If you enjoy gaming at your desk on PC or console, then upgrading to one of the best gaming chairs is a worthwhile investment as doing so will help keep you comfortable even during long play sessions.
Unlike the best office chairs which are meant to blend in, gaming chairs often stand out thanks to their unique designs and materials. Likewise, while many ergonomic chairs such as the Herman Miller Aeron aren’t available with a headrest, while every one of the best gaming chairs does and many even come with a headrest pillow for added comfort.
We’ve tested and reviewed over a dozen of the best gaming chairs from top brands like Secretlab, Razer and AndaSeat to help you find the perfect one for your body type, battlestation and even your play style.
The quick list
The Secretlab Titan Evo is a well-built and exceedingly comfortable gaming chair available in multiple sizes and materials.
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The DXRacer Craft is a mid-range gaming chair that's available in loads of different colors and themes.
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Looking for an even more luxurious experience than the titan? This model has an upgraded seat unlike anything you've sat in.
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The Razer Iskur V2 is a vastly improved gaming chair thanks to its upgraded lumbar support system.
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The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 is an extremely comfortable gaming chair with great lumbar support.
The Razer Fujin Pro is an all-mesh gaming chair that looks more like an office chair.
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The best gaming chairs you can buy today
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The best gaming chair overall
The Secretlab Titan Evo series remains one of the best options for those looking for a premium gaming chair. It starts as low as $549 for the small or regular sizes but opting for the extra large size bumps up the price slightly. The same goes for when you choose the softweave fabric version at checkout while the NAPA leather finish can push the Secretlab Titan Evo up to around $1,000 in total. As this is a gaming chair you can customize to your liking, it’s better to buy one directly from Secretlab if you plan on going this route.
The Secretlab Titan Evo is immediately recognizable and this sleek and attractive chair forgoes the blatant branding you’ll find with cheaper options. There’s just a “T” on the backrest with the Secretlab logo on the headrest pillow. Speaking of the headrest pillow, it's unbelievably soft, made of memory foam and attaches with a magnet so that you can adjust it on the fly. The Secretlab Titan Evo also features a 4-way adjustable lumbar support and swappable armrest cushions. The chair allows you to recline up to 165 degrees and the L-ADAPT Lumbar Support System can be adjusted using knobs on either side of the chair. Likewise the 4D armrests can be turned in or out and with Secretlab’s CloudSwap tech, you can easily pop off their foam cushions and replace them down the line.
We found assembling the Secretlab Titan Evo to be a quick and easy affair as the company includes a bracket on the side of the seat that slides onto the seat pan and holds everything in place while you screw it all together. The unboxing experience also had a premium feel to it and the included instructions were clear and straightforward. The Secretlab Titan Evo is one of the best gaming chairs you can buy today even with its higher asking price.
Read our full Secretlab Titan Evo review.
The best gaming chair for value
The DXRacer Craft is a sturdy, comfortable gaming chair that costs only slightly more than the Boulies Ninja Pro. The chair is available from the company’s website for $449 for the standard version with the extra large version comes in at $499. The DXRacer Craft is only available in black gray if you choose the woven fabric variant while there are loads of different color combinations including black, black and red, black and white and gray as well as different designs if you opt for the EPU leatherette version. From your favorite eSports team to games like Dead by Daylight and Final Fantasy 16, you can easily pick out a chair to match your taste in gaming.
The DXRacer Craft is a bit heavy on the company branding with the DXRacer logo stitched into the upper section of the front of the chair, in the headrest and along the back of the chair. Likewise, the word “Craft” is featured in large, bold letters on the font of the seat pan and on little tags along the side and back of the chair. Still, the DXRacer Craft has a memory foam headrest, 4D armrests and an adjustable lumbar support system.
We found the unboxing experience to be pretty standard with the DXRacer Craft but the actual assembly was quite easy. Most of the pieces are more or less ready to connect to the next piece with little extra work required. The chair also has a bracket that slides in and holds the seat pan and backrest together during assembly. The DXRacer Craft may be on the more basic side when it comes to gaming chairs but it’s priced accordingly and there are plenty of customization options to tailor it to your liking.
Read our full DXRacer Craft review.
The best premium gaming chair upgrade
We love the standard Titan quite a lot as is, but the upgrades the Evo NanoGen gets are so substantial that they warrant a mention of their own.
The most notable upgrade you're getting with this chair is with its seat, which is made out of a buttery soft leatherette material that, as our tester found, "blurs the line between leather and cloth." It's the softest chair we've ever tested, but not in a way that makes it feel deflated when you sit on it for too long. It's supportive, it keeps its shape after long periods of use, and it molds perfectly to your body to fill every gap while you're sitting.
There's also upgraded foam cushioning on the armrests, which can be a godsend if you're using a controller with your elbows splayed out to the sides. Normally, these cushions are a $70 upcharge on other Titan models, but they're baked into the price here.
The only issue we truly have with this chair is that there aren't many color options. You've got your black and white options, but that's it. Meanwhile, the lower-end models have dozens of designs. This is certainly a consequence of this chair's novelty to the market, and we're hoping to see more substantial colorways in the future.
Read our full Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen review.
The best gaming chair for back pain
The Razer Iskur V2 is a premium gaming chair that’s been completely redesigned to fix one of the biggest complaints with the original Iskur: its backrest. The chair costs $649 and can be configured in either black PU leather or dark gray fabric. The leather version of the Razer Iskur V2 actually comes in two variants though: an all-black version and one with green trim and a green Razer logo on the headrest.
