The best gaming chairs 2023

The best gaming chairs are worth investing in if you spend a lot of time gaming at your desk — or even working from home. Besides making an aesthetic statement, these stylish pieces of home office furniture can also save your back from poor posture. While the best gaming chairs typically cost a lot more than a standard office chair, they can also liven up a room.

Tom’s Guide has tested and reviewed a variety of different gaming chairs including favorites from manufacturers like Secretlab, Anda Seat and Razer. While you will have to decide for yourself whether to go with a gaming chair or one of the best office chairs, one thing is for sure: any of these chairs will be a whole lot better than that ancient office chair you should have replaced a long time ago. If you want to be even more active during your gaming sessions though, it might also be worth pairing a gaming chair with one of the best standing desks. 

Short on space? Then you might want to consider The Foldable Gaming Chair instead.

The quick list

Below you'll find everything you need to know about the best gaming chairs at a glance. Whether you're looking for a chair with a mesh back to keep you cool or extra padding for more comfort, there's something here for every budget.

The full list: Best gaming chairs in detail

Tom’s Guide is not the first tech site to recommend the Secretlab Omega as the best gaming chair, and we won’t be the last. This chair has it all: a comfortable design, plenty of adjustable features and enough color schemes and available materials to please even the pickiest gamer. Whether you’re working, gaming or even streaming (the Secretlab Omega is a great favorite among popular YouTube streamers), this chair can keep you propped upright for even the longest sessions.

There’s not much going against the Secretlab Omega; even its price is pretty modest. However, depending on which model you want, a chair may take a long time to ship. Furthermore, the lumbar support isn’t all that it could be, particularly since all you’ll get is a nonadjustable pillow. Still, the Secretlab Omega (and similar, larger Secretlab Chairs) is the gold standard for a reason.

Read our full Secretlab Omega review.

The best budget gaming chair

The absolute best gaming chairs you can buy are very expensive. There’s no getting around that. That’s why we give the FlexiSpot Gaming Chair GC01 at least a mild recommendation. This no-frills gaming chair costs less than $200, and still offers the bold design and adjustable features that players expect in a gaming chair. You can change the angle of the backrest; you can adjust the height; you can even extend and retract a footrest. That’s pretty rare, even among gaming chairs.

There are some drawbacks, however. The material doesn’t feel especially premium, and will wear down over time. The adjustment settings aren’t nearly as precise as many of the FlexiSpot Gaming Chair GC01’s competitors.  The lumbar support is also somewhat lacking, offering only a pillow that never quite sits right. Still, this is the way to go if you’re on a tight budget.

Read our full FlexiSpot Gaming Chair GC01 review.

The best gaming chair to keep you cool

The Mavix M7 opts for a mesh design rather than the fabric, pleather or leather of most of its competitors. This is a cool decision — in more ways than one. Not only does the M7 do a better job circulating air around your body, but it also simply looks extremely sharp. Even beyond the material, the Mavix M7 is an impressive piece of furniture, with lots of ways to adjust the height and angle, as well as a comfortable headrest.

Tall people in particular may enjoy the Mavix M7’s large frame and high weight limit. But this accommodation comes at a price: Namely, the backrest is a bit of a pain to manipulate. While you won’t have to do this too often, it’s still tough to find a height that fits your frame perfectly.

Read our full Mavix M7 review.

The best gaming chair for tall people

Most gaming chairs have users between 5’6” and 6’2” in mind. If you’re significantly taller than that, the AndaSeat T-Pro 2 may be the way to go. This huge chair can support individuals up to 6’10” and 400 pounds, making it an excellent choice for any gamers you know who also happen to be professional basketball players. Beyond that, the chair also features an elegant, understated design and an extremely comfortable build — provided you’re tall enough for it, anyway.

Naturally, gamers on the shorter side of the spectrum need not apply here. (AndaSeat does, however, produce other models with more averagely sized gamers in mind.) Furthermore, setting the chair up for the first time isn’t the easiest or more intuitive process. Beyond that, the AndaSeat T-Pro 2 is one of the best gaming chairs on the market.

Read our full AndaSeat T-Pro 2 review.

The best ergonomic gaming chair

The Razer Iskur is an unusual gaming chair, in that it comes from an electronics manufacturer, rather than a furniture creator. Gamers know Razer as a purveyor of mice, keyboards, headsets and laptops, but the Iskur demonstrates that the company is also quite good at making chairs. The chair is comfortable overall. But what really sets it apart from its competitors is its adjustable pneumatic lumbar support, which works much better than a pillow.

There are a few drawbacks to the Iskur, however. The neck pillow doesn’t sit quite right for shorter players, while the logos can be pretty loud and obnoxious, even by gaming chair standards. Still, in terms of comfort and customizability, the Iskur is hard to beat. Just be sure to get a friend or family member to help construct it.

Read our full Razer Iskur review.

How to choose the best gaming chair for you

There are a few general guidelines to keep in mind when choosing the best gaming chair for you. Price an important consideration, as cheap chairs may retail for less than $200, while premium models can soar past $1,000. The sweet spot tends to be somewhere between $300 and $700. Just pretend that you’re picking out a fancy office chair, and the same general pricing should apply.

You should also be sure that the chair you have in mind supports your height and weight requirements. If you’re too short, your feet won’t touch the ground; if you’re too tall or too heavy, the chair might scrunch up your legs, or buckle over time.

Finally, it’s worth considering what kind of lumbar support a chair offers, and how prone you are to lower back pain. A simple pillow might cut it if you sit properly by default; if your posture needs some work, you may want a more rigid back support system. A good chair should last for at least two to three years, so you’ll want something that can stand up to hours and hours of everyday use.

How we test the best gaming chairs

Every writer weighs in on their experience and then a single editor analyzes and evaluates all of the quantitative specs, as well as each writer’s qualitative observations.

When testing gaming chairs, writers evaluate how easy they are to set up, how many adjustment options are available, and how easy it is to customize the chair's settings. Then, of course, they sit in the chair for a long time while both working and gaming, to see how well the comfort holds up over time. Since comfort is highly subjective, writers also try to compare how many features a gaming chair offers versus other competitors in the same price range.

For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.

Gaming chair FAQ

Are gaming chairs good for you?

There's no medical evidence that gaming chairs are better for your back than a comparable office chair. It's mostly a matter of aesthetics.

Does a gaming chair make a difference?

It depends on what kind of chair you're coming from. If you already own a comfortable, high-end office chair, a gaming chair is not going to be much of an upgrade. If you've been sitting on a cheap office chair, or another kind of chair entirely, a gaming chair could be a huge step up.

How to properly sit on a gaming chair

There's no single "proper" way to sit on a gaming chair, as most gaming chairs offer a variety of ways to customize the seat to better fit your body size and type. Generally speaking, the best way to sit in any chair is straight up, with your arms at desk level, and your back in a neutral spine position.

Should I get a gaming chair or an office chair?

Tom's Guide doesn't have a strong recommendation on this topic. The two products serve the same purpose, and occupy roughly the same price range. Generally speaking, if you want a chair with flashy, pronounced aesthetics, get a gamer chair; if you want a chair that's a little more subdued, get an office chair. There are exceptions on both sides, however.

Why do gaming chairs have pillows?

Not every gaming chair has a pillow, but for those that do, it's to offer additional lumbar support. Your upper back tends to make better contact with a chair than your lower back, so many gaming chairs include pillows so that your lower back will have something pressing up against it. Other gaming chairs also include neck pillows, for similar reasons.