Best Gaming Chair Brands 2022 + State Of Industry Snapshot
Back in 2006, DXRacer released the world’s first gaming chair. What began as a gimmick soon blossomed into a booming global industry. Momentum peaked during 2020 lockdowns as demand for ergonomic seating skyrocketed. But since then, the market has cooled, while new competition has emerged. In these tougher times, many brands have buckled. A few others have held strong. Based on current market conditions, ChairsFX ranks the best gaming chair brands of 2022.
In 2006, the world’s first gaming chair emerged as a ‘car seat on wheels’ — to great derision. Sixteen years later, it’s become a ubiquitous piece of home office furniture in demand worldwide.
Gaming chair demand hit its peak during the 2020 lockdown era. At the time, most big office chair companies were only equipped for B2B sales. In contrast, many top gaming chair brands had been perfecting their online B2C channels for years.
When lockdowns skyrocketed the demand for ergonomic seating, gaming chair sales broke records. In sharp contrast, without consumer sales channels for online shoppers, office chair sales flatlined.
Since that major opportunity loss, the multi-billion-dollar office chair industry has rebounded with a vengeance. Meanwhile, the post-lockdown demand for ergonomic seating has cooled.
State of the 2022 Gaming Chair Industry
Our 2022 Gaming Chair Industry Report lays out a tough post-lockdown landscape. Even so, the appeal of gaming chairs continues to grow.
In fact, the future looks bright. Current industry factors:
- Office chair industry competition: Herman Miller leads a charge to capture WFH consumer markets.
- Less ergonomic chair demand: in the post-lockdown era, people are choosing to go outside more and compute less.
- Video game slump: many people who became avid gamers during lockdowns have resumed life as non-gamers.
- New ergonomic challenges: most people now use PCs and mobile devices together. Modern institutional designers are now seeking to address back and neck ergonomics.
In 2022, the gaming chair industry’s consumer sales advantage has dwindled. Even so, it retains innovation and agility edges over massive office chair multinationals.
Most office chair companies are clumsy, lumbering giants that are slow to evolve. In contrast, most gaming chair companies are privately-owned with agile production methods that adapt rapidly to changing demands. Learn more:
Best Gaming Chair Brands 2022
ChairsFX recently ranked the top-5 billion-dollar office chair brands of 2022. It was easy because they all publish annual revenues. Ranking the gaming chair industry’s key players isn’t as straightforward.
Best Brand Ranking Factors
Most top gaming chair brands are smaller, privately-owned companies with no reason to publicly share sales figures. As a result, we’ve assessed the best based on two broad factors.
First, their performance in these tougher times (shrinking demand, more competition, rising production costs). Second, their level of innovation in response to changing ergonomic priorities. These macro-factors break down into five ranking criteria:
- Ergonomics: the quality of adjustable features compared to what other brands offer.
- Product availability: global shipping issues crippled many lesser brands.
- Product reliability: chairs that work as advertised; quality of after-care.
- Recent innovations: the best brands invest heavily in pioneering new ideas. Others simply copy the leaders.
- Big-name partners: big-brand partnership designs suggest aggressive marketing divisions. Struggling companies can’t afford this.
Rankings: Best Gaming Chair Brands Of 2022
Ranking the top brands using the above criteria tells a clear story. Secretlab ranks well ahead of the field by excelling in all areas.
The second-tier brands also make excellent chairs. However, each falls short of Secretlab’s 5-point perfection. Rankings:
- Secretlab: a model company that others aspire to become. The industry leader scores 4.5 out of 5 across the board.
- DXRacer: offers the most exciting innovations after Secretlab. On the downside, DXRacer has endorsements from very few esports elite.
- Noblechairs: this German powerhouse climbed the rankings with groundbreaking innovations and elite video game partnerships. On the downside, products are still often out of stock.
- Anda Seat: innovation is Anda Seat’s only weakness. To cover that, they’ve simply copied the best features of the latest Secretlab chairs.
- AKRacing: these old-school racing-style chairs haven’t evolved in years. On the positive side, they’re rugged, durable, reliable, and affordable.
- E-Win: other cheap chair brand leaders have collapsed. That leaves E-Win as the most reliable maker of cheap gaming chairs on the market.
Secretlab: Industry Leader
Since 2017, Secretlab has aggressively logged gamer feedback to regularly improve its products. Every two years, the company upgrades its chairs to stay well ahead of the competition.
Besides regular product updates, Secretlab is also the dominant brand in pro esports. On top of that, they run the best gaming customer service operation in the world. They also run local e-commerce stores worldwide with smooth efficiency.
