For the longest time this Corsair TC100 was our go-to budget gaming chair of choice. But it was recently usurped from its position in our best gaming chair guide by the ThunderX3 Solo 360 for the simple reason that at its regular ~$250 price tag the ThunderX3 chair was absolutely the better deal.

But when the TC100 is suddenly on sale at Best Buy for just $180 then the value proposition swings back in favor of the Corsair chair and there can be no argument. There is no gaming chair at this price level that can come close to offering the build quality or feature set of this comfy Corsair seat. Take a look at the others on offer around the $150 - $200 mark and tell me you'd really trust your spine to them. I'll wait.

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We first reviewed the TC100 nearly two years ago and the review sample has been sat in and sat on in the PC Gamer offices all that time. And it barely shows a trace of wear. If you're going to be sat in something for many hours per day (it's my duty at this point to remind you to stand up every now and then, people) then you want it to look the same years down the line as it did when you first put it together out of the box.

We have a whole heap of different gaming chairs in the office and the same cannot be said for all of them. There is a particularly egregious example of when build quality does not last just a few feet from me in the office right now; its neck cushion has burst like a festering foam-filled boil and something has snapped at a metal weak-point and now the back wouldn't support a kitten let alone a full grown human.

Back to the Corsair TC100 Relaxed though, the armrests aren't technically fully 3 or 4D, but that only affects their adjustability, not their true dimensional representation in the material world. Basically they only have two degrees of movement, and they're not as solid as something like a Secretlab. Nor whould you expect them to be for this far south of $200.

Otherwise you get adjustable lumbar support and a moveable neck pillow. Now, none of these are supremely adjustable, either, but they will still allow for a level of adjustment that should still allow you to position yourself comfortably for a raid.

I do maybe prefer the refinement of the TC100 Relaxed with the material cover in the pictures above, rather than this leatherette coating on offer at Best Buy, but that's near $270 at Amazon today. Though that is an aesthetic not practical preference; with leatherette you are able to deal with any spills with just a wipe of a cloth, while the material cover is less forgiving.

In short, this is an excellent, affordable gaming chair given a price haircut which puts it at its cheapest every price. And, in fact I've only once seen it drop down to that level once before and that was around Black Friday a few years back. If you've been meaning to upgrade your gaming setup, this is one way to make a tangible difference to your gaming world without absolutely bankupting yourself on something with more silicon in it.

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The Secretlab Atlas has a lot going for it. It fits snugly into a home office and it's very comfortable for use throughout the day (with regular breaks, of course). It's even good for a spot of gaming in the evening, if you're so inclined, providing you understand that this isn't explicitly a gaming chair. It's a task chair—whatever that means.

Google tells me a task chair is a chair designed for sitting at a desk. One website described a task chair as a chair specifically designed for doing tasks. Fascinating. Nevertheless, Secretlab is using the designation to separate the Atlas from the ever-popular Titan Evo, and in doing so, alluding to its sleeker form and more civilian appearance.

The Atlas looks excellent in situ. It's a smart-looking chair for the discerning gamer. It's halfway to a gaming throne and definitely passable in a modern office without raising eyebrows. Doubly so providing you pay for the premium model. Though this is where things get tricky for the Atlas.

The Atlas is on the expensive side for the features it offers, especially when compared to the Titan Evo. It's not easy to beat the best gaming chair of the past four years, and while the Atlas does serve a slightly different audience, for us gamers, the Titan Evo is yet to meet its match. It's not a whole lot more expensive than the Atlas—at times, I've even seen it going cheaper.

Features

There are a range of options available for the Secretlab Atlas, from basic and premium finishes to a range of colours and materials. I'm testing the Atlas Dune+ model, in a size L. That means it features two of Secretlab's proprietary materials: NanoFoam Composite and SoftWeave Plus fabric. The NanoFoam being softer than cold-cure foam used on the basic model.

The premium version of the Atlas comes with colour-matched parts, from the magnetic head pillow down to the armrests, beneath the seat, wheelbase, and the castors. This is made possible through the use of a reinforced nylon construction, as opposed to the aluminium alloy found on the Titan Evo. My gut tells me that metal is best but I couldn't point to any research to back that up. Just a hunch. The cheaper version is black except for the backrest.

The Secretlab Atlas is noticeably slimmer than the Titan Evo, Noblechairs Hero, and ThunderX3 Solo 360 that my colleagues are sat in close to my desk at PC Gamer Towers. It much more closely resembles the Fractal Design Refine used by our James, in terms of both the backrest and its more professional aesthetic, but the Atlas is a little more reserved. Unlike the Refine, however, the Secretlab has no adjustable lumbar support.

Secretlab claims the fixed backrest, called RE-CURVE, is "sculpted to support your entire back". I find myself agreeing with that statement after a couple of months with the chair as my daily rollabout. That said, it does lack the flexibility that other chairs offer, including the Titan Evo, which offers an excellent 4-way lumbar system called L-ADAPT.

There are a number of possible adjustments on the Atlas. Besides the usual height adjustment—the seat is lower to the floor on the Atlas compared to the Titan Evo—the seat also slides forward and backward on a horizontal axis. I recently spoke with a physician about how to sit (and how I was doing it wrong) and they told me you should be able to get two or three fingers between the seat and the back of your knees for an ideal setup. Secretlab says that's about 5 cm/2-inches in its promotional materials.

The Atlas will recline up to 120° once unlocked, using a lever with a handy visual indicator to show when the leaning mechanism is locked or unlocked. There are four levels to the tilt force, adjusted using a twisting selector on the chair height stalk. These levels range from leaning back with little to no resistance to having to actively push back on the chair to get it to recline even partway. I like to use a higher setting to bob in place a bit—hey, I'm just a bit wild like that. I'm one errant purchase away from a rocking chair, I swear to God.

The armrests offer height adjustment, angle adjustment, and front to back adjustment. That makes them 3D, to the Titan Evo's 4D ones. They will move forwards and backwards when only a moderate amount of pressure is applied, which is a bit of a pain for someone that shifts my chair around a lot while switching between sitting and standing, but otherwise, they're good enough.

The top of the armrest is comfortable for long-term use. Though it does not feature the same CloudSwap Replacement System as the Titan Evo, which means you can't switch these out as easily once worn.

At least my favourite feature from the Titan Evo has made it over to the Atlas. The magnetic head pillow. This can be easily removed, replaced, and moved around without messing with straps. The Atlas actually improves on the design, too, with a more rounded shape that better fits my noggin.

Ergonomics

So far I've very much enjoyed my time with the Atlas. It's a firmer seat than many I've tested, but that's no bad thing. I've been putting it to the test in a range of seating positions: legs crossed, laying back, fully reclined, one leg under the other… you name it. It deals with the cornucopia of weird human sitting positions very well. After a frank meeting with that physician about how I sit, I'm trying to change things up more regularly throughout the day, and the Atlas allows for that variation.

My main points of comparison for the chair are the Herman Miller Embody (Logitech G), which I've used every day for roughly four years; the Razer Fujin Pro, which I've been using in PC Gamer Towers for a couple of years; and, of course, the Secretlab Titan Evo, which I used in the office for years and I still sit in every time I shoot a video for the YouTube channel. We must have eight or so of those around.

First off, the Atlas easily beats out the Razer Fujin Pro. I'm yet to find a mesh chair that I enjoy to rest on as much as any with foam. I used to sit in a Cooler Master mesh chair and felt about that much the same as I do the Fujin Pro: foam is just a little too stiff. Over the course of a day's work, I'm aware of the pressure. That's not true of the Atlas, nor is it the Herman Miller, to be fair.

The Herman Miller is lovely to sit in. Though the backrest is stiffer on the Atlas, which I currently prefer, and I'm finding myself making more use of the recline on the Atlas. That is likely down to breaking out of old habits with a new chair. Though perhaps because I find the recline a touch more supportive on the Atlas. I definitely prefer a stiffer backrest over the flexible one on the Embody.

Looking around, there are anecdotal reports of larger users finding this chair uncomfortable. At 6'1" and 80 kg, I haven't run into any issues, but my thighs and back do sit close to the edge of the part of the backrest and seat where they shoot off at an angle—the racing seat sorta bit. Spare a thought for the sizing as even Secretlab notes the Atlas as more "form-fitted" to the Titan Evo's "spacious" fit.

I'm sitting very comfortably in the Atlas. It's in the Goldilocks zone for me, with firm yet comfortable materials, a stiff backrest, bouncy recline, and squishy head cushion. I'm not in any rush to swap back to the Embody.

Aesthetics

I had feared for the feng shui of my home office by dropping a sand-coloured gaming chair smack-bang in the middle of it. But, to my complete surprise, it makes my office look larger. And it's not just me. My partner walked into the room after I built it, and without me mentioning a thing, said the chair makes the room feel bigger. Weird.

Hey, I'll take it. I think it's some sort of optical illusion with the bright chair, my dark grey walls, and the slim backrest. The chair does look pretty sweet in situ, too. There are other colours to choose from, including grey, black, and white/black leatherette. I've seen pretty much all of them in-person and I'd be happy with any, except perhaps the cheaper two-tone version without colour-matched parts.

Value

The Atlas is a cheaper alternative to the Titan Evo in the US, with prices starting at $499. That's for the basic model in a regular size, specifically the black leatherette model. That is the only basic model I'd actually purchase myself, anyways, as the non-colour matched parts incidentally match the backrest. The Dune SoftWeave Plus model starts at $519.

The premium models look much nicer and the only ones I can recommend on comfort, as they are the only ones I've sat in long-term. These start at $699. The large model I'm using is $719. That's not a low cost gaming chair, by any means, and the Atlas has stiff competition at this price. Not the least bit from Secretlab's own Titan Evo, which starts at $579. The premium NanoGen model costs $799, and a large will set you back $849. That's a $130 difference—not a trivial cost to upgrade from the Atlas to the Titan Evo, like-for-like. But maybe you don't need to go like-for-like?

If I'm honest with myself about what I'd personally buy of the two, it'd be the Titan Evo. And not the NanoGen version. I would happily take the non-NanoGen Titan Evo for $629, which is $90 cheaper than the Atlas. Having sat on the standard leatherette Titan Evo for years in the office without issue, I'd be content with that. It's more fully-featured than the Atlas with adjustable lumbar support, replaceable armrest cushions, and an aluminium wheelbase.

The Atlas does beat the Titan Evo in two key respects: style and size. I won't discount the impact these have on purchasing decisions, as I've already had a friend tell me they're considering buying the Atlas due to its shape alone.

Looking further afield, the Fractal Design Refine is not a chair we rated particularly high but it is a similar sorta thing with an adjustable backrest. That's $600/£475. I think I'd stick with the Titan Evo. Though there is a budget alternative, and that's the ThunderX3 Solo 360. This offers asynchronous tilt, adjustable 3D armrests, decent fabric, and it's half the price of the cheapest Atlas. Except the Atlas doesn't feel like a budget option. The Solo 360 still does: it doesn't include lumbar support or a head pillow.

For larger bodies, we like the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL. It's extremely cushioned and well-provisioned for lumbar support. For $579, it offers a lot compared to the large Atlas, though it loses out on that sleek appearance. It is huge.

So, the Secretlab Atlas does offer a high level of quality and attention to detail that see it clearly rise above many budget offerings. Though, there's been a lot of cuts here compared to the Titan Evo, such as the wheelbase, armrests, recline, and lumbar support.

The Titan Evo often drops to around $529 during yearly sales events, like it did back in May. As I write this, in my native land of Britain, the Titan Evo is cheaper (£419) than the Atlas (£429) in the company's Summer Sale. The Atlas is understandably yet to be discounted, but that's a tough act to follow.

The premium models, especially in the large size, are really pushing the limits of what I'd pay for the Atlas. That's a shame because that's what I'm sitting on and I really like it. The Atlas Dune+ is comfortable, stylish, and I'm happy enough to sit and game in it all-day. It's just the Titan Evo is tough to beat, even the cheaper standard model.

The LiberNovo Omni Pro is what happens when a very good first‑gen idea goes in for a polish rather than a full redesign. If you've read my original LiberNovo Omni review, you know the bar here is high. That chair is still the comfiest thing I've ever sat in for ridiculous work‑and‑gaming days. The Pro turns that same formula up a notch in a few key areas—materials, finish, and a couple of tech tricks—but it doesn't fundamentally change how it feels to sit in.

Day to day, comfort is still excellent. The cushions are plush but supportive, and I can go from writing to gaming without my back complaining. LiberNovo re‑engineered the seat with multi‑density foam, but if I'm honest, I can't say I feel a big difference. The original already nailed it, so the Pro feels more like a refinement than a really tangible upgrade here.

The bigger change is how well that comfort can now fit your body. You can choose a 45 cm or 48 cm seat depth at checkout, which is great if you've ever had a chair either cut into the back of your knees or stop awkwardly short of your thighs. Average‑sized folks will be fine on 45 cm; if you've got longer legs, 48 cm gives you more support under there. And if you're properly tall or need something truly built for bigger frames, LiberNovo's Maxis line is really the one you should be looking at first.

The big change you notice while actually using the chair is the new five‑position recline system: 105°, 115°, 125°, 135°, and 160°. Each angle is pitched as a "mode." Deep Focus at 105° is your upright, camera‑on posture. Nudge it back to 115°—Balance mode—and your spine and shoulders relax a bit without dropping you into lazy‑boy territory.

At 125° (Solo‑Work), you're in that natural lean‑back zone that suits long editing or deep‑work sessions. 135° (Soft Recline) is where I ended up with a controller in hand, still close enough to the desk to reach controls without overextending. Then 160° is Spine Flow, the full lay‑flat angle for power naps and the motorized OmniStretch spinal stretch.

On paper it's a smart, lifestyle‑based ladder of positions. In practice, the tuning isn't perfect. The jump from 105° to 115° feels a little abrupt and less smooth in motion than the original Omni's recline. Once you're actually settled into Solo‑Work or Soft Recline it feels fantastic, but it does give off a bit of "we added more stops for the spec sheet" energy rather than solving a problem I actually had.

Where the Pro does clearly earn its name is build quality and materials. Overall construction feels a notch tighter than the original: cleaner stitching, subtle design flourishes on the wheelbase, and noticeably less creaking from the backrest when you shift around. It feels less like a Kickstarter experiment and more like a polished production chair.

The headline upgrade is that Gabriel Atlantic Danish fabric. Terrible branding, fantastic textile. It looks and feels genuinely premium—more high‑end task chair than shouty gaming throne—and it has the numbers to back it up: abrasion resistance rated for roughly a decade of heavy use, OEKO‑TEX certified, breathable, flame‑retardant, and machine‑washable without shrinking. In the real world, the question is how it handles crumbs, spills and kid‑induced chaos, and that's something only months and years of abuse will reveal. Right now, it feels like the right kind of overkill and looks stunning at my white Secretlab Magnus desk.

Ergonomically, most things are evolutionary. The 4D armrests are a bit less prone to spinning or drifting when you bump them, though they're still not perfect. The headrest has more adjustability and is lovely when you're reclined, but in a true upright focus posture it still doesn't come out far enough for my liking. It feels tuned first for lounging, second for locked‑in work.

The motorized lumbar system has been revised internally and should be more durable. The feel, though, is very similar to the OG Omni: you get depth adjustment but not height. If the default strike point doesn't line up with your lower back, it can still feel more like a mid‑back nudge than that sweet, targeted lumbar hug. In the reclined modes it's more forgiving; in upright, I still wish they'd added vertical adjustment.

Then there's the new party trick: Active Airflow Seat Ventilation. Under the seat is a centrifugal fan pushing air up through perforated foam and mesh, with two levels—Low and High—rated for up to 36 and 9 hours respectively off the built‑in 3000 mAh battery. There's a seat sensor so it automatically pauses when you get up and resumes when you sit back down, plus a memory function so it remembers your last setting.

Here's the thing: it's winter where I am, so I haven't been desperate for a cooled backside. When I did use it, the sensation is more of a gentle coolness than "there's a fan under my bum." I can see this being a genuine quality‑of‑life upgrade in summer or if you work somewhere hot, but right now it feels more like a clever extra than the killer feature that justifies the "Pro" price tag.

The rest of the electronics story is thankfully boring in the good way. Battery life remains excellent; even with mixed use—occasional lumbar tweaks, the odd Omni stretch cycle, some airflow thrown in—I never got close to killing it. Like my Omni, I don't expect to be charging this one very often which is a great convenience.

What hasn't changed is the warranty, and that's the part that continues to bug me. You get five years on the frame and only two on the electronics, even though all the Pro‑specific magic lives in those electronics. LiberNovo promises better long‑term reliability this time around, but until these have been out in the wild for a few years, that's just a promise. And the optional footrest? Still the weak link. I didn't rate it on the original and it's effectively unchanged here: okay for lounging, not something I'd build my daily ergonomics around.

So where does that leave the Omni Pro? It's clearly the flagship of the range. You're paying extra for nicer fabric, cleaner finish, a more articulated recline and the cooling seat. Comfort, however, hasn't really moved on. This is still one of the most comfortable chairs I've used, but it doesn't feel noticeably comfier than the original Omni. The gains are mostly in polish and feel rather than in raw, "my back is changed forever" ergonomics.

Does it really earn the "Pro" badge? Sort of. It's the best, most premium expression of the Omni idea, not a ground‑up reimagining. If you want the nicest version and you're happy to pay for upgraded materials and the tech flourishes, the Omni Pro will absolutely treat you well. If you're more budget‑conscious, or simply less excited about motors and fans in the thing you sit on all day, the Omni SE suddenly looks very smart: you lose the electric lumbar and airflow, keep the core comfort and ergonomics, and save around $400. For a lot of people, that's going to be the real sweet spot.

The Corsair TC100 Relaxed has been a mainstay of our gaming chair recommendations for a long time now, and has only fairly recently been usurped our best gaming chair guide by the ThunderX3 Solo 360 because it became really hard to find stock of the Corsair seat at anything like a competitive price. Probably because everyone had been saving it up for Prime Day.

While the chair had been sticking around the $250 mark where you could find it, today it's dropped in price at Corsair and at Amazon where you can find it for just $190. Now, it's worth stating that's only for the Relaxed fabric version—if you can cope with the leatherette option in the summer heat you can save another ten-spot, with the TC100 Relaxed shiny version available at $180 at Amazon.

The only other time we've seen this chair cheaper was during last year's Prime Day where for one day only it dropped to $153 before the Prime Member stock ran dry.

• We're keeping track of all the Amazon Prime Day PC gaming deals here

But even at this price the TC100 Relaxed represents great value. It's a proper gaming chair at the same sort of price as a host of seats I wouldn't even sit on with yours. And it's a really comfortable place to park your derriere, with lumbar support, a neck pillow and a solid build.

Well, apart from the slightly rickety 2D armrests we had on our review sample anyways. But, speaking of which, that review sample is still going strong two years after it was first introduced into the office. It's been sat on a lot and I can't really see any tangible signs of wear and tear on it at all.

It's not got the overall build quality of something like Secretlab's classic Titan Evo, but then that's also a chair which is twice the price and then some. So, if you want somewhere relaxed to sit while you game at your PC, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed is a great, affordable option in a world where 'affordable' and 'PC gaming' are becoming strangers.

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Earlier this week, I posted my review of this Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2, and to cut to the chase, it achieved a score of 82%, thanks to its flexible and comfortable back support, adjustable seat depth, and low weight.

And right now, Autonomous has knocked $50 off the $499 asking price. Putting that discount with the free shipping and lifetime warranty, and you've got an office chair that's well worth considering.

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While it's not perfect (I mean, the score isn't 100%, is it?), there isn't anything bad about this chair: It's simply a case of whether it suits your needs and preferences over the many other choices that are on the market at a similar price.

Due to my scrawny build, I've never really got on with mesh chairs, but this one has been super comfortable. That's mostly down to the funky back, which effectively moulds to your body, supporting you without using big dials and levers you have to twist about.

Personally, I'd prefer the seat to have a bit more foam to it, and I'd also prefer the armrests to lock more firmly in place. They're easy to adjust for position and rotation, but a bit too easy for my taste.

What tips this deal, though, isn't just the quality of the chair, but the fact that you've got a reasonable saving with the $50 discount, along with free shipping and a lifetime warranty. Many chairs will only give you three years, so that's a clear win for Autonomous.

If you like your chairs to be light in weight, easy to move about, and cool to sit in during the summer heat, the ErgoChair Ultra 2 should be on your list of perches to ponder and peruse.

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If the thought of buying an office chair from an AI-focused company is giving you pause for concern, then let me allay those fears now. The Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 is a good chair that's well-built, comfortable, and genuinely fine to use for a full day of work, followed by a night of gaming. It's not perfect, and the price tag doesn't quite match what you're getting, but those are criticisms that can be cast at any gaming chair these days.

I am getting ahead of myself, though, so let me start with the basics. Autonomous has designed its chair with the 'all-day PC enthusiast' very much in mind, and the ErgoChair Ultra 2 (sometimes listed as the Chair Ultra V2) ticks off every box you'd expect for such a product, such as 4D adjustable arms and an expansive seat.

One difficulty with reviewing chairs, office or gaming, is that there is a considerable degree of subjectivity to it all, rather like with keyboards and mice. What's comfortable or convenient for one person can be awkward and annoying for someone else, so it's worth knowing my own specifications before I discuss those of the Autonomous chair.

With a height of 184 cm (72.8 inches) and a weight of 68 kg (149.9 lbs), I'm the human equivalent of a giant stick insect, all arms and legs, and not much in the way of any padding around my posterior, if you catch my drift. I generally avoid mesh chairs, favouring dense foam ones, because they often lack enough support for my bony frame.

The ErgoChair Ultra 2 is the first mesh chair I've used where I've had no problems with back or seat comfort, and in the case of the former, the flexible spine helps by no small degree. Rather than using a rigid steel or aluminium frame, Autonomous designed a polymer structure that looks like alien cartilage.

That holds the seat back in place but also permits it to twist and flex slightly, and along with the polymer back itself, the whole thing does a good job of supporting my frame. There are no dials, knobs, or levers for adjusting anything: You just sit back, and the whole thing effectively moulds to, and fully supports, your shape. By not using metal here, the chair is also quite a bit lighter and easier to move about than your average gaming chair.

A similar approach has been used for the seat, in that underneath the foam pad, there is an array of polymer 'springs', though it's not quite as supportive as I'd like. I can sit all day in the ErgoChair Ultra 2 without too much issue, but I'd prefer a few more centimetres of foam in the pad. As it is, the seat doesn't feel as plush as the back, even though it's very spacious.

One function I do appreciate about the Autonomous design is that the seat depth is adjustable. Simply pull out a handle in the seat base, and the whole thing can easily slide back and forth by a few inches, giving taller people more thigh support. The only thing I don't like about this system is that shuffling the chair around while sitting in it causes the seat to 'clunk' about. That movement is only very small, but it does reduce the overall feeling of sturdiness.

Speaking of which, while the overall build quality is very good, the 4D adjustable armrests let down the package a touch. They're altered for height by pressing a small catch on the underside, but everything else (lateral and horizontal location, rotation) is done by simply pushing or pulling the rest into the desired position.

That's very easy to do, but it's actually too easy, and if you grab or lean on the armrests to move the chair about on a thick carpet, the rests will quickly slide out of position. Conversely, the height adjustment is quite stiff, and the arms tend to stick a little in the housing. A dose of silicone spray helped, though a better design would remove the problem altogether.

If you've just spent a good amount of time setting up the arms to suit your needs, you'd be rather annoyed that you'd have to do this all over again, simply because you needed to move the chair by pushing on the arms. On a smooth floor, tiled or laminated, this doesn't happen, but if your office/gaming den is carpeted like mine, it's something to be aware of with the Autonomous chair.

