With the dawn of a near year comes the search for a better PC setup, and one of the most important but most overlooked aspects of any good rig is finding the best gaming chair to accompany it. Your chair is truly the forgotten peripheral, but it's actually one of the most important. Not only can an awesome chair improve your game, making sure you're not distracted by noisome aches and pains while you game, but it can actually meaningfully improve your life, especially if you spend a lot of time in front of your PC. A supportive chair can help rebuild your posture, and even help you sleep better by allievating cramps, aches, and pains that accumulate from twisting your body to accommodate a sub-standard seat.
So what should you be looking for when you start your quest for the world's best gaming chair? You should start with comfort, of course, and that's our number one priority in sorting through and ranking the chairs on our list. Of course, where chairs are concerned comfort is largely the product of adjustability, and not just in terms of the height of your chair or how much you can tilt back into it. You want a chair that can be configured to suit all your dimensions, from your back to your arms to everything in between and beyond. And great gaming chairs have made leaps and bounds in terms of being individually configurable, from seat depth to 'four-dimensional' arm rests that can be swiveled or tilted in almost any direction imaginable.
1. Secretlab Omega
The best gaming chair of 2019
Seat type: Racing seat | Recline: 165 degrees | Weight capacity: 240 lbs | Weight: 66 lbs | Available colors: Stealth, Classic, Amber, Royal, Ash
Vertagear’s SL5000 was previously our favorite racing-style gaming chair. The discreet logos, premium build quality and noticeable craftsmanship were things we really took note of. After testing Secretlab’s latest Omega chair, it’s clear other manufacturers were paying attention too. The Omega is one of the most well made chairs we’ve tested. From the casters to the base, lift mechanism, armrests and seat back, Secretlab clearly used some of the best materials available.
The chair features a high quality cold-cured foam that provided support which was a little bit firm at first but became really comfortable after longer gaming periods. What really made the Omega stick out from the crowd is the included velour memory foam lumbar and head pillows. These were so comfortable that we could easily fully recline the chair and take a nap if we wanted to. If you’re looking to treat your butt with a chair that will truly last, the Secretlab Omega is worth every penny.
2. Noblechairs Epic Real Leather
A luxury upgrade made with real leather
Seat type: Racing seat | Recline: 135 degrees | Weight capacity: 265 lbs | Weight: 62 lbs | Available colors: Black, Brown beige, Brown black, White
The EPIC series from Noblechairs is another of the more comfortable chairs we tested. Marketed as a luxury office chair, it features high-quality materials to mimic the interior of a luxury car rather than a racecar. The Epic Real Leather we tested is the first gaming chair to be made with real genuine leather. It’s easily the most expensive racing-style chair we’ve tested but it’s clear that Noblechairs spared no expense when it came to the luxury materials and design. Like the Secretlab Omega, the Epic series features a sophisticated tilt/height mechanism that allows you to fine-tune your comfort and rock back and forth in the chair. It may be pricey, but the Epic Real Leather is about as luxurious as racing seats can get.
3. NeueChair
Extremely high quality, highly adjustable office chair
Seat type: Task chair | Recline: 85-130 degrees | Weight capacity: 240 lbs | Weight: 64 lbs | Available colors: Silver, Obsidian
If you're the sort of person who prioritizes functionality over flash, the NeueChair is an excellent option. Which isn't to say it's not stylish - quite the opposite, the NeueChair comes in a sleek, muted obsidian or flashy chrome/silver, both with bold, sweet curved supports on the back and an attractive black mesh. But more importantly, the NeueChair is built to last, with a heavy, sturdy industrial construction. Even the weight of the chair in the packaging indicates that this is a solid piece of carefully constructed industrial art: it's heavy and substantial.
Assembling it is a breeze, as it comes in two discrete pieces and is simply a matter of inserting the casters and pushing them together. And almost every aspect of the seat is adjustable, from the armrests (which you can move in three dimensions to perfectly suit your elbows and forearms) to the adjustable lumbar support system that lets you change the height and depth of the backrest. It's one of the best office chairs I've ever had the pleasure to sit in and, if you can afford the admittedly steep price tag, well worth the investment.
4. Vertagear SL5000
Adjustable racing seat with a high backrest
Seat type: Racing seat | Recline: 140 degrees | Weight capacity: 330 lbs | Weight: 59 lbs | Available colors: Blue, Carbon, Green, Red White
When you're going for a racing-style chair, you have to keep in mind that style takes precedence over comfort. For more comfortable support, you may want to look into Vertagear's Triigger chair, which is more like a Herman-Miller office chair. We spoke to a variety of manufacturers, including Vertagear's own founder, who indicated to us that bucket-seat chairs aren't really made for comfort.
Despite this, the SL5000 is one of the most comfortable racing-style chairs around. If you've ever sat inside a race car's seat, you'll know that these types of chairs are designed to hold you in tightly to prevent your body from moving around during high speed cornering. If you're in the market for a racing-style chair and know that these style of chairs favor more firm support than plush La-Z-Boy recliners, the high-quality construction and attention to detail in Vertagear's SL5000 makes it one of our top recommendations.