Picking up the best gaming chair is all about looking for a seat that brings the best ergonomic design and the most robust build quality together with a heavy emphasis on comfort and personalization. Just consider the amount of time you'll be parked on your behind in it; surely it makes sense to opt for a chair built to support you first and then think about how good it looks.
While some of the best gaming chairs may come with a higher price tag, remember, like any piece of quality furniture, it's worth the investment. Our bodies require proper care, and the Secretlab Titan Evo stands out as the best gaming chair today, blending the best features from Secretlab's previous models and a decent warranty should something go wrong. For an affordable recommendation, the best budget gaming chair is the Corsair TC100 Relaxed, as it's a supremely comfortable chair with a subtle and premium feeling aesthetic for less than you might expect.
In our pursuit of the best, we've rigorously tested a ton of gaming and office chairs from respected brands to guarantee each recommendation in this guide has met our stringent standards. Opting for a less expensive office chair might seem appealing, but investing in superior ergonomics is a choice your body will be grateful for as time goes on. So, invest in something that'll last and give your butt and back the comfort and support it deserves.
I'm a human with a spine and a posterior. I've sat on chairs for longer than I can remember, and have been doing so in a professional capacity for many years, too. In fact I've probably sat in more gaming chairs than any person on PC Gamer. Which all makes me suitably qualified to tell you what the best gaming chair is when it comes to cost, comfort, and spinal support.
The quick list
The best chair overall
The Secretlab Titan is the benchmark by which we judge all other gaming chairs. To earn that role it ticked all the boxes you could ask of gaming furniture: it's comfy, supportive, and importantly looks great too.
Best affordable chair
The thick cushion, broad design, and refined styling make this a good gaming chair, but the fact Corsair has managed to get the price down without compromising on comfort is what makes the TC100 Relaxed a great gaming chair.
The best luxury chair
The Herman Miller Embody oozes premium- you'd expect nothing less at this price. With superb comfort and a warranty spanning over a decade, it's absolutely the chair of choice if you're willing to invest in ergonomics.
The best office chair
A brilliant option if you're after something more traditional-looking, the NeueChair's mesh design keeps you cool for long periods and offers elite build quality.
The best for back support
The ThunderX3 came outta nowhere to deliver excellent lumbar support in an affordable package. We love it.
The best for larger frames
Coming in two sizes - L and XL - the Kaiser 3 is the best gaming chair for anyone who finds most chairs too tight or too flimsy. It's big, it's solid, it's comfortable - it's genuinely amazing.
Recent updates
Updated June 20 2024 to remove an unnecessary navigation element and check through our current recommendations. All our top picks were checked, and remain the same.
The best gaming chair overall
✅ Adjustability is key: Getting a chair in just the right position is hugely important to your experience, and the Titan Evo makes tweaking until you find a comfy spot easy.
✅ You’re looking for something durable: Our review model continues to truck on in the office, with nary a mark to show for all the use its had over the years.
✅ You want premium aesthetics: It's a lovely feeling thing, this chair, and it looks the part too.
❌ You want a long warranty: 3-years isn't terrible, but we've seen chairs with much longer warranties. Still, given the durability here, it's not the biggest concern in the world.
The Secretlab Titan is the benchmark by which we judge all other gaming chairs, and our top pick for the best gaming chair overall. To earn that role it ticked all the boxes you could ask of gaming furniture: it's comfy, supportive, and importantly looks great too. None of that has changed with the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022, either, which is the latest chair out of the Secretlab lot (ignore its dated name in 2024).
Rather than tread old ground, let's get right into the good stuff. Secretlab is posing the Titan Evo to a wide audience, with three available sizes: small, regular, and extra large. The benefit of this is that you'll no longer need to look to a different model of chair to find the right fit—the Titan Evo should cover most bases.
Secretlab has added a minor curve to the seat base that it says is to keep you in a healthy sitting posture. It's kind of hard to say whether such a gentle curvature is really doing much to keep me locked securely in place throughout the day, though the seat is plenty comfortable all the same with plenty of foam padding.
