Best gaming chair under $100 in 2024 – best cheap gaming chairs

Looking to save some cash? Here are the best gaming chairs under $100

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The best gaming chair under $100 is a tricky page for us to write, considering many gaming mice, keyboards, and headsets regularly exceed $100, you’re going to have to make some compromises when trying to find a piece of furniture within that same price bracket. We regularly keep an eye on market prices to decide on the best under the $100 mark, keeping this page updated as much as we can. If you can instead stretch your budget higher, then our best under $300 or best under $200 guides may suit you better.

However, all hope is not lost, with some careful consideration you can get something decent for this price and we’re going to help you, so join us as we take a closer look at the best gaming chairs under $100 and sift through the crap to find some diamonds in the rough. If you’re rushing to take a seat, then we’d recommend one of our picks from Homall or MCQ.

Today’s best gaming chair deals

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Best gaming chair under $100 in 2024 : in-depth reviews

With all the groundwork done, we’re now ready to have a look at the contenders, so let’s do that. You might notice that these aren’t all super-gaming-looking. This is an intentional decision as the ones that do have the ‘gaming’ prefix applied (while sitting under the $100 mark) tend be not worth your time, there are some gems out there though.

Homall gaming chair

Homall Gaming chair

Chair type

Racing

Materials

Steel, PU leather

Max load

260lbs

Max recline

180°

How We Review

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Pros

• Excellent value for money
• Multiple color options
• Easy assembly
• Good adjustability

Cons

• Basic materials

This Homall gaming chair is humble by name, and by price. Despite that, we found that it offers great value for money. With a solid 4.4 rating (at the time of writing) from over 5,000 people on Amazon, it’s hard to argue with what you get for less than $100 here. You have multiple different color options to choose from to fit your style, all of which go for the ‘gaming/racing’ style we’re familiar with for these kinds of chairs. The assembly process is nice and simple too.

It has a solid alloy steel frame for durability, while the adjustability is the real selling point here. 360 degree swivel, up to 180 degrees recline, as well as armrest and seat height adjustments helps you tailor this chair to fit you. The faux leather design means it isn’t exactly made of the finest materials on the market, but it will allow it to be easy to clean. It also comes with a headrest pillow and lumbar-support back cushion.

MCQ Ergonomic

MCQ ergonomic gaming chair

Chair type

Office

Materials

Steel, PU Leather

Max load

250lbs

Max recline

125°

How We Review

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Pros

• Very affordable
• Five different color options

Cons

• Very limited ergonomics

The MCQ gaming chair comes close to topping our list for sheer affordability. It’s got ‘ergonomic’ in the name, but it’s more focused on low-end affordability, however, there are some redeeming features. Additionally, the MCQ gaming chair comes in five different colorways, which is impressive for a budget gaming chair. Given that this chair has plenty of excellent customer reviews on Amazon, you can be confident that it’s got some serious bang-for-buck.

Other nice features of the MCQ include the silent casters, which will avoid irritating the parents or roommates during late-night gaming sessions. Additionally, we get a super simple assembly process, which is always a nice bonus.

BestOffice Ergonomic

BestOffice Ergonomic High Back Office Chair

Color Options

Black, Brown, White, Black

Weight Capacity

250 lbs

Sitting Height

19’’ to 23’’

How We Review

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Pros

• Comfortable & ergonomic
• Good value for money
• Decent adjustability
• Optional style with massage pads

Cons

• Basic / boring visual design

Another pretty generic name here with this Ergonomic High Back Office Chair from BestOffice – probably not a brand you’re familiar with. No worries though, as it is indeed our top pick in terms of comfort and ergonomics. Unlike the other chairs on this list, this one makes no pretensions about being some “gaming” chair. It’s just a really good, really flexible office chair.

