming PC.

Before you shop, keep in mind there are really cool limited edition and speciality styles you can from Secretlab in XL size, beyond the simple black or gray chair design. So, depending on your gaming, anime, and entertainment franchise interests, you may even want to splurge on a more colorful esports design (like Cloud9), a special edition design like Mortal Kombat or Cyberpunk 2077, or of course a classic franchise favorite such as Star Wars Stormtrooper or Batman:

In deciding which gaming chairs to include on this list, my first consideration is always which chairs I've personally tested and know are worth including from first-hand experience. We – myself and other reviewers at IGN – test a lot of gaming chairs and will be updating this list with others we test over time. Where that's not possible, we use our extensive knowledge to assess each chair's ergonomics, features, and materials. We also consult expert resources from our colleagues in the field and real user reviews. Finally, we take into account real-world feedback on each company, how well they stand behind their products, and how they support customers in need.

The biggest determining factor in the gaming chair you choose will most likely be the price. Going out with a set budget is helpful, as you’ll find chairs ranging from under $50 to almost $1,000. Cheaper gaming chairs, like the Corsair TC100 Relaxed, still deliver the comfort of more expensive ones. You just need to be prepared to sacrifice features, like 4D armrests or adjustable lumbar support. I’d stay away from anything under $100, especially if the chair makes promises that appear too good to be true.

With design, comfort is king; nobody wants to spend hours in a seat that causes back or neck pain. Finding a chair that’s the right size for you is essential for preventing discomfort. Luckily, most chairs list their dimensions. You’ll want a wide, well-cushioned seat, a long backrest, and a good range of height adjustability, especially if you’re a larger-than-average gamer. All that should rest on a sturdy metal frame ready to hold your full body weight. If you’re looking into a racing-style chair with bucket seats, like the AndaSeat Kaiser 3, pay special mind to the bolsters, as they can dig into your thighs.

When making your decision, you can’t forget about the material used, and for the most part, gaming chairs offer PU leather, fabric, or mesh. PU leather is easy to clean but may not always be super durable and gets hot when wearing shorts. Fabric, which is used on the E-Win Champion, won’t be as easy to clean, though it’s less of a heat magnet. Mesh is the most breathable option. However, you’ll lose the cushioned seat and backrest in favor of a suspension system, which can be a hit or miss. The Razer Fujin Pro is one chair that gets mesh right.

After locking those in, a movable headrest, adjustable armrests, and customizable lumbar support can enhance the chair’s ergonomics. But these features often up the price of the chair. Other quality-of-life additions, like a tilting or rocking mechanism, also help with relaxation between heated gaming sessions.

Keeping all this in mind ensures you know how to pick the perfect gaming chair for your needs.

Because the best gaming chairs are glorified office chairs with an (often) edgy aesthetic, the main point of a gaming chair is being something you can sit on while adding to the overall aesthetic of your gaming environment. Gaming chairs are often a bit more expensive than comparable office chairs and don't have the same comfort features that a seat designed for working in all day have, but most will have a shape that looks like something in a car, with bright neon colors that stand out in basically any environment. Still, if you love the way that gaming chairs look and you're going for a certain vibe in your gaming den, the best gaming chairs do truly shine. You just might want to look at the best ergonomic chairs if you want something that's truly going to take care of your aching back.

While you can buy a gaming chair for $80 or less, doing so is just asking for eventual pain. Something inexpensive is usually nothing more than a cheap plastic frame (versus steel) with some thin fabric or pleather upholstery on top.

You can get a quality gaming chair for as little as $200, and that’s the absolute bottom floor of affordability we’d go for. Spending $300 or more will get you access to better options like with the Secretlab Titan Evo series and AndaSeat Kaiser 3. If your budget allows you to soar a bit higher, more expensive gaming chairs start to come with built-in lumbar support, cooling gel layers, and even more adjustable ergonomics, not to mention RGB LED Kits and more. It all depends on what matters most to you in the long term.

While there are benefits to both, this is a subjective question and boils down to what you're looking for in a computer chair. If you're after looks and the ability to deeply recline, a gaming chair is a safe bet. If you're looking for a chair that places ergonomics first and has lots of adjustments, you'll have more luck with an office chair. It's important to note, however, that there's plenty of crossover between the two. The Steelcase Gesture, for example, would look fantastic on any stream but an office chair, through and through. The Mavix M9, on the other hand, is clearly a gaming chair but has the features and adjustments of premium office chairs. Consider what you value most, how long you'll be sitting in the chair, and what adjustments you would prefer. From there, you can find chairs in either category to meet your needs.

Your classic gaming brands like Razer and Corsair have been known to make mean chairs. Otherwise, brands like Secretlab, Razer, and Corsair consistently deliver comfortable, well-built seats that blend comfort and durability across price points. More classic ergo brands like Herman-Miller, Steelcase, and Haworth have begun releasing chairs for gamers too. Though expensive, its chairs are made with the best materials and are full of ergonomic features allowing them to offer superior support and comfort. Be wary of some brands available only on Amazon: The most inexpensive options will most likely be a little janky. It's probably worth it to save up and spend extra on a more notable brand.

Christopher Coke has been a regular contributor to IGN since 2019 and has been covering games and technology since 2013. He is the current subject matter expert for gaming monitors, laptops, and gaming chairs. Since 2013, he has covered tech ranging from gaming controllers to graphics cards, gaming chairs to gaming monitors, headphones, IEMs, and more for sites such as MMORPG.com, Tom’s Hardware, Popular Science, USA Today’s Reviewed, and Popular Mechanics. Find Chris on Twitter @gamebynight.