Standout Quality: Ergonomics
‘Ergonomic’ simply means ‘adjustable’. All chairs that qualify as ergonomic have three adjustable features: lumbar, armrests, and a reclining backrest. Secretlab’s latest 2022 Series takes gaming chair ergonomics to an unprecedented level of greatness.
The Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 Series comes in small, medium, and XL sizes. Two pioneering features make a world of difference. A strapless magnetic headrest comes with a massive 11″ adjustment range.
Paired with a 4-way (height and depth) adjustable lumbar provides world-class posture support rivaling that of $1600 Herman Miller chairs. That’s no hyperbole — rather, it’s a biomechanical fact.
With the help of some world-leading esports doctors, I recently discovered I was suffering from text neck syndrome.
Dr. Jordan Tsai (also a Secretlab Ergonomics Advisory Board member) advised that the Titan 2022 was specifically designed to support perfect back — and neck — posture.
Indeed, after a few days of practice, I was able to lock in perfect spinal biomechanics as a regular habit.
Bonus: Perfect Ergonomics Plus Freedom
All ergonomic chairs are designed to support neutral sitting postures. The default position is defined as a 0° neck tilt plus a 25-45° lower back curve. However, sitting that way all the time can feel stifling.
To that end, the Titan’s flat seat style lets users sit however they like. Beyond crisp neutral postures, users can sit cross-legged, with one foot up, or in a deep, relaxed recline.
As a result, users can enjoy perfect ergonomic support and lounge-style reclining. While working from home, this versatility provides better all-day sitting support than any type of mid-back office-style chair.
Rankings Justifications
- Ergonomics: the Titan’s next-level ergonomics rivals that of the best, most expensive Herman Miller chairs.
- Product availability: Secretlab sells directly to customers in North America, Europe, Oceania, and parts of Asia. Chairs are consistently in stock and ready to ship immediately after ordering.
- Product reliability: chairs are guaranteed for five years. The after-care support team addresses all issues, even minor cosmetic ones.
- Recent innovations: 4-way lumbar support + a strapless magnetic headrest has raised the level of gaming chair ergonomics.
- Big-name partners: Secretlab partners with more elite esports teams, tournaments, and video game publishers than any other chair brand in the world.
Outlook: Secretlab is primed to widen its lead over the competition in 2022. Expect to see more pioneering trends that influence all secondary brands in the industry. Learn more:
Best Secretlab Gear 2022: Chairs, Desks, Accessories
Buy: Titan 2022 chairs cost $549-$674 from Secretlab . Available for direct order in North America, Europe, Oceania, and Singapore).
DXRacer: Second-Best Innovator
DXRacer founded the gaming chair industry in 2006. Until 2017, it was the dominant brand for pro esports players. But while gaming chair sales hit a frenzy during the 2020 lockdowns, DXracer took a break to retool. That has paid off big-time.
In early 2021, DXRacer returned with a fresh new product line. While most brands innovate by copying others, it resurfaced with a unique foundation for a multi-device computing future.
Standout Quality: Innovation
In early 2020, DXRacer began rolling out a series of groundbreaking gaming chair innovations. A year later, the company unveiled a second wave of pioneering chair features.
But despite the impressive creativity, most concepts seem ahead of their time. To that end, DXRacer had adopted Secretlab’s method: gather feedback for perpetual improvements. Here’s a summary of DXRacer’s key innovations in recent times:
Modular Gaming Chair Concept
DXRacer’s (still in development) modular gaming chair concept is designed for the coming 4th Industrial Revolution. This is what the World Economic Forum describes as a world with “billions of people connected by mobile devices”.
The idea is to place humans in a perpetual state of near-virtual reality that’s powered by “breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things…” This explains the institutional design mandate to develop support systems for multi-device computing.
DXRacer’s modular concept supports this via modular add-ons suited for different tasks. At present, these include:
- A laptop and mobile device holder that attaches to the chair for desk-free computing.
- Swappable mesh seat for extra breathability.
- Retractable footrest for deep lounge relaxation.
Mesh Upholstery For Gaming Chairs
One of the most common gripes office chair fans have about gaming chairs is the upholstery options. Many used to full mesh ergonomic chairs insist on having ultra-breathability. To appease this sector, DXRacer has introduced two key innovations.
The first is a modular seat add-on for DXRacer (PU leather) Master chairs. If you want more breathability, pop in the mesh seat. If you want a spongier, sleeker experience, use the stock PU leather seat.
The second is the world’s first full-mesh full-back gaming chair. The DXRacer Air comes with a soft mesh seat and backrest. The Air is also modular — extendable with various add-ons.
