Black Friday is upon us once more, bringing with it gaming chair deals you'll want to roll up for.
The things we look for in a gaming chair are comfort, ergonomics, durability, value and looks. Mostly in that order. We review gaming chairs throughout the year, which informs the deals we highlight. That first-hand experience really matters with gaming chairs. There is a lot of trash out there—many super-cheap chairs to sift through at some retailers. If a deal looks too good to be true, it usually is. And while it's tempting to pump all your money into a more powerful GPU for your rig, your back will thank you for investing in a decent chair. Don't sacrifice your spine for the sake of a few frames more.
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday officially starts on Friday, November 27, but the deals tend to start rolling in a few days before that. Black Friday doesn't end until November 30, when we roll into even more online deals through Cyber Monday.
Where are the best Black Friday gaming chair deals in the US?
- Amazon: Lots of discounts on known and unknown brands—be cautious
- Newegg: Great discounts on known brands
- Secretlab: Savings across bundle discounts
- Best Buy: Lots of options. Too many options
- Walmart: Some absurdly cheap chairs (read: too cheap)
- B&H: Fractal Design's fancy new chair down to $400
- Best gaming chair - Secretlab Titan Evo | $579 @ Secretlab
- Budget gaming chair - Corsair TC100 | $270 @ Amazon
- Luxury pick - Herman Miller Vantum | $1,155 @ Herman Miller
Black Friday gaming chair deals
1. Best overall: Secretlab Titan Evo
2. Best budget: ThunderX3 Solo 360
3. Best luxury: LiberNovo Omni
4. Best support: ThunderX3 Core
5. Best big boi: AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL
6. Best office: ThunderX3 Flex Pro
7. Best budget office: Ikea Matchspel
Black Friday office chair deals
Black Friday sim racing chair deals
Black Friday gaming chair deals in the UK
Where are the best Black Friday gaming chair deals in the UK?
- Best gaming chair - Secretlab Titan Evo | £469 @ Secretlab
- Budget gaming chair - Corsair TC100 | £196 @ Amazon
- Scan: Big brand names with frequent discounts
- Very: Lots of AndaSeat chairs for sale
- Amazon: Heaps of deals, some good, some bad
Black Friday office chair deals in the UK
Black Friday sim racing chair deals in the UK
Buying advice: gaming chairs
What should I look for in a Black Friday gaming chair deal today?
Durability has to be one of the key tenets of any Black Friday gaming chair purchase, as are comfort and ergonomics. If your bargain purchase starts to expose its metal frame six weeks into life as your gaming throne, and the padding sags depressingly, then you might as well be perched on top of a beer keg for all the support you're getting.
At the very least, you need to make sure that the gaming chair you have your eye on can offer some lumbar support, as well as adjustable arm rests. When you're typing or WASDing at a desk, those elbows need to be raised just so. Neck pillows or an adjustable head rest can be worthy of your time and money, with the exception of some high-end office chairs, but you also want to make sure you actually fit the thing too.
What size gaming chair do I need?
It's not always easy to get a bead on a chair's size from an online search, so make sure to thoroughly check the measurements before dropping a dollar on a new seat. If you're buying for someone else, it can be even tougher. Generally, we recommend the standard seat size, as there's nothing worse than a cramped bucket seat with raised edges. These can become uncomfortable over time, and even wear away the fabric at points.
Some brands will offer just a regular and large gaming chair, while others may offer a small as well. These also can correspond to different maximum weights, too, so you might want to consider that.
Our one piece of advice is to look out for chairs with flat, or relatively flat, seat cushions. We find these are the most comfortable for most people, but especially those of us that sit in unusual positions.
Do I need a gaming chair or office chair?
Why not one chair that fulfils both roles? There are two ways to go about this, but both are valid.
On the one hand, you look at a pricier office chair, such as the Herman Miller Embody, as both a gaming throne and something for the office. I use this chair at home, and find it offers comfort for eight hours a day, five days a week, but also allows me to relax into a more comfortable position for gaming in the evenings.
The other option is to buy a premium gaming chair and use that in the office. Our gaming chair top pick still is the Secretlab Titan Evo, and it's well-suited to such a task. It's ergonomic, comfortable, and it doesn't look too out of place surrounded by bog-standard chairs. At least not in the usual black finish I have. Maybe some would, but who said an office chair shouldn't have personality?
So, yeah, don't feel pigeonholed into one design or the other, so long as whatever you pick is actually ergonomic, well-built, and feels comfy over long sessions.
