Best gaming chair 2021: the best PC gaming chairs

Are the gaming chairs really worth the hype? The best ones are. These thrones for gaming, many of which are modelled after the bucket seats of racing cars, are designed with avid gamers in mind. That means that they are specifically created to make hours of gaming sessions less unbearable, even the affordable ones touting high backs, lumbar support pillows, and many adjustments for the ultimate comfort.

More to their credit, an excellent gaming chair can be a fantastic home office seat as well. In fact, competition in this area has driven up quality to the extent some are much better options than expensive dedicated office chairs. A handful has even toned down the gamer aesthetic in order to better serve this dual purpose.

Whether you just want a dedicated gaming chair or you’re looking for something that can moonlight as your work chair to save money, you can trust that the best of them will see you through your sessions without back and shoulder pain. So, we gathered these aces and put them on this list for you to peruse, alongside our price comparison tool to help you score the best deal.

How to choose the best gaming chair for you?

Congratulations! You’ve just set up your new, shiny gaming PC, and you want to take it out for a proper spin around the Steam games catalogue.

Not so fast. Before you dive into a work day’s worth of gaming or a proper all-nighter, you need to make sure that your chair is up to the task of keeping things comfortable and pain-free in your body. Luckily, most gaming chairs are designed with that in mind. 

Still, some offer more comfort or come with better features than others. Entry-level and mid-range models tend to have memory foam lower back and neck pillows rather than built-in support mechanisms. However, most of the biggest names now also offer slick chairs with adjustable lumbar support for added comfort. Depending on your needs, you might either be able to save some money or need to splurge for the proper support you need.

If you're set on a more elegant look, don’t worry. Not all gaming chairs have that gamer aesthetic in heaps. Others come with a more somber look in case you need that for your daily work video conferencing calls. Be sure to check the adjustability of its height, arms, and back as well, since some are more flexible and versatile than others.

Luckily, all of our recommendations below are comfy enough for all-day use, should last for years, and most have great recline features. It’s just a matter of narrowing the list down, and finally picking the most ideal one for you. Dig into our mini reviews to see which is right for you as you plough through long sessions with the best Steam games and the best PC games.

Best gaming chairs 2021

The SecretLab Titan is always a go-to recommendation. Its racing seat style design looks good but is not as provocative as many. It fits in well as an office chair too. And while the price may initially look high, what you get for your money is great. The SecretLab Titan has an advanced base that allows for tilt of the seat pan as well as the back. You get a soft memory foam neck pillow. And lumbar support is built in and adjustable, so you don't need another distracting foam add-on to keep your posture in check. 

Check out our full Secretlab Titan review.

The Noblechairs Epic Real Leather is a real contender for the best gaming chair crown. From the cross-thatched embroidery to the real leather of its name, if you’re looking for a no-compromises gaming throne, this is it. Plus, it’s surprisingly quick and easy to set up. And once you're done the Epic Real Leather is a dream to sit on. You can customize your position however you want. Just do us a favor, and read the instructions while you’re setting it up. Synthetic leather is also an option if you want to save some money.

We think fabric chairs without too many aggressive-looking cut-outs are great for folk who want a gaming chair that fits into a normal room well. Not all of us have entire rooms dedicated to gaming, after all. A fabric weave will generally feel less hot and sweaty than PU leather, but is also less easy to wipe down. Eat dinner while playing most nights? Fabric might not be the best choice unless your spill rate is pretty low. 

The Anda Seat T-Pro 2's ultra-strudy base and general construction are ready to accomodate the larger gamers. We don't think it's the right choice for shorter folk — although the wide seat base makes it easy to play with legs crosssed. We like this chair a lot, although an even higher-end one with built-in lumbar support would make even better use of the realtively stylish design, with no need for lower back support pillows. 

If you’re looking to sit back and play games all day in comfort, but you don’t want a chair that looks like a gaming chair, you’ll want to take a look at the Autonomous ErgoChair 2. Marketed as an office chair, the ErgoChair 2 has a very modern and stylish aesthetic to it that will appeal to anyone that doesn’t use RGB as a personality trait. It’s not all style, either, as the ErgoChair will also let you adjust basically every part of the chair, so that no matter how your body is built, you’re guaranteed to be comfortable while gaming. The mesh back is also far more breathable than a leather one.