Specialty Seating For Small Sizes
Beyond its modular flagship chairs, DXRacer also released a specialty line for small sizes 5’2″ to 5’7″. The DXRacer Craft Series comes in a variety of wacky, playful styles.
Each comes with a depth-adjustable (but not height) integrated lumbar support system. To ensure a larger headrest recline range, it also comes with an innovative dual strap system.
The headrest attaches to the backrest via loops on the shoulder wings. Taller sizes can angle the loops up for a higher headrest position. Angle them down to adjust as low as anyone might need!
Integrating Secretlab’s Best Features
In the coming years, look for every top brand to copy Secretlab’s groundbreaking 2022 Series features. DXRacer has jumped onto that bandwagon with a new ‘Craft 2022 Series’.
The Craft 2022 takes direct inspiration from Secretlab in various ways:
- Magnetic headrest: DXRacer uses the same concept introduced in the Titan 2022 Series.
- Flat seat style: bolstered seat edges on the original Craft Series give way to a flat, Secretlab-style version.
- Esports affiliation: DXRacer returns to its roots by partnering with pro esports teams.
After integrating the Titan’s best features, DXRacer then partnered with pro esports squared Immortals. This US-based team is currently ranked #133 in esports career earnings ($1,178,265 earned since 2015).
This marks DXRacer’s return to sponsoring pro esports teams (where they dominated from 2006-to 2016). Given the development path of the Craft Series, they are clearly following the Secretlab product and promotional model for this chair.
Rankings Justifications
- Ergonomics: the only thing missing from the Titan 2022 is a 4-way integrated lumbar system.
- Product availability: consistent availability worldwide. In North America and Europe, the company sells mainly online. In the developed world, they do brisk business using local partners.
- Product reliability: decent. Although only guaranteed for two years, DXRacer chairs are famously rugged and reliable. In my experience, you can expect DXRacer’s PU leather models to last three years before deterioration shows.
- Recent innovations: multi-device modular add-ons; mesh upholsteries; copying Secretlab’s best features.
- Big-name partners: Weak but promising. DXRacer just partnered with their first big esports team in several years.
Outlook: based on our ranking factors, DXRacer’s ergonomics fall slightly behind Secretlab’s. But its high-profile pro esports partnerships fall well behind.
Now that the company has resumed partnering with pro teams, look for them to close this gap quickly over the next 12-24 months. Get a closer look:
Noblechairs: New Tech; Prestige Partners
In 2019, Germany’s Noblechairs ranked as one of the best luxury brands in the industry. But during the frenzied 2020 lockdown period, Noblechairs were consistently out of stock. Stock problems continued through half of 2021. Then, the company altered its strategy.
Instead of spreading itself thin, Noblechairs switched its focus to European markets. In North America, availability is better than before but still unstable. As well, only older designs are available.
In Europe, it’s a different story. Chairs are regularly in stock; new designs are exclusively for European customers.
Standout Qualities: Partnerships & Innovations
From a European perspective, Noblechairs has reclaimed its spot as one of the industry’s best luxury brands. Two factors make the company stand out in the 2022 landscape:
Prestige Partnerships
Since 2021, Noblechairs has been rolling out partnerships with video game publishers, Disney (Marvel and Star Wars), and European pro esports teams.
Other notable partnership editions:
- Noblechairs Epic Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Edition
- Epic Mousesports esports team edition
- Epic Sprout esports edition
- Star Wars Hero collection: Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Stormtrooper…
Headquartered in Germany, the company is well-positioned to service the European market. Noblechairs recently won their 4th consecutive European HardWare Award and they’re well-established continent-wide.
New Gaming Chair Functionality
The priciest ergonomic office chairs have two fancy features that gaming chairs lack. A seat slider lets you adjust the seat depth. Synchronous tilt automatically tilts the seat in sync with the backrest.
In early 2022, Noblechairs ported both of these technologies into a full-back, racing-style gaming chair. The Noblechairs Epic Compact has a seat with a 2.2″ depth-adjustment range.
Before the Epic Compact, premium gaming chairs offered a manual seat tilting function called multifunctional tilt. The new sync-tilt feature makes the tilting process automatic.
More significantly, it also brings gaming chairs into full technical parity with ergonomic office chairs. Circa 2022, all ergonomic office chair features have been ported over to gaming chairs.
Rankings Justifications
- Ergonomics: solid. The flagship Hero chair has a depth-adjustable (but not height) integrated lumbar. The Epic Compact’s sync-tilt functions are cutting-edge.
