Best Gaming Chairs in 2022

Secretlab has been around since 2015. With its Throne, Omega, and Titan dedicated gaming chairs, as well as partnerships with various esports teams and companies such as Blizzard, the company has garnered a reputation as one of the best gaming chair brands on the market. 

The Omega is very similar to the company’s famous Titan model but designed for small to medium-size body types. The backrest is 32” long and 21” wide on the Omega, compared to the Titan’s 34” and 23”. While its maximum capacity is 240 lbs, SL says the optimum weight for the chair is around 175 lbs. 

Two more things differentiate the Omega and the Titan - the price (currently $359 for the Omega and $399 for the Titan) and the fact that the Omega doesn’t have adjustable lumbar support. Instead, there are velour support pillows for your head and back.

Secretlab gaming chairs can be divisive. Velour does annoy some people, but we consider the comfort and support of this chair excellent for its price range. At just over 350 bucks, it’s also one of the best budget gaming chairs around - not the cheapest, but you do get a very well-made chair for the asking price.

It’s a fairly sturdy chair that feels very firm at first, but once you get used to the sensation, it does get more comfortable. The chair provides height adjustment, 165 degrees of backward recline, and comfortable armrests that can be moved in four directions to fit your arms better. 

There’s also a wide selection of color options and three distinctly different base materials: PU leather, SoftWeave, and napa leather. PU leather is the cheapest option, while the most expensive gaming chair in this range comes with Napa leather. We found the patented SoftWeave fabric gaming chair to be the most comfortable and best value for money. 

Overall, this is a very solid effort from Secretlab. The Omega gaming chair is a realistic replica of a racing seat that offers plenty of bang for your buck. 

Remember, though, that it’s aimed at smaller to medium-build body types. If you’re over 6 feet tall or cannot live without adjustable lumbar support, consider other gaming chairs such as the SL’s Titan model for a similar but more comfortable experience at a slightly higher price.

Noblechairs is a well-respected brand in the gaming industry. Known for its Epic, Hero, and Icon chairs, the company targets the slightly more expensive mid-range and high-end gaming chair markets. 

The Icon is the brand’s most popular premium gaming chair and is generally considered a bit more comfortable than the Epic and Hero models. It’s also a very elegantly designed chair, which is perfect if you’re looking for a slightly more understated look than is typical of most gaming chairs. This makes the Icon one of the best office chairs for gaming - you can definitely do some serious gaming on this beauty, but its look and features don’t make it seem out of place in a typical office space, either. 

Like the Secretlab Omega, the Icon is a very sturdy and firm-feeling chair, but it does “break in” after extended usage and becomes a lot more comfortable. The flipside is that it offers very good lumbar support - you just have to get used to a chair that won’t coddle your back and let you ruin your posture. It may not be the best gaming chair for posture from this list, but it does come pretty close.

Another benefit of the sturdy construction is that it can support heavier people; the chair is rated to support up to 330 lbs, which is up there with the largest chairs on the market, such as the Titan and Titan XL models. 

The chair comes in four versions: real leather, high-tech faux leather, fabric, and synthetic leather. 

The Icon provides a recline of 90 to 135 degrees, which isn’t very impressive compared to some other models on our list, but should be plenty for anyone who isn’t planning on sleeping in their new gaming chair horizontally. While the armrests aren’t padded, they do come with all sorts of adjustments, including sideways tilting, which ensures your wrists will be well supported no matter how you sit. 

Overall, the Icon is one of the best gaming chairs in 2022. It’s a great option for people looking for a mix between gaming and office chairs. However, it does come at a premium, and there are definitely cheaper options out there.

Corsair is really not a company that needs much introduction. The California-based tech giant has been a household name in the computer industry since 1994 and has made its name selling quality enthusiast components ranging from power supplies to headsets. 

It has only recently entered the gaming chair business, though, with its T1 RACE chair launch back in 2017. The T3 is the company’s third model and, at just shy of $300, represents perhaps the best chair for gaming on a budget. It also offers a fabric option that’s around $50 cheaper than the Omega model from Secretlab but arguably doesn’t have as nice a finish.

Compared to some other racing seat brands, Corsair has opted for fairly subdued aesthetics here. It’s a racer gaming chair through and through, but with mostly grayish color options, you won’t find outlandish designs here. That’s perfect if you’re a fan of racing chairs but not of their often garish color schemes. 

It’s also a fair bit lighter than many other top gaming chairs, such as the ICON and Omega models, weighing in at just under 50 lbs. The downside is that while the chair supports a reasonable 264.5 lbs max weight, it’s best used by people of average stature and can get a bit uncomfortable if you are a taller/larger person.

