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 Secretlab NeueChair, thanks to its superb build quality and sublime comfort. It's highly adjustable so should suit almost any gamer out there. But if the price is making you think twice, then the Office Star ProGrid is the best budget office chair for gaming, if you happen to live in the US.
A good office chair for gaming is an investment not because it could cost you hundreds of dollars. They're sturdy, well-built products that should last you years. And don't forget about desk-based ergonomics and how to best support your spine and the rest of your body. A quality chair is important, but it isn't the be-all and end-all of a healthy office life.
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.
The Quick List
The best overall
The NeueChair is pricey but you're getting a sublime chair for your money. Extremely well-built, this is an investment that will last for many years.
The best budget
The Office Star ProGrid proves that you don't have to spend a fortune to look after your body while sitting at a desk all day and night.
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 mid-range
This might technically be a gaming chair, but it works very well as an office chair, is adjustable and comfortable, and is reasonably priced.
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.
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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 none other. It just so happens to be a very good chair, too.
Recent updates
Updated 10 December, 2024 to add two new picks (Steelcase Leap V2 and Fractal Design Refine), add an Also Tested section, and ensure all our recommendations are up-to-date and reflect the best office chairs for gaming on the market right now.
Best overall office chair for gaming
✅ If you just want the best office chair: An investment in every sense of the word. All that money gets you the very best and it'll last for years.
❌ If you regularly need to clean your chair: That NeueMesh material is very nice but it's a bit of a pain to keep clean.
If you're the sort of person who prioritizes functionality over flash, the NeueChair is an excellent option. This isn't to say it's not stylish—quite the opposite; the Secretlab NeueChair comes in a sleek, muted obsidian or flashy chrome/silver, both with bold, sweet curved supports on the back and an attractive black mesh.
Good office chairs must provide supreme support and the NeueChair is second to none in this aspect, as well as being extremely comfortable. Together, the NeueChair provides day-long cossetting, with not an ache in sight at the end of the day.
And just as important, the NeueChair is built to last, with a heavy, sturdy industrial construction. Even the chair's weight in the packaging indicates a solid piece of carefully constructed industrial art: it's heavy and substantial.
Assembling it is a breeze, as it comes in two discrete pieces and is simply a matter of inserting the casters and then pushing the two parts together. Almost every aspect of the seat is adjustable, from the armrests to the lumbar support system that lets you change the height and depth of the backrest.
It's one of the best office chairs I've ever had the pleasure to sit in, and if you can afford the admittedly steep price tag, well worth the investment.
Read our full NeueChair review.
Best budget office chair for gaming
✅ If you want a great but simple office chair: Simple might mean dull to some people but it also means pleasing to your wallet.
❌ If you live outside of the US: Stateside prices are nice and low, but if you live further afield, it can get very costly to pick one up.
Office Star's line of chairs doesn't look noteworthy initially, but the customer reviews are consistently good. We like the ProGrid Back Managers Chair a lot because it offers the kind of tweakability usually only found on much more expensive models.
Using its daunting array of levers, you can adjust the chair's height and tilt, plus slide the seat pan forwards or backward. The backrest can also be shifted up or down, and the armrests raised or lowered and slid back and forth until you find the perfect position.
It may take a while, but once you tune it to your liking, the chair becomes incredibly comfortable. With so much customization, the ProGrid is a strong choice and very hard to beat at this price.
One important thing to note, though, it's that its budget credentials take a tumble if you try and purchase one outside of the US. Depending on where you live, import and shipping fees can push the price tag up to the same level as our recommendations.
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. Foremost of which is, holy smokes, it feels 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 mid-range office chair for gaming
✅ You want somewhat of a gaming chair: This is probably more of a gaming than an office chair, but it's subtle enough to look at home in an office environment.
❌ You're particular about armrest placement: Unfortunately, the armrests move around quite a lot with little pressure or force.
❌ You have big legs: The seat's curved cushions can dig in a little if you have wide thighs.
The Fractal Design Refine is the best mid-range office chair for gaming primarily because its price hits right for a sleek and elegant gaming/office hybrid seat. Much like the company's "Refine" chassis series, this Refine chair is understated enough to suit an office environment.
It's also suitably adjustable. We're talking lumbar support that can be moved up and down as well as forward or backwards. Plenty else can be adjusted, too: seat height, seat depth, tilt tension, headrest on/off, and 4D armrest motion. It has all you could want, especially as it's coming in cheaper than premium picks such as the NeueChair.
The memory foam cushioning and breathable mesh make for some pretty comfortable working or gaming sessions, too, especially when combined with adjustments being set to your liking. Just be aware that if you have large thighs, the curved edges of the seat can dig in a little. And that the armrests can move around a little too easily.
In short, the Fractal Design Refine is 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 decent, ergonomically savvy package for a reasonable cost.
Read our full Fractal Design Refine review.
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 draw 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 that 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 bigger 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.