The armrests can be tightened up, and Autonomous provided me with a guide on how to do it: essentially, you need to fully dismantle them, screw down the respective bolts more firmly, and then reattach everything. Not a convenient solution, but at least there is a solution. They will still be 'light' to reposition, though that's an intended design.

There are a couple of rough edges on parts that have been manufactured using injection moulding, too. Nothing to cause any harm, and unless you look for it, you're unlikely to notice it. But it's just one more thing that takes a little bit of shine off the Autonomous' otherwise high levels of quality.

More so when you consider it costs $499. That's not super expensive for the market sector Autonomous is targeting, but neither does it have the playing field to itself. For example, ThunderX3 and Flexispot both make excellent mesh office chairs and are highly competitive on price and features. Meanwhile, the ErgoChair Ultra 2 doesn't sport footrests, and if you want a headrest, then you'll need to spend $50 more for the Plus model.

With $75 to $100 knocked off the price tag, you'd have no reason at all to complain, and I'd recommend the Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 without hesitation. At a dollar shy of five hundred bucks, however, I'd suggest that you weigh up the chair's strengths—flexible back support, low weight, adjustable seat depth—against your specific needs and what the competition offers first.

There's no shortage of great chairs to choose from these days, after all.

As I sit down in a studio made up to look like a swanky apartment, I have to come to an unfortunate realisation. Sitting across from me is someone who was, like me, born in 1992. His name is Ian Ang and he is the CEO of a very successful furniture business, while I just have the pleasure of asking him about it.

We're sat on some of the only chairs in the building not made by Ang's company, Secretlab. Secretlab was set up around 2014 by Ang and Alaric Choo. We're meeting for the first time in their company headquarters in Singapore. I'm here to see the company's new task chair, the Atlas, but our day is as much about meeting the people behind its products as it is the new gaming throne.

Secretlab rose to prominence with the Omega, which we rated as the best gaming chair from 2018 until 2021. The original Titan took its place, and shortly after that, the Titan Evo, which still holds the position today. That's a chair that's easy to spot behind any number of Twitch streamers. So, that's where I start. For the next hour, I'm free to chat with CEO Ang about anything and everything, so I ask how Secretlab managed to get behind so many big names.

"We don't actually have a Twitch strategy," Ang says. "For us, we started with esports."

Ang describes himself and Choo as ex-semi-professional esports players. Their game of choice: Starcraft II.

"When we started the chairs, chairs wasn't a category or product that people even thought about," Ang says. "Companies didn't think about it. People didn't think about it. So for me, back then, I had just basically put together my own gaming setup—that was in 2014 or 2013—and then I realized gaming monitor, gaming mouse, gaming keyboard. And to complete the setup, I wanted a chair that could fit it out with my entire setup and I just couldn't find one.

"Back then, I was young, I was naive, so the thinking was simply as stupid as, since it's not available out there, I'm going to make one."

We're talking at the end of my day at Secretlab's Singaporean office. I've been roaming between showrooms, product demonstrations, testing facilities, video studios filled with fake office set-ups that look better than my real one, and very real offices filled with hushed employees trying their best to ignore the gaggle of strangers in the corner. For the most part, I'm free to snap pictures of the place, with a few exceptions. That includes the labs. One of the reasons why is that Secretlab is wary of copycats and product clones.

"People copy us. Of course it bothers us. I would say decreasingly so over time," Ang admits.

"Think of Vincent [Sin] and his designers. Of course, it affects them. It's like their work is getting plagiarised."

Secretlab is looking to protect its designs more nowadays than it has in the past.

"I'm quite, I would say, a passionate and proud person," Ang says. "So of course, when you build something and then people start making lookalikes and such. And, I mean, we've been on this whole 10-year journey. So at the start, we were small. Of course, we just did what we thought was cool and good. And we didn't even think that we [would] become as big as we are today. We didn't think about people copying us and such.

"So, since five years ago, we realized that, okay, we should be proud of the work that we create. We should go and patent it. We should protect it."

The business has applied for patents for some of its core products and concepts. You can find them today, often filed around 2021 or later, including the design for the Titan Evo, or those filed under Vincent Sin's name, such as monitor arms and a chair-mounted footrest.

Vincent Sin is head of industrial design at Secretlab. He's the person that walks us through the features on the new Atlas and shows me around the labs. He's in his element talking about tools or how the team designed a footrest attachment for the Titan Evo. Perhaps even more than when he's showing us the finished product. He explains the team's struggle to design an armrest with infinite positions due to the availability of gas pistons of a suitable size and strength.

Secretlab eventually made that armrest and called it InfinitePrecision. Sin and his colleague tells us it was only made possible after the company convinced a manufacturer to make a gas piston to its exact specifications. While demonstrating the armrest in a different room, Ang tells us about that struggle and how Secretlab ended up in a position to make this sort of project happen.

"You have to go to the manufacturer and tell them, 'Okay, we will only make 1000'," Ang says as he adjusts the armrest. "They're gonna be like, 'we don't want to do it'."

"How about this?" He continues, as if talking to a unwavering supplier. "You do it for us. We'll pay for it. We pay for everything. All the capital expenditure."

The InfinitePrecision armrest is a passion project for Ang and Choo. They tend to think of famous esports players as the inspiration behind it. One being Starcraft legend Flash. Flash used to be known by 'God' and 'The Greatest Weapon', and, in other similarities to myself, was born in 1992. Coincidence? Totally. But he also used to bring a ruler to esports events to measure the exact distance between his keyboard and mouse. The same goes for Keria, from League of Legends team T1, who was spotted measuring their armrests while setting up for a tournament.

For these pro players, an infinitely adjustable armrest set with precision is actually useful. For everyone else, Ang admits, not so much. I'm grateful for this moment of honesty here, as when Secretlab sent us the armrests last year, we thought they were a bit over-engineered and expensive for the general public.

"We know that this is a loss making venture for us. The resources we call into this can be used by the esports teams, the esports tournaments, but the average consumer will probably not be using this," Ang says.

Ang says it's a good example of the clout that Secretlab can now wield to its competitive advantage.

"The gas piston was an example. But things like our foam, our upholsteries, for example, if we weren't producing millions of meters of upholstery every year, we wouldn't be able to create our own one, which, you know, we were kind of the ones pushing the envelope for this, along with automotive industry.

"It's like no other chair brand is able to have this kind of push when it comes to the supplier level," Ang says.

Secretlab's latest chair is the Atlas, which launches at $499. Unless you buy the NanoGen model that uses Secretlab's proprietary leatherette or foam, starting at $699. It's these sort of materials that sum up Secretlab's approach: proprietary and premium. We see it put to the test in the labs. The leatherette is prodded, pulled, and poked at repeatedly by specially designed machines. I still feel it's a lot of money for fancy leatherette and foam but Dave talked highly of it in our Titan Evo Nanogen review. Perhaps I'm just a cheapskate.

I start to understand the cost when speaking to Ang about it: "We want this exact leatherette and it's not available on market, so we will invest $2 million to set up the manufacturing lines in our factories to get it done," he says.

When I ask Ang whether the company has considered a budget option—beyond the Secretlab Titan Evo Lite that, in my opinion, isn't cheap enough at $449—I'm told it's not built for that.

"We're built for innovation and making great quality products," Ang says.

"If we want to be more of a sell-out cash grab, then we could do something. We could take something a bit more off the shelf and sell it. But that's that's not really playing to Secretlab's strengths as well. We have all these awesome designers and engineers, [we] should let them do great work."

That's a no, then. But Ang does end on a more hopeful note regarding affordable and high-end options:

"To answer your question, we have looked at exploring multiple categories as well. There's always an exploration… we are actively exploring different categories, but we only want to do it when we have something good enough."

But when I'm introduced to the new Atlas chair, I'm left thinking of the NeueChair. This being a task chair created by Secretlab but marketed under a different name. The NeueChair is pretty hard to find nowadays, and when I bring it up, I have to keep repeating the name with both Ang and the chief of staff, Ronald Loh. Though that's not just because they've forgotten about it, it's because I'm saying it wrong. You should say it like a third-wave emo singer. It's not 'New-Chair'.

"Honestly, we haven't heard it mentioned for quite a long time," Ang says, "think it was a bit of experiment for that one."

This is an example of the company trying something different. Built from mesh, the NeueChair seems to go against everything that the company is espousing today. Early in my visit to Secretlab, we were shown a demonstration on the benefits of foam over mesh, using heavy weights and machines to measure the distribution of weight over both materials. It not only took aim at Secretlab's competitors, but the NeueChair, too. The newer task chair from the company, the Atlas, uses foam.

But Ang doesn't seem to mind talking of change. He seems pretty clued up on how ergonomics have changed over the past decade or so, reiterating the advice of experts, including one we spoke to earlier in the day, Dr. Lindsey Migliore.

Migliore, known as Dr. Lindsey to Secretlab employees, is an esports medicine expert and physician. They offered me some scathing but fair judgements of my posture (I asked for it) and are part of the company's Ergonomics Advisory Board. Ang also cites a quote from a Dr. Stuart McGill, a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo in spine biomechanics, who suggests "the best posture is your next posture."

"So that's something that we firmly believe," Ang says.

"Why is the prevailing wisdom sit upright in the 90-90-90 kind of position? I think that this is an area that, right now we are kind of the expert in terms of the making furnitures for. [That] might change with time."

I ask Ang if sitting habits or science were to change, what would they do in response? He says they'd be the first to change things up if it did, but it's impossible to tell the future. That said, he does use this opportunity to unexpectedly rally against the metaverse, which seems partially due to a proposed change in sitting habits that never came, and because, as a gamer, Ang thought the metaverse wasn't very good.

"The metaverse didn't make sense to me at all. It's like, there's already MMOs out there. People go to the virtual world for a purpose. You're in the World of Warcraft town for a reason. You don't go into the virtual world to look at your land or whatnot. Back then, people were saying, 'Oh yeah, it's going to be the next big thing' and whatnot. And then, as a result, maybe the sitting habits, they might change. Yeah, but of course, it didn't."

By this point, I've spent a full day at Secretlab's offices. I've chatted to founders, department heads, designers, testers, and product managers. Until this moment, when I'm chatting with Ang, no one has uttered these two letters together: AI. I get it, we're chatting chairs, but few companies of Secretlab's size and success can escape the pressure to put AI into their product, even if doing so is about as graceful as an elephant on ice skates. So I break the silence.

"If we were owned by outside investors, you can bet that AI will be somehow jammed down our throats," Ang says, citing the fact that he and Choo still own the company they founded 12 years ago.

"Even today, we could probably put some sort of AI inside. But whether it's really beneficial or is it something very marginal that zero, only 0.1% of users, might even use… that's a different question. For us, of course, we have thought about it from a product perspective, but right now, we just don't think it's applicable."

That's two for two: a CEO that doesn't spout the benefits of AI or the metaverse. That's genuinely quite a rare thing to witness these days and I find myself warming to Ang a little more as a result. Ang goes on to further explain how the company not seeking large amounts of outside investment allows it to stick to its guns.

"We are adopting it, of course. But, once again, because we don't have the pressure of outside investments—because outside investments, you always need to sell the company somehow to another buyer—then we are not under pressure to force AI down their throat."

There's another thing that Ang admits he gets asked a lot by prospective investors, and that's how likely people are to become repeat customers when the product, say a gaming chair, lasts a long time.

"You've seen our Atlas, our idea is that people naturally upgrade themselves, when features are good enough to justify, when they trust and love the brand enough. I'm sure you guys have some brands of your own where you love it so much that whenever they release new things, you can't wait to use it. So that's how we kind of approach it."

I suppose it's a good problem to have, even if I'm personally not going to impulse buy a gaming chair on brand recognition alone. And from my time at Secretlab and speaking with Ang and his colleagues, I can see why its products have stayed in our recommendations for so many years. It's playing its own game. Not often looking to competitors for instruction or inspiration, and only more recently with newfound zeal to catch copycats and clones. Moreover, I can see how Ang has ended up running a successful business after the same 30-odd years on this Earth as me.

"In my opinion, the product is the most important thing," Ang says, and despite my usual pessimism to CEO's saying this sorta stuff, I do get the impression he actually means it.

I remember the stigma attached to gaming chairs even 10 years ago. The general consensus among many being they're all style over substance. Browse most major retailers and you're sure to find some specimens even today, many of which leave ergonomics to the imagination. That's gradually changing—as is the science behind sitting.

I recently had a chance to speak to Dr. Lindsey Migliore to find out from someone that knows a thing or two about it.

Dr. Migliore is a physician working in esports medicine. She wrote a book about it and founded a consultancy on esports health, GamerDoc, in 2020. She's also teamed up with Herman Miller and Secretlab, acting as an ergonomic advisor to the gaming chair company. That's where I met Dr. Migliore, at Secretlab's HQ in Singapore—everyone calls her Dr. Lindsey.

I offer to show Dr. Lindsey my own sitting position, which I sheepishly admit is absolutely dreadful. I hunch forward. I don't mean to but I catch myself gradually moving towards the screen throughout the day. Maybe it's my eyesight—that's what I tell the doc, anyways—but it doesn't protect me from the savaging yet to come.

Dr. Lindsey had a lot to say about my sitting position. Little of it good. Even besides my persistent and problematic hunching, my feet aren't always flat to the floor and I don't use my standing desk as often as I should. I'm a great example of what not to do.

Dr. Lindsey judges my posture and quickly—maybe too quickly—suggests I suffer from lower back pain in the morning. It's actually an ongoing issue, and now I'm sat in front of a physician who accurately diagnosed the issue in seconds, I start to wonder if I've entirely created it through my own awful posture.

"Starting to catch up on you a little bit?" Dr. Lindsey says as I hunch over the desk in the Secretlab showroom. "Back pain in the morning? Can't touch your toes?"

Dr. Lindsey is correct about the back pain. Though I can touch my toes because I do yoga, which I quickly interject to try to make it appear that I'm not a complete and utter gremlin.

Thankfully, this isn't merely an exercise in mocking me. The doc goes through some steps to better fit the chair to my body and support me throughout the day, which you may find useful in your own quest for better posture and a longer shelf life behind a desk.

"Feet flat on the floor is the number one most important thing."

"Knees in line with hips, maybe hips a little bit above," Dr Lindsey continues, suggesting I should raise the height of the chair a little.

"When you adjust the seat depth, you want two to three finger breadths behind your knee and the chair."

What Dr. Lindsey means by this is, when sitting upright with your feet flat on the floor, extending two or three fingers together on one hand, slot them between the end of the seat and the inside of your knee. If you can fit your fingers there, but no more, you're in a good position. If not, adjust the seat depth.

"So you want your low back flat against this," Dr Lindsey says, tapping the lumbar section of the backrest. I'm sat in Secretlab's new Atlas chair, which Dr. Lindsey has been brought in to speak about, but this advice works for anything with a reasonable attention to ergonomics.

We move onto armrests, which I'm thankfully no longer required to demonstrate. Dr. Lindsey is surprisingly easygoing when it comes to setting them to a preferred height for personal comfort.

"Some people put their armrest right at desk level, which is great, because then you can sit like this," Dr. Lindsey sits with her arms across the armrests and atop the desk. "I put them a little bit below, and then raise my desk up so I can get more close and use kind of more the desk as my armrests."

"So the arm is usually at about the level of the desk, but it's more personal preference. You just want your wrist to be neutral."

A neutral wrist, which is a focus of ergonomic keyboards and mice, is to reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. With a neutral wrist position—the position they'd take if you loosely hang your hands by your sides—the pressure is relieved from your carpal tunnel, which sits between the two bones extending towards the hand.

"Any extension, or flexion, the pressure on the nerve that runs through there sky rockets, and that's what causes compression over time. So you want to keep your wrists in neutral, and that's really what the armrests do, and kind of offload the weight on the forearms a little bit."

A desk that can be adjusted to your height is a handy thing to have, Dr. Lindsey admits, but suggests you can get by with stacking books under the legs as she once did.

"So when you're thereat the desk, the desk is going to move to you so your elbows are at 90 (degrees), and then the monitors should be an arm's length away, and then the top of the monitor should be at or just below eye level."

A lot of this is the ideal posture, which Dr. Lindsey is keen to point out is only half the battle. Sitting upright is good, but movement is key. I can hunch, if only for a bit, so long as I mix up my sitting position shortly thereafter. I should aim for good posture, but I should also aim for lots of postures throughout the day.

"Ergonomics isn't just physical anymore. It's got to be behavioral. It's got to be something that makes it easy for you to move."

"When I started working, it was like the 90-90-90 rule, which was stiff, upright elbows," Dr. Lindsey says as she demonstrates an upright seating position. "The perfect posture."

"And then we started applying it more to office workers and how we all kind of sit in the early 2000s and that's when adjustability started blowing up. And we got split keyboards, vertical mice, sit-to-stand desks. And adjustability is great. It's essential. But they replaced, like perfect, upright sitting with perfectly supported stillness. You know, there was no movement, there was no intentionality to movement."

Dr. Lindsey explains how the muscles in our body are meant to take load and respond with tension. Otherwise we'd flop over. The issue is that sitting for a long period of time causes strain to muscles holding tension. The symptoms of this strain change with time.

"In the short term, it's pain, it's discomfort, but in the long term, the tissue remodels. The tissue remodels to get used to stillness, to get used to lack of movement.

"So now what we're looking at in modern ergonomics is you've got to get your butts moving," Dr. Lindsey says.

One piece of advice is to actually use the tilt functionality on your chair if it has one. Flip the lever and relax a little—moving the muscle tension elsewhere, if only for a while before moving back. Another piece of advice is for anyone with multiple monitors, especially those with a monitor off to one side. It is, simply, to move the monitor from one side to the other from time to time so that your neck isn't always craning one way. It seems so simple as to be obvious, but I'd never done it before.

Nowadays, I have a single ultrawide monitor, and thankfully the advice is pretty straightforward there: plonk it right in front of you, considering the eye-level and arm's distance away advice mentioned earlier.

Another solid recommendation is for anyone with a standing desk. That is to always stand when you remember you have a standing desk. It's a habit builder—Lord knows I need new habits as someone that infrequently stands throughout the day.

As for me, since my meeting with Dr. Lindsey, I've become acutely aware of my poor posture throughout the day. I'm trying to remember to do something about it. I was told "It's not too late for you," though admittedly I forgot my own age when asked and Dr. Lindsey thinks I'm 32. I'm 34. Maybe it is too late for me.

"You still have time to reverse these changes. You know, life's not a video game where we get to choose another character. We are stuck in this. So, I think you've got some actionables."

"I'm not gonna bully you anymore," she says. But I get it. The message is loud and clear, Doc. Better late than never.

It's not everyday that Secretlab drops a new chair but today is one of those days. It's called the Secretlab Atlas. It's a sleek, slim task chair that might appeal to those of us that spend our time equally between gaming and working from home. I've recently visited Secretlab HQ to chat about it, and I've been sitting in it over the past few days, so here's the rundown.

Compared to the ever-popular Titan Evo, the Atlas is simpler. It offers a high-back design. The backrest has a fixed S-shape position, in what's called a lordotic curvature, and offers synchronous tilt and seat depth adjustments.

A magnetic headrest is also provided with the chair, which I'm glad to report, as one of the best features of the Titan Evo. It's been slightly redesigned for the Atlas, however, with a curvier shape to support your neck.

The idea behind it is to support someone between both focus and rest modes, ie working, gaming, and chilling out. It's designed for the Pomodoro Technique, which a handful of Secretlab employees, including founder and CEO, Ian Ang, tell me they are practitioners of. That technique splits work up into 25-minute chunks with 5-minute breaks in between. I'm yet to try it, but I might give it a go.

It's also designed to support what is cited by Secretlab as 'dynamic sitting', which is the idea that a chair can aid in active movement and posture changes rather than holding a stiff, unmoving position for a long period.

I'm told by Secretlab Ergonomics Advisory Board Member and physician, Dr. Lindsey Migliore, that it's the lack of movement that's the real problem with sitting at your desk all day. The Atlas, I'm told, is Secretlab aiming to make a product to respond to this shift in understanding of ergonomics.

"The best posture is your next posture," says leading spine biomechanics professor Dr. Stuart McGill, who is cited by both Migliore and Ang during my time visiting the company and some influence on the Atlas design, as noted by head of product development at Secretlab, Vincent Sin.

"Static posture is the enemy of prolonged focus, yet most chairs still lock you in a single position," Sin said.

There are two versions of the Atlas available:

• Standard, in either leatherette or SoftWeave Plus fabric, using cold-cure foam and black hardware;
• Premium, with NanoFoam Composite and SoftWeave Plus fabric or NanoGen leatherette, and colour-matched hardware.

The Premium version comes in black (SoftWeave or NanoGen Leatherette), white, and beige (known as Dune). The standard version comes in more two-tone colourways, including black/grey (Cookies & Cream) and black/white (Moon).

We've given high praise to the NanoGen Edition of the Titan Evo previously, though it comes at a considerably higher price point, and the same is true for the Atlas.

• Secretlab Atlas will start at US$499 / €499 / £399 / SGD$599
• Secretlab Atlas (Premium Range) will start at US$699 / €699 / £599 / SGD$849

From my time with the chair, it's surprisingly comfortable for its thinner profile. It naturally supports my lower back and holds me in an upright position at the top tilt setting—that's a good thing for preventing slouching, which I'm exceedingly guilty of.

The Atlas will recline by up to 120 degrees, which can be controlled via the levers. These are pretty smart compared to some, including a couple of indicators, one that says whether the seating position is locked, and another that lets you know at a glance what tilt force is set to.

There are four levels to this tilt control, with the lighter resistance option letting you rock back and forth with ease. I gave this a whirl in Secretlab HQ and I'm glad to report I didn't go sneaker over sunglasses—it's pretty stable.

With a marginally lower price tag than the Secretlab Titan Evo, I feel this will prove a more popular option for its lack of bulk compared to the best gaming chair. That slim profile in combination with its grown-up colourways may find more appreciation among home offices than Twitch streams.

Father's Day is on Sunday, June 21 this year, and if you're anything like me, you're already scrambling to think of something to buy. I've got good news for gaming dads, though—I've found 12 PC gaming gift ideas that would make any of them very, very happy indeed.

From mouse pads and tool sets to gaming controllers, mice, and chairs, there's definitely something here that will suit any gamer dad down to the ground. And indeed, suit any budget. Because whether you're looking for a high-end gift they'll cherish for years, or something small and affordable that'll demonstrate how much you've been paying attention to their hobbies, this list should pretty much cover it all.

Should you wish to really flash your cash this Father's Day, I'll also point you towards our cheap gaming laptop deals and cheap gaming PC deals pages. But for the rest of us looking for something more affordable, I reckon any of the 12 items below are perfect for the gamer dad in your life. And none of them are socks, I promise.

PC gaming gifts for Father's Day

I'm not usually one for raving over chairs, but I reckon Corsair's new TC80 is worth looking out for. That's because the company is stressing two things that are music to my ears: a move away from "gaming chair style", and affordability. The company says:

"Coming in at an accessible price, we've integrated all the most important features from our other gaming chairs, and distilled them down into a more affordable product."

Corsair also says that, "following our popular TC500 Luxe, we have continued the move away from traditional gaming chair style. The TC80 has more subtle branding, a muted color pallet, and a more professional vibe overall."

I reviewed the TC500 Luxe a couple of years ago and liked it, for the most part. The main thing I didn't like was its armrests, which are too far away from the chair. It doesn't look like that will be a problem here, though, as the arms are connected to the chair.

The other Corsair chair to consider when looking at the TC80 is the TC100 Relaxed. This was our favourite budget chair for a very long time, until it was pipped by the ThunderX3 Solo 360. The biggest difference to my eyes, going off the specs, is that you can recline much further with a TC100 Relaxed. But, if you don't lie back fully in your chair—post-game naps, maybe?—then 115 degrees should be more than enough for most people.

The armrests on the TC80 are also "linkage" ones, meaning they should stay nicely aligned with your forearms however much you recline in it.

