Best Gaming Chair 2021 : 10 Top Recommended Picks in 2021

Best Gaming Chair

Last Updated on

A gaming chair can make or break your gaming experience.

Think about it: nobody wants to spend hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars on a gaming PC only to be uncomfortable while using it. But, without an ergonomic gaming chair to support your body, that’s likely how you’ll feel after any extended time at the computer.

Worse still, sitting without proper back support for prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to your spine health and overall posture.

That’s why we decided to create this list of the most comfortable gaming chairs of 2019. Our gaming chair reviews feature some of the best racing gaming chairs and as well as some premium office chairs that work well for gaming. If you need a computer gaming chair, you’ve come to the right place. 

How to Pick the Best Gaming Chair for Your Needs  

Why A Gaming Chair Matters

Here’s the deal: humans are now spending more time than ever sitting. We sit at school, work, in transit, and even watching TV and playing video games.

Our ancestors walked more than 10+ miles a day as hunter-gatherers, and we have evolved accordingly. If you take a look at the entirety of human history, we only recently began sitting this often.

As a gamer, you’ll spend even more time sitting than the average Joe, which puts you at high risk for ‘sitting disease‘ and back disorders.

I can fondly recall many ‘all-nighters’ where my friends and I would game until the sun came up, only to sleep until 4 in the afternoon. Then we’d do it all over again. The kitchen chair left my back aching through the night and made it hard to fall asleep. When I finally upgraded to a proper gaming chair, the difference was night and day.

If you’ve had experiences like this, you already know what I’m talking about; that’s probably why you’re reading this article to begin with.

What to Look For

Finding the right chair for you can be challenging, as we all come in different shapes and sizes. There is no one “best” chair for any given person– still, some chairs are better than others.

While getting up and moving around in between levels and rounds proves especially useful for minimizing lower back pain, a gaming chair will still help with all of the hours actually spent sitting.

Here are the most important factors to look for:

Ergonomics: A gaming chair must be ergonomic. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, ergonomic is defined as:

“an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely”

In other words, ergonomic products are well-designed to accommodate the human body. In this instance, a quality gaming chair should provide adequate lower-back support, comfortable armrests, soft padding in the right places, height adjustments, etc.

The best chairs will be able to use these tools, and the ones below, to improve your posture which will ideally lead to health benefits.

  • Height control: This feature is pretty standard among both office and gaming chairs alike. In order to maintain healthy posture while gaming, your feet need to remain flat on the floor with your legs bent at ~90°. If your chair is too high or low, you won’t be able to sit properly and you’ll quickly become uncomfortable.
  • Tension adjustment: Tension control allows you to adjust the amount of pressure needed to lean back in your chair. This one isn’t as important as some of the other adjustment features, but can be important nonetheless.

I used to have a gaming chair that would recline too easily and managed to fling myself out of it when I leaned back too fast after losing a match.

  • Backrest lock: Some chairs actually allow you to lock the backrest in place in addition to adjusting backrest tension.
  • Armrest height control: Although often overlooked, this feature is actually pretty important. If your armrests are not at the proper height for your body, discomfort is sure to ensue.
  • Seat slider: This feature allows you to adjust the seat forward or backward in relation to the chair’s backrest. This feature is an excellent way to tailor your gaming chair specifically for your body type and needs.

Material: Before you purchase a gaming chair, it would be wise to consider the material from which it is constructed. In general, most gaming chairs are made with leather padding or a metal wire mesh material.

If you often find yourself getting too hot during your gaming sessions, a mesh material is probably best for you. Wire mesh tends to be more breathable than leather, and it will help to keep you cool.

On the other hand, leather is better for those who get cold easily. Leather helps to retain heat, and it is pretty comfortable as well.

Build quality: This one is pretty straightforward. You don’t want a chair with poor construction that’ll wear down and crumble underneath you after you spend your hard-earned money on it. Most of the charis we featured have steel innards though, so this shouldn’t be a big deal.

Casters: The casters (wheels, if your chair has them) take a heavy beating, as they’re supporting the chair’s weight and yours as well. They roll around without hesitation– well, at least they’re supposed to. When you’re buying your next gaming chair, make sure you buy one with heavy duty casters.

Generally speaking there are two types of casters: hardwood floor casters and carpet casters. If your gaming setup is in a carpeted room, you should choose your chair’s casters accordingly.

Style: Just like you purchased a good-looking, sleek PC case to look nice on your desk, you should also purchase a gaming chair that you find visually pleasing to compliment your gaming setup.

Some gaming chairs on our list will resemble office chairs, while others are full blown racing gaming chairs. All of them– despite having different designs and color schemes– have ergonomic and comfortable designs.