While some may worry about the differences between an office chair versus a gaming chair, high-end office chairs have the same goal as gaming chairs. That is to provide a comfortable experience for long periods of time in front of a computer. Higher weight capacity is often a benefit of gaming-styled chairs, but this pick offers support for up to 250lbs itself. This may not be the best if you want something that looks like it was pulled from a racing arcade machine, but it gets the job done with no fuss at all. Worth mentioning that this has an alternate ‘massage’ style too, with vibrating back pads for added ergonomic support, if you like.

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How we test the best gaming chairs under $100

Much like gaming keyboards, mice, and headsets, we try our hardest to get the options we recommend in the WePC offices for a proper testing period, whether we buy them ourselves, or get sent review samples by the brands in question. Sometimes this isn’t actually possible for various reasons though.

If this is the case, we use a mixture of product research, intuition, and some consideration of what similar editorial outlets have considered the best. This allows us to get a more well-rounded view of the product in question, despite not having tested it ourselves. After this is done, we collate the options into the list you’re reading right now.

If we can get a hold of the chair, then we have a set list of considerations and tests that we put each chair through. These include, but are not limited to the following:

• Ease of construction
• Material quality
• Comfort
• Ergonomics
• Adjustability
• Design (This one is very subjective, so we do our best to cover all the bases with a mixture of photography and verbal descriptions)

If you’re curious about how we test, a full gaming chair review methodology can be found here.

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Things to consider

Unfortunately, this price range of gaming chairs means that there are going to be a few downsides you just can’t avoid. Before making a buying decision, we recommend familiarizing yourself with them so you aren’t in for a nasty surprise.

Delivery times may be longer than usual

First thing first, the shipping on these can be pretty bad. Because they’re often based overseas before being ordered, it can take a week or more for you to receive your gaming chair.

A lot of budget options for chairs, monitors, and other products are based outside of the US, and shipping time is a common downside with them if you live stateside.

Build quality

Next up is a sad reality: you aren’t going to get $500 chair quality and endurance out of a $100 chair. This falls under the category of things that simply don’t happen.

However, you will still be receiving a great budget chair for your money. While many of these do come from overseas, their quality is usually better than what you can expect walking into a retail store and buying a chair at the same price.

Especially as you’ll normally be limited to shopping used at that price point

Because of this, we still recommend them. Just note that they may start showing wear and tear sooner than the truly premium options.

Compromises

Last but not least, a few inevitable compromises have to be made at this price range. This compromise is usually seen in the following areas:

• Chair weight capacity
• Added features
• Quality of materials

Most of the chairs on this list opt for good materials, except for the one that chooses weight capacity instead. A few of the higher-end ones manage to pull off extra features and quality materials, but still sacrifice weight capacity. Unfortunately, you can’t have it all at this price.

Design

Luckily, visual design has less of an impact on the cost of a gaming chair than the more tangible areas like ergonomics and build quality. This means that you can still find some spiffy-looking chairs for less than $100. Additionally, as they are very cheap to produce, there are often far more available color options than you might find elsewhere.

Weight limit

The weight limit in a chair determines two things: whether or not you can actually use the chair without the worry of breaking it and how sturdy it is. Ideally, you want to buy a chair with a weight limit that’s well over your own body weight. This means you never have to worry about breaking it and that your seat will always feel sturdy and stable, not wobbly or unreliable.

Unfortunately for bigger, heavier folks, a lot of the chairs on this list won’t fit that criterion. Even if you’re under the 250-lb range that most of these chairs recommend, you still won’t have the most sturdy seating experience, and, over time the chair may still get worn down. Many of the chairs in this price range have a relatively low weight limit. Keep your own weight in mind before purchasing.

Seating height

While the seating height on these chairs is mostly what you’d expect from an office chair, it’s still important to keep an eye on this number. Seating height refers to how far the seat is from the ground and it’s measured in inches. Most adults will be more than fine with the typical 20-ish-inch seating height, especially with the option to adjust up and down by some inches. However, if you’re particularly tall or short, every inch of height adjustment will count.