What is very comfortable is the 180-degree recline, which basically allows you to get completely horizontal and take a nap between your gaming sessions. In fact, the chair itself is surprisingly comfortable due to the memory foam pillows and soft fabric construction. While it may not be one of the best gaming chairs for people looking for firm back support, it definitely takes less time to get comfortable than some other racing models we’ve reviewed.

One thing that keeps this Corsair gaming chair from getting top marks despite its relatively affordable price is its arguably poor build quality. The base is plastic and the armrests, despite having the same 4D adjustability options as the Noblechairs ICON, feel very wobbly and cheaply made. 

It’s not a dealbreaker, and you won’t break the chair or the armrests easily. Still, Corsair could have done better here, considering that most competitors in this price range feature a metal base. Overall, though, it’s reasonable value and one of the more comfortable chairs out there, which is why it makes our top 10 list.

When it comes to gaming chairs, Michigan-based DXRacer is a veteran in the market. Having started as a sports car seat manufacturer in 2001, the company moved into the esports chair market in 2006, at a time when the likes of Corsair weren't still making chairs and companies like Noblechairs and Secretlab didn’t even exist yet. 

The DXRacer Classic Series is a slightly larger and wider chair, perfect for people who find standard-sized gaming chairs a bit too constraining. The backrest, for example, is a generous 33 inches tall, while the whole chair is 21 inches deep and 24 inches wide. It’s not a gaming seat for particularly heavy people, but it is definitely one of the most comfortable chairs for gaming if you’re taller than average. 

The specifications claim a capacity of up to 275 lbs, but we feel that the Classic would have no issues with people up to 300 lbs; its sturdy aluminum base inspires confidence that it could withstand more than the somewhat conservative manufacturer estimate.

The backrest is very comfortable with or without the included lumbar pillow. While it perhaps doesn’t offer as firm support as some other competitors, it is very comfortable to sit in for extended periods of time. 

One problem you may encounter is the armrests being too low, even in the highest position. Additionally, be aware that this DXRacer gaming chair is available in only two colors and only comes in PU leather. 

Despite this, it’s one of the most comfortable office chair models we’ve reviewed, unless you tend to sweat a lot. Unfortunately, PU leather is one of the least breathable materials around. The aforementioned armrests are not as flimsy as those on the Corsair chair, but also feature only up, down, left, and right adjustments, with no sideways tilting options. 

We feel that the limited color palette doesn’t hurt the DXRacer chair too much, as the overall design is subdued yet classy and will easily fit into any gaming setup. Taste is, of course, an individual thing, but if you’re not a fan of garish “gaming” color schemes, you’ll appreciate what DXRacer has tried to achieve here. Overall, while it’s far from being the cheapest chair around, we feel that the DXRacer is a great chair and a good rival for the similarly priced Secretlab Titan and other competitors in this market segment.

Despite what the name suggests, Arozzi is an Italian brand in name only. The Swedish esports company has built up a reputation for fairly affordable and well-made gaming hardware, including comfortable chairs for gaming, microphones, protective eyewear, and high-quality gaming desks.

The Verona Junior is the company’s smallest and cheapest model, although be warned that if you’re buying from Amazon, you’ll pay a fair amount more in the US than what you’d get on the official site. 

Still, if you are looking for the best gaming chairs under 200 bucks, you’ll only find that price during a sale. Just be aware that this is a gaming chair for those of small stature; it can only take up to 132 lbs of weight and weighs around 40 lbs itself. 

The color and material options are also fairly limited - you only get artificial leather and the four standard gaming chair colors: black, blue, red, and white.

The Verona Junior is a fairly comfortable chair with plenty of adjustment options. You can recline it up to 165 degrees in four increments that can be locked in place. You can also lock the armrests vertically, but unlike the best computer chairs on the market, locking them on the horizontal axis isn’t possible. This means that, while the armrests can be moved up, down, left, and right freely, they do move around from side to side and are too easy to dislodge from their positions accidentally if you move around in your chair. 

The back and neck pillows are very comfortable, though, and the shallow back of the chair lets you sit deeper, which provides more support for the lower back and hips.

Overall, this is a pretty solid chair from Arozzi. It’s a fantastic option for children and smaller people - just don’t expect it to compete with a Secretlab Titan. We just wish that the armrests were a bit better and that you could get it cheaper in the States.

GTRacing is a popular budget gaming chair brand from China. It first entered the local market in 2013 with office chairs, and then expanded to the US and beyond with its dedicated gaming chair offerings in 2015. 

The GTRacing Pro Series is an affordable gaming chair that sacrifices some higher-quality construction materials to provide you with a lot of useful features usually not found in this price range. You get a large 170 degrees of recline in three steps starting from 90 degrees, as well as very comfortable pillows for your back and neck. 