User-friendly ergonomics make the Titan Evo a great fit for long nights of gaming or eight hours tapping away for work, and that comes down to its superb built-in back support. It's highly adjustable, which means you can nail down a great fit with ease.
There's also something to be said for the 4D armrests and head cushion, both of which are magnetic.
You read that right, a magnetic head cushion. A simple solution to fiddly straps, the Titan Evo does away with all that with a couple of powerful magnets that not only work brilliantly but add a touch of premium design to what is usually an ugly compromise in other chairs.
A big part of the Titan Evo's high level of comfort is the adjustable lumbar support. It works by extending and retracting an internal support both in and out and up and down, through the use of the two dials on the side.
The chair is also upholstered immaculately. While there's still something to be said for the SoftWeave Plus fabric that Secretlab also offers (we tested the hybrid leatherette version), I have to say I'm quite taken with the look of the leatherette, especially the bright red stitching.
And when it comes to durability, we can really vouch for this chair standing the test of time. Ours has sat in the office since late 2021, and has been clonked with heavy boxes, shoved, spun and sat upon by virtually all of us at some point, and still looks as good as the day it came in. That's impressive for any piece of equipment, but particularly something like a chair, and the Titan Evo has passed our extensive durability testing with flying colors.
As an amalgamation of both of Secretlab's previous gaming chair models, the Titan and Omega, the Secretlab Titan Evo feels the better of both in every regard. What each chair has done so well, the Titan Evo manages to equal or better. It is slightly pricier than its predecessors at $449/AU$749 ($499/AU$769 for the XL model), but I feel that the upgrades it delivers are genuinely worth the higher price tag.
The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 is the best gaming chair by far, so much so we've occasionally fought over it in the office. And I can't think of a higher recommendation than that.
Read our full Secretlab Titan Evo review.
Best gaming keyboard | Best VR headset | Best mechanical keyboard| Best wireless gaming mouse | Best wireless gaming keyboard
The best affordable gaming chair
✅ You like a subtle look: If you want a chair that simply blends into the room rather than look like a gamers dream, the handsome aesthetics of this chair will suit.
✅ You like to recline: The TC100 Relaxed tilts with the best of them, and makes reclining a supportive and comfortable way to sit rather than a pain.
✅ You like your space: Are you the sort of person that likes to change up the way you sit, including cross-legged? This is likely the chair for you.
❌ You want a lot of armrest adjustment: The 2D armrests here don't offer a lot of options, and they're a bit rickety too.
❌ You want an easy time of assembly: Ok, so it wasn't the most difficult task we've undertaken, but the TC100 relaxed was a bit fiddly to build.
The Corsair TC100 Relaxed has waltzed into the gaming chair space with a refined racer-style chair with very few compromises, which makes it our recommendation for the best affordable, budget-friendly chair. We were big fans of the Corsair T3 Rush, but the TC100 pips it to the post in many regards.
In a lot of ways, the TC100 and T3 gaming chairs are highly comparable, not least in their simple colourway and 160 degree recline. But the main thing to point out is the price difference. At $70/£100 less than the T3 you expect some kind of compromise from the TC100, but I have yet to discern how Corsair has managed to drop the price so much and for essentially more chair.
It's a little shorter with an 81cm backrest, but instead of tall the TC100 Relaxed goes broad. It's got a wider backrest, more cushion in the seat, and gentler bolster (side cushion) angles, hence the "relaxed" nomenclature.
Those of us of a more stocky build had no trouble sitting in it at the office, and the shorter colleagues among us had no problem reaching the headrest, which can be an issue on other chairs. The headrest attachment isn't wonderful, though. The straps are very short, and while slotting them through the two backrest holes might sound practical, it means you're limited when it comes to adjustability.
Those pushing 6'2" will need to reconsider their options, but the headrest and accompanying cushions are comfy enough, and come with the chair.
The major drawback with the TC100 Relaxed is the 2D armrests. It means you only benefit from up, down, in, and out adjustability, and compared to the Secretlab Titan Evo and other chairs with 4D armrests it's a little disappointing. But I suppose the company had to make it affordable somehow, and it was the arm support that bore the brunt.