- Product availability: excellent in Europe. In North America, chair availability remains inconsistent.
- Product reliability: decent. Despite the high price of Noblechairs, they’re only guaranteed for two years. Expect around 3 years of full-time use before it shows signs of degrading.
- Recent innovations: new sync-tilt and seat sliding functions confirm Noblechairs as one of the most innovative brands.
- Big-name partners: trending upwards. Noblechairs is positioning itself to become a partnership powerhouse in Europe.
Outlook: if Noblechairs manages to maintain consistent stock in Europe, the future looks bright. The company is now partnered with Disney, Mercedes, and several elite esports teams.
They’re currently rolling out a collection of Star Wars and Marvel superhero gaming chairs. Beyond styling, more chair upgrades are likely. Predictions:
- The Noblechairs Hero will adopt Secretlab’s 4-way integrated lumbar and magnetic headrest.
- Noblechairs will port its sync-tilt and seat slider functionality into its adult-sized chairs.
Assuming success, Noblechairs will cement its place as one of the world’s Europe’s best gaming chair brands. Key reviews:
Noblechairs Hero Review (flagship luxury chair) | Noblechairs Epic Review (compact luxury)
Anda Seat: SL Copycat With Unique Twists
For the past several years, Anda Seat has performed well in all areas except for innovation. The company developed a sprawling, haphazard collection of several different chair styles. There was no shared theme, features, or styles.
In 2022, Anda Seat finally pulled together a coherent — but unoriginal — gaming chair collection. The new Kaiser 3 Series flagship is an almost exact copy of the Secretlab Titan 2022 Series.
There’s nothing new from Anda Seat except unique color schemes. Even so, by copying Secretlab, the Kaiser 3 now comes stacked with the best ergonomics in the industry.
Standout Qualities: Everything Except Innovations
For years, Anda seat has been selling rugged, durable gaming chairs with consistent availability worldwide. On top of that, the company has stellar partnerships.
At present, Anda Seat partners with Natus Vincere and Fnatic (both among the 10 most successful esports teams of all time. The only thing preventing the company from greatness was its haphazard product line.
That flaw has been sorted. The Kaiser 3 Series (Secretlab Titan clone) is the new flagship. The Phantom 3 Series is a stripped-down version of the same chair for budget users.
Rankings Justification: Solid in all areas
- Ergonomics: the Kaiser 3’s ergonomics match those of the industry-leading Secretlab Titan.
- Product availability: excellent online availability in both Europe and America.
- Product reliability: decent. Anda Seat’s former 5-year warranty is now a 2-year one. Even so, its PVC-upholstered chairs are super-durable.
- Recent innovations: industry-leading — but shamelessly copied from Secretlab.
- Big-name partners: trending upwards. Anda Seat partners with elite esports teams, big toy brands, and major esports tournaments.
Outlook: Anda Seat has emerged as a strong alternative to Secretlab. The company offers industry-leading ergonomics, big-name partnerships, consistent product availability, and solid value for money.
Best Legacy Gaming Chair Brands
The old-school racing-style gaming chair is sixteen years old in 2022! The original concept has a sliding lumbar pillow and headrest plus deep-recline functionality.
Two brands from the olden days now carry this relic into the modern era. Both lack the flashy aesthetics and fancy features of the top-4.
Both support healthy neutral sitting postures and deep relaxation with rock-solid reliability and excellent value for money.
AKRacing: Rock-Solid Legacy Brand
AKRacing is the second-oldest gaming chair brand in the world. Founded in 2008, this Taiwanese operation was an esports darling up until 2017. But while other brands evolved, AKRacing chairs haven’t — they’re the same in 2022 as they were in 2018.
Despite the lack of innovation, these are the only chairs (besides Secretlab) that are guaranteed for five years. In fact, AKRacing was the first-ever brand to guarantee its chairs for so long — a rare feat.
Recently, Anda Seat, GTRacing, and E-Win all abandoned their 5-year warranty. Honoring that means slower repeat sales and plenty of hassles. To date, only Secretlab and AKRacing have been able to honor these terms.
Rankings Justification: Excellent Value For Money
AKRacing makes the best old-school, racing-style gaming chairs in the world. They’re full-featured, insanely comfortable, and legitimately guaranteed for five years.
- Ergonomics: effective but old-fashioned. Most models come standard with 4D arms, a multifunction tilt, and adjustable support pillows.
- Product availability: excellent online availability from the AKRacing store and Amazon.
- Product reliability: best in the business.
- Recent innovations: none.
- Big-name partners: none.
