You don't have to park yourself in one of the best gaming chairs, because the best office chair for gaming lets you lead a double life. During the day, an unsuspecting office worker. At night, a sort-of-okay Hunt: Showdown player. Yes, this could be you with any one of the chairs we've included in this guide.
Right now, the very best office chair for gaming is the ThunderX3 Flex Pro, thanks to its great build quality and fantastic arm, neck, and lumbar support. It's highly adjustable, so it should suit almost any gamer out there. But if the price is making you think twice, then the Ikea Matchspel is the best budget office chair for gaming.
A good chair for work and gaming has always been high on Dave's agenda, thanks to long hours in the office testing every top seat that came through the doors, followed by even more hours of PC gaming. The fact that his spine hasn't gone all wonky is a testament to him knowing which ones are the very best on offer.
October 24, 2025: We've removed the mid-range section from this guide because chair prices have generally fallen into one of two categories: affordable and expensive. On that basis, the ThunderX3 Flex Pro is now our top recommendation for the best overall office chair for gaming. Secretlab's Neuechair is still fabulous, of course, but the ThunderX3 is by far the more sensible choice for most people. Additionally, the Ikea Matchspel is now our recommendation for best budget office chair for gaming, thanks to its low price and good all-round comfort.
June 05, 2025: The ThunderX3 Flex Pro office chair has replaced the Fractal Design Refine as the best mid-range choice, thanks to fantastic lumbar support and a great level of adjustability. The Refine has now been moved down to our 'also tested' section.
May 06, 2025: We checked to ensure these are still the best office chairs for gaming on the market right now, and they are. The NeueChair is still the comfiest and sturdiest we've had the pleasure of using, although competition in this sphere is tight. In addition to this, we also fixed some numbering to deftly demonstrate that the PC Gamer crew can, in fact, count to 7 in the correct order.
The Quick List
The best overall
Despite its gamer name, the ThunderX3 Flex Pro offers truly adjustable components and great lumbar support, making it far better than your average office perch. It's also surprisingly affordable.
The best budget
The Ikea Matchspel is the perfect blend of affordable price tag, all-day comfort, and adjustability. It's not ideal for bigger or taller than average users, but for the money, there's little else to complain about.
The best comfort
Nothing beats the Steelcase Gesture when it comes to comfort. Your wallet won't thank you, but your back and posterior certainly will, if you buy one of these.
The best adjustable
This chair has a wide seat and strong lumbar support, and most importantly, has more adjustment options than you can shake a stick at.
The best self-adjusting
Who needs levers when you can get a chair that adjusts all the relevant tensions based on your weight? Plonk yourself in an Office Master OM5 and you'll wonder if you ever need anything else.
The best gaming aesthetics
If you want to let everyone know in the office that you're a gamer, then the Logitech-Herman Miller Embody crossover will do it like no other. It just so happens to be a very good chair, too.
Best overall office chair for gaming
✅ You want something very adjustable: Practically every little bit of the ThunderX3 Flex Pro can adjust and move around, contorting to your body shape well.
❌ You want something for a very straight spine: In an office environment, with a straight posture, we struggled a little to see the benefit of the 19 points of adjustment this chair offers, when posture support is a little limited.
The ThunderX3 Flex Pro is the best overall office chair for gaming because it offers exactly what you want from an office chair: all-day comfort, an affordable price tag, and great lumbar and arm support.
It's also a very adjustable chair, which makes it a great choice for long seated sessions, to give you a little bit of wiggle room. Some of its 19 different points of adjustment do feel a tad unnecessary in an office environment, and make it feel closer to a gaming chair in an office, than an office chair you game on.
We do find the posture support to not fully work with a totally straight spine, but the lumbar support in this chair is excellent, with a frankly over-the-top splitting of two separately movable support panels. Having so many movable parts does mean some of them can move a little easily, but once you're used to them, it's a real joy to sit on and adjust.
The breathable mesh makes for some pretty comfortable working or gaming sessions, too, though the seat is a tad hard. The rest of the chair is comfortable, so you will definitely notice if you don't like a firm seat. Just be aware that the seat itself is relatively small and doesn't leave a whole pile of extra room. This can feel restrictive or comfortable depending on how you like to sit
Despite this, the Flex Pro is one of the more adjustable gaming chairs we've used, and a really solid hybrid gaming/office choice, with a little bit of fine-tuning. It's a stellar choice if you're looking for a gaming chair that doesn't break the bank but offers much of what the premium picks offer. It has its drawbacks, but you're getting a strong, ergonomically savvy package for a reasonable cost here.
Read our full ThunderX3 Flex Pro review.
Best budget office chair for gaming
✅ You want a good bet for cheap: The Matchspel is a pretty cheap computer chair for how pleasant it is and how many adjustment points it has. You could do a lot worse for the RRP of this seat.