The short distance between the armrests means I can happily rest my elbows without any rotational help, though, and the lack of forward and back movement isn't too much of a problem for me.
Putting it together you'll be gently reminded of the budget price, too. While everything did align well, and the materials are more than fit for purpose, we did have a little trouble getting some of the bolts in place.
The fabric version we tested is as soft as anything, and it's also breathable and stops you from sticking to the surface when wearing shorts in the height of summer. Aside from it being a nice change from testing leatherette options, I'm glad the TC100 Relaxed makes the soft-look lifestyle more attainable.
Even at $320/£300, we were smitten with the T3 Rush, so the fact the TC100 Relaxed comes in at $250/£200 with only a few small compromises is promising for a future where budget chairs don't have to look and feel like something out the back of a catalogue. With all this comfort, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed is the best budget gaming chair of the lot and one that makes every other cheap chair look, well, a bit rubbish, really.
Read our full Corsair TC100 Relaxed review.
The best high end gaming chair
✅ You're looking for luxury-level comfort: This chair is comfortable with a capital C, whether working, gaming or otherwise.
✅ You want build quality that stuns: It might be very, very pricey, but every inch of this chair screams quality, attention to detail, and fantastic design.
✅ You don't want to build it out of the box: What, build your own chair? Not for the sort of money you've just spent. The Embody G comes ready to roll, no screwdrivers required.
❌ You're on a budget: Yep, the price is... excessive. You do get an excessively good chair though, but we sucked the air between our teeth when we first saw the price tag too.
❌ Armrest adjustment is key: While the rest of the Embody G is highly adjustable, the armrests are a bit limited in their movement.
We love the Herman Miller Embody, and it occupied the top position in our best office chair roundup for a long time, but when it comes to the best high-end gaming chair we simply have to recommend the slightly more gamer-focused version, the Herman Miller x Logitech G Embody instead. For the most part, this chair actually isn't a complete departure from the Embody of old. A tried, tested, and widely recognized design, the gaming Embody comes in a new black and blue colorway, with plain black also available if you're going for a more sober/edgelord look. There's also a small Logitech G brand toggle on the rear, that doesn't serve any purpose that I know of and a Logitech G logo across the upper band of the backrest.
I'm not sure the Logitech collab is bringing a lot to the party, but the branding is notably light touch next to the racing-style gaming chairs that we're used to as PC gamers, and it feels classy as a result.
It's not so much the changes that make the Embody stand out as one of the best gaming chairs going. It's what's been kept the same. The tried and tested Embody design is simply one of the best chairs for office work or gaming. It's incredibly comfortable over prolonged use, supports an active and healthy posture, and is easily fitted to your frame.
Yet I wasn't sure what to expect of the Embody before it arrived. I certainly hadn't envisioned such a massive box turning up on my doorstep. First impressions, then, entirely focused on how I was going to get said box up two flights of narrow steps leading up to my apartment.
That massive box hides what is perhaps one of the Herman Miller's best features. After deciding that I had to cut the chair out of the box with a knife in my hallway, I discovered the chair was fully assembled so there was no fussing with screws or throwaway tools, which is something of a pet peeve of mine. (I'm amassing third-rate Allen keys from cheap flatpack furniture and I can't help but feel there's got to be a better way.)
The most immediately noticeable trait of this chair: You can sit in it all day and not feel a moment of discomfort beneath your tush. You may shift around your top half into all sorts of absolutely not ergonomic positions during the day but your bottom half tends to stay stuck in place at a desk, so it's important to get that just right. Thankfully, the Embody does, and it does it so well that even in comparison to highly adjustable (and admittedly, much cheaper) chairs like the Titan Evo above, it's an absolute showstopper.
The warranty, too, is a standout feature. At 12 years, including labor, and rated for 24-hour use over that time, it's a chair that is guaranteed to last you over a decade, if not longer. So while the initial price tag may seem steep, and that it is, the reality is you're certain to get your money's worth in the long run, making it the best high-end gaming chair of the lot. You might have to flash some serious cash, but your back will be thankful for it.
Read our full Herman Miller Logitech G Embody review.
