Gaming chairs are an excellent way to start sim racing with a wheel. You don't always need a full sim rig. Here are the best gaming chairs for sim racing in 2024.
Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. We earn a commission from any sale after clicking an affiliate link. Find out more.
Sim racing requires both a sturdy platform to mount your racing wheel and a stable chair. You can sim race in an office or gaming chair, as long as it meets a few criteria. You need to be able to lock your gaming chair from rolling on the ground, and ensure the armrests are either removable or can be adjusted low enough to not clip your elbows.
For those who fancy sim racing but don’t have the space for a complete sim rig, a gaming chair is a fantastic option. You can adjust your gaming chair to your exact driving position and race with your wheel mounted to your desk or any other solid surface.
In fact, my first ever sim racing setup was an old Logitech G27 mounted to my desk, with a gaming chair used as the racing seat. Like any gaming product, there are a few key areas to look for when looking to purchase a good gaming chair, and that is no different when it comes to sim racing.
In this buyer’s guide, I’ll take a look at the best gaming chairs and bring you my recommendation for the best gaming chair for sim racing.
TL;DR – If you don’t have enough time to read our detailed guide below, these are the highlights. Below are my top three picks for the best gaming chair for sim racing in a few categories. Simply click the link below for more info on each chair or continue reading below for the reasons why I chose these particular chairs.
The three best gaming chairs for sim racing in 2024 are;
Best Sim Racing Chair Vertagear SL5000 | Best Lumbar Support noblechairs HERO | Best Premium Chair Razer Iskur |
 |  |  |
RECLINE Up to 140 degrees | RECLINE Up to 135 degrees | RECLINE Up to 139 degrees |
ARMRESTS 4D (Removeable) | ARMRESTS 4D (Removeable) | ARMRESTS 4D (Removeable) |
RECOMMENDED HEIGHT Up to 6’4” / 193 cm | RECOMMENDED HEIGHT Up to 6’6” / 200 cm | RECOMMENDED HEIGHT Up to 6’2” / 190 cm |
PRICE £349 / $399 | PRICE £365 / $459 | PRICE £499 / $499 |
If you are looking to buy a gaming chair with the intention of using it for sim racing, there are a few key points to look out for. Many of these areas are important for any good office or gaming chair, but some are even more important when it comes to sim racing.
Adjustability is one of the most crucial parts of a gaming chair, not just for sim racing, but to allow you to be comfortable when sitting in general. Almost all gaming chairs will give you height control, and most recline. But having a wide range of motion will really help you find a comfortable seating position when your sim racing and when you’re sitting at your desk.
Being able to lock the tilt angle on your gaming chair is great if you are looking to race in a more formula-style racing position. When open-wheeled racing, a drivers’ seating position is very reclined. So being able to lower your chair and recline it to mimic this can really increase your overall immersion.
Removable armrests or armrests that lower a considerable amount are crucial for sim racing in a gaming chair. If your armrests are static or locked too high, you will find yourself bumping your elbows into them every time you turn. For this reason, being able to remove or lower the armrests out of reach is key.
Most gaming chairs and office chairs come with rolling casters allowing you to move about the floor easily. While this is great for regular office use, it’s not so great for sim racing when you need a sturdy chair.
You won’t often find a gaming chair with lockable casters to stop you from moving, but that isn’t a problem. As there are ways to stop your chair from moving, which I’ll talk about later in this guide. Or you can click here to scroll to the section on how to stop your gaming chair from moving.
Pressing the brake pedal can require some force depending on the sim racing pedal you have. So ensuring you aren’t going to destabilise your chair or fall off is pretty important. Most gaming chairs allow for a wide range of recline and motion before they start to become unstable.
You will often be sim racing for long periods of time, often hours in each session. So ensuring you are comfortable during this time is important. The last thing you want is to get up from a long race session and have pain caused by your gaming chair.
Finally, budget is always important. It is key to stay within your allocated budget, no matter whether that is small or large. While you should try to maximise the quality of the gaming chair you buy for your budget, you shouldn’t overstretch yourself.
Check the Vertagear SL5000 price here
The Vertagear SL5000 was the chair that surprised us the most in terms of the amount of gaming chair you get for the price.
Despite not being the absolute cheapest gaming chair on the market. When you consider the competition such as chairs from Secretlabs, Razer and other office and gaming chair manufacturers. These often start from over £400/$500.
Vertagear is possibly the least known brand on this list, but they certainly produce some excellent gaming chairs. They are a company that seems to prioritise their build quality and feature set extremely high. And you can even purchase additional LED lights that mont directly to your chair.