❌ You need a lower seat tilt: While packed with a fair few customisable settings for the price, it does forgo that pelvic tilt many might find crucial for health, comfort, or both.
❌ You're a larger human: The chair isn't rated for over 110 kgs and I think longer legs would find the depth of the seat wanting. Not necessarily a pick for the big and tall among us.
Just because you don't want to spend a lot of money on a chair doesn't mean you need to put up with rubbish. Ikea understands this perfectly, which is why its Matchspel chair is the best budget office chair for gaming you can buy right now.
While affordability is the top priority for the Matchspel, it really is very comfortable and sturdy for the money. There's a decent amount of adjustment on offer, too, with a good range of height and back tilt, plus the arms lift and move back/forth. That said, the latter isn't granular, and the back only locks into certain angles. You don't get any seat tilt, either.
And speaking of the seat, it's not ideal if you're bigger or taller than average, as its depth is around 45 cm (17.7 inches) at best, and the maximum seat height is only 59 cm (23.2 inches). If those numbers work for you, though, the Matchspel will feel great.
There are always going to be some compromises with a budget chair, though, so it would be unfair to be overly critical. At least the materials are all sturdy, with dense foam in the seat, covered in a hard-wearing plastic material. That might not sound very nice to sit on, but it's genuinely comfy.
Taking everything into account, it's not hard to see why the Ikea Matchspel is the best budget office chair for gaming.
Read our full Ikea Matchspel review.
Best comfortable office chair for gaming
✅ If you need the best possible comfort: Get this chair, and everything else will feel like a wooden bench. Your spine and rear will thank you forever if they could speak.
❌ If you don't want to spend a lot of money: There's no escaping the fact that this is a seriously pricey office chair. Ah, if comfort didn't cost so much.
The Steelcase Leap is one of the most iconic modern chairs, with a price to match its performance, but we prefer the newer Steelcase Gesture for several reasons. The foremost of these is holy smokes does it feel good to sit in. Mere words simply can't do the sense of cossetting any justice.
If your eyes are still watering at the cost, know this: much as we enjoyed the other chairs singled out here, none of them came close to the pure comfort of the Gesture.
Imagine your butt and back being perfectly cupped by the giant ever-loving hand of the deity of your choice. That's what the Gesture is like. Or, as it became known amongst us testing it: 'the dream chair.'
Anyone who spends a significant amount of time in a chair should seriously consider splurging on this one. The steep price buys you a lifetime warranty and your butt the most comfortable embrace it'll ever experience. What more could you ask of a chair that you spend countless hours in?
Best adjustable office chair for gaming
✅ You want a perfectly tailored posture: This chair can be customised very precisely to suit your body.
✅ You want a wide, full-bodied seat: This office chair almost leans in the direction of a gaming chair with its wide and slightly bucketed seat.
❌ You want a seat that will last forever: Unfortunately, the cushion on this seat is likely to wear out eventually.
❌ You want a headrest included for free: You can get versions with a headrest, but it'll cost you extra.
The Steelcase Leap V2 is the best adjustable office chair for gaming because it offers a fantastic combination of comfort and adjustability. It's also particularly well-suited to gaming for a premium office chair because it's full-bodied, slightly bucket-seated, and has some great recline options.
This is our Jacob F's chair, and he says he wouldn't swap it for the world. That's primarily thanks to just how adjustable it is. While the Steelcase Gesture is certainly comfy—and some in the office prefer it to the Leap—it has slightly fewer adjustment options, with the Leap V2 having more tilt lock positions.
Both are great chairs, though, and it's difficult to decide between them. With the Leap, you're getting more pronounced lumbar support, a less flat seat, and more tilt options, but with the Gesture, you're getting easier twist-knob seat depth adjustment and simply amazing armrests.
With both chairs, however, you're getting a seat that will probably wear thin after a few years, unlike some mesh or thicker foam options from Steelcase or other brands such as Herman Miller.
But for the medium-term? The Leap V2 is hard to beat if you want to customise your sitting experience to tailored perfection, and then sit or recline in comfortable bliss.
Best self-adjusting office chair for gaming
✅ If you just want a great chair that's fuss-free: Self-adjustment sounds like marketing hype, but it genuinely works. Ideal if multiple people will use the same chair.
❌ If you're based outside the US: Available in countries other than the US is pretty limited, and you'll certainly have to pay some hefty import and shipping fees.
On the face of it, the Office Master OM5 sounds like the snake oil of seating. The marketing materials describe it as "a self-weighing chair that intuitively responds to a wide range of body weights and sizes without the need for manual tension."
Essentially: don't worry about all those levers and knobs on the other chairs; this one will magically work out what your butt and back need, no problem. Our skepticism didn't last long, though, because sitting is believing when it comes to the OM5.
