Best Budget-Friendly Gaming Chairs Under $200 | 2022 Comprehensive Buyer’s Guide From A Hardcore Gamer

Gaming has filled my life with fun, social satisfaction and competition since growing up with a Nintendo Entertainment System in the late ‘80s. Along the way, I have known the comfort of everything from couches to stools, beanbags and bare floors.

At the risk of becoming the classic crotchety old man, today’s gaming chairs offer decadent comfort and bodily support I could only dream of willing away hours of “Tecmo Bowl” with my best friends to avoid math homework and mowing lawns.

Budget Gaming Chairs Under $200: What Options Are There?

Amazingly, a top-notch gaming chair doesn’t have to break the bank, either. Chairs marked up to $300 or more certainly pay for themselves in terms of posh upholstery, superlative support and overall comfort. However, “cheap” chairs are not always substandard options. These five specific choices are go-to options for anyone wanting a slightly more opulent gaming setup without having to shell out the cost of a new current-generation console or more.

In the course of my research, I realized just how few gaming chairs are truly created equal. Granted, most shared a certain set of common finer points. Most importantly, a quality chair cannot settle for simply being easy on the eyes. Breathable upholstery and a sturdy frame will almost always ensure a chair with equal comfort and durability.

Easy assembly never hurts, but I don’t mind spending a few extra minutes or so putting together a chair my butt, back, hips and thighs will welcome settling into. For the sake of a good mid-game stretch, easy reclining and swiveling is an absolute must. All of that being said, I was surprised to settle on a few models that broke the mold both in terms of pure value for unbelievably low prices, primo construction and, in one selection’s case, a few surprisingly luxurious features.

Best Budget-Friendly Gaming Chairs Under $200

Below, you will find a review of the best affordable gaming chairs at a price from $50 to $180. They offer a different level of comfort and set of features. So you can choose a gaming chair that is equipped with forward-facing speakers or a super comfortable chair filled with high-density shaping foam. Some models have the advantage of being ergonomically cozy and durable, while others are the best choice for gamers on a budget.

1. Best Gaming Chair Under $200 | E-WIN

A few experiences with achy hips, a sore back and promising furniture that fell apart at the seams within six months convinced me long ago to seek the middle ground where affordability, comfort and durability live in harmony. That being said, let’s start with the highest-priced chair in its budget-friendly class: the ergonomically cozy E-WIN.

Whether you need a chair to support a larger body or simply enjoy the luxurious comfort of a more spacious cushion, the 21.7-inch seat supports any body type without forcing your bottom and thighs into a tight squeeze. I deal with a persistently sore lower back daily and cannot possibly praise the lumbar pillow enough for helping me endure hours at a time working or raiding.

Even with the sturdy metal frame constantly positioned at the highest lift setting at the fairly tall desk best suited to my 5’10” stature, I have owned this beauty for more than a year and seen no signs of it wearing out aside from some minor wears in the leather. Even the 3.9-inch-wide armrests feel made-to-order for my body.

My only complains are the effort required to dynamically rock back and forth can be a bit much and a sometimes-frustrating assembly process. However, those feel like minor quibbles for such a durable, cushy chair. The E-WIN more than lives up to its name.

2. Best BIFMA Certified Gaming Chair | AmazonBasics

Before owning the E-WIN, I wrote and played from an AmazonBasics chair that never failed to amaze me with the impressive quality of its PU leather upholstery. For the record, Amazon’s in-house brand produces some surprisingly satisfying products across the board, but I would stack this chair’s easy reclining and ample lumbar and neck support up against some chairs twice its price.

If you play from a spacious office built for multitasking, know that the AmazonBasics chair glides smoothly as freshly spread butter on some of the finest casters available with equally effortless 360-degree swiveling and tilt control. I also adored how simply the armrest heights adjusted when my family came to visit over the holidays and the wee ones wanted to sit in the fancy red-and-black chair while playing “Minecraft”.

Assembly consumers around 30 minutes and leaves you with a chair built for years of healthy, attractive comfort. I would ordinarily avoid “store-brand” furniture at all costs, but this gamble paid off in spades with respectable craftsmanship and longevity. Nicely done, Amazon.