You can also swivel 360 degrees, and there is a standard height adjustment lever and a rocking function, too. The armrests are also adjustable, but unlike the top-rated gaming chairs on the market, you can only move them up and down or rotate them. Full left and right adjustment would have been nice, but let’s not forget that the GTRacing gaming chair sits in a price bracket where any armrest adjustments at all are more than welcome. 

The other commendable thing about the chair is that, while it weighs only 50 lbs (much lighter than the likes of chairs from DXRacer, Secretlab, or Noblechairs), it can comfortably seat people weighing up to 330 lbs. That said, there are a lot of plastic parts in this chair, which doesn't inspire confidence in its longevity. 

Similarly, even though it’s one of the best cheap gaming chairs around, the upholstery work isn’t much better than okay; we doubt that the stitching would hold up to much abuse. You also have to consider that PU leather generally gets very hot compared to fabric or even real leather, but this is a problem common to artificial leather chairs.

Overall, the Pro Series is a great bargain that’s well worth a look, in our opinion. It might not meet the standards of a Secretlab Titan or a Noblechairs ICON, but there’s a reason it is considered one of the best gaming chairs on Reddit - you get a lot of bang for your buck with this chair. 

There are definitely cheaper models out there, and there are certainly much more comfortable and high-end seats on the market, but PC gamers would have trouble finding another chair with this many features at this price.

We’ve mentioned that the GTRacing Pro Series is probably our favorite gaming chair on a budget. But what if even that budget is too much to spend on your next gaming chair? 

Is it possible to get a decent and comfortable desk chair for under $100? According to OFM, it used to be. Nevertheless, inflation has done its damage, and now the ESS-3085 is $120 or more, depending on where you find it. But let’s see if this true budget model, made by a company in the furniture business since 1995, is really worth your time and money.

The ESS-3085 is one of several models in OFM’s lineup of ultra-affordable office chairs, which includes the 3083 and 3086 models, as well as the more expensive 6066, with separate head and neck pillows. The latter is arguably a better chair due to those, but we’re looking for the best cheap gaming chair under $150 here.

So, what does around 120 bucks get you in a gaming chair these days? Well, for starters, a mix of mesh and faux leather that is fairly comfortable in general but gets rather hot over extended periods of gaming. 

We were unable to test this chair thoroughly over a longer period, but various gaming chair reviews on the internet have found that the budget materials in the chair hold up reasonably well over moderate use. It’s not going to come close to matching the durability of the best-rated gaming chairs on the market, but you shouldn’t really expect that for under $150.

There are also reasonably comfy armrests that can flip up if you want them out of the way. Unfortunately, that’s the only possible adjustment, meaning that horizontal or vertical tuning to find the perfect angle for your arms is impossible. 

Speaking of adjustments, the ESS-3085 offers standard height adjustment, a 360-degree swivel, and a 165-degree maximum reclining angle, which puts you almost horizontal. 

Overall, if you’re on a really tight budget, this gaming chair will serve you well for the asking price and even has features usually found on more expensive models, such as its large recline angle.

We’ve talked about various gaming chairs so far - racing models, office-like models, premium leather-clad models, and dirt-cheap budget models. Now it’s time to present a true heavyweight, one of the best-known and most beloved task chairs on the market. 

The majority of gaming chair manufacturers on our list are less than 20 years old, but Steelcase has been around since 1912. While that alone doesn’t mean much, the Michigan-based company’s stellar track record certainly does. So what makes the Leap the best premium gaming chair on our list, you ask? Let’s take a look.

First off, let’s talk about ergonomics. While the best gaming chairs all have various ergonomic features, not all gaming chairs can boast technology as sophisticated as SC’s patented LiveBack system. 

It’s an innovative system that was first introduced with the initial version of the Leap chair in 1999. While most gaming chairs either require manual fidgeting or don’t provide varied levels of back/recline support, LiveBack technology allows for the specially engineered tension mechanisms in the chair to automatically adjust to your weight and how much you’re pressing back into the chair. 

This means the chair keeps seamlessly supporting your back, no matter how much you fumble around. A potential downside is that this isn’t really a chair you should lie down in, so the maximum reclining angle is only around 120 degrees.

As with all the best PC gaming chairs, adjustability options are extensive. The armrests on the Leap can be moved up and down, left and right, and even tilted and rotated sideways to find that perfect spot that works for you. They are also nicely padded for extra comfort. 

You can adjust the seat’s height and depth, as well as further fine-tuning how the LiveBack’s lumbar support will work. There are five seat tilt lock positions in total. The only thing you cannot adjust is the back height, but very few people should find that problematic given how well your back is supported in this chair. 

Whether or not it’s the best gaming chair for you will ultimately come down to taste, but with a maximum supported weight of 400 lbs, even taller and more heavily built people shouldn’t have much trouble finding a comfortable configuration.