The back rest is a little shorter and slimmer compared to the TC100 Relaxed, but from the photos it still looks plenty spacious, and the back itself seems to jut out far enough that hopefully none of the padding around the sides will dig in. Corsair describes it as a "firmer, more supportive central section for enhanced lumbar support." There's a detachable neck pillow, too, if that's your jam.

It's personal preference, of course, but I also like the look of the "flatter wider base", and agree with Corsair that flat seats are "ideal for longer workdays that turn into even longer gaming nights." Under the fabric, there are high-density foams that Corsair claims "won’t collapse after a few years of use leading to an uncomfortable chair."

Apparently the TC80 has gone through BIFMA and EN1335 testing, too, which basically means it's been twisted and turned to no end with heavy weight testing: "They really do abuse these chairs to make sure they're safe and long-lasting." Good stuff.

In all, with the fabric-first, wide-and-flat approach combined with supposed affordability, the TC80 is one chair I'm genuinely excited to see more of. Hopefully it delivers on its promises—including when it comes to price.

It's no secret that we love a good gaming chair here at PC Gamer. Your level of comfort while you game is just as important as the rig you're playing on—so if you've been parking yourself on something old and busted, I'd highly recommend checking out the Secretlab variants below.

They're all flavors of the Secretlab Titan Evo, which currently sits at the top of our best gaming chair guide thanks to its excellent comfort, high-quality materials, and refined aesthetics. This particular model comes in a variety of designs, and many of them have tidy discounts right now as part of the company's long-running Memorial Day sales event.

Secretlab make quality products that look great, feel fantastic, and last. We use them constantly around the office, and they still look as good (and feel as comfortable) as the day we pulled them from their respective boxes. It's time to treat your rear to a new throne, so let's see what your options are, shall we?

Secretlab Titan Evo gaming chair deals

The Flexispot C7 Morpher is a very comfortable chair, and you'd expect it to be at the whopping price of £800/$800. Born out of Flexispot's earlier C7, the Morpher brings with it a whole suite of ergonomic features to justify that price tag. Most aspects of it can be fiddled with, and there are some really ingenious design decisions. It's just that I cannot get over the enormous, too-close-to-$1000 price tag, despite it being a really good chair.

That high price tag is partially due to the version of the Morpher that was sent. In two massive boxes, the company had sent over the mesh edition (the US can get a cheaper foam backing), along with the footrest. The footrest feels like an add-on as, while comfortable, it's not as cleanly designed as the rest of the chair, and sits just behind the legs, pushing on them. In some way, the not-so-tidiness of how it doesn't fully fold away helps contribute to keeping me in position.

I did fear those boxes, however. When they arrived, all that could run through my head was the various packs of screws and having to find a numbered part. Thankfully, the setup only took around 20 minutes, all told, and that includes not holding the chair's base still enough while my partner tried to screw it together. In the box was a massive safety-in-the-workplace styled poster. If it wasn't clear from its lack of frilly design, logos, and sweaty fake leather or soft felt, the Flexispot C7 Morpher is an office chair first, everything else chair second.

Flexispot has really taken the mundane into deep consideration with the design of the Morpher. The arms swivel 360 degrees, so any arm position or desk size won't take from the ergonomic aspects of the chair's whole ethos. Raising these up and having one at a 180-degree position, leaning forward a tad to the keyboard, while trudging through Diablo 4's latest expansion was a game-changer. Laziness, but my back isn't sore afterwards. Of course, this benefit also goes over to the day job.

I'm quite particular about my chairs, especially after spending around four or five years sitting in them at office jobs, trying to be cooler than they were. During my time in SecretLabs, or DXRacers, and even their knock-off copycats, I found they encouraged bad sitting habits. I'd spy colleagues gargoyling it up, or slouched deep. My back would then remind me that I, too, had gone into "goblin mode".

Since reviewing the Flexispot BS10 in 2022, I've been bolt upright for the majority of my time since then. There's an adjustable lumbar support, which can have air pumped into it like a sneaker, and then moved vertically to suit your needs. The back of the chair can be tilted. This goes pretty far back, and the tension is controlled with a knob across four settings. With a maximum weight capacity of 380 pounds (about 27 stone, or 172 kilograms), this will be crucial so that our heavier compatriots don't fling themselves backwards too quickly. Once in position, this can be locked down with a hit of the flap under the chair.

As to be expected at the eye-watering price tag, almost every facet of the ergonomics can be fiddled with here. The headrest can be contorted to a desired position, as can the seat depth.

The C7 Morpher takes this up a notch, but it might be one for the shorter individuals out there. Rather than rounded legs, the C7 Morpher has flat foot rests, so that no matter your height, you'll always have flat footing. It's just so comfortable.

The mesh is also something that is probably a 'must have', if you're also like me, and fearing the drenching of sweat this summer while cooped up in a home office. Never mind the intermittent heatwaves we've been having here in the UK, the Morpher's mesh has already been a great assistant, letting the air from the fan flow where it was most needed.

So yes, it's an excellent chair from an ergonomics standpoint, but how is it for gaming? What's the benefit here, over one of the many other and possibly cheaper chairs out there? Well, it's hard to recommend. Sure, slouching back with lumbar support that I've pumped to my preference is a luxury, especially with my little legs in the air from the footrest. Controller in hand, blasting that horrid green critter with cards in Vampire Crawlers for a bonus. It is a luxury. It's also an $800 luxury, one that you have to understand is an investment in yourself, over everything.

See, there's no status or anything that owning a gaming chair comes with. It is, again, an all business chair. Gaming in it is certainly comfortable, but it's not the direct, intended function here. What's nice is being able to use all of these adjustments to make gaming as comfortable as possible after that shift. Even being able to change how the chair is positioned at the desk is enough to create a different environment between work and play in a weird way.

If you work from home or are in your computer chair for long stretches, then yes, the C7 Morpher is absolutely a recommendation. It'll help support your back and allow you to adjust the chair to your needs. I've spent a long time talking about the high price of the chair, but it being a Flexispot seat it is prone to a good sale discount. Right now you can get it with a sizeable $150/£250 discount, which is a decent chunk of change off. The point here is that even with such a discount you're still talking about it being the price of an undiscounted Secretlab chair.

The C7 Morpher then isn't for everyone. It's a stupendous sit, but the exorbitant price won't sit well with everyone. Or maybe anyone. I love the chair, received it for free, and still have reservations about actually sitting in it.

As you might be able to tell from Secretlab's presence in our list of the best gaming chairs and best gaming desks, we like its products quite a bit.

If you're looking to get your hands on the best hardware out there and don't want to pay full price, it currently has a sale on, including the Warhammer 40,000 Secretlab Titan Evo for $594 and the Assassin's Creed Magnus Pro for $939. That's almost $100 off both.

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Starting with the chair, the Titan Evo is super comfortable, sturdy, and it feels great. It even has a neat little magnet-based head cushion that's easy to use. We have the Warhammer 40,000 Titan Evo in the PC Gamer office, and I get a little jealous every time I see it.

It's mostly blue with gold and black trim, plus a big Imperium insignia, and it even comes with a purity seal attachment you can pop on the top right. It looks neat, feels great to sit in, and the $70 discount makes it a bit more affordable.

If you aren't a Warhammer nerd (you're missing out), there are similar discounts on the Superman, Game of Thrones, League of Legends, Dragon Ball, and Valorant collaboration Titan Evos.

We have seen similar discounts from Secretlab before, but it doesn't tend to go much lower, so now is a decent time to go for that upgrade.

If you aren't in search of a chair, we called the Magnus Pro XL "quite simply the ultimate desk for gaming and working from home" in our review. It has great build quality, solid cable management, and a smooth sit-to-stand system. Like the Evo, it's a lot of money but easily worth it if you've got the budget.

The standard Magnus Pro is available for $939, discounted by $89, or you can pick up the XL model for $1089, which is currently enjoying a reduction of $99. It's not the cheapest gaming desk you can buy, of course, but it is clearly the best out there, thanks to its wealth of features and superior build quality.

I've often wondered why gaming chairs aren't more like luxury car seats. I mean, some are, but they usually end up being "racing" models that are about as comfortable as being poked with a polyurethane-covered stick.

Surely it'd be simple enough to take a comfy car seat design, strap a piston and wheel combo to the bottom of it alongside some armrests, and then charge what you like. Oh look, here comes Toyota with exactly that.

The Crown Seat Desk Chair [PDF] is, as the name suggests, marketed as more of a desk chair than a gaming throne (via Tom's Hardware). Still, I know a good gaming chair when I see one. Look at those lovingly-crafted bolsters, designed to keep you centred on the action when things get hectic. The quality stitching. The headrest that looks ready to be tilted back for an after-game nap. Mmmm.

It's based on the car seat from, you guessed it, a Toyota Crown, and comes with powered adjustability settings, built-in electric heating and cooling, and a USB Type-C charging port hidden in the seatbelt buckle. Oh yes, I nearly forgot—it seems some elements have been retained from the actual car seat itself. A nice touch, but I bet you'd find yourself banging into it constantly if you bought one.

And therein lies two further problems. One, Toyota Boshoku, the company's seating and interior components specialist, is only producing 70 of them. And two, it's a Japan exclusive model, with a price tag that equates to around $3,500.

Ah, it was going so well, wasn't it? I tried looking for pre-owned Toyota Crown car seats and discovered some decent (although fabric-covered) examples starting for around $385, so hope is not lost. You could always make one a project, although good luck creating something as tidy-looking as the real thing.

Damn you, unobtainable gaming chair of my dreams. You elude me once more, but here's hoping this isn't the last we see of comfy car seats converted for desk-based usage. Just work on the pricing for me, would ya?

If you're looking for an upgrade that will help your PC gaming setup as well as ease your spine then we've got an exclusive, extra chonk discount on the Razer Iskur V2 chair for you. With $250 off the original $650 price tag you're looking at $400 for the Razer seat. Just grab the code from above and go wild.

Now, there are parts of your PC gaming setup it's easy to overlook, especially when you're lazer-focused on making sure you're getting the absolute top frame rates out of your rig. You'll spend big on a graphics card, and you'll (now) spend big on an SSD to pack in the storage hogs of your Steam library.

You'll probably also happily spend a pretty penny on your gaming monitor or peripherals. But you might still be sat on a repurposed dining room chair in front of a desk made of breeze blocks and 2-by-4. And then maybe wondering why you're struggling to walk after a five hour gaming session.

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Gaming chairs have had a rather maligned history, given that early on they were seemingly simply trying to ape racing seats ripped directly out of a Subaru Imprezza. But in recent years the big brands, such as Razer, Secretlab, and AndaSeat have been working to ensure ergonomics are as big a part of their new chairs as the look.

Though, I have to say, when Kizzy first took the Razer Iskur V2 for a spin he didn't find it as comfortable as the original Iskur he loved so well. And when it was priced at $650 that was a bitter pill to swallow. Now it's got a $250 discount, that feeling will surely soften.

He did, after all, note that it is otherwise an improvement over the OG Iskur in every way: "It improves on practically everything from its predecessor—better materials, refined design, and a much more versatile lumbar system. Every complaint I had with the previous Razer Iskur, which, by the way, has been my main chair for the last three years, has been addressed."

This deal coincides with the release of the newer Iskur V2 NewGen edition, and probably explains why Razer's happy to take an axe to its MSRP. The new design has an updated lumbar support and extra breathable materials, but is otherwise the same seat.

This deal will only last while stocks last, though I can't tell you how long that will be 'cos no-one's shown me pics of the warehouse. They may have thousands of them, or just a handful. Exciting, eh?

Spring is in the air, so you know what that means? Weather that wildly changes every single minute and PC gaming deals to tempt you. Secretlab can't do anything about the former, but its latest round of discounts on chairs and desks is certainly an attempt at the latter. For me, though, there's only one thing that's absolutely worth snapping up: the glorious Titan Evo 2022 gaming chair, now down to $529 for the small and regular sizes.

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If you check out our guide to the best gaming chairs around, you'll notice that we rate the Titan Evo as the best overall chair you can buy. In fact, we've given the Secretlab perch the top slot ever since it came out, way back in 2021, and the fact that we still think there's nothing to touch it says it all.

It doesn't have the most features, nor does it use materials that wouldn't look out of place in a palace, but if you just want a chair that's highly supportive, comfortable for hours at a time, and is built to last for years on end, then the Titan Evo is the one to pick.

Lots of us at PC Gamer use this chair at home and in the office, and I've yet to hear a bad word about it from anyone. I use a similar model from a competitor, and I really wish I'd gone with a Titan Evo: the prices are roughly the same, but my chair is horribly uncomfortable after a few hours of use, and the height adjustment no longer works.

You just won't have the problem with the Titan Evo, and while $529 is still a lot of money to spend on a mere chair, if you spend a lot of time sitting in a chair, it makes sense to spend the extra to protect your spine and blood flow in your legs.

One day, the Titan Evo 2022 will be dethroned as the best gaming chair, but not today, and probably not for a good while yet. It's one PC gaming purchase you won't regret.

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A reasonable price, something actually comfortable, a range of adjustability options, a small-ish box and an easy build. When it comes to a number of budget gaming chairs, it can feel like a case of 'pick two—and be thankful you got two'. The ThunderX3 Solo 360 is different. Instead it asks, 'why choose?'

With an MSRP of $250/£200/€220, it's hard not to sing the praises of this budget perch. The ThunderX3 Solo 360 enjoys a similar price point to our top pick for the best budget gaming chair, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed—and I'd argue that the TC100 has met its match.

First things first, the ThunderX3 Solo 360 rocked up in a box that was easily half the size of the last chair I built, the DXRacer Martian XL. The purposefully scaled-up size of that chair makes for maybe not the fairest comparison, but the difference between its considerable cardboard cube and the Solo's supersized cereal box was stark.

As for construction, the Solo lived up to its name; I found this chair super easy to construct as a one woman band. Typically, I'll often have to call on a colleague to help mount the backrest onto the seat, or place the fully assembled seat onto the piston, but all parts of the Solo proved lightweight enough to assemble without assistance.

On a construction process side note, I found the visual instructions mostly easy to follow—though unfortunately the drawings of the screws look different to what's in the box. Thankfully, it's all clearly labelled, and you even get a spare of each screw type. Speaking of construction pack-ins, you can pry the included L-bar hex key with a ball end socket from my cold, dead hands.

With the seat pretty quickly built, there was only one thing left to do—well, after quickly dismantling the armrests to attach the plastic joints I'd missed the first time around. After that, I finally pulled up the gaming chair and deposited myself into its firm, car-seat-style embrace.

Despite the small box this gaming chair arrives in, the seat doesn't feel narrow to me. The ThunderX3 Solo 360's bottom cushion and back rest is constructed of very firm foam, keeping the chair reasonably lightweight but also very comfortable.

The headrest attaches via two steel stems, much like a car seat headrest. Unlike many of its competitors, the Solo 360 doesn't offer a separate, removable pillow, so this up-down headrest is all the support your bonce is getting. There's no separate lumbar support cushion, either. It's all still pretty comfortable, with nary a numb bum experienced during my testing, but its car seat-like styling definitely comes with some quirks that definitely won't appeal to everyone. I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather the throne from which I game did not also remind me of the tin can I trundle to work in.

Less quirky are the '3D x 360°' armrests. Essentially, all that means is that the tops of the armrests can rotate around and around, but rather than a smooth, unimpeded rotation, there's a clickyness that should stop you from too easily knocking the armrests out of your preferred position. You can also retract the tops of the armrests, and a little lever underneath each one allows you to adjust its height.

The 3D armrests are definitely a neat inclusion on such an affordable chair—especially considering the Corsair TC100 Relaxed's 2D armrests leave a lot to be desired.

The ThunderX3 Solo 360 also offers a 'synchronous tilt' which "allows the backrest and seat to move together at the optimal ratio, providing ergonomic support for your entire body." Given that the ThunderX3 Flex Pro is our preferred perch when it comes to the best office chair for gaming, the Solo 360's ergonomic edge is hardly surprising. You can also lock your preferred angle in place by pushing the seat height adjustment pedal in, towards the central piston.

Unlocking it can prove perilous though, as the whole pedal slipped completely off when I pulled it out again. This is easily fixed, so long as you take care to thread the not-completely -round plastic tube back onto the not-completely-round metal pole. My clumsiness aside, that synchronous tilt provided a lengthened silhouette that was frankly impractical for the hardware team's corner of PCG Towers, and a level of comfort I was extremely reluctant to extricate myself from. 'Tis a shame to know that I snore.

That aside, it's time to talk looks and, as you might already expect from a budget chair, they are decidedly basic here. Specifically, I reviewed the Loft Air in a Dark Grey colourway. The model I reviewed also came with a thin pocket on the reverse of the back rest. Naturally, this is touted as extra storage but you'll likely struggle to get much more in it than, say, the documentation that came in the box.

The main drawback of this model specifically is its woven fabric seat covering. It's definitely not wipe clean, so good luck to us all come summertime—though I suppose it beats peeling myself away from polyurethane leather.

Though basic, that's not to say there's no attention to aesthetic detailing here. For one thing, I like the subtle logo embroidery on the headrest, and the soft suede accents marking the contours of the chair. I personally prefer to go for hardware that's a lot showier, but I'm not immune to this chair's low-key, subtle charm. For only £200, you can definitely live without a showier gaming chair.

Though the ThunderX3 Solo 360 does without magnetic head rest pillows or a seat wide enough to sit cross-legged upon, it does give the Corsair TC100 Relaxed a run for its similarly reasonable price point. Both are genuinely comfy gaming chairs and both offer a deep recline, but the Solo 360 manages to pack slightly more into its £200 offering.

For one thing, you've got fairly sturdy armrests that are also highly adjustable. While the Corsair TC100 Relaxed offers '2D' armrests, you can't really argue with the ThunderX3 Solo 360's extra dimension of adjustability. On top of that, the Solo 360 is far more straightforward to build, even if you've only got one pair of hands to spare.

Lastly, and certainly not least of all to me, I simply prefer the low-key look of the Solo 360. The Corsair TC100 Relaxed also offers understated colourways (and, I'm literally only just finding this out, also comes in lilac) but I think I enjoy the well-balanced silhouette of the Solo 360 even more.

But could the ThunderX3 Solo 360 roll the Corsair TC100 Relaxed away from the budget pick top spot? I'd certainly go to bat for it.

A moment from 2019's Control that has always stayed with me involves a skeleton in a wig yelling at another still cursed-looking puppet, "EVERYONE WANTS THE BIG CHAIR, MEG." But when it comes to this XL edition from DX Racer, I'm not so sure.

It's not just the fact that, as a generally not small woman, my feet don't touch the ground while sitting in this gaming chair, but also the fact I'm perched atop a 5000 mAh lithium ion battery. Yes, this is a $699/£580 gaming chair offering an array of features that require a considerable amount of juice.

But before we get into all of that, let us ask the most basic question: What is it like as a regular ol' gaming chair? Well, as previously mentioned, the first thing to get out of the way is that this is not really made for me; the XL or Plus edition of the DXRacer Martian Series is intended for folks up to 180 cm tall, and is designed to support a weight of up to 125 kg. But even adjusted to my preferred tilt angle and the lowest possible chair height, my feet don't touch the floor, swinging in the air like a tiny tyrant.

To put it another way, this gaming chair is very much pitched towards someone who could easily reach the top shelf.

As for actually taking a seat, I've caught myself assuming the posture of a prawn more often than I'd like during testing, which just goes to show how important it is to not only properly adjust your gear, but to find the gaming chair that best suits you. My crustacean posture is a shame because I otherwise very much appreciate how the XL's extra wide, 59.5 cm seat ensures my buns don't feel the slightest bit claustrophobic. By most metrics, it's an exceedingly generous seat and, when I actually remember to sit against the back rest properly, it's comfortable even without the motorised lumbar support.

I was also impressed by the magnetic head rest's range of adjustability. To compare, I personally find the Secretlab Titan Evo's headrest lacks a similar amount of magnetic real estate. In other words, our top pick for the best gaming chair overall doesn't support my short-arse as well as it could, and also comes with a magnetic headrest that my clumsy-self finds far too easy to accidentally dislodge.

The DXRacer Martian XL, on the other hand, offers a roomy range of adjustability, allowing for a magnetic headrest that actually has a hope of supporting my head and neck.

Constructed with cold cure foam over a metal frame, the DXRacer Martian XL is also sturdy bit of kit—even after a questionable construction job from yours truly. While I personally prefer the bouncy resistance of a mesh chair (like the AndaSeat X-Air Pro), the cold cure foam here is definitely firm and supportive. There's no sinking feeling here.

Depending on your living space, this chair's roominess can prove a double-edged sword. Actually building the chair is fairly straightforward thanks to easy to follow visual instructions and well-labelled cables, but it's very much a two-person job due to the heft alone. For another thing, rolling this bad boy through PC Gamer towers proved a little touch-and-go, especially when attempting to navigate through a single-width doorway. If you need to shuffle this gaming chair between rooms for whatever reason, be careful you don't scrape your paint work.

The Martian XL also offers '4D' adjustable arm rests. Rather than freely spinning around, you'll need to hold in one of the buttons along the armrest's underside to freely adjust it; the inner button near the arm rests base lets you move it side-to-side, while the one closest to your thumb lets you shift the arm rest forwards and backwards, and a metallic paddle on the arm rest's outer edge controls height. Release the button and the arm rests lock in place. This makes for sturdy arm rests not easily knocked out of position, offering consistent support across a welcomely wide surface area.

Right, it's finally time to talk about what perching atop a lithium ion battery gets you. A number of air bags beneath the backrest offer tuneable lumbar support. You can adjust this pretty finely via four directional buttons within arm's reach, below the arm rest on the right-hand side. Though I'm broadly sceptical of motorised gaming chairs, the option of truly personalised support for my creaky back goes a long way to softening my stance.

Alongside the four directional buttons, a centre button offers a massage mode where air bags all along the spine of the chair inflate to gently poke you in the back—it's perhaps the least impressive of the DXRacer Martian's motorised offerings.

Alongside this gentle prodding, you also have seat cooling and seat heating options. These are definitely a neat addition, with the warmest setting ensuring your buns will be decently toasty—best remember to take that chocolate bar out of your back pocket before you take a seat though.

If testing allowed for it, I would be interested to see whether the internal fan makes sitting in a leatherette gaming chair during the height of summer any less miserable.

This is all possible thanks to a fairly heavy-duty battery, advertised as holding about 360 hours or two weeks of charge. You can recline easily in the knowledge this chair won't need to be constantly plugged in—though I do wish the charging cable was just a little bit longer; depending on the layout of your gamer haven, the limited charging cable length may present a bit of a practical challenge as it did for me.

Last—and perhaps least—you also get LED lighting situated in the seat hinge, though this is pretty underwhelming and ultimately it feels tacked on to make the most out of DXRacer's claim that this is 'The World's First Electric Gaming Chair'.

Beyond the flashily named '4D Electric Lumbar Support,' I'm still not convinced that a lithium ion-powered throne is what was missing from my gaming life. Not everyone wants the big chair after all.

However, if you're broader and taller than I am, our top pick for larger folks is the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL. The DXRacer Martian XL offers just a few precious centimetres more in terms of back and seat width, but the Kaiser 4 XL is still a very spacious chair—you even get adjustable lumbar support.

A low battery won't stop you from adjusting the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL, as its lower back support cushion pops out to offer 4-level adjustment via a dial you can directly noodle with. On top of that, the Kaiser 4 XL enjoys even snazzier adjustable '5D' armrests and, at $580 USD/£480 GBP, this gaming seat also manages to be a good bit cheaper than the DXRacer Martian XL. Perhaps it will be the big chair for you.

As you either already know or otherwise won't be surprised to hear, I'm a sucker for cute gear. While I appreciate colourful kit, that doesn't mean I'm compelled to scoop up every bit of tat with a cute character on it. That said, the Secretlab Pokemon Collection has caught my eye, much to my personal hardware budget's dismay.