There are plenty of manual adjustments possible, but all of the magic happens around your back and hip. As you lean back and apply pressure, the seat pan shifts forward while the backrest reclines in response, articulating smoothly thanks to wheels on runners that function much like the ones in desk drawer sliders.
It takes a little getting used to, but transitioning from upright work mode to relaxing while playing or watching swiftly becomes a cinch. If you want comfort and can't be bothered with levers and adjustments, the OM5 is one of our favorites. It gives you high-end quality and comfort at a mid-range price.
Best office chair for gaming aesthetics
✅ If you want gamer styling in the office: It's a fabulous chair, of course, but its main selling point is the whole gamer vibe. It certainly stands out from the usual crowd of office chairs.
❌ If you don't want gamer styling: Other than the steep price, there's little wrong with this version of the Embody, but its looks won't be to everyone's taste.
Perhaps you've heard of the Herman Miller Embody. It has been a stalwart of our best office chair lists for years. Now it occupies a place in the hearts of both gamers and office workers because the famed chair manufacturer has partnered up with Logitech to create something tailor-made to our gaming rumps.
It's not so much the changes that make the Embody stand out as one of the best gaming chairs going. It's what's been kept the same. It's mostly the same, a very sought-after office chair with a few gamer tweaks to the materials in the seat. And the new moody styling, of course. That means you could just as easily pick up the regular Herman Miller Embody here and not miss out on much.
Overall, it's incredibly comfortable over prolonged use, supports an active and healthy posture, and easily fits your frame.
The warranty is also a standout feature. At 12 years, including labor, and rated to 24-hour use over that time, it's a chair that is guaranteed to last you over a decade. So while the initial price tag may seem steep, and it is, the reality is you're sure to get your money's worth in the long run. And your back will be thankful for it, too.
Read our full Logitech G x Herman Miller Embody gaming chair review.
Also tested
Where to buy the best office chairs for gaming
Where are the best office chair for gaming deals?
In the US:
Amazon - Discounts galore on top brands and budget models
Walmart - Gaming-style office chairs from as little as $100
B&H Photo - Office and gaming chairs for every budget
Best Buy - Steelcase office chairs in stock, including the Gesture
Target - Over 1,500 models of office chairs to choose from
Newegg - Big savings to be found on office and gaming chairs
In the UK:
Amazon - Tons of office chairs on offer
Argos - Plenty of offers on office and gaming chairs
Currys - More than 150 different office chairs to browse through
Best office chairs for gaming FAQ
How do we test chairs?
Between articles about the effects of sitting down on your body and our experimentation with standing desks, you might think PC Gamer has fallen out of love with the humble chair. Dear reader, that could not be further from the truth. As gamers and office workers, we spend a significant chunk of each day sitting on our money makers in front of screens. Given that most of us don't plan to change that anytime soon, it only makes sense to do so in a great chair. So that's what I set out to find.
We wanted to find chairs that maximized comfort, support, and value. We spoke with Melissa Afterman, MS CPE, a Senior Principal Ergonomist with VSI Risk Management & Ergonomics, Inc., specializing in workstation setups.
"Chairs are still okay," she told me. "Yes, we know that sitting too long is bad for you. The reality is that standing too long is just as bad for you, so the answer is movement. Taking breaks, getting up at least every hour and moving, or changing your position from standing to sitting every hour so that you're not standing too long either."
"If you're typing and working at the computer, you want more upright support so that you can maintain neutral spine posture and let the chair hold you up," she said. "But when you switch to a gaming mode, you may want to recline a little bit to relax your lower back while still having good support in that position. So a locking backrest and/or some tension control is important."
Another feature to look for, though it tends to be found on more expensive models, is a seat pan slider. This enables you to slide the positioning of your butt forwards or backward relative to the backrest.
How much should I spend on an office chair?
The answer can really depend on a few key factors, namely your budget, but generally, we're in the camp of spending more on a better chair that'll more than likely end up keeping you comfortable for much, much longer than a cheap one. Cheap chairs really feel cheap, and they're very rarely as well considered in their ergonomics or design as those more expensive models.
That said, there's no reason why you can't find a good mid-range chair that doesn't break the bank. It's a reason why you won't find any super cheap chairs on this list, however. We're yet to find any that we feel are suitable for long-term or regular use.
Can a good chair help with posture?
The best office chairs look out for you and your back. When it comes to chair design, lumbar support is vital. The first thing you should look for in a new gaming chair is whether it has any built-in support to help your body maintain an ideal posture. Some even come with lumbar support pillows that work just as well. Multi-adjustable armrests, upholstery, and general style are also important; note these features aren't cheap.
Does every chair fit every body type?
Different chair models accommodate different heights and weights, so make sure to check your fit before adding to the cart. Look at the width and depth of the seat, too. Some chairs claim that you should sit cross-legged, but that depends on your size and your legs' length.