3. Best Affordable Wireless Gaming Chair | X Rocker Surge

Sadly, unless you play on a laptop, I cannot recommend the X-Rocker Surge for non-console gamers. This is a chair designed for bathing in a flat-screen TV’s serene glow from the ultimate in fancy bells and whistles.

This rocking race seat-designed beauty comes equipped with forward-facing speakers, a mighty subwoofer, wireless Bluetooth receiver and a nifty, low rumble built in to elevate watching movies or TV, listening to music or playing video games to the epitome of media immersion. Compatibility covers the vast majority of gaming systems and devices, smart electronics, television sets and CD, DVD, Blu-ray and MP3 players.

Best of all, you can link multiple chairs with their separate volume and bass controls and input and output jacks to a single shared media source for shared interactivity. Fancy as this beauty may seem, setup is a snap aside from the potential need for a separate HDMI converter for compatibility with some electronics.

The X-Rocker even folds neatly for convenient storage when playtime is over. Console gamers often endure a degree of condescension from the PC crowd, but they do sometimes get to play with some pretty sweet toys of their own.

4. Best Gaming Chair Under $100 | Homall

That brings me to what deserves to reign as the most shocking value proposition on this list. Homall’s high-back leather gaming chair is filled with high-density shaping foam for almost unmatched comfort, elasticity and resilience for years of daily use. The upholstery feels downright luxurious, even on bare skin.

My brother weighs in around 250 pounds and hosts five Twitch streams per week. He swears by the solid suspension and insists he never feels as though his butt and back sink awkwardly into the padding. I tried it once during a Super Bowl party, and my back has never felt more lovingly cradled. The adjustment levers are firm, easy to distinguish and lock reliably into place when leaning back to an almost completely flat position with immaculate balance and head and lumbar support.

The arms fit neatly beneath most desks without any frustrating scraping against the bottom surface. There simply is not a box Homall’s chair doesn’t check, and that would make this model an astounding value at double its price. You may want to consider giving one as a gift and picking another up for yourself for that kind of money.

5. Best Cheap Gaming Chair | Furmax

It isn’t every day I can recommend a “gaming” chair for around the cost of most marquee Triple-A games, but here we are. The Furmax Office Chair merits the quotations not out of sarcasm, but because this model was designed for the average working stiff more than hardcore gamers. It just so happens to be pleasantly cushy enough to lend a comfy seat throughout hours of gaming.

This high-back leather chair’s bucket seat is designed with 3 inches of savory padding and another 2 inches of cushion in the backrest. You don’t appreciate the value of the mesh design’s breathable upholstery until you know you will be camped at a desk for three hours or more at a time. The Furmax rocks fluently without ever feeling as though it might tip over with another centimeter of tilt.

The greatest benefit of this particular model might be that it wasn’t designed with gamers in mind at all. It was built to stabilize office employees who may spend eight to nine hours or more toiling behind a desk. There’s a certain logic dictating that if it can keep an accountant or receptionist comfortable for that long, it should suffice for the average gamer’s typical “Fortnite” marathon spanning half that duration. Opt for this instead of a chair double its price, and you should have some scratch to spare for a full-price game. That, my friends, is the definition of a win-win proposition.

12 Best-Selling Budget-Friendly Gaming Chairs Comparative Table

Final Thoughts

There you have it. I can personally vouch for these incredible gaming chairs based on either my own experiences or those of my fellow gamers. When it comes to furniture, we often get what we pay for. In this case, manufacturers have taken into consideration exactly what gamers would rather sink their money into than accouterments: their games.

The best advice I can give is to shop smart. Read reviews carefully. Trust friends and family’s opinions first and remember that “paid” reviews are a thing. A fine chair won’t necessarily help you play better, but it will make your experience more enjoyable.

Just as importantly, feel free to let me know if your mileage varies from my own or I might have missed a gem somewhere along the line. Keep in mind, these are based strictly on my own impressions, a few trusted suggestions from fellow gamers and certain carefully considered Amazon reviews.