That's right, the Secretlab Titan Evo gaming chair is getting a Pokemon makeover, offering three different—and dare I say downright tasteful—designs. You can catch at least one of these premium seats from Secretlab directly right now. Each edition is designed around a heavy hitter critter from the original 151, featuring their Pokedex number and Pokemon type symbol.

First up is obviously the Pikachu edition, sporting a striking yellow-to-black gradient design. The electric mouse is joined by its Pokémon: Let's Go partner, Eevee. Besides the normal-type pup itself splashed across both the front and reverse of the backrest, its eight different evolutions get a look in on the chair's side wings, with this rainbow lineart breaking up the otherwise Clean Girl colourscheme. Finally, there's my personal favourite: a Gengar colourway in purple and black. Where are my fellow ghost-type fiends at?

What's most striking to me about these designs is that they're actually kinda good? Rather than, I don't know, plastering Pikachu's face everywhere and calling it a day—like this Pokemon collection from Razer that I personally don't care for. These seat designs are both well-balanced and tasteful, though importantly still fun.

Patches of microsuede and velour add a fresh textural dimension too—I personally can't wait to rub my greasy little mitts all over that great big fuzzy Gengar. Otherwise, the chair remains the same Secretlab Titan Evo that we've consistently rated as the best overall gaming chair for years now.

All three designs are available in the US, EU, and Australia, though the UK will only get the Eevee edition (Alas, no ghost-type gamer throne for me). Each one costs $684 USD / £549 GBP / €644 EUR, too. Anyone got a spare nugget they're willing to part with? No? Ah well, time to go challenge some posh toffs at Hotel Richissime.

A big pair of wobbling buttocks is a prerequisite for this peculiarly human thing called ‘sitting', but even more than that, if you want to sit, you need a chair. And if that chair is comfortable and adjustable, then all the better. PC gaming is unique among all the different kinds of interactive entertainment (with the exception of building an arcade in your garage, barn or other outbuilding) in the way its core demographic requires actual furniture to do it, and that's why PC Gamer maintains a list of the best gaming chairs.

AndaSeat's Kaiser 3E XL comes in at a lower price than Secretlab's Titan Evo XL, and if you are less than 5' 11” (180 cm) tall you can save a further sliver of cash by getting the merely ‘large' version. The overall look of the chair—with its striking cutouts and a logo-emblazoned backrest that wishes it could appear on camera illuminated by some streamer's ringlight—is definitely gamer-centric. And definitely more so than the modern office style embraced by the Herman Miller/Logitech partnership or even Ikea. This is not a criticism, however, because the AndaSeat is a damn comfy chair to sit in.

The first thing you'll notice, while building the chair, is just how thick the seat is. No gaming chair comes in a particularly small box, and the Kaiser 3E XL's packaging is as XL as you might imagine. It's all packed in very efficiently, though, with extra padding to make sure nothing is damaged in transit, and once you remove this there is still plenty of upholstery on offer.

If you've sat in an ergonomic gaming chair before there's much here that will be familiar: a bucket-style seat that wraps around and supports your lower back, an optional magnetic headrest cushion (something that always feels more premium than the kind that attaches with an elastic loop) and the ability to shift bits of it up and down using a baffling array of levers so that it fits you better.

It's a simple enough thing to build, just a case of undoing four screws and doing eight up again using the included hex key. There are magnetic covers that slip over the parts where the seat back attaches to the base, and a safety screw that prevents the back from reclining until you remove it—you can keep it in place to prevent problems with trapped fingers.

The seat is rather heavy—the reinforced steel frame underneath the foam and grey fabric finish takes care of that—and the hardest part of building it is placing the assembled top part onto the gas piston. The target area is small, but this is the case with most chairs and isn't AndaSeat's fault. On the XL version the wheelbase is made from aluminium (it's iron for the L) and it's light and stiff, with the plastic casters clunking in easily enough.

The 3E differs slightly from the Kaiser 3, which PCG has reviewed before. It's a slightly cheaper model, so the head pillow is optional and the lumbar support adjustment knob that sticks out of the Kaiser 3's backrest is missing. The armrests keep their ‘4D' adjustability, which means you can move them up and down, forward and back, and twist them a bit, but don't have replaceable magnetic tops so you can switch out the colour at a whim and don't move as far in any direction than the Kaiser 3's.

The lumbar support is therefore fixed, with a 4.8 cm curve that, supposedly, matches the natural curve of the spine. There's still plenty of adjustability in the seat back, and you can lay it nearly flat if that's your thing. The levers underneath adjust the height and allow you to recline the seat by up to 15 degrees, making for reasonably simple customisation that you won't feel the need to keep fiddling with.

It's a comfortable enough chair for long periods, however. The fabric finish can actually be superior to a leatherette option (though this is available) as it's cooler and less likely to stick to you if you're wearing shorts. The foam seat's raised edges and the lower-back support wrap around you nicely, and there's enough stiffness in the gas piston that it doesn't feel like you're sitting on a space hopper.

If you're a taller gamer, or perhaps a wider one, and you want to sit in comfort at your desk for some PC gaming (or even if you're forced to look at spreadsheets all day) then this is absolutely a comfortable choice.

The only problem it faces is the amount of competition at its price point. The Boulies Master Max, for example, is almost exactly the same price. You can get a Secretlab Omega for just a little more, or a multitude of budget chairs, including the Corsair TC100 Relaxed for a little less.

It's important—though increasingly difficult—to be able to try out gaming chairs before you commit to a purchase, but if you find the Kaiser 3E suits your sitting position then you'll be getting a hefty piece of gaming furniture. And a seat.

Do you remember the Razer Iskur V2? That pretty good follow-up to the V1, which was a bit more expensive and came with some extra nifty features? Well, Razer is following that follow-up with a chair it calls the Iskur V2 Newgen, and Razer tells me, "We didn't just build a breathable chair, we built a breathable performance engine."

Yeah, that all sounds very Razer so far. But, cutting through the bravado, the Newgen is reportedly more breathable than the V2, using Razer's own Gen 2 EPU leather with "cooltouch" technology. It comes with a dual-density cold-cure foam seat, which Razer says goes "without that trapped heat feeling."

The Newgen comes with Razer's own 'Hyperflex lumbar support'. No, that's not the same as the Razer Hyperflux, which is its wireless charging mousepad. This chair instead comes with a 360-degree swivel, so you can spin all the way around, plus a memory foam head cushion, plus a 152-degree recline—which is the same as the V2. Razer says the reason the recline stayed the same is "because it's perfect".

Ultimately, from the look and many of the specs, calling this chair the V2 Newgen makes a lot of sense. It's not an overhaul (and probably wouldn't deserve the V3 name). It also doesn't seem a million miles away from the current Iskure V2. Still, if it's reasonably priced, and you haven't yet got the V2, it could make for a decent pick instead.

This is similar to what Razer did with the BlackShark V2 Pro in 2023. It offered a better microphone and stronger battery life than the previous V2 Pro, but kept the name, so potential buyers still had a good idea of what it would offer.

This is not Razer's first time bragging about its ability to keep you cool while you game, either. Project Arielle was unveiled at last year's CES, which was a version of the Razer Fujin Pro that Razer called the "world's first heating and cooling integrated mesh gaming chair". It has a bladeless fan system that could alternate between cooling and heating, though it was just a prototype and seemingly hasn't yet made it to market. That's not particularly unique for CES prototypes, but that's not going to stop us from asking Alienware when it's going to launch a UFO handheld.

The standard Iskur V2 NewGen is available to preorder for $650, whereas the more value-oriented V2 X NewGen is available for $350.

The Iskur V2 Newgen is part of Razer's broader suite of announcements as part of CES 2026. As well as the Newgen, we got a tease for a new chair that Razer calls the Project Madison. It appears to be a Razer chair with something like the Razer Clio speakers and maybe the rumbly bum-shaker Freyja haptic seat built in.

As well as this, we saw the introduction of Project Motoko, a smart headset with AI built in, plus a Bluetooth Wolverine V3, and a *brace yourself* desktop AI assistant. Yeah, it's a bit of a mixed bag this year. Still, the Newgen looks alright.

My office and gaming den are one and the same room, and it's not exactly the most palatial of spaces. Packed to the rafters with monitors, PCs, and other tech, it can get really hot in there at times, especially during sunny days. That's a bit of a problem when it comes to the two chairs in the room, as they both use dense foam and leatherette material. I'll leave you to mentally picture what it's like to peel yourself out of them after hours of use.

• Check out all the best Cyber Week PC gaming deals that we've curated on the products we love

This is partly why I think this Flexispot ErgoX mesh office chair is well worth considering, but the main reason is that it's very affordable for what it is. And now that it's just $250 at Amazon—the cheapest it's ever been—today might be just the right time to wave goodbye to stiff backs, aching necks, and being stuck to a chair on a hot day.

Flexispot has a stellar reputation for making excellent office chairs (its gaming models aren't quite as good), and the ErgoX ticks all the boxes you'd come up with for such an item: dynamic lumbar support, adjustable seat depth, 3D armrests and neck support (3-axis is probably a better term to use, I reckon), as well as tilt and recline.

What looks like a small rest for your thighs, tucked away under the main seat, is actually a fully extendable footrest. It looks like it should be really unstable, but if you watch video footage of it in use, I don't think you'll need to have any concerns about it wobbling about. Just tilt it back to one of three positions, yank out the footrest, and then catch forty winks while you're pretending to work.

Not that I'd ever do such a thing myself, of course. Busy, busy, busy. All the time, that's me, alright. Honest, boss.

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When you're swept up in the frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's easy to forget about the essentials. How often have you told yourself lately that you really need to get around to replacing your gaming chair? How often have you struggled to stand up because you've been sitting down for so long your entire bottom half has gone numb? If you're reading this post, I'm assuming both of these scenarios have happened fairly recently. Luckily, my favorite gaming chair has been discounted to save your ass — quite literally.

The TC500 Luxe gaming chair is an investment, there's no denying that. It retails for a pretty eye-watering $550, which is definitely enough to put the average gamer off. Fortunately, you don't have to pay that much right now, as a hearty discount of over one hundred dollars has knocked the price down to $425, which is a much more digestible and less soul destroying price.

• We're curating all the Cyber Monday PC gaming deals right here

Much like Goldilocks, I have sat in plenty of seats to find one that's just right, but this one takes the biscuit. I've got it in a sleek charcoal colorway, but if you'd rather have a more earthy green, the Sherwood color boasts the same discount, as does the charming Frost version. Although these are fairly neutral colors for a gaming chair, and you certainly won't find any garish RGB here, it really goes to show that looks aren't everything.

Within its simple, quilted design with embroidered Corsair embellishments on the headrest, is a world of comfort.

Most notably, there is a lot you can customize beyond the color to make this chair suit your needs. Omniflex armrests let you freely move your elbows and arms about in any direction, and built-in lumbar support which can easily be adjusted with two knobs on the side of the chair will prevent any prawn-shaped sitting.

With a seat width of 59 cm, there's plenty of room for you to sit in any position. As I spend most of my day hunched over like L from Death Note, having ample space to have both of my feet up on the chair is incredibly important, which is arguably one of the chairs biggest selling points. If you fancy kicking back and really chilling out, the 160 degree reclining backrest is the perfect nap companion for those lunch breaks, too. Not that I'm speaking from experience, in case my boss is reading this.

My days of mocking the humble gaming chair are over, and it's all thanks to this TC500 Luxe. I dread the day I have to find a replacement, but even after almost two years of daily use it's shown no signs of wear at all. I'll be old and grey by the time I have to find a new gaming chair, and at that point I'm sure I'll have bigger things to worry about. At least now all the time spent at my desk will be so incredibly comfortable.

👉Shop all Corsair's gaming chair deals👈

I have a sim racing chair very similar to this one. It's the Logitech Playseat Challenge X, which is a lot like this chair with some Logitech branding on it, and it's an excellent device for a bit of fold-out sim racing fun.

It's not sexy, though, I will admit. Still, if you don't care about looking slightly foolish (and that ship sailed for me a long time ago), setting up what is essentially a sim racing camping chair to put you in a realistic driving position makes a huge difference to the way you play.

• We're curating all the best Cyber Monday PC gaming deals over here

You can buy a proper sim racing throne, of course, but they're usually expensive, unwieldy, spare-room dominating affairs. So, for those of you who fancy a sim racing chair on a budget that can be folded away afterwards, the Playseat Challenge makes a lot of sense. It's down to $179 at Amazon this Cyber Monday, and that's a pretty great price for anything even mildly associated with sim racing.

Let's use the "I" word. Immersion. Sitting at a desk with an excellent racing wheel is all well and good, but unless you're playing something like Euro Truck Simulator 2, the "sit up and beg" angle you'll end up driving at doesn't exactly feel like you're in a real car.

And with sim racing, that's the whole point. The Challenge puts you in the perfect driving position, with adjustable straps on the sides to make sure you find the right angle. That should fix my biggest problem with the Logitech version, actually, with its plastic clamp locking mechanisms—which occasionally slip if you haven't tightened them to their maximum.

The straps here look much more robust, which should prevent any "help, I'm falling through the track" moments. Plus, it's got a fold-out pedal bar that holds the foot controls exactly where you want them.

Anyone who's raced at a desk will have a story of the moment they went full Max Verstappen in an overtake, only for their brake pedal to go shooting away from them at a crucial point. It's embarrassing. Way more embarrassing than buying something called a Playseat, or indeed, being caught using it.

Because ultimately, us sim racers are here to have fun. And the proper driving angle will improve that fun immensely. I now display my equivalent model with pride, and if you pick one up, you should too. It might look like a glorified camping chair, but in terms of the giggle factor? You'll be the one grinning away, carving up the corners with the best of them.

👉Check out all of Amazon's racing chair deals right here👈

One of the simplest ways to upgrade your PC setup is with a chair. Not just any old chair, of course, but a gaming chair designed with comfort in mind for those long gaming sessions. It would be rather embarrassing to say you got a bad back from carrying your team all day in Arc Raiders, no?

• We're curating all the Cyber Monday PC gaming deals right here

Truth be told, though, there's a lot of bad chairs out there, and when it comes to planting your posterior down for a few hours, you want something quality. As you'd expect, that naturally comes with a rather steep price tag, but the Cyber Monday gaming chair deals offer some great value on the best gaming chairs, or even the best office chairs that you can use for work or gaming—no one can stop you.

Secretlab Titan Evo

As much as I love my humble IKEA office chair, I've long day-dreamed of a Secretlab limited edition gamer seat. Simply put, the Secretlab Titan Evo is the best gaming chair money can buy—extremely comfortable, very durable, and highly adjustable—the issue is that it usually goes for $579. As I said, it's the best gaming chair money can buy. The good news is that you can currently pick up the standard but slick black Titan Evo from the Secretlabs store for $499.

That's cool and all, but what's gripped me the most are the various special collaboration Titan Evo chairs, which you can also get in the Cyber Monday sales, like:

Of course, Secretlabs gaming chairs will always be on the pricey side, whether they're on sale or not. I don't know about you, but I don't have that kinda cash lying around (as much as I wish I could get all of the special editions above and have an army of cool chairs), so I'll be eyeing up the much bigger deals you can nab on Cyber Monday.

Corsair TC100 Relaxed

As we mention in our Corsair TC100 Relaxed review, this aptly named seat is already our favourite affordable gaming chair, and that was before you could buy it for just $214.99 at Best Buy, $55 off its usual $269.99 asking price. It's spacious, comfy, made from high-quality fabric and leatherette, and comes with a head pillow and lumbar support pillow. The somewhat rickety armrests only benefit from the standard from up, down, in, and out adjustability is a minor drawback though, which the similarly budget T3 Rush upgraded. That aside, it's the best budget option and likely what I'll be getting to upgrade my seat game.

Flexispot ErgoX

Well known for its great office gear, Flexispot's ErgoX is another chair I'd recommend, though it's usually out of the budget range (although worth it). It's comfortable and has great lumbar support, and features a mesh material that'll keep you cool during long sessions, which is one of the things I love most about my current IKEA seat. You can currently save $170 during Cyber Monday, dropping from $419.99 to $249.99 on Amazon in a Prime discount, making this its lowest price ever.

Razer Enki

My biggest gripe with gaming chairs is that they're usually very plain black or grey designs. That's why I'm such a sucker for Secretlabs' collaboration seats, but then there's my partner, who really wants a pastel PC setup. That's a hard ask. Luckily for me, the Razer Enki is currently on sale for $415.96 on Amazon, and this comes in black and, importantly, pink.

Even better is that the Enki has a suite of comfort-enhancing features, like 4D armrests with lots of movement and adjustability, and a nice, snug seat overall that makes it well worth the mid-range price.

I've only just now realised that I've been sitting on the Fractal Design Refine for over a year now. Not consecutively, mind you. It has been perched at my desk in the PC Gamer office ever since I reviewed it last November, and that's because it looks great among the other chairs, and is comfortable too.

If you fancy picking up this gorgeous chair for yourself, it's now available in B&H Photo's Cyber Monday sale for $400, which is a saving of $200. That's still a lot of money, but I can't argue that Fractal hasn't earned it with one of the most elegant-looking gaming chairs I've personally sat on.

• We're curating all the best Cyber Monday PC gaming deals over here

The best thing about this specific Cyber Monday deal, aside from the discount itself, is that you can pick the Light, Dark, Mesh Light, or Mesh Light version of the chair for the same price. The sleek black Alcantara model is significantly more expensive, being $750 on sale. The first thing I noticed when I unboxed this bad boy is how easy it is to build, and the cold-cured foam seating makes for a great landing once you finally sit down in it. It's a tough seat but a comfortable one nonetheless.

It feels almost a bit decadent to fall into, yet the easy-to-adjust lumbar support will make sure you aren't ruining your posture as you sit. That lumbar support comes in the form of a plate strapped to the back that can be adjusted with just a few turns of a knob. As far as customization is concerned, you can adjust the height, tilt tension, and seat depth from below, and this is done with ease.

I did, unfortunately, notice that the seat depth handle can feel a tad mushy and less rigid than I would want, and the arm rests come free with a little too much resistance. This means I have occasionally managed to mess with them with just a bump while grabbing a glass of water or greeting a colleague. This rarely takes more than a moment to fix, but it's still a small caveat to an otherwise solid customization setup.

The thing that really stopped me from nominating this for a place in our best gaming chair guide is that it's not a particularly great buy if you have thick thighs or are generally a bigger person. As a big leg haver myself, I found the edges of the seat to curve up and into the side of me a little as I sat. I soon got used to this, but I can't say that other gaming chairs aren't better suited for this specific need. For instance, Secretlab's Titan Evo is $499 in its Cyber Monday sale and will handle larger bodies a big better. In return, you're getting a (still great-looking but) decidedly more gamery aesthetic.

Still, with this in mind, the Fractal Design Refine takes after its namesake in being absolutely refined. It looks and feels great, and fits somewhere between a gaming chair and an office chair. I felt unsure recommending it, despite how much I like it, when it launched, because $550 is a lot to spend on a gaming chair, but that $400 price makes it seem much better, especially now that I've been parked on it for over a year now.

This makes it a solid pick for the long days of working at your desk and even longer nights of completing extractions in Arc Raiders. Say hi to Scrappy for me.

👉Check out all of B&H Photo's gaming chair deals👈

Scrolling through page after page of gaming chairs—some great, some small, some destined for landfill within moments of being purchased—really makes you appreciate the products in your life that have stuck around because they're made of sterner stuff. Like the Razer Fujin, a gaming chair that's more suited to office life than a 20-hour rags-to-riches session in Arc Raiders.

You can grab the Razer Fujin for $500 at Best Buy right now. It's a mesh throne with a look that's befitting of someone that does business day-to-day. I wouldn't know, I only use it to write silly articles for PC Gamer while I'm in the office.

• We're curating all the best Cyber Monday PC gaming deals over here

The Fujin Pro has been my chair of choice there for well over a year and a half now. The Pro model differs a bit from the non-Pro on offer here, with a simpler design, a nylon frame rather than aluminium, and no headrest.

On that last point: I feel the headrest is the absolute worst bit about the Fujin Pro. It's just not very sturdy. So, you're not missing out on much by the lack of a headrest on the non-Pro model.

The design and mesh material all remain the same. The mesh is pulled tight to offer a firm support for your back and it is the sorta chair to keep you more upright than most. The lumbar support also keeps your back in check, so long as you get it fitted into the right spot (it can be adjusted vertically on the non-Pro model) and make sure to sit like a normal human bean.

The armrests are 3D adjustable, meaning they occupy three dimensions in physical space AND they can go up/down, forward/backward and left/right.

It's rated to support up to 300 lbs and people up to and a little over 6'5". You can probably still sit in it if you're taller than that, but it might be illegal, I guess.

But I think the main appeal of the Fujin is simply the lack of gaming chair aesthetic. It wouldn't look out of place in a serious office space or minimalist spare room at home, though the Razer branding and dark grey finish does help it to stand out a little. If you do want that gaming chair aesthetic, you can get a pretty great one in the Cyber Monday gaming chair sales right now.

👉Check out all of Best Buy's gaming chair deals👈

It's the last day of Cyber Week. Who named it that, nobody knows. All it means is that there are still some gaming chair deals leftover from Cyber Monday and Black Friday to pick up before the big holiday season.

👉 The best Cyber Week deals right here 👈

While gaming PCs, laptops, and components are very susceptible to market forces and supply chains affecting prices, gaming chairs are generally a lot more stable. That means there should be no shortage of great deals on all the best brands.

It doesn't really matter what style of chair you pick, either, as a good one is always worth the price. A great gaming chair will ensure that you have an ideal ergonomic gaming setup that not only looks cool but will also take care of your body.

Where are the best Cyber week gaming chair deals?

• 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 | $499 @ Secretlab
• Affordable pick - AndaSeat Phantom 3 | $299 @ AndaSeat
• Luxury pick - Herman Miller Vantum | $698 @ Herman Miller

Cyber Week gaming chair deals

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Cyber Week office chair deals

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Cyber Week sim racing chair deals

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Cyber Week gaming chair deals in the UK

Where are the best Cyber Week gaming deails in the UK?

• Best gaming chair - Secretlab Titan Evo | £419 @ Secretlab

• John Lewis: AndaSeat Luna for £140
• Scan: Big brand names with frequent discounts
• Very: Lots of AndaSeat chairs for sale
• Amazon: Heaps of deals, some good, some bad

Cyber Week office chair deals in the UK

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Cyber Week sim racing chair deals in the UK

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FAQ

Stable, comfy, and earns you serious gamer cred. That's the dream for any gaming chair purchase. I can't promise you'll necessarily earn the respect of your peers for sitting on a gilded racing-style seat to play The Finals or Stardew Valley, but I can at least help you pick a comfy and stable throne using my years of experience.

I've been testing gaming chairs for over eight years. Everything from noted gaming brands such as Secretlab and Noblechairs, to office maestros such as Herman Miller. In that time, gaming chairs have gone from the butt of the joke to the de facto furniture for people to play PC games on. There's a good reason for that. The quality of gaming chairs has, generally, increased. Though not every manufacturer got the memo. There's still a lot of junk out there.

If you simply want to know which gaming chair is no.1 right now, I keep a carefully curated list of the best gaming chairs. However, for this article I'm going to run down what I look out for in a gaming chair when judging its worthiness, and the advice I wish I'd had before I ever started sitting my butt on these things professionally.

So, those five things I need to tell you before you buy your first gaming chair:

1. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is
2. Adjustable armrests are handy, mega-reclining chairs aren't
3. You don't need a headrest but lumbar support is a must
4. Quality pays, in the long run
5. The best chair for you isn't necessarily a gaming chair

1. Big deals

If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is

We're headed into a major deals event with Black Friday on November 28, 2025. That means we will see a heap of deals on gaming chairs around that time. In fact, we're already on the lookout for the best early Black Friday gaming chair deals right now. And yes, that's a shameless plug. My point is not to devalue these deals as anything but solid—we only recommend genuinely good products—but make sure you know what not to buy.

