The chair you’re sitting in can have a profound effect on your gaming experience. Not only does being comfortable make the whole thing much more enjoyable, but it also encourages good posture and joint health while minimizing the risk of repetitive stress injury. The right gaming chair should be one that you’re also comfortable sitting in for hours doing things other than gaming. With Black Friday just around the corner, now is a great time to buy a gaming chair, as there are likely to be a lot of great sales on them this year.
If you start your search at any major online retailer, you’ll immediately be bombarded with a huge range of flashy chairs that look straight out of a race car or fighter jet. They’re usually designed with some brightly colored accents, apparently to match the modern gamer’s RGB setup. It’s easy to get distracted by a gaming chair’s aesthetics, but there are other characteristics that are more important to look for when buying one.
Choosing the right gaming chair starts with the basic shape of an ergonomic chair and how it supports your body. One way to make sure to get something that’s fundamentally comfortable is to opt for a gaming chair from a reputable brand or one with extensive long-term user reviews that vouch for its comfort.
The next thing to consider is what kind of adjustment a chair offers. Most gaming and office chairs offer an adjustable height and a tilt function. Many allow you to alter the tilt tension, set a maximum level of tilt or lock the mechanism in place at a certain angle. Aside from tilt, many offerings have an adjustable back angle and some premium models even allow you to set the seat back depth to the perfect measurement to perfectly support your spine.
Some other aspects to consider are what the armrests are made of and how many directions they can move, as well as what kind of wheels each chair has and how well they will work on your floor. Overall, the right gaming chair can keep you comfortable and your back and arms healthy for years of use. To stay on top of the best holiday deals and sales around the year, try subscribing to the BestReviews newsletter, where you can stay up to date with the latest offerings in just about any product category.
Here’s one of the best ergonomic chairs in the world from one of the most prestigious manufacturers. Everything about this chair is engineered to provide peak comfort and ergonomics for many years. It’s sure to be a great long-term investment that might just change the way you think about gaming chairs. Its advanced support and impressive breathability should make even the most intense gaming sessions bearable.
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The seat pan, backrest and headrest of this one are all made with highly breathable mesh, so no matter what region you live in or how much your overclocked PC is heating your room, your backside will stay ventilated. The mesh also reduces pressure points, making the chair that much more comfortable for long gaming sessions.
This midrange high-back executive chair sports a synchro-tilt mechanism that’s a lot like those found on chairs twice as expensive. Its foam seat and mesh back offer a good balance of support and airflow and the entire thing is backed by an impressive lifetime warranty.
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If you’re not ready to make a pricey long-term investment, consider this budget-friendly option from a popular low-cost office furniture manufacturer. It offers three-way seat adjustment and vertical arm adjustment as well as a tilt tension knob that makes it easier or harder to lean back.
This is almost certainly the most famous ergonomic chair in history and for years was the gold standard for premium desk chairs. Brand-new, it costs over $1,000, and while you won’t see any Black Friday discounts on an Aeron (or likely any Herman Miller chairs), open box models like the one highlighted here are relatively easy to find. For half the list price, you can get your hands on one of the most durable and respected chairs ever made.
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If your heart is set on one of those flashy gaming chairs, make sure to get a reliable one. This offering from Respawn has a ton of good feedback, and one great reason to choose it over similar models is the folding footrest that offers the ultimate comfort. Aside from that feature, its padding is relatively plush and offers good support in the most crucial areas.
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It’s hard to beat this one if you’re looking for a fully adjustable option that doesn’t break the bank. You can recline the seat, tilt the whole thing back to your preferred angle or use its forward tilt function for intense gaming or work focus. You can even adjust the seat depth, something few chairs in this price range let you do. With an extra-high back, it’s a great choice for tall gamers.
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Anybody who prefers a minimalist look should consider this low-back option that’s reasonably priced and especially durable. While it doesn’t have the most in-depth adjustment features, it does offer tilt, tilt lock and tilt tension adjustment, so it should be comfortable as long as you’re not too tall.
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This one’s a little different from most others. As a floor chair, it’s not ideal for gaming with a keyboard and mouse, but it’s great for playing with a controller and especially for playing on a console in the living room with friends and family. It uses Bluetooth wireless connectivity to stream your game audio to the 2.1-channel speakers embedded into the unit to provide a particularly immersive experience. For something even more interesting, consider its upgraded relative, the X Rocker Pro Series H3, which boasts a 4.1-channel sound system and vibration feedback motors inside.
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Chris Thomas writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
