Gaming racing seat or office chair - which is better for gaming in 2021?

Demanding PC games require all of our attention and concentration. It is therefore crucial that we are not disturbed by anything. Especially not from a sore back or neck. Are gaming racing seats really suitable for this or is an ergonomic office chair perhaps the better alternative?

And what are the differences anyway? We will clarify that in this article and give important tips for choosing the perfect chair for relaxed gaming.

What actually is a gaming chair?

Unfortunately, there is no official definition of what constitutes a gaming chair. The manufacturers and dealers currently offer all chairs that look a bit “sporty” under this term. This design actually comes from the sports seats in racing cars. The pronounced side bolsters in the backrest and seat give the driver a firm hold, even when cornering quickly. So he can fully concentrate on driving and doesn't have to worry about slipping off the seat.

Such centrifugal forces tend not to occur when gaming ... So there is no logical reason for these sidewalls in gaming racing seat. They just look sporty. Unfortunately, there are negative effects from this design.

Really important features of a gaming racing seat

Much more important than the design should be ergonomics when it comes to seating for gaming. It decides whether we can still sit relaxed and without pain even after many hours in front of the computer. We have explained in detail what makes an ergonomic chair fundamentally in our online shop. These are the most important properties:

• adjustable exactly to our body measurements
• adjustable armrests for relaxed neck and shoulder muscles
• robust workmanship tailored to our body dimensions
• Adjust the seat height correctly

Which setting options are mandatory and which optional?

With some chairs you can hardly adjust anything and with others you can adjust almost everything. But which gaming racing seat settings are really important now and which are just “nice to have”?

Mandatory: seat height - it must be adjustable so that there is at least an angle of 90 degrees between our thighs and lower legs

Mandatory: adjustable and flexible backrest - it helps us to relax and lean back

Freestyle: seat depth adjustment - with it, the seat can be adjusted to the length of our thighs (preferably up to three finger widths in front of the hollow of the knee)

Seat mechanics - now it's getting really ergonomic

This is actually the most important property of gaming racing seat and is unfortunately painfully (in the truest sense of the word!) Neglected in many cheap gaming chairs. The seat mechanism is responsible for ensuring that the backrest and seat are not rigid, but flexibly support our body when moving and leaning back on the chair.

However, there are big differences here that are not understandable at first glance. Most cheap gaming chair models only have a simple rocker mechanism (if at all). The seat and backrest are firmly connected to each other and tilt backwards at the same angle when you lean back.

How office chair is different from gaming racing seat?

In the case of ergonomic office chairs, the significantly better synchronous mechanism is now standard. The special thing about it is that the seat and backrest do not move at the same angle, but separately from one another in an ergonomically correct ratio.

 This has two key advantages. On the one hand, the blood circulation in the legs is not disturbed and, on the other hand, the angle between the upper body and thigh opens when you lean back. This brings movement into our body and is healthy.

Ergonomic chairs in particular go one step further and have a seat that can be moved in three dimensions. This gives us significantly more movement when sitting and automatically does something good for our body. This mechanism for moving sitting is currently not offered in any special gaming chair.

Armrests are important in gaming racing seat!

Regardless of whether we work on the computer or gamble, as soon as we use the mouse keyboard for a long time, armrests are mandatory! They relieve our shoulder and neck muscles and can thus prevent tension and pain. Again, an angle of at least 90 degrees from forearm to upper arm applies here.

If we like to sit particularly close to the screen, the armrests should ideally be rotatable and slidable forwards and backwards. Such armrests are often referred to as “4D”.

The right gaming racing seat for every weight

Like office chairs, gaming racing seat are suitable for a certain weight class. Especially when we are heavier than the average person, we have to make sure that the chair is designed for it.

If this is not the case, there is not only a risk of a defect in the chair, but above all the mechanics are not designed for the weight and cannot support us accordingly. Pain and discomfort are often the result.

Most gaming and office chairs are certified up to 120 kilograms. But there are also chairs that can easily withstand a weight of up to 200 kilograms. In our online shop, we show that such chairs have to be anything but boring.

Which is better now - gaming racing seat or office chair?

As is so often the case in life, what matters is not what is on the outside, but what is inside. The ergonomics of a chair and not its design are crucial for relaxed gaming without pain. In the best case, of course, both come together.

That's why there are definitely gaming chairs with good ergonomic properties, just like there are ergonomic office chairs with a sporty design.

On average, however, we have to state that most “classic” office chairs place more emphasis on ergonomics than many gaming chairs. It is therefore more worthwhile to look for a model with a good design when it comes to office chairs than to search through all gaming racing seat models for one with good ergonomics.

Our recommendations for ergonomic gaming racing seat

So that you don't have to rummage through all the suppliers and manufacturers, we have here our three absolute top recommendations for chairs that are perfect for relaxed gaming games.