If a gaming chair seems massively cheaper than ones we recommend, it's probably for good reason.

Over the years, I've had the misfortune of sitting in a few extremely cheap gaming chairs. From the images shown online, they look as much a gaming chair as any other. Yet my first impressions are usually the same:

"This is small."

"This is uncomfortable."

"Ouch."

The backrests on the cheapest are usually thin, hard and not well padded. The armrests are usually non-adjustable, which means you won't ever be able to get yourself into the most comfortable position for your desk setup. The materials are... less than comfortable.

The good news is, you can still buy a cheap gaming chair and get something decent for your money. Our best budget gaming chair pick is the Corsair TC100 Relaxed. Often discounted below $200, the TC100 comes with a head pillow, 2D armrests, and a sensible size. It's still clearly on the more budget end of the spectrum, and the lack of 4D armrests is a miss, but it just goes to show you can buy great comfort and quality for less.

2. Armrests and recliners

Adjustable armrests are handy, mega-reclining chairs aren't

Building on my last point, you want a chair with adjustable armrests at the very least. That's not just me being picky, it's an important consideration if you intend to set up your desk correctly for good posture. I know it sounds silly, but we have a guide on how to sit at a desk, which outlines exactly what angles your elbows and arms should sit at for the best posture.

You don't necessarily need armrests at all for good posture. Your arms can naturally float just above where they need to be. However, cheap gaming chairs with fixed, sloped armrests that are inadequately positioned for you are asking for trouble here. Too high and you're restricting where your arms sit in relation to your desk. Too low and they might be no use to you at all for resting on.

Admittedly, armrests that fold halfway like those pictured above on the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL might be a bit too over-the-top.

What's not so practical is a chair that bends all the way back. Recline is an often championed spec on most gaming chairs, but I have to say after the immediate comedic whoosh backwards the first time I lift my chair's recline lever, I rarely ever touch it again. A small amount of adjustment to the backrest angle makes a nice change between upright work time and a more leisurely, reclined gaming time. Though I never bother going very far back—however much Secretlab might want me to start sleeping in my chair.

Recline might be a feature more sought after by those playing with a controller for the majority of their games, but I find sitting at a gaming desk with a keyboard and mouse means there's only so much recline my body can take before I'm slouching with my back in absolutely the wrong position. It's not ergonomic, and to be honest I don't find it very comfortable. Some chairs might brag about how far back they can go, but I'd rather focus on other things.

3. Lumbar support

You don't need a headrest but lumbar support is a must

You might be surprised to hear that some of the comfiest chairs I've ever used lack a headrest. The Herman Miller Embody I've been a big fan of, a very expensive chair indeed, lacks a headrest. The Razer Fujin Pro I reviewed more recently and still use in PC Gamer's office is arguably comfier without its included headrest.

However, every decent gaming chair I've tested has done one thing well: lumbar support.

Some more premium chairs will offer adjustable lumbar support embedded into the backrest of the chair. This is the solution you'll find on our best gaming chair overall, the Secretlab Titan Evo, or the Fujin Pro. Others go for the cheaper option, a pillow, such as the Corsair TC100. Some cleverly combine the two. Some even offer naturally adjusting lumbar back support, such as the aforementioned Embody. The cheapest chairs offer nothing at all.

Some form of lumbar support is better than none, as we've been repeatedly told by ergonomists. Even if it's just a pillow. I don't have a firm favourite (ho ho) for back support in gaming chairs, as there are a few ways to do it well and various chairs I use regularly and rate highly do things differently. Though I'd definitely recommend looking out for a chair that makes some effort to support your lower back.

As a side note: it's often suggested that no chair can offer you the perfect ergonomic position, and the answer to a healthy posture is just shaking things up often: Get up, move about, take a break.

4. Chair quality

Quality pays, in the long run

This isn't advice for everyone. I understand budgets are budgets and sometimes you just can't make money stretch any further. But I wanted to call out how a quality gaming chair can last a long time, versus a cheaper one that doesn't.

We sit in gaming chairs all day long in the PC Gamer office. We have a lot of them, and there are a few that have stood the test of time better than others. Take the original Secretlab Titan Evo, for example. Our review unit has been sat in our office since early 2021, which is getting on for six years of near-constant usage. The black neo-hybrid leatherette finish is almost as good as the day we got it, and while the chair has a few creaks here and there, we've never found one that doesn't after significant use.

The benefit of some more premium chairs is the added security of a long warranty period, too. Take the Herman Miller Embody, for example. Sure it costs an arm and a leg, but it's backed by a 12-year warranty. I've had to replace one of the armrest levers on mine. To do so, I emailed Herman Miller support to request the part and a couple days later it showed up. Then it was a simple swap to the new one and Bob's your uncle.

Again, I get this isn't an option for everyone, and my advice is not just to buy a better chair in every circumstance. There are loads of great budget options that should last a while—the Corsair TC100 Relaxed has been used in our office for over a year now and is still going strong. But if you're debating how much you might want to spend on a gaming chair, maybe think on the hours of use you're expecting to get out of it and that might help justify the extra spend. If only to make yourself feel a little better spending the dosh.

5. 'Gaming' chairs

The best chair for you isn't necessarily a gaming chair

Sacrilege! Surely no one who works for PC gamer would suggest anything other than a gaming chair… but no, I don't think gaming chairs are for everyone. Just among the people of varied backgrounds, ages, and sitting styles on the PC Gamer staff, there's an even wider range of opinions on gaming chairs. Some think they're great, others think they're fine, and some think they're downright demonic. To be fair, one chair actually was.

If you're not feeling the gaming chair aesthetic, there are other options. Those that are better than a bolt-upright wooden chair from your dining room table, and not just a bean bag, too. The best office chairs for gaming make for tried and tested alternatives that are as good to sit in throughout a Google Meet call on company values as they are to play round after round of Balatro in the background. Thanks, Google Meet's picture-in-picture mode.

There are also new mesh-design chairs from many gaming chair companies. Razer, for example, makes the Fujin Pro, which is much more an office chair than a gaming one in how it looks, and we've seen AndaSeat launch a line of mesh chairs in recent years. Personally, I'm not as much of a fan of these sorts of mesh chairs due to their firm support, though they are good in hot climates. No one wants to peel themselves off sweaty leatherette after a long night of gaming. Or maybe you do, I won't judge.

Best gaming chair 2025

All our current recommendations

Pick a category Best overallCore ComponentsChairs & DesksSystems & LaptopsScreensPeripheralsCases, Cooling & Storage

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BEST OVERALL

1. Secretlab Titan Evo

Check Price

BEST BUDGET

2. Corsair TC100 Relaxed

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BEST LUXURY

3. Herman Miller Embody

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BEST SUPPORT

4. ThunderX3 Core

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BEST BIG BOI

5. AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL

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BEST OFFICE

6. Neuechair

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BEST BUDGET OFFICE

7. ThunderX3 Flex Pro

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Read the full guide: Best gaming chair 2025

POWERED BY

Secretlab makes some of the best gaming gear around. From desks to chairs, we've consistently found great quality in everything we've tested, but it's hard to deny that it costs a pretty penny.

However, if you've been debating that upgrade to your gaming setup, Secretlab's Black Friday sale is now live and offers solid savings on some of its highlights. You can pick up the Secretlab Titan Evo gaming chair for $499 or the Secretlab Magnus Pro gaming desk for $799 at its website right now.

• Join us on WhatsApp for daily deals, direct to your phone.

Though Secretlab does sell its hardware on Amazon, the best way to get the lowest prices is usually by going direct to the source and ordering there. An extra benefit of buying straight from Secretlab is it gives you a depth of customization options to choose from, rather than picking from whatever other retailers have in stock.

Quick links

• Secretlab Titan Evo - $499 at Secretlab (save $80)
• Secretlab Magnus Pro - $799 at Secretlab (save $189))

Secretlab Titan Evo

We call the Secretlab Titan Evo the best gaming chair for a reason. That's because, despite being four years old now, it's a mighty way to sit. You can tell just how great that build quality is in not only how strong it feels, but the utter lack of any creaks, squeaks, or groans in use. We're a big fan of its look, too.

As we said in our review, "The Titan Evo 2022 is Secretlab firing on all cylinders. It's a wonderfully comfortable chair for long periods of working or gaming, and clever new features such as a magnetic headrest put it a cut above the rest."

The chair I've picked out is the small Black Stealth model of the Titan Evo, but the XL model also has an $80 discount, coming down to $549. It's also worth noting that a series of collaboration Titan Evos are also included in the Black Friday sale, like the Monster Hunter Wilds or Genshin Impact models. You're paying around $70 for a different look, but it's still not a bad choice if you want a chair with a little more visual oomph.

This isn't a new discount price for Secretlab, and we've seen the Titan Evo this low before, but it seems very unlikely you will get it any cheaper than this, until 2026 at the earliest.

Secretlab Magnus Pro

This is our top pick for the best gaming desk, and it got there by simply being better than every other model we've tested. The Secretlab Magnus Pro XL is certainly a pricey bit of kit (and heavy at over 70 kg), but the quality is undeniable.

The Pro is a sit-to-stand desk, with a smooth built-in motor, which means you can pop it up when you fancy standing, and back down when you need to lock in and sit down. It comes with a section in the back for neat cable management, too, which is pretty clever.

We did notice when reviewing this desk that, though the accessories are well-made, they cost a good bit more, which only adds to that already pretty hefty price. That being said, you are paying for quality here, and quality is what you get.

The model I've picked out is the standard Magnus Pro, in a black variant with the Stealth desk mat. Interestingly, the table without a desk mat is not included in the Black Friday sale, which means going without will actually bump up the price to $899.

If the Pro, at 59 inches in length and 28 inches in width, is a little small, the XL model also has a $199 discount, bringing it down to $949.

The best PC gaming gear 2025

All our current recommendations

Pick a category Best overallCore ComponentsChairs & DesksSystems & LaptopsScreensPeripheralsCases, Cooling & Storage

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BEST GAMING CHAIR

1. Secretlab Titan Evo

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BEST GAMING DESK

2. Secretlab Magnus Pro XL

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BEST GAMING HEADSET

3. HyperX Cloud Alpha

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BEST GAMING KEYBOARD

4. Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless

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BEST GAMING MOUSE

5. Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed

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BEST PC CONTROLLER

6. Xbox Wireless Controller

Check Price

BEST STEERING WHEEL

7. Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel

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BEST MICROPHONE

8. Shure MV6

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BEST WEBCAM

9. Elgato Facecam MK.2

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Read the full guide: The best PC gaming gear 2025

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We've been writing up this deal for years now. The Corsair TC100 enjoys frequent discounts around this time of year, though I'm a little surprised to see it reach a mere $160 a month ahead of Black Friday. It's rarely ever been cheaper.

The Corsair TC100 is the standard bearer for budget gaming chairs—it's cheap but not too cheap, as many others are. It is a bit bare compared to some magnetic thrones like the Secretlab Titan Evo or a Herman Miller Embody, but it's a fraction of the price with an MSRP of around $270. We liked it at its MSRP, though we really like it at the sorta deal price it's going for now.

👉Our top early Black Friday PC gaming deals👈

You can pick up the Corsair TC100 Relaxed for $160 at Newegg right now. Just be sure to apply the promo code GTE23435 for an extra $55 off. It's a little bit confusing, as there is already a $55 discount applied before you apply the coupon code, but I've tested it in the cart and the discounts stack.

We originally tested this chair back in June 2023. Nothing much has changed since—it's a chair, nothing much needs to change. Building on the already popular T3 Rush, the TC100 is cheaper while maintaining a good quality level. This doesn't sound like effusive praise but trust me, you can do a lot worse for a budget gaming chair. I've seen, and sat on, some real stinkers over the years.

The TC100 is comfortable, tough enough to withstand years of use, and it comes with the extra cushions for added support. Granted, it's not in the same ballpark for ergonomics or support as the ThunderX3 Flex Pro, our best office chair pick, nor is it as stylish as some colorways for Secretlab's finest. Though it's not bad looking in its fabric finish. You can pick it up in leatherette at $215.

Its main weakness is the initial set-up. Sometimes the fabric can get caught up in the screw holes or the screws are just machined a little weird and make it a more frustrating build than it needs to be. But get past that initial pain and it's pretty darn good for $160.

So, if you need more convincing, read our full Corsair TC100 Relaxed review. As I mentioned earlier, we're getting into the swing of Black Friday (occupying most of November these days) and there will be further discounts on gaming chairs throughout the sales period. Will we see a better price on the TC100? Tough to say. It's been cheaper on Amazon during Prime Day this year, but it's generally stuck around this sorta $160 mark when discounted at other times.

It's all over for Black Friday, but not so for the Cyber Monday gaming chair deals. The dark days of Black Friday may be done, but this weekend is all about running headlong at Cyber Monday and the week of deals to follow it. This is my final update on this here page for the year, but if you want to keep abreast of all the latest seating discounts, then come and follow me over to our regularly updated Cyber Monday gaming chair deals page 👇

👉All the best Cyber Monday gaming chair deals will be right here👈

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 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, a good chair really matters. Don't sacrifice your back for the sake of a few frames.

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 | $499 @ Secretlab
• Budget gaming chair - Corsair TC100 | $215 @ Amazon
• Luxury pick - Herman Miller Vantum | $698 @ Herman Miller

Black Friday gaming chair deals

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Black Friday office chair deals

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Black Friday sim racing chair deals

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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 | £419 @ Secretlab
• Budget gaming chair - Corsair TC100 | £150 @ Amazon

• John Lewis: AndaSeat Luna for £180
• Scan: Big brand names with frequent discounts
• Very: Lots of AndaSeat chairs for sale
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Buying advice: gaming chairs

There's definitely an alternate timeline where I could've gotten really into wargaming—painting miniatures, strategising in my daydreams, and reading a heap of tie-in novels that vary wildly in quality. Alas, we do not live in that universe where I found the world of Warhammer 40,000—instead, we live in the timeline where I found Miku Hatsune instead. As I barely have space for my army of Miku, let alone many miniatures of Space Marines, I'm okay with how that particular cosmic dice roll shook out.

Still, every time I brush up against Game Workshop's intricate mythos, there's a part of my nerdy brain that goes 'oo yeah, tell me more about the grim darkness of the future.' I can't say brushing buns upon the Warhammer 40,000 Ultramarines colourway of the Secretlab Titan Evo will give anyone not already in deep the same reaction. However, it's offering a special discount for Warhammer Day this weekend, giving you $70 off the best gaming chair in Ultramarine blue. I'd say that's worth at least a second look for 40K fans.

Though if that's still too rich for your blood, you could always treat yourself to a Warhammer Day JoyToy; there are a bunch of discounts on the little Space Marine guys over at Amazon this weekend, too.

Featuring Secret Lab's super soft, super durable Neo Hybrid Leatherette covering, it may not be as impervious as power armour, but I reckon it's a darn sight more comfortable. It could well be the perfect perch for painting yet more miniatures.

Now, you may already be aware of how picky I am about colourways and, on its own, the blue and gold here does very little for me. However, even I can see how the styling of this gaming chair is a fairly faithful take on the Ultramarines' power armour.

But even without the deeply nerdy Warhammer 40,000 stylings, we already rate the Secretlab Titan Evo as the overall best gaming chair. Both comfortable and supportive, the Secret Titan Evo is built to keep you in an ideal sitting posture whether you're gaming, wargaming, or simply trawling the internet for yet more Miku Hatsune figurines.

Jacob wrote in his Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 gaming chair review, "A big part of that is the adjustable lumbar support, and it's a pretty neat system in the Titan Evo. It works by extending and retracting an internal support both in and out and up and down, through the use of the two dials on the side. So not only are you not relying on an awkward pillow to prop up your back, you can actually tweak the Titan Evo's lumbar support while you're still sat on it. This makes it exceptionally easy to get just right."

Jacob also praised the magnetically attached head cushion, pleased to do away with fiddly adjustable straps. It's just the icing on the cake of smart design choices—and well worth $594 in black let alone the bright blue and gold Warhammer 40,000 colourway currently on offer.

Like many folks, I spend a lot of my time plonked on my posterior. Sure, I regularly get up and move around, but with an office-based job and PC gaming as a major hobby, there's no escaping the fact that much of my daily life revolves around a humble chair.

That also means a lot of my daily well-being, both physical and mental, is influenced by what chair I choose to use. Being tall and slim (184 cm and 70 kg), finding one that suits my needs has been quite the challenge over the years, but in general, I've always picked a quality office chair.

I don't have anything against gaming chairs, as there are some really great ones you can buy, but I'm not a big fan of how they look and how bulky some of them are. Given that I sit up straight all the time (raised in an anti-slouching household), massive headrests with 'side wings' like a racing car's seat are wasted on me.

So all my work and gaming is done from the comfort of a great office chair, one that I've had so long that I can't remember what brand it is, let alone where I bought it from. If you're tempted to follow suit, then you might want to know that we have new recommendations for the best overall and best budget office chairs on the market right now.

Taking the top spot is the ThunderX3 Flex Pro because it's big, comfortable, and packed with adjustability, making it a cinch to get your seating possible just right. It's very affordable for what it is, though not what you'd call cheap. Enter stage left, Ikea's Matchspel, the best budget office chair for gaming. Now that one is cheap, and it's also very comfy, with lots of adjustment for height, tilt, and arm position.

But what makes them best for me is the fact that they're not hulking, heavy 'gamer' chairs. Just perfect perches for one's precious posteriors. Forget spending money on a new CPU that'll just give you 5 fps more in games: grab a great office chair instead. It'll last you a lot longer and your body will be far more grateful.

The best office chairs for gaming

I should probably preface this piece by saying, for the record, that I am not a pro-gamer. I'm not even close. I'm certainly no twitch gamer, either, not by a long shot. No level of PC gaming hardware will be enough to change the fact that I absolutely suck at competitive first-person shooters. Even when I actually had a 23-year-old's reaction time, I was still almost the worst Quake IV player in the entire office.

Okay, I still slay at FIFA, sorry, FC26, but even so, I don't really want to play online let alone in a tournament.

So, maybe I'm not the right person to be checking out the new On-Stage Standard arm rests for the Titan Evo, even so, I was kinda expecting more. More accuracy and more, well, technology. After all, flipping open the box with the new twin chair arms staring up at me with their translucent sides, covering circuit boards, sitting beneath twin LCD panels, they immediately give off a real techie vibe.

These are the Secretlab InfinitePrecision Armrests in all their ultra precise glory. A set of chair arms designed to deliver the "most precise setup ever designed for pro players." And if that doesn't strike you as faintly ridiculous then you probably are the target audience for Secretlab's latest mission to make the lives of professional gamers that little bit more bearable.

The notion is that millimetres matter when it comes to a pro-gaming setup, and when professionals have maybe just five minutes ahead of a match to configure their entire setup it's important for them to be able to quickly and accurately get to their positional sweet spot well inside that timeframe.

So, Secretlab has developed a suite of products to help facilitate this. The suite includes these InfinitePrecision Armrests and a MAGPAD Desk Mat designed to sit atop the Secretlab Magnus Pro sitting/standing desks. There is also a Titan Evo Worlds 2025 Edition of the best gaming chair, which has yet to be unveiled. But, presumably, it will have these fancy new armrests at the very least.

The desktop pad is lined up with ever smaller squares, like some technical graph-paper-based fractal patterning system. The idea being you can remember your ideal setup from home/the practice room and be able to replicate the precise positioning of your monitor, keyboard, and mouse upon any desktop, based on lining them up along the same axes.

That's maybe surprisingly manual, but the InfinitePrecision Armrests are designed to be more technical, delivering sub-millimetre precision in the height of your gaming chair's arms. Though, actually, despite the buttons, and screen readouts, and printed circuit boards built into each arm, it's all rather manual here, too.

At the heart of it, what we're really talking about are a pair of armrests that utilise hydraulics (of course that has a name, too: InfiniteLift) to offer the ability to set the height of the arms at any sub-millimetre level up to a maximum height of 79 mm from the base, rather than the traditional modestly stepped adjustments. The extra granularity is the key here, where otherwise you get maybe four or five stepped heights, you can now perfectly tailor the armrest to sit exactly where you want it.

The obvious issue for this is that if you just went ahead and did that without any kind of precise mapping of what height you'd chosen you'd never be able to replicate it again should you (or some nefarious opponent) shift the chair arm from its previously perfected position. Thankfully Secretlab has stuck LCDs and precise measuring into each armrest so you can map out your ideal setup and replicate it in a tournament setting. So long as it's using the On-Stage Standard, of course. And your AAA batteries don't run out.

And so long as the desk you're using at home/in your team practice area is the same as the one on that tournament stage.

One of the issues I have is that the calibration process uses the underside of your desk to zero the height of the armrest, and it's then the unit measurement on the individual armrest readouts which you need to remember once you've manually adjusted them into your preferred position.

But that's also predicated on both being able to get your chair at the exact same height (there's no precise measurement on my Titan Evo Nanogen to tell me how high off the floor it is to any precision, sub-millimetre or no) and then have the desk being at the same height on stage and have an identical, sub-millimetre thickness to the desktop itself.

Any slight variation in any of those things will instantly throw out the precise setup you've created and are relying upon in a tense tournament situation. This is almost something Secretlab notes itself in the user guide for the armrests. It states the height of both armrests might not be an exact match "this can be due to uneven floors or table heights." Indeed, my own preferred setup at home reads 3.8 units on the left side and 4.0 units on the right side. Given that each 0.1 Secretlab InfinitePrecision unit corresponds to 0.6 mm, that's a difference of 1.2 mm between them.

If there are such slight tolerances to all this between a home On-Stage Standard setup and one a pro is attempting to replicate actually on-stage, then what's the benefit?

Secretlab and the pro-gamers themselves will tell you it's sub-millimetre precision which allows them to perform at their best, and that any differences between their home setup and a tournament environment can throw them off their game to such an extent it will negatively affect their overall performance, costing them wins, and therefore tournament winnings.

Presumably, despite the inevitable variations between chairs and desks and floors meaning such infinitely precise setups are all but impossible to completely replicate, the On-Stage Standard gets so close that a millimetre difference here or there doesn't really matter. Though that does kinda fly in the face of the marketing materials…

Either that, or it's all a bit of a placebo.

I completely accept the idea of Lee 'Faker' Sang-Hyeok wanting to feel like they've replicated the same setup that enables them to perform so brilliantly in the practice room, giving them the confidence to bring that to the pressurised tournament setting. "When I feel the most comfortable, stronger gameplay naturally follows," says Faker.

But if they feel comfortable, does it really matter if their setup is ever-so-slightly different? The confidence gained from having a readout that tells them their armrests are identically positioned to home is arguably more important than whatever the reality is. "I need to remove uncertainties and be as precise as I can," Faker notes in the Secretlab documentary short about the new kit. And at their level of professional esports the winning is less about physicality and arguably more in the mind, so an LCD readout telling you, for certain, that your armrest is at the right height definitely takes away some of that uncertainty.

Hey, if that works—and all the player testimony Secretlab offers suggests it does—then placebo or not, it's an effective feature. I'm just not at all convinced that bringing the same precision gear from the biggest stages to us at home is all that necessary.

Scratch that, I know it's not necessary, but gaming brands have been trading on what's good for the pros being good for the proles for aeons. Anyone remember all the Fatal1ty-branded tech of the long, long ago?

We don't know how much these InfinitePrecision Armrests are going to cost yet, despite having them strapped to my chair right now. But, given the PlushCell Memory Foam Armrest Tops are $89 a pair you can bet we're looking at $200-300+ for the hydraulic armrests themselves. Worth noting they don't come with the plush armrest tops, just standard PU leather, but it's an interesting barometer of what Secretlab will charge for accessories.

