How to choose the best gaming chair for big guys

Your game is larger than life. Your chair should be, too.

So I’m a gamer dad. I remember the first time I visited my son’s elementary school for an open house. There we were, a bunch of parents packed into the classroom, awkwardly squeezed into kid-sized desks, the teacher barely hiding her smirk behind her comfy desk, sitting in her chair that was made for fully grown adults. I can’t tell you anything about my son’s education because all I remember is how uncomfortable and distracted I was trying to get my big frame tilted, slanted, or curled into something like a painless position.

Whether we’re talking about elementary school desks or gaming setups, comfort matters. In a world where we can capture flags with friends on the other side of the planet, there’s absolutely zero reason for big guys like me to force my larger-than-life self into a smaller-than-me chairs. 

Don’t downgrade your dream to match your reality. My dream is to have a gaming chair that fits me, not the other way around. I don’t want to enjoy my game in spite of my rig, but because I’m comfortable and confident. If you’re anything like me, you may not have asked yourself why you’ve settled for that flimsy, underbuilt, hip-crushing thing you’ve called a chair. You just didn’t know where to find the best  gaming chair for big guys.  the process of getting right.  So, we’ll start with knowing what you’re looking for.

Don’t sweat it, fam. I’m (kinda) large and (kinda) in charge and I’m here for you. Let’s talk about how to choose the best gaming chair for big guys like us.

Weight Capacity FTW

It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway: weight capacity is the most important feature to consider when big guys like us are choosing a gaming chair. If the capacity is under 300 lbs—even if you weigh a lot less than that—then you should move on. When you sit, lean, scoot, or spin, the force delivered by your body to your chair is multiplied.

While a little flex may not seem like a big deal at first, cheap gaming chairs made of cheap materials will flex more and more over time meaning you could not only end up losing your match, but possibly falling over. I mean how embarrassing would that be? For a phenomenal example of a gaming chair with the specs you need, check out our Ultra series, designed to be the best gaming chair for big guys on the market. With a super-sturdy 390lb weight capacity, you get a lot of quality, a lot of value, and you look good as hell. Win-win-win.

All Your Base Are Belong to Us

A great seat on a flimsy base is a recipe for...something that tastes not good. The only thing that hurts worse than breaking your chair is when your carefully crafted stream ends up being some punk kid’s TikTok with a title like “BIG DUDE BRAKES HIS CHARE, LOLZ!!!” Look, big houses need big foundations, big horses need big shoes, and a gaming chair for big guys needs a big, sturdy base. 

It’s all about stability. Stability means confidence. Stability means you can lean, bounce, and spin on your chair just like those Wee Gaming Folk do.

Adjustable Seat Height

“Big” doesn’t always mean “heavy.” Husky gamers aren’t the only ones who suffer the consequences of inadequate gaming equipment. If you’re the kind of guy that ducks to enter your game den, there’s a good chance your chair doesn’t fit. Here’s the good news: the best gaming chair for big guys can also be the best gaming chair for tall guys, but it all comes down to seat height. Ideally, our legs should be horizontally aligned with your waist when your feet are flat on the floor. Otherwise your back might cause you problems, and you’ll look like a frog trying to game.  Nobody has taken frogs seriously in the gaming scene since this:

I Like Big Backs and I Cannot Lie

Here’s another one for the big guy crowd and the the tall guy crowd, aka the big and tall crowd. When it comes to backrests, the best gaming chair for big guys will provide enough width to support your shoulders. The same is true for tall guys, but you’ll also want to make sure the backrest is tall enough to reach your shoulders (make sure the headrest is tall enough, too). These sorts of ergonomic concerns are the rationale behind the iconic cobra-shape used in racing chairs since people raced chairs. Not only will this help with posture and support when you’re sitting up straight, but you’ll be safer and more comfortable when you’re fully reclined.

Armrest Adjustability

If you’ve been perched on an armless office chair or that barstool you thought would be cool, you’ve almost certainly ended up in the land of floppy tired arms. If you’re in a shrunken chair with fixed armrests, then it’s up to the skeletal gods whether your forearms land in a place that doesn’t totally mess up your mouse hand or your controller grip. So you end up slouching, leaning, bending, and twisting to find that sweet, sweet forearm relief, hoping against hope that you don’t look ridic even though you know you do.

Stop it. When you actually find a gaming chair for big guys, you can sit like a real live human being, relaxed and reaction-ready, with triceps that don’t shake and burn. Adjustable armrests give gaming chair designers essential extra millimeters to design the rest of the chair to accommodate a broad range of body types...including body types that are broad. I gotta say, the roomy platform and 4D adjustable armrests of the Ultra Max are like the open arms of an angel...a battle angel...that supports my elbows and forearms...for battle...SHUT UP.

Into the Great Wide Open

A gaming chair with a narrow seat might as well be a barstool. An expensive barstool. To quote Abraham Lincoln: “Ain’t nobody got time for that.” You see, when the best gaming chair for big guys has a seat that’s wide enough to cradle your rump, supportive enough to bolster your hips, and just enough space to spread your legs a bit and shift positions when you want. You want a wide seat, but not too wide. You want that platform to be made of quality materials like molded foam and durable cover so it will look as good and perform as well on match #1000 as it did on your first. And of course, even though it will spend your most important moments out of sight, you want it to look good.

Ergonomic Support

Science tells us that the more mass in our bodies, the more pressure on our lower backs and extremities. While this makes sense when you think about it, the problem with most of us is that, well, we don’t think about it. We just sit and slouch and game and before you know it we’re crooked monsters with dangerously awful posture. Big guys especially need a chair that holds it’s position and provides enough support to diminish pressure on your back and spine. All of the prior factors in choosing the best gaming chair for big guys have to work together like a fireteam to provide the ergonomic support you need. Be sure to use neck and lumbar pillows at least occasionally so your core stays engaged. Not only will your body thank you as you age, it will also keep your internal gaming system (brain, spine, nerves) working at peak efficiency. For more on ergonomics, check out my other blog article.

Now you’ve got the intelligence you need to find the best gaming chair for big guys. It’s all about accommodation and quality, right? And this is definitely an area where you get what you pay for, and obviously we’re in the biz, but no matter what you choose, be sure you buy something that doesn’t cut the budget on your health.