To sum up, the Steelcase Leap was not exactly conceived as a gaming throne. Instead, at the time it came out, it was meant to take on the world’s heavyweights like the Herman Miller Aeron in the heavily contested office chair market. It just so happens that spending long gaming sessions in a chair that will support your body properly is a shared goal that gaming has with office work. 

In the end, this understated but top-rated office chair has proved to have serious gaming chops as well. It doesn’t come cheap, but trust us, it’s definitely worth it. And if you end up testing and loving the Leap but want a cheaper option, perhaps consider its mid-range Think model instead.

XRocker has been around since 2005. The company has focused chiefly on the rocker gaming chair market, having recently expanded into pedestal territory with this model, the X Rocker Pro Series 2.1. 

XRocker says this is the best chair for gaming with a controller, and after gaming in it for a few days, we can confirm that’s not far from the mark. This is a fantastic gaming chair for the PS4, Xbox One, or those brave people who opt for wireless couch gaming in front of their gaming TVs.

Let’s talk about the ergonomics of the chair first. Built as a pedestal-type seat, it is basically a rocker that has been put on a base that can swivel and tilt but doesn’t really provide lean-back and reclining functionalities. It’s probably not the best PC gaming chair, as the position you sit in favors a controller or some sort of comfortable lapboard, ideally with a wireless mouse and keyboard setup. 

The seat itself has a built-in head pillow but no separate back or neck pillows. There is only one color and material option available - you’re stuck with black PU leather, which can get pretty hot over long gaming sessions but is otherwise very comfortable to sit in. 

The included armrests are one of the weak points. They are not necessarily uncomfortable, but the build quality is very questionable, and there’s very little in the way of adjustment options. 

Its wireless audio and easy console connectivity make it one of the best console gaming chairs we’ve tested. The two speakers flanking your head and the subwoofer located underneath you provide pretty good and immersive sound, but don’t expect audiophile-level quality in this price range. Still, how many gaming chairs with speakers do you know of, especially ones with decent sound quality?

A Bluetooth connection also allows it to transmit vibrations for a more immersive movie or gaming experience. Alternatively, you can use the tech inside the chair for a light massage while you’re gaming or relaxing. It’s truly a best-buy gaming chair if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution to seating and gaming audio on a budget.  

There’s an easily accessible control panel on the right side of the chair, and the Pro Series can even be synced up with other chairs to receive audio and haptic input from the same source. Just remember that there are no battery packs included; you need to power this chair the traditional way, so make sure you’re close to a power outlet. 

So, all in all, how does the XRocker Pro stack up? We’d say pretty damn well. There are drawbacks, of course, such as the flimsy armrests and the lack of reclining options or built-in batteries, but overall you really can’t beat the wealth of features that this chair gets you for less than $200.

Remember OFM? The brand that gave us the cheapest gaming chair around with the OFM Essentials ESS-3085 also offers a Respawn series of gaming chairs. At just under $300, it’s the company’s most expensive offering but fits somewhere in the middle of the range for recliners. So how does it hold up? Let’s find out.

To start, we have to applaud Respawn for making a chair that’s really easy to set up. The entire process takes less than 40 minutes and is clearly explained - it’s one of the best computer gaming chairs we’ve reviewed in this regard. 

The chair itself has some nice adjustability options, such as separate levers to control the backrest and tilt the leg rest up or down. Speaking of the leg rest, it is generally comfortable, but perhaps a little short if you’re over six feet tall. The same goes for back support; if you’re a shorter or smaller-statured person, the recliner will be a joy to use, but taller or more heavily built gamers might find it too constraining. It’s not terrible, but if chair back support is your primary concern, there are better options out there.

When it comes to the armrests, the padding and size are very comfortable, but as with standard recliners, there are no adjustment options here. The recliner design is, of course, very different from that of the best computer chairs for gaming that are made in the racing style. There is a handy cup holder on the left armrest, though, which is a nice touch. 

Unlike the X Rocker Pro Series, the Respawn 900 does feature a reclining function. That said, it only goes to around 135 degrees, which is generally less than what’s found on typical gaming chairs on the market. The cone-shaped base also provides tilting options and 360-degree swiveling, which gives you plenty of mobility considering the stationary nature of a chair without wheels. There’s also a fairly comfy detachable head pillow, although we find the headrest on the XRocker model to be better. 

Overall, is the Respawn 900 one of the best gaming chairs we’ve ever reviewed? Nope. Is it the most comfortable recliner on the market? Definitely not. Is it pretty much the only option we have for a gaming recliner on the market right now and a pretty good deal for the price, though? Yes! 

Unless you are a tall or large person, it’s almost as comfortable as the much more expensive traditional recliners while offering some unique gaming features to boot. If you need the comfort of a gaming couch and aren’t willing to spend a small fortune, this is a pretty good deal and is definitely more comfortable than any traditional racing chair.