Keep in mind the range of seating height when making your purchase. Ideally, you want something that’s around the length of your leg from the knee down.

Other features

Tilt is a really big feature for gaming chairs, tilt refers to the ability for the base and backrest of the chair to rock back together, this is distinct to recline as it includes the base too. We are particularly big fans of tilt function as it makes for more enjoyable relaxation, additionally, it also allows you to tilt and rock back and forth without compromising the ergonomic adjustments. We’ve made sure to include gaming chairs in this list with both tilt and recline capabilities.

Adjustable armrests are a common feature, too, but usually don’t show up in this price range. Also, keep in mind things, like the materials and build of the chair. PU leather is popular in this range as a comfortable, easy-to-clean material.

Are gaming chairs good for you back?

One of the main considerations that go into the construction of every decent gaming chair is how they impact your back health. As all good gaming chair manufacturers know, gamers don’t just spend five minutes playing games. No, they spend numerous hours playing their favorite AAA game titles, making back health all the more important. We’ve written a guide to improving your posture whilst gaming in case you’re curious.

Chair manufacturers try to ensure that solid back support is a key factor in their design, aiding in the support of your back, neck, shoulders, head, and hips.

Ergonomics

You’re going to be spending a lot of time in the gaming chair, so it better be healthy right? That’s why we’ve made sure to recommend chairs here with good ergonomics, like lumbar support, a neck pillow, and high-density foam. Additionally, if you already suffer from back pain, our best office chair for back pain page might be of use. We’ve made an infographic below so you can improve your posture.

Lumbar support

Good lumbar support is invaluable when it comes to a decent gaming chair. Lumbar support helps coax your spin into the proper position, this maintains its natural curvature which can reduce strain and promote a healthy posture too. This is one of the most important aspects of ergonomics, and for a gaming chair to have good ergonomics, it must start with lumbar support

Neck pillows

Lumbar support keeps your lower back in check, but let’s not forget the neck either. Many chairs these days come with an adjustable neck pillow that helps keep your neck positioned at the correct angle, good neck pillows combine with lumbar support to create an overall ergonomic design that will help keep you comfortable and healthy for long periods.

High-density foam

We’ve all experienced overly soft foam, right? Initially delightful, but soon becomes as flat as a board with no support, as the foam degrades you get less comfortable. This is a problem that is functionally eliminated with the implementation of good-quality, high-density foam. This ups the chair’s ergonomics, and makes it last far longer, so don’t be forgetting high-density foam in your search for the best gaming chair under $100.

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Are gaming chairs worth it?

The short answer to this question is yes. It doesn’t matter if you’re a console gamer or trying to take your competitive esports play to the next level. A gaming chair will ultimately make your life that little bit easier. Not only will they provide good comfort, armrests, and the back support you need for healthy posture. But they’ll also outlive many other cheaper alternatives.

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Best gaming chair under $100 FAQs

Can you get a good gaming chair for $100?

It definitely won’t be fantastic, but you can get a perfectly cromulent chair at this price point if you pay close attention and manage to sidestep the snake oil. We’ve managed to cobble together this list, so yes, it’s possible, just about.

How long will gaming chairs under $100 last?

Overall, a gaming chair should last at least 2 years. That being said, making sure you purchase from a quality and reliable brand should see that number rise exponentially. Like more premium chairs, the best gaming chairs for under $100 utilize better materials than a cheap office chair, meaning they should withstand everyday use much better.

Final word

Ultimately, what chair you go with depends on your budget, sense of aesthetics, and your weight. We’ve picked out a good selection of gaming chairs to cater to a number of shapes and sizes, so you should be good to go with any of our picks. If a gamer aesthetic or racing-style chair suits you best, then gaming chairs are the go-to. We’ve also included a more office-style option if your focus is on great comfort and solid value for money.

We’ve got plenty more guides, reviews, and tips on gaming chairs right here at WePC, so don’t hesitate to check them out.