The best office chair for gaming
✅ You like the clean office look: It's subtle, its clean and it'll blend in to any professional environment, although those looking for a gamer aesthetic should go elsewhere.
✅ You like proper support: While the NeueChair might not be the most relaxing of chairs, its highly supportive, and feels like it does your spine some good over a long day.
✅ You want build quality that lasts: A 12-year warranty goes a long way to explaining why this chair is constructed so well, and the confidence in the product.
❌ You like to lean back and relax: It's a focussed, professional chair this, and doesn't lend itself well to chilled out sessions.
❌ You're on a tight budget: It's expensive, there's no getting round it, and the headrest doesn't come as standard. Bit mean that, but again, this is a chair that's all business, little play.
We've been recommending the NeueChair as the best office/task chair for years, even before I joined as overlord of PC Gamer's hardware coverage. As I'd not had the privilege of trying out the chair for myself, however, I wanted to make sure that it was a recommendation I could stand behind.
But I can't. Instead, it's a recommendation I have to sit on because it sure is a comfy chair.
Coming from the same stable as the best gaming chair—the Secretlab Titan Evo—it's no surprise the NeueChair is an outstanding seat. But it is very much a task chair, an office chair and not a gaming chair.
By that I mean it's designed to be used while working at a desk, not to lounge in while kicking back with a controller in hand. It's not that it's uncomfortable in its fully reclined state, but even with the optional headrest, it's not a position that you're going to want to be sat in for a long-haul gaming session.
The active position, however, is perfectly supportive and I really feel like my spine is being looked after by that mesh backing and adjustable lumbar support. The wide seat feels good, though is certainly not as giving as some squishier gaming chairs I've parked my posterior in.
I know it's looking after my body because I can't actually get one leg underneath me to sit in my usually preferred—though posturally abysmal—relaxed working position, and if that's what you're after you'd be much better off with the TC100 Relaxed or the much wider Andaseat Kaiser XL. That being said, this chair makes me sit in the correct manner, and I do actually feel better for it while I'm sitting at my desk during the working day.
However there is still a part of me that wants to lounge around of an evening, and the NeueChair isn't designed for that. It is an office chair, after all. And one of the absolute best, too.
That's highlighted by the smart Controlshift controls located beneath each armrest. The two levers allow you to lock or unlock the recline, anywhere between its 85 - 130° possible angle, and to raise and lower the chair. The armrests themselves are a bit of a disappointment, however, given that you can only raise them on a ratchet mechanism and they don't quite go high enough for my desk. They also don't move in or out to support your elbows.
You also don't get that headrest as standard, which adds a not-inconsiderable amount to the cost of the chair if you do want it. Considering I think it's more suited to the active position than reclining, I don't actually think it's a big miss not having the headrest.
The NeueChair is certainly built to last, with a gleaming heavy industrial design that won't look out of place in the funkiest of offices. Home or otherwise. That's backed up by a hefty 12-year warranty, which goes some way to offsetting some of our concerns over its otherwise high price.
But it is the best office chair I've ever sat in, and if you're going to be at your desk most of the day working, as well as into the night gaming, then it's a worthy investment to keep your spine healthy. Though, remember, it's worth getting up and walking about every now and then.
Read our full NeueChair review.
The best gaming chair for back support
✅ You want exceptional support for your back: Well, it is in the title after all. But seriously, the ergonomic mechanisms here are superb, and will adapt to your every supportive need.
✅ You don't want to overspend: The ThunderX3 core isn't the cheapest chair in this list, but it's still very well priced for the plush comfort and great build quality it provides.
❌ You like to recline with arm support: The synchronous tilt mechanism here is very good, but its a shame the armrests don't move with it.
The ThunderX3 came outta nowhere to impress me with its wiggly backrest and affordable price tag and takes our top spot for best back support. For a new entry into the market, it's competitive with many of the best around and keeps your spine in premium comfort for less.
I know it sounds like a gimmick, but something that hit me when I sat down in this chair was that I’ve never actually sat up straight in a gaming chair. No one does. We wiggle around, we lean forward, we pull our legs up. But the ThunderX3 Core loft’s many mechanisms are able to adapt to all this tomfoolery, and I honestly don’t think I’ve had this much support for my bones since I was a wee baby coddled in my mammy’s arms.