And remember when I said at the top I was expecting more? Yeah, just that. When Secretlab first told me about the product I had envisioned an armrest where you programmed in your ideal position—height, angle, depth, etc—and then at the press of a button it would always come back to that precise position. Kind of like when your motorised desk adjusts itself back to your chosen preset height. But the reality is not nearly so automated, nor so all-encompassing.

The InfinitePrecision Armrests are purely about the height. You still have the same unmeasured movement in the other dimensions of these 4D armrests. That includes a stepless side-to-side motion of up to 24 mm, stepless front-to-back motion of up to 50 mm, and five-step pivot of 60°. You might be able to more or less accurately replicate the height between different chairs, but the rest of your setup (including chair height) is still going to largely be a guessing game.

So, I'm left impressed by what Secretlab has created from a notional perspective, understanding what the professionals need to feel comfortable, whatever the reality is. But I remain resolutely unconvinced as to their worth away from that on-stage positioning.

You don't need to pay an arm and a leg for a comfortable place to put your legs and arms (and the rest of your body). The Corsair TC100 Relaxed has been the best budget gaming chair for some time, as it balances price and comfort incredibly well.

Now, there are two separate deals on the TC100 Relaxed gaming chair over at Newegg, bringing it all the way down to just $160 with the code "FTTE367" at checkout. That's $40 off in the FantasTech Sale II and a further $70 off with the code.

The version of the chair I've picked out is the Black Leatherette model, which is the cheapest. However, the Black Fabric model also works with the promo deal, bringing it down to $200, should you want to pay $40 more for the texture.

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If you're wondering what wowed us about this chair when we reviewed it back in 2023, it looks great, has a solid customizable recline, and is super comfortable. We praised the full price cost of this chair, so it's only better with over 40% off.

We updated our review in October 2024, more than a year after reviewing it, to note that we haven't tested a single budget gaming chair better than it. In the PC Gamer office for a year, it was certainly bashed and moved around among other chairs, and it has handled those knocks with ease. In our update, we note its "increasingly good value" with price drops and sales events.

Good news if you like to sit cross-legged, our Katie found the TC100 Relaxed has ample room to do so, and it's so comfortable you'll be able to spend long days working on it, followed by long nights gaming.

We did, however, find that the 2D arm rests on the TC100 are one of its worst elements. You can move them up, down, in, and out, but that may be a tad strict for some sitters. The fact that you can't twist them or push them forward does mean you may have to get used to them, and this shows off the TC100's more value-oriented price point.

We also note that the headrest is just okay. You clip it on with straps, which can be a bit awkward, and very tall people (above 6'2" or so) may struggle to find a comfortable position with the headrest, thanks to how and where it sits on the chair. It is plenty comfy once locked in, though.

Given the price, you do make some compromises with the TC100 Relaxed, but it's still an impeccable gaming chair regardless, and pretty astounding at its current price.

Check out all Newegg's gaming chair deals

Office chairs can be pricey things. Professional furniture gets that way. You might look at a $500 Secretlab and think it's a bit hard on the wallet, but that's just peanuts when it comes to the sort of ergo-inspired gear you might find arrayed around the swankiest of offices.

'Proper' office furniture can easily cost double that of the best gaming chair, and sometimes even more than that. Right here I have my bottom parked on a Humanscale Freedom Headrest task chair, and it's a serious grown up chair. And it's also $2000.

I guess, in the sort of office where you've spent at least that much on your pink iMac and the same again on some beautifully engineered 'executive toy', that sort of outlay to support your spine and sooth your buttocks makes sense. But can we justify that as a PC gamer?

Honestly, this PC gamer cannot. But this isn't a chair that was really designed for me, though it certainly feels like it from the way it cradles my body as I'm sat at my desk right now. I've been using this chair for months, and have been loving it. But this is a chair for serious people who are serious about ergonomics, and serious enough to want to spend the same amount of money on a chair as we might dream about spending on a gaming PC.

But ergonomics and comfort are not the same thing, and when it comes to the difference between a gaming chair and an office or task chair, then usually that's it: Where most gaming chairs are designed more for kicking back and gaming in comfort, a task chair is primarily created to keep you focused, and ensure that when you're in the office you don't snap your spine on the company's dime.

This is where a chair, such as the NeueChair, differs from its Secretlab stable mates. I have both NeueChair and Secretlab Titan Evo NanoGen seats in my home office—not one for each cheek, thank you; multiple people share the space—and there is a clearly defined difference between them.

The NeueChair is fantastic when you're sat in the active position, angled slightly forward, engaged with the task you're doing. But it's not a seat that encourages lounging by any metric. The Titan Evo, however, our pick as the best gaming chair, will largely cater for both positions, but is arguably at its most comfortable when you're leaning back with a controller in your paws.

But surely there's got to be a chair that will do both? Well, there is, you've just got to pay an inordinate amount of cash for the privilege. In fairness, that's where we've been for a little while with the Herman Miller X Logitech Embody chair—that's a $1,995 place to park your posterior that is sold to offer comfort for gaming and ergonomics. And it is a great gaming chair, to the point where we're almost comfortable justifying the price for this gaming-focused Herman Miller seat.

The Humanscale Freedom chair, however, has not been designed nor marketed for anything gaming related, and yet I've been thoroughly enjoying its support on all counts. It's my current office chair of choice, and I can be supported as I lean forward tapping away on my keyboard and when I want to make a show of leaning back in my chair in what I hope comes across as a brooding and/or thoughtful way.

The advanced mechanism behind the Dynamic Headrest really is something else. The standard movement of the chairback is impressive, too, in that it maintains the same level of support around the curvature of your spine whether you're sat forward or reclining. Other chairs can do this, maybe not quite so well, but they manage it. Nothing else I've ever tested has been able to shift in such a way as to support my neck and head in every position.

The only physical issue with the chair for me, however—aside from that eye-watering end price—is that I cannot comfortably sit in the worst position: one leg folded under the other in a way that will give any ergonomist a minor stroke. But that's on me. I'm a masochist and I like to switch things up and give myself pins and needles on the regular. But because the seat pan is relatively small, there's no real opportunity for me to sit cross-legged at all.

The other thing I find impressive about the Freedom chair is the distinct lack of knobs and levers. There is a single lever under the seat pan to adjust the height of the chair, and another in the backrest to adjust where you want it to sit in the small of your back. And that's it. No messing around trying to push lumbar support around to try and find a position that actually works, no toying with pushing the seat forward or backwards, it's incredibly simple and kinda just gets the job done without you having to get involved.

You don't even have to fuss about with the arms. There is a synchronous design to them, where they have a levered adjustment that means you just have to lift one of them up to adjust both of them. There will be some chair brands that suggest gamers need more arm adjustments, and there is maybe something to be said for being able to give your elbows more tight support when you're using a controller, but the default positioning already feels good in the reclined position.

But the Freedom chair is nothing if not customisable. For another ~$200 you can pick the advanced armrests which do come with lateral movement.

Then there's the look. When chasing this review sample I asked for something bright, and, what I believe is Hallingdal 65 colour 0840, is certainly that. The blue fabric certainly brightens up the office, as does the polished chrome of the mechanical bits. Though that side of the customisation dance adds another near $400 onto the pricetag. Pretty, but ouch.

But is any of that enough to convince me I ought to be saving my pennies to drop on a hugely expensive office chair? Honestly... no. I do really like the Freedom chair, and the Dynamic Headrest really works for me. But my rear is regularly, and happily ensconced in a Secretlab chair that is almost a quarter of the price, and it's yet to come close to making me feel like my spine is in danger. So, for most people I would say just pocket the difference.

But if you are not most people, and yearn for some expensive office furniture to write off against tax, Humanscale has sure got the chair for you.

I'd never heard of LiberNovo until I started seeing a flood of ads on my Instagram for its new chair blowing up on Kickstarter: over $7 million raised and counting. As a gamer, I'm used to seeing flashy chairs from the usual suspects, but this was something different enough to grab my attention. And honestly, as someone who's getting on in years and feeling the toll of endless hours at a desk, I'm always on the hunt for anything that might make those marathon computer sessions a little less punishing on my back.

Enter the LiberNovo Omni: apparently the world's first dynamic ergonomic chair that promises real-time spine support, motorized lumbar adjustment, four distinct recline positions, and even a built-in spinal stretch massage. The idea of a chair that could actually adapt to how I sit—rather than forcing me into its own mold—was enough to make me take a closer look. But is it the revelation we've been waiting for, or just a flashy Kickstarter moonshot with a few too many moving parts?

Unboxing the Omni, I immediately notice its sci-fi vibe. The back support bar looks like it belongs in a spaceship cockpit, and the seat cushion is plush but breathable—think memory foam with a technical twist. Assembly is surprisingly painless. Everything slots together with satisfying clicks, and the instructions are clear, printed on large boards rather than a fiddly booklet. The only snag was a tricky screw that demanded an extra pair of hands, but otherwise, it was all smooth sailing. Charging the battery (yes, this chair needs juice) was as simple as plugging in a USB-C cable. Once powered up, the chair's motorized lumbar support comes to life. It's an odd feeling at first—your seat adapting to your posture in real time—but it quickly becomes second nature.

Comfort is where the Omni really sets itself apart. I've reviewed dozens of chairs, and I'm picky. Most get donated after a few weeks because they simply don't cut it for eight-hour stretches.

The LiberNovo Omni, though, is the first chair I've actually wanted to keep. The seat and back cushions are soft yet supportive, and almost every part is adjustable. The headrest pivots and slides, the armrests move in every direction, and the lumbar support responds as you shift.

Now, this is where the dynamic lumbar system's limitations become clear. The mechanism only adjusts in one direction, so all you get is depth. You can't change the height where it hits your spine which often leaves me feeling like I'm being jabbed in my mid back rather than supported in my lower back. Dialing in the perfect fit is tricky, and I found myself wishing for a greater range of adjustment or a higher placement to truly hit that sweet spot of ergonomic support. It's only in the reclined positions that I felt truly comfortable but the upright focus position wasn't so great. There's no manual override if the motor fails, either—a real concern given the relatively small two-year warranty on electronics.

Speaking of the recline positions, they are a standout feature, and they're thoughtfully designed for real-world use. Deep Focus at 105° is your upright, “get-things-done” mode, perfect for video calls or any time you need to look sharp and stay engaged. Solo Work at 120° is where I spent most of my design and writing sessions. It's relaxed enough to reduce fatigue but keeps your posture locked in, ideal for long stretches at the desk.

Soft Recline at 135° is perfect for reviewing work, casual gaming, or just leaning back to think. The pressure on your lower back eases up, and you can kick up your feet—if the footrest cooperates. I also like how the seat and arm rests glide counter to the back rest so that they stay in the right position.

Spine Flow at 160° is the full lay-flat mode, ideal for power naps or decompressing after a long day. This is also where the OmniStretch spinal massage comes into play: a five-minute, motorized stretch that gently elongates your spine and relieves tension. It's like a mini yoga session built into your chair, and as someone who often feels the strain after long gaming or editing marathons, I found it genuinely effective.

The 4D armrests, though, are a double-edged sword. I love the flexibility—they slide, pivot, and angle with ease. But sometimes, they move too easily. More than once, I found myself accidentally nudging them out of position mid-game or while typing. A firmer locking mechanism would make a world of difference. The footrest, unlocked as a stretch goal thanks to the Kickstarter's runaway success, is a nice touch for lounging or napping during long sessions. However, it's not as adjustable as I'd like. The footrest only offers two settings—one aimed at shorter users and one for taller folks—but neither really worked for me. I found myself using it only when reclining to relax or game, rather than as a true ergonomic support throughout the day.

Comparing the LiberNovo Omni directly with other ergonomic gaming chairs, including the Razer Iskur V2, it's easily the more comfortable option. While the Iskur V2 and similar models offer decent ergonomics, toughness, and customization, I find the LiberNovo Omni to be far more comfortable and compliant. The dynamic support and overall plushness of the Omni simply outclassed every gaming chair I've tried, making long sessions at my desk feel genuinely more enjoyable in comparison.

Now, let's talk about the campaign: Over $7 million raised and nearly 10,000 backers is no small feat. The buzz is real, and the demand is proof that people are hungry for innovation. The Kickstarter purchase price for the LiberNovo Omni started at around $698, £550, and AUD $1,072 for the basic bundle, with options including the footrest and accessories available at higher tiers. These prices are a significant discount compared to the expected retail price, but buying through Kickstarter isn't like ordering from Amazon. There's risk involved, and while LiberNovo is shipping units, questions about warranty, repairability, and long-term support persist. The frame gets a five-year warranty, but the electronics—arguably the heart of the chair—only get two. If the motor or battery dies after that, you're left with a static seat.

The LiberNovo Omni is easily the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in, and it's packed with genuinely innovative features. If you're a tech enthusiast or someone who spends 10+ hours a day at your desk, the Omni is worth serious consideration. But it's not without flaws. The dynamic lumbar is clever but limited, the armrests need refinement, and the footrest feels a bit tacked on.

Most importantly, the chair's longevity and repairability remain unanswered questions. Would I recommend it? If you're willing to bet on innovation and accept the risks of Kickstarter, absolutely. The comfort and adjustability are top-tier, and it's clear why the campaign smashed records. But if you're after a chair that will last a decade or more, with bulletproof support and proven reliability, the established players still have the edge. LiberNovo's Omni is a bold leap forward—a chair that tries to adapt to you, not the other way around. Whether it's the future of seating or a brilliant one-off remains to be seen. For now, I'm happy to sit on the edge of that future.

A great look, easy setup process and even a hanger to pop your coat on. What can't the Flexispot OC3 do? Well, I'm sorry to say the answer is: leave my posterior without pain after a long day of work.

The kind of pain that popped up isn't something I spotted immediately. In fact, it's not even the type of pain I spotted after an hour. If you'd asked me what I thought of the chair at this point, I would have said it was comfortable. That's because it is, or at least, initially feels like it.

The soft foam in the seat of my model really lets me sink in, until I hit the hard plastic underneath. What initially felt rather comforting started to hurt after a few hours. And by the end of the day, I didn't want to sit down anymore.

This is a bit of a rarity for me. It's not wholly out of the question for me to finish off a day of looking at my screen for work, and then start the night by looking at my screen while playing games. Aside from maybe a brisk walk or momentary pit stop to make dinner, I could go uninterrupted from one activity to the other.

Curse you, Flexispot, for causing me enough pain to pause my video games.

I should note that the version I've been sampling is technically the Flexispot BS3, which is the Flexispot OC3 but for the UK region. They are the same basic chair, except my chair came in a rather dashing all black theme, where the US version comes in a more muted grey.

Annoyingly, the price in the UK is much better than the US price. $260 works out to just shy of £200 (£193.36 as of time of writing). The Office Star ProGrid, our current choice for the best budget office chair, regularly hovers around the $200 mark, so being able to undercut that would have been a boon for the OC3.

Once at my front door, the OC3/BS3 was a super-easy build. The instructions are well laid out and easy to understand. As is the case with all chairs, it takes a second to know which way is the right way around when building, but that was solved with no more than a few moments of thought.

With just a handful of bolts and screws, plus two included hex keys, the entire chair took around twenty minutes to build from start to finish. You might want to grab a buddy as it's not a small chair, but I didn't need one.

The BS3 model I've been sitting on looks great. It's a very classic office chair with the back support being made up of a mesh material. The seat of my model is made of a soft foam, but there's a more expensive mesh cushion available too. The cushion itself isn't where the pain comes from, but instead the lack of cushioning it provides. Underneath is a hard plastic base, and this is what ends up supporting you as you sink in. Initially, this level of support was pretty nice, but it became painful rather quickly.

It is worth noting that comfort is not only itself rather subjective, but also that the ways different chairs interact with your body will be reliant on your body type.

I'm a bigger gentleman, both in height and stature, so I will naturally sink into the cushion more than someone a tad more petite. My partner, for instance, has not noted the same level of pain that I have, though they also find the chair to have a rather hard plastic bottom.

It's an easy-to-adjust chair, with a single lever on the bottom being used to both push the chair up and down, but also adjust the recline. Everything is very smooth here, and the recline is comfortable in use. I did notice that the recline tends to catch in specific sections, so instead of being able to set a specific recline on the chair, you put it into a position.

This means if you are comfortable in a very specific angle, chances are it will let you hover a bit below or a bit above that. This isn't a particularly unique way for reclining chairs to work, but worth noting if you like a very specific angle.

The armrests are smart, if a little behind their competition. They don't have the 4D elements you may want, with them only going up and down. To move them, you have to fully press in a button, then pull them up or down, which means I've never accidentally moved them around.

With included lumbar support for better posture, you can adjust it up and down to better accommodate your back. This works as intended, and is both easy to move and comfortable to lean into. Above this is a 2D headrest that, for lack of a better word, snaps onto the top of the seat. I very much felt like I was doing something wrong installing it, as you have to pry it onto a clip, but once attached, it all feels rather sturdy.

With this headrest comes the most unique element of this office/gaming chair hybrid: a built-in coat hanger. With my location constantly flitting from sunny to rainy, I've used the coat hanger far more than I was expecting to.

I've never liked hanging a slightly damp coat on the back of my chair because I could feel the hood on my neck. This attachment is a neat accessory, though not one I predict the rest of the chair industry learning from.

I like almost everything about the OC3, except the feel. And, unfortunately, feel is almost everything with a chair. If it was comfortable enough to sit on (and didn't ruin my posture), I'd take a particularly comfy box over a painful chair. Given that I will spend long days working and long nights playing games, my chair needs to be comfortable enough not to get in the way.

The price point is very solid (though better in the UK), it looks tidy, the armrests are very stable, and the coat hanger is a neat addition that helps it stand out. An hour or so after setting it up and sitting down, I was convinced my review would be very positive. Boy, was I wrong. A few weeks after my testing, I swapped back to the Flexispot BS9 I'd been using prior, and I haven't looked back since. I do miss the coat hanger, though.

Are you sitting down? If not, there's a good chance it's time for an upgrade. Luckily, our pick for the best budget gaming chair has just become even more budget-friendly in the Amazon Prime Day sales.

You can pick up the Corsair TC100 Relaxed for just $147 at Amazon right now, which is $123 less than its MSRP and getting on for half price. You will need to be a Prime member to avail of this discount, but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial and get access to all the other Prime Day sales.

👉Shop all the Prime Day deals on Amazon👈

Giving it 86% in her Corsair TC100 Relaxed review back in 2023, Katie said, "As always, Corsair has waltzed into the gaming chair space with a refined racer-style chair that's not going to have you remortgaging for the privilege of sitting in it." Two years later, those words have only become more true as the chair has gotten cheaper and cheaper. We have seen the TC100 Relaxed as low as $170 before, but it's still an absolute steal at under $150.

The deal we've highlighted gives you the option of the Black and Gray model or just the Black model, and at the same price. My money would be going on the Black model because of how sleek and stylish it looks, but you get the same material either way.

As well as being inspired by racing chairs, the TC100 Relaxed comes with a detachable memory foam neck pillow and adjustable lumbar support. This, and the soft bucket seat, contribute to a very comfortable feel. It also has a solid recline (going from 90 to 160 degrees) so you can really sink into this chair. Not only that, but it's also big enough that you can even sit cross-legged, which is a big boon for fidgety sitters like myself.

We do, however, feel the lack of 4D armrests is a bit disappointing. Being 2D, you can move them up and down, and in and out, but you don't have the freedom to really angle them to accompany your posture. Given the rest of the chair is so comfortable, having slightly more adjustable armrests would tie the whole package up in a slightly more cosy bow.

We also found it a tad painful to put together. We struggled to get the bolts into place as the threading on the holes appeared to be a little less thoughtfully designed than the rest of the chair. Finally, the headrest has limited adjustability, which means you really gotta like the way it's positioned.

These are relatively light concerns for a gaming chair that very rightly blows away similarly priced competition. Even at MSRP, it's still a bit of a bargain, so saving $80 on it makes it even better. That breathable fabric will come in particularly handy in this hot Summer heat too.

👉Check out Amazon's Prime Day gaming chair deals here👈

It may be 2026, but the best gaming chair recommendation remains a very familiar proposition. As a collective of enthusiastic sitters, he PC Gamer team has spent many a long day parking our posteriors upon the finest seats around—and have also twisted our spines in many of the worst—to bring you the definitive list of the best gaming chairs you can buy right now. We've also spoken to a team of experts to help guide us in what to look for in terms of proper ergonomics, too, so we're covering all bases.

The best gaming chair, based on hundreds of human hours of testing myriad different chairs, remains one that we've been recommending for years: the Secretlab Titan Evo. And there's good reason for that. It isn't a cheap chair, for sure, but it is more affordable than the best office chairs, and still delivers a great level of comfort and support. And, almost as important, it's incredibly durable, too. If you're on a more limited budget, however, the ThunderX Solo 360 offers a nice mix of comfort and features for a relatively light monetary buttprint- sorry, footprint.

We regularly test a range of different chairs, including the best office chairs. And we've put them all through rigorous testing to make sure we can thoroughly recommend all the picks that we have on this page and can honestly stand by each and every one of them. So, invest in something that'll last and give your butt and back the comfort and support they deserve.

The quick list

The best gaming chair overall

The Secretlab Titan Evo is the best gaming chair. That's it, recommendation over. Oh alright then, let's get into the reasons why—and there are a lot of them.

We loved Secretlab's previous chairs, and two of them used to rule the top spots in this very guide. Though nowadays we heartily recommend just the one model, the Titan Evo, as it does everything well.

There's a slightly bigger curve to the seat base to keep you in a good sitting position all day long compared to previous models, and while we couldn't quite tell if it was making a big difference, what we can say is this: the Titan Evo is extremely comfortable, even over very long periods of time. There are three models available, S, R, and XL, and while those looking for something extra-large would do well to check out the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL, for the rest of you, the Titan Evo should do very nicely.

Our initial review model came in a coating Secretlab called Neo Hybrid leatherette, which feels airy and cool over the course of a long day, and really looks the part. We have also recently reviewed the Titan Evo NanoGen edition, which is the latest addition to Secretlab's lineup, and features a new approach to the materials it uses. Aiming to match two presumably mutually exclusive goals—namely being supportive and soft.

And it does that mighty well, creating a chair that ends up feeling even more comfortable than the standard Titan Evo. But with Secretlab asking another $200 for the privilege, it's a fair bit extra to pay over the standard model.

The upholstery of both, however, is immaculate, and the overall quality of the fit and finish is pin-sharp perfect. Something as big and as dominating as a gaming chair should look good on all levels, and the Titan Evo certainly ticks the right boxes, no matter which finish you pick.

What's more, the original chair has been in constant use in our office since we first reviewed it in 2021—gosh, has it really been that long? Since then, it's been rolled around, bumped into, and carelessly caressed by many staff members, yet it's still in excellent condition. That Neo Hybrid Leatherette is really holding up great. The chair's not squeaky, either, which is a plus.

The detachable head cushion is magnetic and very supportive. For that matter, so are the armrests, which deliver 4D movement (up, down, forwards, backwards, side-to-side, and rotation) and should fit into most desks—and most arms, for that matter, as these are about as adjustable as they come.

Mechanically, the cavalcade of quality continues. The hydraulics are superbly smooth, as is the recline. You can also adjust the lean tension, which means finding a comfortable seating position is no problem at all. Everything here is customisable, good-looking, well-built and confidence-inspiring.

Prices start at $449/£379, which, if you've been looking at no-name gaming chairs on some of the bigger retailers' sites, might seem like a lot for a throne. Let me say this with absolute confidence: If you're ever going to spend up on a piece of equipment, make it the chair you sit in all day long. Compared to many of its rivals, it's still well-priced, and the Secretlab Titan Evo really is worth the money.