Outlook: in a sea of flashy choices, AKRacing continues to stand strong as a rock-solid, reliable brand. Despite the lack of innovation, AKRacing remains a sensible option offering excellent value for money.
E-Win: Best Budget Brand
Those looking for cheap gaming chairs under $300 will find a sea of cookie-cutter clones. In recent years, GTRacing stood out in this market by offering better features than others. When GTRacing buckled, E-Win emerged by default as the next-best budget brand.
Head-to-head, E-Win chairs have superior features, a longer warranty, and versatile sizing options. However, they’re also slightly more expensive than GTRacing ones. But now that GTRacing is out of the race, E-Win takes the top budget spot.
Standout Qualities: Features & Sizing
Since 2016, E-Win has been quietly putting out full-featured gaming chairs with low prices and 400-pound support.
Versatile Sizing
Every E-Win chair supports at least 400 pounds with low seat heights. The best models offer impressive sizing versatility with flat seat pans, low seat height ranges, and 400-pound support.
Chairs in this collection suit short people, short and thick, tall and thick, and average sizes.
Premium But Affordable Features
E-Win’s premium chairs (with 4D arms and a multifunction tilt) all cost less than $300. The more basic Knight Series (2D arms and standard tilt) costs under $200. In both cases, use the coupon code ChairsFX to get 20% off.
Rankings Justification: Excellent Value For Money
In 2022, E-Win makes the best cheap gaming chairs in the industry. Under $200, none has a better warranty or features than the E-Win Knight Series. Among the best big-and-tall premium chairs, none are cheaper than what E-Win offers.
- Ergonomics: effective but old-fashioned. Premium models have 4D arms, a multifunction tilt. Basic ones have 2D arms and standard tilt.
- Product availability: excellent online availability for American and European customers.
- Product reliability: a 2-year warranty for a sub-$300 chair is rare in this industry.
- Recent innovations: none.
- Big-name partners: none.
Outlook: in 2022, E-Win makes the most reliable cheap gaming chairs on the market. Savvy shoppers who prioritize value over flash will find these chairs hard to resist.
Legacy Brands Now Irrelevant in 2022
Since the 2020 lockdown sales peak, many chair brands have stumbled. For example, back then, GTRacing ranked as the second-best brand. This year, they’re off the charts completely! Killabee was one of GTRacing’s fiercest competitors. That company broke sales records during 2020 lockdowns. In 2022, it no longer exists!
In a more competitive 2022 landscape, the top brands pushing new technologies are stronger than ever. In sharp contrast, generic brands peddling 2006-era cheap gaming chairs are struggling.
Because of this, the ChairsFX library of reviews is shrinking. We’re removing reviews of chairs and brands that have lost relevance in modern times.
Summary Of Irrelevant Chair Brands
Our 2022 Gaming Chair Industry Report cites changing ergonomic priorities. Old ergonomic support paradigms focus purely on back support. In today’s multi-device computing landscape, back and neck support take over as dual priorities.
In this new landscape, several brands that were once hot sellers have lost relevance. Here are three notables:
- GTRacing: this Shanghai-based former powerhouse has been hampered by lengthy lockdowns. Its premier Ace Series is out of production. Its other products are out of stock for long periods of time.
- Killabee: this brand broke sales records in 2020. Today, its www.killabee-gaming.com site is offline.
- Vertagear: ranked as a top-5 premium brand in 2018 — but inert since then. They sell outdated chairs for high prices with 2017-era features.
Conclusion
Here’s a recap of the six best gaming chair brands in 2022, based on current market factors.
- Secretlab: a model company that scores 4.5 out of 5 in all areas.
- DXRacer: this creative brand’s multi-device workstation concept is an evolving concept. Recently, they resumed fostering elite esports partnerships.
- Noblechairs: this German powerhouse climbed the rankings with groundbreaking innovations and elite video game partnerships. European markets are its current focus.
- Anda Seat: innovation is Anda Seat’s only weakness. To cover that, they’ve simply copied the best features of the latest Secretlab chairs.
- AKRacing: these old-school racing-style chairs haven’t evolved in years. Even so, their legendary 5-year warranty has been the most reliable in the business for years.
- E-Win: other cheap chair brand leaders have collapsed. That leaves E-Win as the most reliable maker of cheap gaming chairs on the market.
The top 2 are especially relevant. Secretlab stands well ahead of the pack with excellence in all areas: ergonomics, reliability, partnerships, and industry-leading innovation.
While most brands ride Secretlab’s coattails, #2-ranked DXRacer marches to its own beat. As a result, the world’s oldest gaming chair brand retains relevance in 2022 as the second-most innovative.