Seriously, though, ThunderX3 has put a great deal of time and effort into forcing ergonomics on even the least ergonomically inclined, although the larger-framed amongst you may still want to take a look at the Kaiser 3 XL below. However, aside from the Lumbar 360° tech backrest feature that moves around with you as you shift in the chair, it’s got smashing, well-padded, 4D armrests, and a Sync6 mechanism I'll explain in a moment with plenty more ergonomic tricks than your average gaming chair.
That little black Sync6 box provides something called synchronous tilt, which essentially keeps the chair seat more level so even short queens like me can keep their feet firmly on the ground when they lean back. The only issue there is that the armrests don’t come with it, so leaning back you have less support for your arms.
There’s also forward seat tilt, so you can lean in when you realise your opponent is better than expected. Adjustable seat depth also means you can slide yourself forward to get in closer. The latter might be the least useful of the lot, but it comes in handy if you gotta get cosy with your PC but can’t roll any closer.
There's heaps more to this gaming chair's comfort, but I could be here all day. The point is: it's damn comfortable. If you're on a tighter budget and want maximum comfort, you want to take a look at the ThunderX3 Core.
Read our full ThunderX3 Core review.
The best gaming chair for a larger frame
✅ You want plenty of room: The Kaiser 3 XL is appropriately named, and appropriately sized. It's a great option for those with a larger frame, but if you're the sort of person that likes to spread out over a chair, it'll suit you too.
✅ You like a lot of lumbar adjustment: The built in adjustment here is comprehensive, and should provide options for just about everybody to get comfortable.
✅ You want good value: It's a lot of chair this, for not a lot of money for the huge amount of sitting space you receive.
❌ You want to adjust it often: There's plenty of adjustment here its true, but its more of a set it and forget it deal thanks to some awkward knob placement.
The Kaiser 3 XL is a fantastic chair for anyone looking for a little more wiggle room than your usual gaming seat and reigns supreme as our choice for the best gaming chair for a larger frame. The Kaiser 3 comes in two sizes: large and extra large. The large is designed to accommodate gamers 4’11 to 6’2’’ (150-190cm) and the extra large is for gamers 5’11” to 6’9” (181-210cm). We tested the extra large, and lovely it was too.
Don't be put off if you think either will be too big, however, as we found the extra large was very comfy even if you're someone of smaller proportions, with plenty of room for if you're not.
The Kaiser 3 is really into giving options. This chair is available in two types of materials, premium PVC leather and linen fabric. The premium leather comes in seven different colors, including orange, pink and blue. The linen fabric comes in two colors: carbon black and ash gray.
The Kaiser 3 reclines to 165 degrees and has two levers, one for controlling the tilt, and the other for controlling the height of the chair, raising it about three inches. These things are all great for comfort.
What I really want to get into is the Kaiser 3's really cool features that add to maximum comfort like the 4D armrests. Much like the Secretlab Titan Evo chair we love, the armrests are magnetic and are made of PU foam that makes them easy to lean on. There are three buttons on the armrest, the one placed on the outside of the armrest controls the height of it. The button on the inside of the chair near the tip of the armrest allows it to go forward and backwards and pivot left to right. The last one located underneath the armrest moves it left to right.
Continuing with the magnetic theme is the magnetic neck pillow. No straps, no struggling to clip it through the backrest. Beyond it being a really cool feature, it's helpful if you are shorter than the 5’11” that’s recommended for this chair because it’s easily adjustable up or down.
It being magnetic doesn’t take away from its comfort, either. The neck pillow is made with memory foam and has cooling technology to keep you nice and chilled as you sit in luxury.
There is no lumbar support pillow, but there is lumbar support—it’s built into the chair. And controlled by two knobs placed on the left and right sides of the frame.
As far as accessibility goes, they’re not placed in the best positions. But the knob on the left controls the lumbar support moving up and down. Which is, again, a great function depending on your height. The knob on the right side of the chair determines the firmness of the lumbar support and how much it protrudes out of the chair, and while it might not be super easy to access, it is very effective at what it does.