It's the best gaming chair we've ever tested, and believe me, we've tried the top contenders. The Titan Evo? Well, it beats them all.

Read our full Secretlab Titan Evo review.

The best budget gaming chair

Great budget gaming chairs are pretty hard to come by. Usually you're sacrificing something major, whether that's build quality, comfort, or features. Occasionally, though, something comes along that delivers pretty well on all these fronts while keeping the cost low. The ThunderX3 Solo 360 is one such chair, and it does so well enough to be crowned the absolute best budget gaming chair on the market right now.

The Solo 360 is great, in particular, if you're keen on getting the best bang for your buck when it comes to things that actually matter: not a flashy design or pointless 180-degree recline, but comfort, adjustability, and an easy build process. Admittedly it's not the absolute best in any one of these respects when compared to more expensive chairs, but it's great for its price bracket.

On the adjustability front, you're getting 360-degree adjustable armrests (thus the '360' moniker), plus a car seat-style headrest that you can slide up or down. Admittedly you're not getting an additional pillow or anything like that, but the headrest itself is plenty comfy. Ditto the lack of additional lumbar support: the chair shape itself is comfy enough.

You're also getting a generous recline, and this comes with 'syncrhonous tilt.' This means the seat adjusts along with the backrest when you recline, as opposed to keeping the seat static while the back reclines. This should keep things optimally comfy whatever level of recline you're going for, and you can lock it into place, too.

The chair comes in a choice of a few different kinds of materials: multi-layer breathable fabric, breathable mesh, or leatherette. The one our Jess tried was the first of these, the fabric, which for some reason goes by 'Loft Air.' She found this to be comfy, especially given it's sitting on on top of firm foam, but difficult to wipe clean. Though I suppose that's true for most fabric—mesh or leatherette patiently awaits, if such a dealbreaker for you.

The icing on the cake, depending on your taste, is that the ThunderX3 Solo 360 looks rather suave, in a subtle and minimal kind of way. It certainly doesn't look out of place in an office, which will be a bonus for many but might be a drawback for some.

Read our full ThunderX3 Solo 360 review.

The best high-end gaming chair

What is it about a chair that shouts 'luxury' and 'high-end'? I'd wager for most people it's comfort and ergonomics that are the key barometers, and if so, the LiberNovo Omni has something genuinely game-changing to offer. There are plenty of other luxury seats—from Steelcase, Herman Miller, and the likes—but none that offer exactly what this one does.

The company calls it "the world's first dynamic ergonomic chair", meaning as you shift and shimmy around in your chair, it, too, shifts and shimmies to keep you comfy. If you recline, for instance, the armrests gently follow and slide back. If you move your head left and right, the headrest should move along with you, too.

It also comes with (rechargeable) motorised lumbar support moves in/up and forward/out. This can be controlled by buttons on the armrest, so no need to get up and out the chair to adjust things, you can adjust easily, as often as you please. The motor also allows for what the company calls a 'massage', which lets you lie back and have the lumbar support move in and out for a few minutes to stretch your spine.

Apart from the single directionality for the lumbar support, everything else is very adjustable. The armrests, for instance, are 4D adjustable and can be nudged in every direction until you get it just right. Although in his review, Kizito found these to be a little loose and too easy to nudge out of place.

Overall, though, he found this to be "the first chair I've actually wanted to keep" out of the many he's reviewed: "The dynamic support and overall plushness of the Omni simply outclassed every gaming chair I've tried, making long sessions at my desk feel genuinely more enjoyable in comparison."

It's no surprise, though, really. The LiberNovo Omni is clearly focused on long-term comfort, as it's incredibly adjustable, and adjustability is probably the key factor for good ergonomics. It also uses a ton of different kinds of foams and fabrics to really nail that comfortable and tailored sitting experience.

The only real caveat to all this is that it's still a new product and hasn't been given the true test of time. The chair itself has a few years of warranty, which is great, but the electronics get just two years, so bear that in mind. The benefit of something like a popular Steelcase or Herman Miller is they're tried and tested over the long haul, but here you're taking a little more of a risk for the revolution in dynamic ergonomics. Still, that aside and as far as high-end luxury goes, the LiberNovo Omni really can't be beaten right now.

Read our full LiberNovo Omni review.

The best gaming chair for back support

While some chairs take a rigid approach to supporting your back, if you're looking for something that's supremely comfortable while also looking after your spine, you should really hunt down a ThunderX3 Core. It manages to be not only the best chair for back support but also one of the most plush and good-looking chairs we've tested, too.

That adjustability really is key. We all shift around in our chairs, and while some models try their hardest to push you into the correct shape, the ThunderX3 Core takes a different approach. It's ready for your odd seating positions, choosing instead to employ a variety of mechanisms that allow it to conform itself to your particular seating styles for ultimate support.

The Lumbar 360° tech backrest is designed to move around with you as you shift your weight, meaning that it's always ready to support your lower back when needed. 4D armrests are an increasingly common feature on modern gaming chairs, but they're usually covered in a "soft-touch-esque" kind of material that's less rigid than hard plastic but not what you'd call cushy. Not so here, as the ThunderX3 Core adds proper cushioning into the mix for arm leaners and forearm resters.

All of this adds to the feeling and look of a chair that invites you to sit down. The aesthetic is refreshingly sleek yet comfy-looking, and while it's got stick-out "wings" that won't be for everyone, it doesn't look particularly gamer bling—meaning it's unlikely to look out of place no matter where you put it. Some gamer chairs scream "I have hobbies" to the rest of the world, but this one is much more Scandinavian cool.

Back to back support. The clever Sync6 box underneath has synchronous tilt, which allows you to lean back while still keeping your feet flat on the floor. You can also tilt it forward to lean in, although the armrests will end up staying where they are. Speaking of leaning back, the backrest locks at four different angles, although you can't lean it back all the way like some other chairs. Still, there should be a position there that suits most leaning styles.

Fabric and leatherette versions are available in various colors, all for an MSRP of $399. That's a fair bit cheaper than a lot of other competing chairs, and since the ThunderX3 Core is up there for affordable back support, it gets a big thumbs up from us. A well-looked-after spine doesn't have to come with an overly firm cost, and this chair proves it.

Read our full ThunderX3 Core review.

The best gaming chair for a larger frame

If regular gaming chairs are a bit tight, or you're the sort of person who likes to spread all over a seat, then the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL is the gaming throne for you. Available in L and XL configurations, we were very impressed by our XL model—so much so that it had to go in this guide as the best chair for a larger frame.

First off, this is a good-looking seat. Lots of color options are available, but all of them will have wide shoulders, proper side bolstering and good attention to detail in the fit and finish. It's very USS Enterprise, and despite its large dimensions for sittin,g it's not too dominant in your average gaming setup.

Be warned, however: construction is not an easy task. That's nothing to do with a lack of tools or bad design, but more that this chair is large, wide, and heavy, so we'd highly recommend bringing a friend. Or, if you want one of these because you're covered in muscle, enjoy the free workout.

That being said, once you do have the Kaiser 4 XL together, you'll find plenty of room. The wide seat cushion and flared shoulder sections mean most should fit very well, and even if you're not a giant, you won't feel too swallowed up. It's very nicely judged in its dimensions. Larger than just about everything else, not so large that it looks cartoonish.

There's lots of adjustability here, including a side-mounted lever for backrest adjustment that makes a whole lot of sense. Why some chairs choose to mount the tilt mechanism underneath is beyond us, but here you can lean and use the handle at the same time to find the perfect amount of recline.

The best bit, though, is the pop-out adjustable lumbar cushion. It's very comfortable to lean against, but firm enough to provide proper, robust support, and it's adjustable in a multitude of different ways. Combine that with a magnetic head pillow that can be adjusted easily, yet stays anchored in place once you've found the ideal spot, and this is a chair that's easy to set up just the way you like.

It does have a couple of drawbacks. Firstly, the branding isn't particularly subtle, so you'll find the word "Kaiser" emblazoned all over it in big letters. And second, the rear backing material is a lovely textured plush material that looks great.

Doesn't sound like a drawback? Well, as nice as it looks and feels, it's prone to damage. You'll be fine if you treat it gently, but if you bang the rear of the chair into your furniture, it's likely to rip or leave a mark. And, if we're being picky, the (otherwise huge and very comfortable) armrests do wobble rotationally a little more than we'd like.

Other than that, the AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL is a bit of a winner all around. If what you really want is size and comfort combined in a chair, this is the one we reckon you should go for. Big, bold, and brilliant.

Read our full AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL review.

The best office chair for gaming

Okay, maybe the ThunderX3 Flex Pro can't quite make up its mind exactly what sort of chair it is, but honestly that actually plays right into a PC gamer's hands. Or buttocks, even. With a dizzying total of 19 different "dimensions of adjustment" the chair is certainly playing to our choir of experts, offering consistent support as you move around in the Flex Pro.

With so many different moving parts you can really feeling it shifting around to accommodate you as you fidget around in the ergonomically recommended way every half hour or so.

And with lumbar and head/neck support, shifting seatpan, and continuous recline mechanism, the Flex Pro comes with a lot of different features you will generally find in serious office-based task chairs. Though, in reality, we found that it didn't quite work as well as the Neuechair in terms of providing a true active posture for working at a desk, which would normlly earn it a black mark, and a place in the 'Also tested' section.

That's not to say it isn't supportive when you are in work mode, the back and lumbar support sections capably prop you up while you might be typing away, but, because of that incredible flexibility and the stellar lumbar support, as soon as you kick back and relax in it, the ThunderX3 Flex Pro becomes an excellent tasky gaming chair.

It's an incredibly comfortable chair to sit back with a gamepad and play on, and still retains enough support to remain a decent option for the work day.

And even though there are myriad moving parts that doesn't make it a nightmare to build. It doesn't come fully realised, with fully six major components to put together, but it only took us around 30 minutes solo work to get it up, rolling, and reclining.

If you're after the range of task chair features without paying Neuechair or Steelcase money, then the Flex Pro gets you most of the way there on a bit of a budget. Okay, it's not cheap, but it is around half the price of those other brands. But where it stands out is that it can really compete with other primarily gaming chairs when it comes to reclined comfort, and not all office chairs are able to do that.

Read our full ThunderX3 Flex Pro review.

Also tested

How we test gaming chairs

Let's face it, we spend a lot of time here at PC Gamer sitting on our butts. And that makes us perfect candidates for testing gaming chairs. We will dedicate a significant amount of time to parking our posteriors in a variety of gaming and office chairs when it comes to testing them out, because it's only really by using a chair over an extended period that you get to know where it supports you and where it might be lacking.

Of course, the first step is about building your chair; most gaming chairs come in various stages of disassembly and you'll have to put them together yourself. This process can already tell an experienced reviewer a lot about both the quality of the materials being used in the chair, and about the finished article's overall quality, too. If it's stripping thread when you're screwing in bolts, or parts are loose when they should be tight, then you can already tell something might be missing.

We also use each of the gaming chairs we test as our main working seat for the time that we are testing a chair. That way, we can get a feel for what it would be like to actually live with a particular piece of gaming furniture, as we would if we'd purchased it ourselves.

It also means that we can test the longevity of things like the different levers and controls over time, too. We've had issues where some cheaper brands had plastic levers that just wouldn't last, and where seat materials fail when used for extended periods of time.

And it means we can tell how it makes us feel after using a particular chair for a while. Now, that's not about some emotional connection with a seat, but with ergonomics being such a vital part of gaming chairs when it comes to your overall physical health, this long-term testing is important for us to tell when something doesn't feel right in our own bodies while we're using a chair. Conversely, when something fits you as though it's been made especially for you, then you know you've found a genuinely quality gaming chair.

And value is key to us as well. A chair doesn't have to be cheap, but so long as it feels like it's worth the money you're being expected to pay, then it has value.

Our panel of ergonomics experts

Collectively, here on PC Gamer, we've spent hundreds of human hours testing a host of different gaming chairs. We have a lot of experience and have built up a whole lot of expertise on the subject. That puts us in a great position to be able to let you know why some chairs are better than others, and to be able to pick out the absolute best options in the different categories.

But we can't just rely on our own expertise when it comes to putting your body on the line when you're spending hours sat in a seat. So we've recently got in touch with several trained and certified ergonomists, and interviewed them on what makes a great gaming chair, what you should be looking out for, and how to spend time at your desk without putting your body in peril.

Three of our experts are from companies that specialise in manufacturing ergonomically fit chairs, and one independent physical and occupational therapist.

What you should look for in a chair according to the experts

We can provide advice on what gaming chair to buy based on our experience, comparative pricing, comfort, and build quality, but when it comes to the science of ergonomics there are clear, objective things that you should always be looking for in a new gaming chair purchase. Our ergonomic experts are unified on the main thing that you need to consider, though.

"Look for a chair that keeps you supported and moving," says Kevin Butler. "Long gaming sessions demand a seat that adapts to your body, not the other way around."

And that's what Secretlab's advisor, Dr. Tsai notes, too. "You want a chair that gives you room to naturally move about and able to provide support for your body at the same time. Because when you’re able to shift and change your sitting position regularly, you will naturally adopt comfortable positions as needed."

Jonathan Puleio, global VP at Humanscale agrees, stating that: "Movement and postural variation are critical for maintaining long-term comfort and health. Consider chairs that have self-adjusting features such as weight sensitive recline mechanisms and form-sensing mesh."

Dr. Gallucci, however, is more concerned with adjustability. "The most important thing to look for in a chair is ergonomic adjustability. A good chair should support your posture for long periods without causing discomfort or fatigue. That means it should allow you to adjust the seat height, seat pan depth, armrests, lumbar support and backrest tilt."

"Because we’re all built differently," agrees Dr.Tsai, "adjustments are key to tailoring the chair to best match your needs. That’s why it’s not just about whether they have certain features, but to what degree of adjustments said features actually give us."

The advice has previously been that there is an ideal posture, but as Dr. Stuart McGill, Professor Emeritus of Waterloo and expert in back pain, notes in the study Secretlab links from its site: The science of stress: How to reduce back pain while sitting (.pdf warning), "this may be the ideal sitting posture, but for no longer than 10minutes!"

"Tissue loads must be migrated from tissue to tissue to minimize the risk of any single tissue accumulating microtrauma," Dr. McGill continues. "This is accomplished by changing posture. Thus, an ergonomic chair is one that facilitates easy posture changes over a variety of joint angles."

Therefore, you need to be looking for a chair that can accommodate a range of movement and a range of different seating positions. For years, I assumed that my favourite sitting posture, with one leg crossed beneath me, was dreadful. And yes, it would be if I stuck to it, but so long as you are changing positions regularly, sitting cross-legged can be an effective posture, too.

How you should sit at a desk

We have spoken with ergonomists in the past about the 'right' way to sit at a desk, and the general guidelines remain largely the same, except with more emphasis now on movement being key to continued physical health.

Dr. John Gallucci Jr. CEO of JAG Physical Therapy, told me recently that "a good rule of thumb is to stand or move every 30–60 minutes. Even just a quick stretch, short walk or posture reset can reduce the strain on your back, hips and neck. During the workday, even on your busiest days, it’s good to get up for a micro-break—motion is medicine!"

Recommendations of these micro-breaks can be as simple as standing from the chair and maintaining a relaxed standing posture for 10 to 20 seconds. During this break if you perform some neck rolls and arm windmills you can help relieve neck and shoulder discomfort from sitting at your desk desk.

Secretlab's advisor and founder of Respawn Therapy, Dr. Jordan Tsai, had similar advice on that point. "You want to create “micro-breaks” for your body by introducing movement, and switching between sitting positions is an incredibly effective way to do this. I usually recommend my patients to:

• Vary their sitting positions every hour at a minimum. Listening to your own body is also key. If you feel like you need to raise a leg for a bit, then you should!
• A simple exercise to do while sitting would be to move your trunk in each direction: forward, backward, and side to side—to the limit of their range of motion, ideally once every hour.
• Stand up and walk around for a few minutes every 2-3 hours as well."

But when you are sat down, there are some key things to consider to ensure that you are at least starting out with the 'correct' posture. Even if it is advisable to be constantly shifting around in your chair—fidgeting is good for you—considering these initial pointers is a great starting position for your seated posture.

• Your knees should be bent at 90 degrees, and your feet flat on the floor.
• Your elbows should be level with your desk and close to your body (meaning that you shouldn't have to extend your arms to reach your mouse and keyboard).
• Your shoulders should be relaxed.
• Your lower back should be supported. If your chair doesn't have built-in lumbar support, a small pillow can do the job.
• Your monitor should be positioned such that you don't have to tilt your head up, with the top monitor bezel level with your eyes.
• Unlock the backrest of the chair and adjust the tension to allow for movement.
• Adjust the seatpan such that there is at least two inches of clearance behind the back of the knee.
• Stay in motion: Even small shifts throughout your session make a big difference.
• A great gaming chair should support every move, from clutch plays to mid-match breaks.

One other bit of advice for the dudes out there is that if you still carry a wallet, and it resides in your back pocket, you should remove it before you sit down. We've been told that some experiments have even used a wallet in the back pocket to intentionally create back pain in a subject.

And finally, if you're trying to avoid back pain from long hours of sitting at your desk, you ought to do some sort of physical exercise in the middle of the day, even if that's just a short walk. Go walk the dog, for example.

Best gaming chairs FAQ

Razer is always incredibly on-brand, and the gloves it includes in the packaging for its chairs are no exception. They’re black, edged with the company’s somewhat distinctive bright green around the wrist-hole, and it would have been so easy for the company to just throw a plain black pair in there, or even not to bother at all.

It turns out they’re pretty cheap gloves, and a bit tight too, but their presence speaks to the level of thought and attention to detail that’s been put into this chair despite its budget nature.

You also get a tool. Just one. And it’s all you’ll need. Like every other gaming chair the Iskur V2 X comes in a big box as a kit of parts, and you’ll need to do up a few bolts to get it together. Unlike some other gaming chairs, however, every bolt here uses the same size hex key, so Razer only needs to supply one. It has a plastic grip at the top so you can get the bolts done up nice and tight, and you’ll only need to do up about six of them as things like the armrests are preassembled. It’s one of the easier chairs I’ve ever built, and comes with a hilariously worded welcome card—“It’s time to take your throne ... posture perfect hardcore gaming”—that flips over to become a clearly illustrated assembly guide.

It is Razer’s budget option, and is aimed at challenging Corsair for a spot on the affordable end of our best gaming chair guide. Though it is still quite a lot of money compared to a really cheap office chair (it’s a little more expensive than the Corsair TC100 Relaxed, for example, though the non-X Iskur V2 is a lot pricier), and as a result it’s quite light. This makes the assembly simpler, as you’re not having to lift heavy parts—the most difficult bit is placing the seat of the chair onto the riser stem, and that’s only because you can’t see what you’re doing. It can help to have a second person laying on the floor acting as a spotter. It clunks home nicely once you’ve got it in the right place, however, and from then on setup is a breeze.

And what you’ve built is a solid, if rather basic, gaming chair. It comes in black or grey, with a fabric finish (no premium leather or other customisation options here, though it’s the kind of multi-layer breathable fabric that’s meant to keep your ass cool), and the colours both cost the same. Though it’s worth noting that the head pillow, which attaches with elastic, is an optional addon you’ll pay extra for.

The Razer website, amusingly, suggests the chair is ‘similar’ to a Blade 16 laptop with an RTX 5090 on board. I am happy to verify that it is not. What it is, in the black version at least, is the same colour as a lot of gaming laptops, keyboards, that sort of thing. It won’t be hard to colour-coordinate your setup around the chair, but if you have specific colour requirements for your avant garde gaming room vision, you might want to look elsewhere. If, like the rest of us, you just put something together based on what looks ok for the price, then you’ll be just fine.

The chair has a bit of lumbar support, adjustability for people up to 190 cm tall (though Razer isn’t consistent here, and says both 190 cm and 200 cm—at 187 cm myself I felt I was teetering on the edge of what it could accommodate: a few extra cm, especially in the legs, would have put my knees up too high even with the chair base in its highest position) and the ability to recline the back 152° so you can use it to have a nice lay down.

There's the inevitable Razer branding, of course—the wibbly snake logo behind your head and the word written across the back in that resplendent verdant hue—but while the fabric finish and moderate armrest adjustability point to it being a budget chair, the materials it’s made from don’t. The fabric it’s covered with is nicely textured, the base is aluminium (into which the wheels clunk satisfyingly) and while the padding is definitely slimmer than you’d expect from a chair that sits further up the expense hierarchy, it’s not uncomfortable.

Actually, it’s really nice to sit in. If you are of the broader persuasion, then you might want to fiddle with the bolts underneath to increase the distance between the arms, but once you’ve used the integrated lever to adjust the angle of the backrest to your liking, changed the height and rotation of the armrests and raised the seat itself so that your feet are in the ergonomically approved position on the floor, then decided whether you want to seat to tilt back or not, you’ve exhausted the adjustability options. There's a dial underneath which loosens or tightens the tilt mechanism, but it’s kind of hard to reach from a seated position.

This sort of simplicity is to be applauded when it results in a chair that’s comfortable, and the Iskur V2 X is just that. The lumbar support is integrated into the backrest rather than coming in the form of a cushion (you can buy one separately, if you want), and can’t be adjusted. I found it fine, and sat in it all day while doing my very important job, but if you have specific requirements here it might be worth sitting in one before you commit. Something easier said than done with chairs you order online. Getting hold of one might also be an issue, as while the chair is ready to order in the US at the time of writing, the UK product page says it’s not available in the region.

The Razer Iskur V2 X is a tempting proposition. You get a big-name gaming chair with a decent level of comfort for a budget price. You can see where the axe has fallen on the Iskur V2 X—it doesn’t have the finish options or thick padding of premium models, but neither does it have their price tag. The chair looks good, is easy to build, is nice to sit in and has just enough adjustability to tailor it to the demands of your hindquarters.

General comfort, physical disabilities, health problems, airconditioner proximity, chance of dog love, potential snuggles, and ability to snack. This is the list of excuses that comes to mind whenever I realise I am once again gaming on the couch, rather than parking myself at my desk in one of the best gaming chairs. For controller based games, this isn't such an issue, but for keyboard and mouse based action it's really difficult to get comfy. In the past I've tried to fix this with all sorts of solutions, including building my own coffee table desk raiser, and so I'm both exhilarated and annoyed by how solid the Couchmaster Cycon3 is.

The Cycon3 (Cycon Cubed?) consists of two sturdy rectangle cushions, which hold up a plastic desktop. There are heaps of features like charging, lights, pockets, and power, which help justify the $200 price tag, but they're just icing. The cake here is a stonehenge style assembly of simplicity, and it's enraging how well it works.

The two rectangle cushion slabs sit either side of you, acting as raisers for the desktop space. They're full of memory foam, but you're not supposed to snuggle into them. Instead they make a sturdy yet slightly plush base for both your elbows while gaming, and the rest of your game setup. The flexibility suits a couch much better than something harder. It's a far more solid foundation than I expected. It doesn't shift when you need stability, while still being light enough to move easily.

The cushions are covered in a dark soft fabric that hasn't set off any sensory icks. It also has several pockets sewn into it, which are perfect for holding drinks, snacks, remote controls, vapes, and everything else you need for couch gaming. It's also been handy to stop me from losing that one audio remote down into the couch folds. There's also an additional dedicated mouse pocket that sticks onto the desk portion and overhangs these sturdy pillars. If you need more, Nerdytech also makes accessories like tablet holders, which I wouldn't have trusted before experiencing the robust construction on display here, but now kinda want.

With the desk portion sitting across both slabs, and me in between them all, this is the bulk of the setup done. Without even bothering to plug anything in, I was quite comfortably able to play games on my couch. A simple wireless mouse and keyboard plonked on top was all it took to get what the Couchmaster is going for: comfortable mouse and keyboard couch gaming with minimal compromises.

Though for nearly $200 USD you'd want a bit more than a couple of well positioned cushions.

