Here at GamesRadar, we try to test as many gaming chairs as we can in order to find you the best value for money. Seats designed for gaming are horrendously expensive at the best of times, so testing them out to give you an idea of their comfort, ergonomics, and assembly processes is important for us. We want to give you expert buying advice, and a rigorous testing process is central to that.
The best gaming chairs are hard to buy online because it's not like you can sit on one yourself and figure out if it's right for you. Thankfully, we've put our butts on a lot of them and dealt with loads of the biggest brands in an attempt to figure out what your best options are. Testing gaming chairs isn't as straightforward as the formal testing we do for the likes of gaming PCs and components, but we do try to treat each chair with a fair process that evaluates how it will last over time, and how you'll get on with it whether you're building solo or with a friend.
Of course, different seats will have different features, so once assembled, we try to put them all to the test, and determine if they target a more ergonomic crowd or a comfort crowd. Futureproofing is also important, so we try to spend a lot of time with one before writing up a review. We like to live with our hardware here at GamesRadar+ and that means using every new bit of kit like it was our own. You can find more on GamesRadar's review ethos in our Hardware Policy.
How we test gaming chairs
No two gaming chairs are the same, and even though many of them are similar, the small disparities can mean big differences overall. When we test gaming chairs, we're aware that we have our own unique preferences and body types, so we try to take into account wider parameters while giving you our takes.
These are a few of the things we always try to answer in our reviews:
- How comfortable the gaming chair is both initially and then over time
- The overall build quality and sturdiness of the gaming chair
- How long the gaming chair takes to assemble
- How complicated the build process is for one person by themselves
- The price of the gaming chair and its place in the market
- The features and adjustability options on offer
- If the chair is on the ergonomic side of the spectrum, or more tilted toward comfort
- If the chair adequately supports posture and spine health
Arguably the most important element to reviewing a gaming chair is how comfortable it is both upon initial inspection and then over time. We will generally work and play in a chair for around a month before we come to a verdict and write up a review.
In general comfort tests, we want to be able to sit in a chair for a full day of work without feeling aches, pains, or numb bums. This might go without saying, but it helps us to determine whether each chair is firmer or on the plush side.
Build quality is a very important factor when testing and reviewing gaming chairs, too, if the seat isn't constructed out of quality materials then it's unlikely to last for all too long. Chairs are meant to be a long-term investment, and so we try to be quite hard on them for the testing period - this isn't because we're mean, but because we want to simulate lots of use and wear and tear so you know something will last.
Assembly time is something that we take into account when reviewing any gaming chair, as this gives the prospective buyer an idea of how long it takes in real-world testing. It can also unravel manufacturing issues because if things don't fit together perfectly or vital tools and bolts are missing, we'll know it's harder to recommend.
Each of our reviewers will build their chairs solo so that they get a solid knowledge of how each one pieces together. We take note of the time spent building, and the quality and clarity of instructions. Its weight can be a factor too - did we feel that a chair required another person to help us? That can be important too, because not everyone can wrestle these hefty chair parts together themselves.
Value for money is so important to our hardware coverage and isn't simply a matter of weighing up prices. Value is how much quality and features you get for your money, and with chairs, it's an important factor. Expensive models aren't always the best, and sometimes cheap options can offer you just as much. Taking the customer experience, the comfort, and all of the other factors we've mentioned above into account, we get a clear image of a verdict.
For example, we ask ourselves during the review process if we would pay the asking price for a model based on everything we've experienced in building and using it. We wouldn't want to just push the most expensive items on our readers unless we genuinely believed in their value ourselves.
For more on gaming furniture, check out the best pink gaming chairs, the best gaming desks, and the best standing desks.