I can sit in this all day, and have, as it happens. It's big, proud, supremely comfortable, and well worth a look for anyone, not just those of us on the larger side of life. Biggest is sometimes best, and this substantial chair is certainly that for those of us on the larger side.
Read our full Andaseat Kaiser 3 XL review.
Also tested
How we test gaming chairs
Let's face it, we spend a lot of time here at PC Gamer sitting on our butts. And that makes us perfect candidates for testing gaming chairs. We will dedicate a significant amount of time to parking our posteriors in a variety of gaming and office chairs when it comes to testing them out because it's only really by using a chair over an extended period that you get to know where it supports you and where it might be lacking.
So, we'll use each of the gaming chairs we test as our main working seat for the time that we are testing a chair. That way we can get a feel for what it would be like to actually live with a particular piece of gaming furniture, as we would if we'd purchased it ourselves.
It also means that we can test the longevity of things like the different levers and controls over time, too. We've had issues where some cheaper brands had plastic levers that just wouldn't last.
The subjective sitting experience is the most important factor when we test gaming chairs, but the actual build experience is important, too. We don't want to have a chair that tries to take a bite out of us when we come to install the backrest or has poorly machined screw holes that don't line up.
And value is key to us as well. A chair doesn't have to be cheap, but so long as it feels like it's worth the money you're being expected to pay then it has value.
Best gaming chairs FAQ
Are gaming chairs actually bad?
Between our articles about the effects of sitting down on your body and our experimentation with standing desks, you might think PC Gamer has fallen out of love with the humble chair.
That could not be further from the truth.
As gamers and office workers, we spend a significant chunk of each day sitting on our money makers in front of screens. Given that most of us don't plan to change that anytime soon, it only makes sense to do so in a great chair. So that's what I set out to find.
We wanted to find chairs that maximized comfort, support, and value. We spoke with Melissa Afterman, MS CPE, a Senior Principal Ergonomist with VSI Risk Management & Ergonomics, Inc., who specializes in workstation setups.
"Absolutely, chairs are still okay," she told me. "Yes, we know that sitting too long is bad for you. The reality is that standing too long is just as bad for you, so the answer is movement. Taking breaks, getting up at least every hour and moving, or changing your position from standing to sitting every hour so that you're not standing too long either."
"If you're typing and working at the computer, you really want more upright support so that you can maintain neutral spine posture and let the chair hold you up," she said. "But when you switch to a gaming mode, you may want to recline a little bit to relax your lower back while still having good support in that position. So a locking backrest and/or some tension control is important."
Another feature to look for, though it tends to be found on more expensive models, is a seat pan slider. This enables you to slide the positioning of your butt forwards or backward relative to the backrest.
Are gaming chairs really worth it?
The best gaming chairs will complete your PC setup, not just from an aesthetic point of view, but because you will likely be spending hours sat in front of your machine, they will give you the support needed to keep your spine healthy too.
Is a gaming chair better than an office chair?
Nope! You can find good or bad examples of both, and believe us there are plenty. That said, some office chairs are great for gaming and vice versa, and there are 'office chairs', like the Herman Miller Embody, that blend the line between both.
Really it's about finding what's right for you, and a lot of the time that's a gaming chair because, let's be honest, you like the look of it. That's a perfectly good reason to make that decision, just make sure you're not sacrificing comfort and ergonomics for style and flair.
A cheap office chair can be a great pick if you want to save cash and be comfy.
Are gaming chairs good for your posture?
The best gaming chairs look out for you and your back. When it comes to chair design, lumbar support is vital. The first thing you should look for in a new gaming chair is whether it has any built-in support to help your body maintain an ideal posture. Some even come with lumbar support pillows that work to some extent. Multi-adjustable arm-rests, upholstery, and general style are also important; note these features aren't cheap.
That said, a gaming chair can't do everything. The best gaming chairs encourage good posture, but the other half of the equation is on you to stick to it.
Does every gaming chair fit every body type?
Different chair models accommodate different heights and weights, so make sure to check your fit. Look at the width and depth of the seat, too. Some chairs claim that you should sit cross-legged, but that depends on your size and legs' length.