The Razer Iskur V2 is an attractive and stylish gaming chair regardless of which version you pick. It has a detachable headrest pillow which is contoured to provide optimal cervical ergonomics and also sports 4D armrests. However, the star of the show is the Razer Iskur V2’s new 6D lumbar support that can be adjusted using knobs on either side of the chair. If you like to sit closer to your desk, you can have the backrest pushed forward and the same goes if you like to sit farther away with the backrest pushed back. It also swivels in any direction so that your back is fully supported no matter which way you’re leaning in the chair.
We found that just like the Secretlab Titan Evo, the Razer Iskur V2 was extremely straight-forward to put together and it was also easy to unbox. The detailed instructions were helpful and simple to follow but we were also really impressed with the handy tool that Razer includes to make removing and reapplying screws feel effortless. The chair includes a bracket on the side of the seat that allowed us to easily slide the backrest into its seat pan during assembly too. The Razer Iskur V2 is a top-notch gaming chair that won’t disappoint, especially if you have back problems or just want some extra lumbar support.
Read our full Razer Iskur V2 review.
The best gaming chair for big and tall
The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 is a very comfortable gaming chair with a more subtle look to it. The chair costs $499 if you choose the large version or $549 if you go with the extra large option. The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 is available in either PVC leather or linen fabric. The leather version has the seven color options which include black, orange, brown, maroon, white, pink, and blue while the linen fabric edition comes in either black or gray.
The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 looks like a typical gaming chair due its design but fortunately, most of the company’s branding is on the back of the chair as opposed to on the front. However, AndaSeat is written on the headrest pillow and the company’s logo is visible at the top of the backrest. As for adjustability, the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 has a 4-way lumbar support adjustment system that’s similar though not quite as advanced as the one found in the Razer Iskur V2. There are also 4D armrests and a metal lever beneath them lets you fine tune the height and other aspects of this gaming chair.
We found the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 to be very easy to assemble, though the unboxing experience wasn’t particularly interesting. The chair came well-protected and AndaSeat includes a thick, detailed manual with clear and concise instructions as well as plenty of pictures. Like other higher-end gaming chairs, this one also has a bracket on the right side that makes it easier to slide the back of the chair into the seat pan during assembly. The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 is an unassuming but aesthetically pleasing gaming chair that’s both roomy and cozy.
Read our full AndaSeat Kaiser 3 review.
The best gaming chair for your home office
The Razer Fujin Pro is somewhat of an outlier on this list as it’s an all-mesh gaming chair that would look equally as good in the office as it would next to a gaming PC. It’s actually priced higher than the Razer Iskur V2 at $1049 but there aren’t any add-ons or upgrades to worry about. If you’re on a tighter budget though, you could pick up the standard Razer Fujin though it lacks the aluminum alloy frame and mesh headrest found on the pro model. The chair is only available in black but it has a very sleek and professional look to it unlike most gaming chairs.
The Razer Fujin Pro looks more like an office chair than a gaming chair and at first glance, you might mistake it for the X-Chair X2 or other all-mesh office chairs. The chair’s headrest, backrest and seat pan are all made from mesh which could be beneficial for those who tend to get hot while gaming. There’s barely any branding to be seen except for its name which is stitched into a small area on the front of the chair and the Razer logo on the top of the backrest. The Razer Fujin Pro does have built-in lumbar support and we were impressed by how it shifts forward and backward based on the weight you’re applying to it. There are also 4D armrests with very comfortable padding.
We found that the Razer Fujin Pro was very easy to put together thanks to its straightforward assembly process and clear instructions. All of the parts came well-protected and wrapped in padding too. Attaching the seat pan to the backrest was the hardest part but if you have someone to help, everything will go a whole lot smoother. The Razer Fujin Pro is the perfect office/gaming chair hybrid that really gives you the best of both worlds when it comes to comfort and looks.
Read our full Razer Fujin Pro review.
Also tested
The six chairs we listed above aren't the only one's we've given a go. There are plenty more quality chairs that didn't make the cut, and we'll elucidate the reason why they aren't one of the best here.
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.
Gaming chair vs office chair
Though gaming chairs and office chairs are both stellar centerpieces for a desk setup, they're built for two diametrically opposed functions: leisure and business. As such, they have plenty of key differences that affect how you sit in each type of chair.
First and foremost, gaming chairs are far more likely to have large backrests and a headrest, whereas most office chairs have a more subdued profile. Both offer plenty of ergonomic support for your back (at least if you invest in a quality one), but gaming chairs tend to be a bit more liberal with their padding and recline angles. This difference comes down to posture: when you're relaxing mid-game, you're far more inclined to lean back into your seat, whereas you may find yourself a bit more poised during the workday as you churn out important tasks.
Office chairs also tend to be more aesthetically subdued since they're intended for a more professional environment. Gaming chairs, on the other hand, are a bit louder with their presentation. If your job has a more formal vibe, you hop on a lot of video calls, and you only have one desk, a high-back office chair may be a good compromise. Otherwise, we wager you'll appreciate the added comfort of a headrest at the end of a long online session.
How we test the best gaming chairs
At Tom's Guide, thorough testing is the central pillar of all of our roundups. We're not just ripping these chairs out of their box, snapping a few photos, then rewording the marketing verbiage to sound more journalistic — every one of the chairs we've tested has gone through a rigorous review process that analyzes every dimension of a chair's quality relative to its price.
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, naturally, 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.