Thankfully, the desktop portion of the Couchmaster Cycon3 also has a few tricks up its sleeve. On the underside are four large flat screw points that'll grant you access to two cabling sections. One of the ports here is for power and to connect the desk to your PC. All the others are all USB 3.2 Type-A that you can run sneaky cables from to your various peripherals. To add to it, there's an additional one on top of the desk, alongside a USB Type-C fast charging port.

When plugged into your PC you get some pretty impeccable passthrough on devices. I've run a few different keyboards and feel no difference between couchboarding and plugging them straight into my computer. If you've got the desk plugged into power as well then you'll be able to use the full gamut of ports, as well as play with the coloured lightbar. I've been running a wired keyboard, mouse, and a set of headphones while also charging my phone all from the comfort of my little couch fort.

Being enclosed in this gaming fortress is a surprisingly comfortable way to play games. I got through all of the first lot of DLC for Doom Eternal using it without feeling any discomfort or fatigue. I've forced a few other gamers to sit at it too, and they've reported surprising comfort from the setup. The hardest part is when you're all loaded up with gamer gear and you have to sort of awkwardly boomgate yourself out of your cube. No solution is ever perfect, I suppose.

I've also used it with my laptop and iPad and it's been quite a comfortable little couch table. While testing the AverMedia GC30 Elite Go capture card I had both of them on my desktop setup for streaming. I was able to draw on my iPad at a comfy angle and still monitor my stream on the laptop. And yeah, I've eaten a few meals on it now too and haven't had any stains. No matter what awkward activity I want to do on my couch, it seems the Cycon3 wants to help. And it's quite comforting about it the way it's always barricading me up in this activities-couch cubical.

The thing is, couch PC gaming is going to happen, whether we like to admit it or not. Often at the cost of your back, especially with mouse and keyboard setups. The Couchmaster Cycon3 fixes that quite nicely. At $200 it's not cheap, but with how sturdy and well thought out it all is, It doesn't seem unfair. But I can see it's a tough sell. It's the most comfortable I've been while playing mouse and keyboard style on my couch, and I'm still balking at the cost.

I don't know how a pair of cushions and some plastic with passthrough could be worth this much, but when I'm using it I completely forget the numbers. It's almost like sitting in a fancy car; nothing could be worth that money but damn, it sure is nice and comfy, and no I am not comfortable discussing how I got financing. It feels solid, and even a touch bulker than I'd like, but its construction also makes it super simple, easy to setup, and only a little difficult to crawl out from. Add to this all the ports and pockets, and this setup gives you everything you need to do real PC gaming at your couch.

As PC gamers, we spend a lot of our time sitting on our collective bottoms. That's just the way it's always been. With the traditional keyboard and mouse control system (obviously the best control system) demanding some sort of desktop upon which to perch, it's natural that we need to be sat at a desk.

And with the ever increasing amount of time we spend sitting at those desks—especially with the rise of working from home—it's important that gamers have a comfortable and ergonomic place to park their derriere. And, because we're special, that standard swivel chair you might have picked out of a skip, or at Ikea for a pittance, just doesn't cut it, and so the gaming chair was born.

But is a gaming chair the right place to park it? The best gaming chairs offer a wealth of adjustable features and space-age materials all designed to keep you comfortable and keep your spine intact for a long gaming session. Yet outside of that you will find a ton of brightly coloured seats filled with cheap materials, that deliver almost no ergonomic benefits, all aiming to copy the style of Secretlab, Corsair, and AndaSeat.

I recently spoke to four ergonomists about gaming chairs, desks, and the 'right' posture (apparently there kinda isn't such a thing) and specifically asked them whether there were features or design quirks that frustrated them about modern chairs, and especially gaming chairs.

"Yes, definitely!" Says Dr. John Gallucci Jr. "A few things stand out. Overbuilt 'racing style' designs: They look cool but often force your spine into unnatural positions with rigid side bolsters or bucket seats that don’t promote good posture.

"Fixed or exaggerated lumbar pillows," he continues. "Not everyone’s spine is shaped the same! A giant pillow can push your lower back too far forward, causing discomfort instead of relief."

Most of the experts I spoke to also said the same thing about form over function, with Dr. Gallucci noting that "RGB lights, flashy colors, or 'wings' on the headrest don’t make up for poor adjustability or lack of ergonomic support."

As you might expect from an office/task chair manufacturer, Humanscale's ergonomic expert, Jonathan Puleio, is more scathing. "Most chairs labeled as 'gaming' chairs are simply budget task chairs with colorful accent stripes.

"The backrest and seat pan are typically attached and non adjustable. If you are lucky enough to find a gaming chair that has a recline mechanism, it will likely have a back lock and a tension control knob. Most gaming chairs are severely lacking from an ergonomics standpoint. We recommend not falling for the marketing hype surrounding them."

Kevin Butler, a professional ergonomist and senior wellbeing consultant at Steelcase, another of the best office chair manufactures, is more measured, though: "Many gaming chairs prioritize style over function—super stiff seats, fixed armrests, or exaggerated racing-style shapes that don’t actually support how people sit. Looking good means nothing if your back’s paying the price."

Slightly countering that point about 'stiff seats', however, is Secretlab's ergonomics advisor and esports physical therapist, Dr. Jordan Tsai: "There’s a common misconception that 'soft' translates to 'comfortable'. But there are glaring issues with prolonged sitting on too-soft surfaces. For one, it increases the demand on the stabilizer muscles in your trunk area, which can lead to discomfort, and subsequently, fatigue.

"You can liken this to how your body has to work harder to balance on a soft foam surface (such as a bean bag) versus stable, hard ground. The uneven weight distribution on soft surfaces also increases the focal pressure at the point of contact. A reasonably firm surface is key to distributing the pressure exerted."

This is the reason you'll find the best gaming chair, the Secretlab Titan Evo, coming with a relatively hard seat. But as well as being ergonomically beneficial, Dr. Tsai also suggests that a stiffer seat material can actually be a benefit to competitive gamers.

"Another thing I really like about firmer seat bases is that you can sit on the front half of the chair and not feel like you’re falling off from it. This is a position I call 'Active Posture'—I often recommend this to competitive gamers, which allows them to lean forward without compromising their lower back posture.

"I’d also personally always choose a strong foam-based seat over a mesh-based one. Foam gives more uniform support and allows for better weight distribution, even when sitting on a smaller surface area."

What SHOULD you look for in a gaming chair?

These are the things that really get to the expert ergonomists in the industry, so what should you be looking for in your next gaming chair? Well, all of the people I spoke to said the same thing: You need a chair that supports movement.

"Look for a chair that keeps you supported and moving," says Kevin Butler. "Long gaming sessions demand a seat that adapts to your body, not the other way around."

And that's what Secretlab's advisor, Dr. Tsai notes, too. "You want a chair that gives you room to naturally move about and able to provide support for your body at the same time. Because when you’re able to shift and change your sitting position regularly, you will naturally adopt comfortable positions as needed."

Puleio agrees, stating that: "Movement and postural variation are critical for maintaining long-term comfort and health. Consider chairs that have self-adjusting features such as weight sensitive recline mechanisms and form-sensing mesh."

Dr. Gallucci, however, is more concerned with adjustability. "The most important thing to look for in a chair is ergonomic adjustability. A good chair should support your posture for long periods without causing discomfort or fatigue. That means it should allow you to adjust the seat height, seat pan depth, armrests, lumbar support and backrest tilt."

"Because we’re all built differently," agrees Dr.Tsai, "adjustments are key to tailoring the chair to best match your needs. That’s why it’s not just about whether they have certain features, but to what degree of adjustments said features actually give us."

That's what the experts recommend, and we've spent a lot of time testing different places to park our butts for a concerted gaming session to allow us deliver a definitive verdict on what the best gaming chairs are for your spine and your budget.

Gaming chairs are a dime a dozen, and AndaSeat is striving to establish itself as a leading brand in the market, indeed the brand has held a spot on our list of the best gaming chairs for a good while now. I’ve been maining an AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL which sets a high standard but its hefty price tag of nearly $579 USD (£550 GBP / $1,050 AUD) makes it a little too premium of a choice for most of us. So when AndaSeat reached out to test its newer, cheaper AndaSeat Novis chair—which comes at a $249 USD (£235 GBP / $450 AUD)—I was more than curious to see how it fairs. Suffice to say, there’s a significant trade-off in features and comfort that explain why this is quite literally, half the chair of its sibling.

Out of the box it strikes a sharp silhouette—angular panels, clean stitching, and an integrated headrest hinting at "ergonomic" without delivering padding. But while its design language suggests premium comfort, the reality of sitting on it is an exercise in frustration: it occupies that lonely slice between "good value" and "usable terror".

Assembly is refreshingly painless: the gas-lift cylinder slides into the sturdy five-star base, the backrest bolts neatly to the seat pan, and the dual-stage armrests snap into place without protest. The tilt-tension knob is set so tight that it takes several revolutions to find a usable resistance. I tested the gas lift through various heights; it’s smoother than many budget models, and the chair’s center of gravity feels stable even at full recline.

Yet the first clue that AndaSeat cut corners on comfort emerges immediately: the box is devoid of support extras. No head pillow, no lumbar cushion, not even a fabric-wrapped sachet to soften the impact. Settling into the seat reveals the core issue: a slab of dense, "high-density cold cure" foam that practically dares you to test its limits. The seat’s slight forward pitch might encourage alert posture, but without softness under your sit bones, it feels like resting on a sculpted rock ledge. At least the back can tilt through a generous 90°–165° range, lockable in any position but there’s no rocking mode.

Fifteen minutes in, my pelvis cried uncle; an hour later, my thighs were singing an aria of discomfort. By comparison, the Kaiser 4 cushions contours with memory foam, creating an oasis of softness, and even the Razer Iskur X—cheaper at around $350 USD (£275 GBP / $525 AUD)—uses a firmer foam that embraces rather than repels your shape.

That design choice carries into the chair’s spine support—or absence thereof. The backrest’s built-in headrest is handsome in its minimalism, but without a head pillow, it does little more than press cold plastic against your neck. Lower down, the back panel is comparatively flat, lacking the basic s-curve that even cheap office chairs do. AndaSeat markets a $40 USD (£30 GBP / $60 AUD) memory-foam lumbar pillow, but paying extra for basic support feels like buying seat belts a la carte. If you’ve ever experienced the Kaiser 4’s dial-driven lumbar system, which lets you tweak spine-hugging pressure mid-session, or Razer’s 5D lumbar in the Iskur V2, the Novis’s inert slab will feel like a deliberate insult.

Armrests on the Novis only offer up-down movement. That’s as basic as it gets but if you’ve ever experienced the joy of 4D arm rests, this will smart. I could never find a right position for these arm rests in relation to my desk—there just wasn’t enough motion to get things right. Meanwhile, the Kaiser 4’s four-axis rests allow you to swivel and pivot at will and without those degrees of freedom, the Novis’ arm rests feel like a tacked-on apology rather than an intentional ergonomic feature.

In terms of looks and materials, the Novis fabric deserves genuine applause. The Ash Gray weave fabric version I got is breathable—particularly welcome in Brisbane’s sticky heat. After weeks of use, there’s nary a sign of pilling or wear; the texture still feels fresh against bare skin. Aesthetically, it’s versatile enough to blend into a home office or living room without shouting "gaming rig!". But I can’t speak for how easy this fabric is to clean as the Novis doesn’t seem to be machine washable like some Secretlab chairs.

Pricing is the final clincher. At $249 USD (£375 GBP / $720 AUD), AndaSeat pitches the Novis squarely at people wanting that premium feel without the full premium price—and they almost get away with it. Yet for $350 USD (£275 GBP / $525 AUD) you can snag the Iskur X, which delivers core comfort and integrated lumbar support. If your budget is truly fixed, the Iskur X is a shrewd compromise; if you can stretch, the Kaiser 3 is worth the splurge.

Ultimately, the AndaSeat Novis chair nails aesthetics, sturdy build, and some functional adjustments but trips at the finish line. The foam comfort, limited arm rests and lacking lumbar support contribute to a chair that looks far better than it feels. A gaming chair’s promise is to vanish under your body, letting you lose yourself in play or work without distraction. The Novis refuses to disappear—it’s a constant reminder of itself, in the form of aching pressure points and an unyielding backrest. This is definitely far from the best AndaSeat has to offer but I guess the adage is true; you get what you pay for.

The ThunderX3 Flex Pro is a strange chair, mostly because I'm not entirely sure it knows what it wants to be. Is it aiming for a spot on our best gaming chair guide, or the best office chair? A professional-looking chair with few frills, it's at its best not when you're sitting bolt upright concentrating on a meeting or working diligently at your keyboard, but when you're almost dangerously reclined, gamepad in hand as you relax at your desk.

The flexibility to allow you to switch between those two approaches is one of the Thunder X3 Flex Pro's biggest selling points. Boasting 19 different "dimensions of adjustment," you can feel it working to accommodate you no matter what orientation you're sitting in. Across its seat, lumbar, back, and head rests, a combination of mesh material and a dizzying number of moving parts means that you've got plenty of support.

Perhaps most outlandish are the two separate lumbar support panels. Moving independently of one another, they're the stars of the show whether you're sitting up or leaning back. If that sounds a little more 'massage chair' than 'office chair' to you, the good news is that all of this chair's various moving parts can be locked in place, often with nothing more than the simple twist of a lever. The extent of all that adjustability does mean that you might have to struggle through some confused pushing and pulling at the start, but that should be a short-term problem.

With all those moving parts, I was worried that the ThunderX3 Flex Pro would be a building nightmare, but thankfully I was wrong. The entire build took me 30 minutes on my own, and while the hardest part was getting its enormous, heavy box up the stairs to my office, actually pulling the whole thing together was pretty easy. I thought I'd be in for a nightmare of complex moving pieces, but 12 screws and just six major components brought the entire chair together.

Unfortunately, not all of those components are great. The mesh seat is quite hard, which feels a little out of place with the gentle give that the rest of the chair clearly prides itself on. It's also pretty small, and while you don't really notice that while leaning back, while sitting up I'm not dealing with a lot of extra room, despite fitting firmly within the size and weight descriptions.

And for how solid some of the rest of the build feels, I was a little disappointed by the simple plastic rollers I got for wheels. Thankfully, my initial uncertainty about the armrests' 360-degree adjustability seems to have been mostly unfounded, but even for all the movement I do have access to, I've struggled to get them exactly where I wanted them.

It's a slightly similar story with the headrest. It's massive, and you can move it around a fair bit, but I wanted to move it forward to give me some help while I'm sitting up as well as leaning back. Whether that's by design or my issue interpreting the slightly hieroglyphic instruction manual I'm not sure, but it's another slight miss.

I was initially sceptical about the value of all that adjustability, especially when it didn't always seem to work as intended. The first time I sat down, it was easy to feel where the chair was moving with me, but only after I stopped sitting up straight. Almost immediately, it felt as though the ThunderX3 Flex Pro would be great for lazily leaning back with a gamepad, but would offer much less value in meetings or for keyboard + mouse games. Given how much more time I spend dealing with the latter than the former, that was a concern.

Happily, I appear to have been wrong on that front. The combination of the hard seat and a bit of clever post-sitting adjustment around the lumbar support meant that I could feel nicely held up, even when sitting up straight. Obviously, it falls away if I lean forward, but an adjustable seat does offer a partial means of addressing that particular issue.

Nevertheless, it does leave me slightly torn on the ThunderX3 Flex Pro. For the price point, I think it's excellent—you're definitely getting more support and flexibility than most of its gaming chair competitors at the same price (and often at higher prices too).

The problem is, some of this chair's biggest selling points feel a little like they're aiming in the wrong place. Much of its best supportive and flexible features fall away when you use it as an actual office chair. Sat forward at a desk, you're simply not feeling several of those 19 points of adjustment. Thankfully though, I do have to admit that when it comes to arguably its most important spot—the lumbar support—it does great work no matter how you sit.

As a gaming chair, I think this is much better. Lean back, and you can feel the ThunderX3 Flex Pro moving with you, and the mesh material means it's breathable and has some decent give.

The lumbar supports feel amazing here too, almost as though they're holding you up on their own. For longer sessions where you've using a gamepad and leaning back to drink in an hours-long open-world session, this chair does a really good job. It might require a little getting used to, and a little fine-tuning to make sure it's working at peak performance, but if you can get past that initial admin stage, this is a solid hybrid chair at a price that leaves its biggest gaming rivals pretty far behind, without compromising on anything more than a few small details.

Audio in videogames doesn't get enough credit for the amount of heavy lifting it does for the medium. Whether it's atmospheric creepiness like floorboards creaking, satisfyingly responsive like a perfect reload, or just there to vibe to like a great soundtrack, sounds can really add to the gaming experience. For these reasons a good headset or set of speakers are essential to any gaming setup, but what about something in between, like the Razer's new headrest speaker the Clio.

Headsets—even open backed ones—have a tendency to lock me out of my environment. Having that immersive focus in-game is great, but it isolates me from the goings on in my house. A set of PC gaming speakers, of course, are great for this but also involve sharing my game noises with everyone around me, regardless of how they feel about it. The Clio looks like a great middleground, allowing the joy and freedom of speakers without bothering the whole house, though it might bother your gaming chair...

The other potential bonus with the Clio is it outsources wearing a headset to your chair, so it's even more freeing than a good wireless headset. Rather than have the potential discomfort from headset wear, the Clio attaches to the back of the headrest using adjustable straps which Razer says should fit most high-backed chairs. The plush memory foam is designed to be leaned into while still being comfortable, and has THX spacial audio piped into direction specific speakers angled to be heard by the person sitting in the chair.

I'm a big fan of near-field directional sound when it's used well. I've been rocking it in the RayBan Meta smart glasses I have, and it's really easy to listen to music and take calls without anyone else being able to hear a thing. I assume the headrest will have to be a bit louder being further away from the ears, but the tech can be really effective, so I'm keen to see how it works here.

The speakers in the Clio can also be used in conjunction with others already in your setup. Here the Clio can act as specific speakers in a surround sound setup to help enhance that experience. Having the speakers directly behind the head should really make the sounds feel like they're coming from right behind you. The speakers are touted as delivering good immersive sound whether they're stand alone or a part of a bigger unit, and apparently can do so even for those not directly in the chair at the time.

With MSRP sitting at $229.99 USD or €199.99, you can hopefully expect some quality speakers and comfort to match the price tag. You could get a pretty fabulous gaming headset for that price, so you'd want to see at least the same value proposition here from the Clio.

If it delivers, I'm really into the idea of speakers for my chair as opposed to my head. It's not only nice to see a slightly different product now and then and this is one I could actually see myself using. The idea of just sitting at my desk in my chair and being basically game ready is actually a pretty liberating one. I guess what I'm saying is I'm ready to rest my head and hope Clio cradles it gently while whispering sweet sweet videogame nothings to me.

After many hours awkwardly hunched over my corporate MacBook through the last few years, I'm beginning to appreciate the importance of an ergonomic workplace—my spine compels me. Desk and monitor height are important, but it all begins with where you're parking your own juicy apples.

Er, let me try again: Every monarch needs a worthy throne, though not every gamer enjoys a budget comparable to the king's bounty. So, it's just as well this lowly court jester has stumbled upon our top budget pick for the best gaming chair at its lowest ever price. At Newegg, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed gaming chair was already only $220, which is already a sweet deal. But, you can lop off another 50 bucks and roll away with the fabric black version for only $170 with the promo code EPEQ2A23. Looks like it's all thanks to the sales going on over the next week or so, following up on Amazon's Big Spring Sale event.

Katie spent some quality time with a different fabric colourway in her Corsair TC100 Relaxed review, but the points still stand—or rather sit. For a start, the fabric covering is a darn sight more breathable than the leatherette version; on a warm summer’s day, you’re far less likely to be stuck peeling yourself away from a fabric chair compared to a leatherette seat.

It’s worth stressing too that Newegg’s promo code EPEQ2A23 only applies to the black fabric colourway. If you’re indecisive, that keeps things simple. Though if you, like me, are a little sick of all your gamer gear being black or occasionally very dark grey, you’re not going to find the Corsair TC100 Relaxed in any fun colourways anyway; outside of the deal your options are black leatherette, or a grey and black fabric version. At least your office or game room will sport a uniform look…?

Appearance aside, adjustability is a real stumbling block for the Corsair TC100. Katie notes in her review that the headrest is a bit of a faff to readjust due to being held in place by short straps. The armrests also only offer a very limited range of maneuverability and adjustable positions—the AndaSeat X-Air Pro’s 5D 360° armrests, these are not.

All of that said, the seat is what I really want to highlight; as a constant fidgeter, it's definitely appealing to hear the seat is roomy enough to comfortably sit criss-cross applesauce. That said, as someone who is far from the tallest tree in the orchard, I’m perhaps well suited to the Corsair TC100’s short 81cm backrest. That comes with about 10 cm of adjustable seat height, but those leaning over 6'2" may be better served plonking their pommes elsewhere.

For my fellow short kings and queens on a budget, you can’t afford to pass up this deal. Whether you’re thinking up ill-advised apple-based metaphors or assuming an improbable seated posture for Machiavellian scheming, the Corsair TC100 Relaxed’s 37.5 cm wide seat will ensure you’re always sitting pretty.

Last year, Razer launched two products with haptic feedback being the front and centre of attention: the Freyja seat pad and the Kraken V4 Pro headset. We tested and reviewed both products, designed to improve the experience in even the best gaming chairs and, while the latter is very good, its steep price tag is a bit of a barrier. In the case of the Freyja, though, it's really about usage. After all, how many games are going to be better just because you can feel vibrations through your legs and back? Well, now that I've tried them together at GDC 2025, I know exactly what kind of gamer is going to love them.

To cut to the chase, it's sim racing. I sat on the Freyja and wore the Kraken V4 Pro headset while playing Assetto Corsa Competizione using a Razer/Fanatec direct-drive setup. After a few sighting laps in a Lambo, I set about trying to throw down some hot lap times, all while ignoring Razer's haptic gear rumbling away.

At first, I found it somewhat distracting but after five minutes or so, it all clicked into place. Coupled with the force feedback through the steering wheel, I could sense braking points more accurately, where the front was understeering, and the lap times began to tumble. Rather than having to use my ears to judge traction out of corners, listening to the engine's revs climbing too fast or too slow, I could feel it instead.

Or rather, I got a sense of the changes because no vibrating haptic system can replace actual forces on your body, as you accelerate and brake. But hell's bells if it isn't damn impressive.

I asked Razer if it had plans to bring a full racing seat with Freyja fully integrated into it and got a wry smile and a "We can't comment on unannounced products" reply, but I'd bet my last penny that Razer is certainly considering it. The current version of Freyja has nothing around your sides but built into a racing bucket seat, you could certainly do an even better job of simulating cornering forces on your body.

But even if Razer has made such a product and is currently testing it out, it doesn't mean it'll ever see the light of day at retail. Sim racing is hugely popular but in the grand scheme of all things gaming, it's a very niche market and introducing a super-duper Freyja system into such a sector will likely only result in relatively small sales.

That would require it to have a high price tag to offset the low volumes but given how expensive the current Freyja system is, it could easily be priced out of consideration. That said, a full motion-capable sim rig is many thousands of dollars, and a proper racing Freyja chair could slot in between a static wheel setup and an all-bells-and-whistles rig, in terms of price.

Something else that Razer announced at GDC is that it's combining all of its software SDKs into one, called Wyvrn, and it will be fully integrated into Unreal Engine 5.5—that means any future racing games developed on that engine should be able to easily get the most out of any Freyja, Kraken, and wheel setup.

The only bad thing I noticed with the whole Freyja racing setup is that I don't have one at home and now I'm a bit sad. Mind you, I'm not sure how well my cats would respond to my office vibrating like a jackhammer while I'm hooning around in Assetto Corsa.