• This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Respawn 115 

Incorporating that sleek, Mad Men-level sophistication with that SciFi gaming look, the SecretLab Omega 2020 is simply stunning, especially if you opt for the PU leather or high-end Napa leather models. But, the SecretLab Omega doesn’t just rely on looks alone; one of the best gaming chairs of 2021, this one comes with a head pillow and a lumbar pillow – both memory foam – and offers even better support than its predecessor. That’s not to mention the improvements over the 2018 model, like the metal support on the armrests, that makes the SecretLab Omega 2020 feel so much more robust. So expect, after a grueling gaming session, to just go straight to napping for a couple of hours without moving an inch – without having to worry about the chair falling apart on you. 

Razer is no stranger to gaming peripherals, but this is the first time it’s entered the gaming chair market and we must say, it’s certainly a solid first effort. The Razer Iskur is a high-quality gaming throne that rounds out your Razer-filled set up quite nicely. However, even if you’re not fully invested in Razer, it’s still an appealing proposition, delivering comfort and build you won’t find in cheaper gaming chairs. Is it pricey? It might be out of reach for many, but if you can afford it, you will love that you bought it.

Read the full review: Razer Iskur

Corsair is known for making popular and high-end PC components and gaming peripherals, and now it’s making a mark in PC gaming chairs. This has resulted in one of the best gaming chairs we’ve ever sat in. The Corsair T2 Road Warrior is covered top to bottom in breathable PU leather with neck and lumbar pillows wrapped in microfiber, you’ll be able to game in both comfort and style. And, with its rollerblade-style wheels, you can move it around on any surface without having to worry about scratching up your floor. 

Noblechairs is well known for crafting some of the best gaming chairs out there – and the Noblechairs Icon makes it clear why. While it’s more affordable than the flagship Epic Real Leather, it’s still extremely comfortable and one of the best PC gaming chairs out there. This is thanks to its nice lumbar pillow, which you can easily remove if you don’t like it.  The Icon is Noblechairs's least aggressive design, which may appeal if it will double as a day-to-day home office chair.

The Edge GX1 is a gaming chair that actively avoids the popular racing style that is increasingly popular with modern gaming chairs. Rather than sticking to a form factor that’s designed to limit your movement, the Edge GX1 instead aims to give an ergonomic experience, where comfort is the priority – while also providing a premium chair. And when we say premium, we mean it, with the Edge GX1 costing £800, a huge amount for a gaming chair. It’s hand-crafted in the UK, and there’s some great touches, such as inflatable lumbar support. It’s a huge asking price, but we’ve been using it for a while now, and it is very comfortable. You’ll have to adjust a bit, but once you get it right, it’s worth the high price. It ships worldwide from the UK, but US and Australia readers should beware the high shipping costs.

You can only buy this chair direct from Edge

We have reviewed a bunch of Andaseat gaming chairs. The Fnatic Edition is our current fave, worth considering whether you like esports team Fnatic or have no idea who they are. This is a real throne of a gaming chair, with a large seat, plush memory foam padding and an ultra-soft lumbar support pillow covered with synthetic velvet. It's about as plush as they come, but doesn't cost a devastating amount because it uses PVC synthetic leather across its surfaces. Big on comfort. Great for the larger gamer. Probably not the right choice for short folk. 

Unlike its biggest rivals, the Corsair T3 Rush lacks that over-the-top gaming aesthetic. In fact, it almost looks like any computer chair out there, albeit the more premium kind – beyond that starship pilot’s look it's sporting at the headrest area, that is. But, what this gaming chair lacks in gaming aesthetic hoopla, it makes up for in comfort with its breathable soft fabric exterior, memory foam lumbar support and extremely customizable backrest position.

• This product is only available in the UK at the time of this writing. US and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Noblechairs Icon (listed above)

Some of these fantastic gaming chairs could be on offer right now, so make sure to check out the latest cheap gaming chair sales.