One of the best features of the Vertagear SL5000 is its upgradable casters. You can upgrade the casters to include auto-lock technology. This essentially stops your chair from moving while you are sitting on it. And then once you release your weight it will roll again.
This feature is ideal for sim racing as it will prevent you from moving around when braking.
Check the noblechairs HERO price here
noblechairs are known for their high-quality gaming chairs. The HERO is no different and sits at the top end of noblechairs gaming chair lineup. The HERO is a high-quality gaming chair that puts comfort at the top of its priority list.
It’s the largest chair that I’ll recommend and is perfectly capable of remaining comfy for those up to 6’6″ and 150kg. While it may not look the raciest, it does ooze a premium aesthetic. The high contrast stitching that is found across the backrest looks fantastic, and this is a chair that could look right at home in any office.
We did find the seat a little stiff, but that can be ideal if you are on the bigger side. And the additional lumbar support across the back is fantastic for sim racing. Being supported in your chair while racing is vitally important and that is an area where the noblechairs HERO has you covered.
Check the Razer Iskur price here
Razer is a premium gaming brand that delivers a whole range of great gaming products. If you need a gaming peripheral, chances are Razer will have a selection for you to choose from. And that is also the case with gaming chairs. Razer sells a few different gaming chairs, but the Iskur sits as the brand’s most premium chair.
Much like the HERO chair above, the Iskur prioritises lumbar support with a large sculpted foam cushion to provide excellent back support while sim racing. The back support also has a hidden trick. It can be adjusted to pop out providing even larger degrees of back support.
This little feature is fantastic for sim racing. It can provide extra recline angle on top of the already fantastic 139-degree backrest recline. This allows you to really find your perfect driving position while sim racing with the Razer Iskur.
When you sim race, you’re after a sturdy platform, both to mount your sim racing wheel to and to sit on. Mounting your sim racing wheel to your desk can work just fine. And racing in an office or gaming chair can also work.
You will need to do a couple of things before racing using an office chair. Office and gaming chairs are designed to be rolled about. While this is great for daily use at a desk, it isn’t so good for sim racing. When sim racing, you need a chair that won’t move, otherwise you will find yourself rolling backwards every time you press the brake pedal.
Due to this, you will need to get yourself some wheel stoppers. These come in a few different forms, but all are designed to stop your gaming chair from rolling about.
These are generally pretty easy to find on websites such as Amazon, and there are a few different methods to choose from.
Possibly the easiest method of stopping your gaming chair from moving is caster cups. These don’t require any modification to your chair. Simply place a caster cup under each wheel, and your chair will stop moving.
Glide casters work using the same principle as caster cups, however, they require you to change out your chair’s casters. Instead of just sitting underneath each wheel, these replace each wheel to stop your chair from being able to move at all.
You can still glide your chair around the floor to move it with no weight on it. But as soon as you sit on the chair, it won’t move. Your weight will keep it planted to the ground.
The final option, and most expensive is to purchase replacement casters with a locking mechanism. These require you to remove your current casters and fit these directly to your gaming chair. You can roll around just like normal, but you can also lock each caster to prevent movement.
These are a fantastic option for having the best of both worlds. You can continue using your gaming or office chair like normal, then lock it into position when it comes to sim racing time.
Choosing a gaming chair is an important task, not only for sim racing. If you work from home or spend your evening sitting and gaming in your chair, you need to it to meet multiple criteria. It needs to be comfy, provide excellent support, and be adaptable, especially if you are planning on sim racing.
One of the first things you need to decide is on the size of your gaming chair. There can be a large difference in size, so ensuring you get a gaming chair that isn’t too small or too large is important. You certainly don’t want to be squashed into a chair that is too small as you’ll be incredibly uncomfy.
Start by measuring your own weight and height, and then compare that to the weight and height listed on each chair’s description. Some gaming chairs such as the Secretlabs Titan Evo 2022 come in different sizes to accommodate different heights.
You can use the links below to shop for your favourite sim racing products, or for any products that we may have recommended. These links are affiliate links, and will earn us a small commission, with no additional cost for you.
Rich is the co-founder, and one of the main F1 setup creators and content writers for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers.
View all articles written by Rich
View Best F1 24 Racing Wheels
Best PS5 Racing Wheels
Choosing whether to use a racing wheel or controller for a racing game or sim racing… Read More »Best Controllers For Racing Games & Sim Racing: 2024 Buyer’s Guide
Both Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione have been known to suffer from wheel shaking issues.… Read More »How To Stop Wheel Shaking in Assetto Corsa?
Despite being released over 10 years ago, Assetto Corsa remains one of the most-played sim racing… Read More »Assetto Corsa Controller Settings Guide: Smooth & Driveable Settings For 2024
