What makes this Apocalypse appearance so different from previous story arcs on X-Men: The Animated Series is that we’re seeing a much younger version of the character, before he became the immortal tyrant who preaches survival of the fittest. Expect Season 2 to reveal much more about the character’s origins and the choices that lead him to become the villain he is in the far future.

“It is not a deconstruction per se, but it is nice to kind of see the steps of how a character becomes someone like Apocalypse, and so just hinting and setting that up I think is something that I would personally want to see,” Conley says. “Even if I wasn't working on the show, I'd love to learn more about En Sabah Nur and just the way that he navigates the world given his immense power and what corrupts him.”

“What's really compelling about Apocalypse is that he lives for so long,” Winderbaum says. “So whether you go to the distant past or the distant future, he's there. His ideas do change over time, like anyone's. So being able to compare his way of thinking at different eras is something that's really exciting to explore.”

“There's a lot of fun that we're teeing up there,” Yonemura adds. “I'm just really excited to just show even En Sabah Nur. I just find that character alone fascinating, so I hope fans are excited.”

Bastion as Season 1’s Main Villain

Even as the show quickly looks ahead to Apocalypse, we wanted to take a step back and focus on Bastion’s role as Season 1’s main villain. Bastion is a character who makes quite an impression, first attacking Genosha from afar in Episode 5 and leaving thousands dead, then making a proper debut in Episode 7 before going on to anchor the climactic “Tolerance Is Extinction” story arc. Winderbaum reveals that Bastion was a part of the conversation early in the development of the new series.

“Bastion was an idea that Beau [DeMayo] brought to the table, smartly, because he was a villain who was not in the original show,” Winderbaum says. “So much about X-Men '97 is about the nostalgia for the original series. Obviously, there's that pivot point in the center of the first season with the tragedy at Genosha that sends the second half of the season in a wildly different direction that the audience is not and that the characters are not prepared for. We needed a new face as a villain to represent that new frontier that the second half of the season was going to launch into. Bastion was a perfect idea, in my opinion, because he is as much Sentinel as he is mutant or human or anything else. In a poetic way, while mutants are the next step of human evolution, technology is ultimately this devourer of souls that can come for everybody. So he was a great choice.”

As vicious as he is, viewers are given a chance to sympathize with Bastion over the course of “Tolerance Is Extinction.” In his own way, Bastion is as much a mutant and an outcast as the X-Men themselves.

“That's the best about a good villain, is that if you want somebody who makes you actually question, ‘Oh, am I sympathizing?’ If you can understand where they're coming from, I think it always gives them greater grounds to then be scared of them, but also to sympathize,” Yonemura says. “And I remember in Episode 9 when you realize that he's actually one of Xavier's failures, that he never did save this child and bring them onto the team, and when Storm points out that he could have been in the First Class photo, I think there's a lot to unpack there and there's a lot to unpack with his backstory that Chase expertly told, because I think the most interesting villains are ones who you could actually easily see as right, similar to Magneto.”

While Bastion was always part of the plan for Season 1, Castorena reveals that plans did change in regards to how and when to introduce the villain.

“For Bastion, it really was, how long can we really genuinely hold off on revealing the main villain until it's absolutely critically necessary? It was originally we're just going to reveal Bastion in Episode 8. Episode 8, bam, Bastion revealed,” Castorena says. “As time and story went on, it came down to, oh, we can tease him and highlight him in 7 to give an audience a little bit of the breadcrumbs. You know it's Bastion, but it's not confirmed it's Bastion. But it gives precedent to want to come back to get that confirmation. So that's what I love about and appreciate about just the execution of the vision that we did in tandem with trying to give Bastion the ambiance and presence, and to be quite honest, threat that the character deserves and the respect that character demands, because he is a genuinely new and real threat to the X-Men and what they stand for.”

Though Bastion is ultimately defeated in the Season 1 finale, the character has left scars on the team that will take time to heal. The X-Men’s family ties were already fraying thanks to developments like Jean Grey being revealed as a clone and Storm leaving the team after losing her powers, but Bastion furthered that division, to the point that both Rogue and Sunspot defected from the X-Men to join Magneto’s cause. Expect the fallout of that division to be further explored in Season 2.

“It's such a part of what the X-Men are - the evolution of their relationships and that no one is ever in a static place,” Winderbaum says. “Characters are growing and changing. As they change, so do the characters around them that they are embroiled with. Friends change into enemies. Enemies change into friends. Romances rise and fall. It's a very dynamic soap opera on the page in the comics. Certainly, the original series did it, and it's something we strive to do in X-Men '97.

Cyclops, Jean Grey and Cable

Fatherhood and abandonment are easily two of the most important themes explored in Season 1, particularly where Cyclops is concerned. Early on, Cyclops is forced to reckon with the fact that Professor Xavier left the team behind and didn’t place him in charge. Then, Cyclops confronts the looming prospect of fatherhood, only to realize he’ll never be able to be the father baby Nathan needs. The mutant melodrama is only increased when Nathan returns as the full-grown Cable, highlighting the fact that Scott and Jean missed out on an enormous portion of their son’s life.

Or did they? Season 1 ends with the couple being thrust into the future and reuniting with Nathan in 3060 AD, where he’s still a boy in the care of Clan Askani and their leader, Mother Askani. Cyclops’ superhumanly difficult journey as a father will only grow more difficult and more bizarre in Season 2.

“It's so great to see that they get to interact with their son when he's still a child, but obviously it wouldn't be the X-Men if things were easy,” Winderbaum teases. “So we can expect a bumpy road ahead for everybody.”

Yonemura adds, “You have that beautiful moment in Episode 10 where you feel like you have this beautiful closure between the characters. And then, moments after they've said goodbye to their adult son, then they're put face to face with Nathan Askani'son. And it's just like, what does that mean for them? And I love that emotional roller coaster because that to me is very soap opera and very X-Men. So I think it's safe to assume that we're going to be talking about it. We're going to be exploring that.”

Wolverine’s Role in X-Men ‘97

As we’ve explored in the past, Season 1 is surprisingly judicious in its use of Wolverine, placing the character in far more of a supporting role than tended to be the case in X-Men: The Animated Series. Castorena confirms that this was a very intentional choice on the part of DeMayo and the writer’s room. Early on, the writers opted to place Wolverine on the back-burner, slowly building to important moments like his fight with the prime Sentinels in Episode 8 and Magneto ripping out his adamantium in Episode 9.

“Being able to not have Wolverine steal the show, but supplement the rest of the team, I am a huge Wolverine fan and I'm grateful we did it the way we did. That was in the bible from Day 1,” Castorena says. “The best part is when you pull the character back, ideally, is when you give them their time to shine. It means even more so than it normally would if we had seen that every episode. So I think that's why in Episode 8, Wolverine is doing his tornado claw in the sky and slicing up the primes. Then he and Nightcrawler are doing their back-to-back stuff. Shout out to Chase Conley and David Maximo for handling that stuff. You are even more invested, because you don't realize you've been yearning for that moment. You're given it and it's satisfying, hopefully. Then ideally, it holds you over for the rest of it as a while until he gets that adamantium out. But yeah, I really appreciate it. I love how we handle Wolverine. I really do.”

That said, viewers should probably look to a greater focus on Wolverine in Season 2, especially in light of his adamantium loss and brush with death. But that won’t come at the expense of other main characters.

“We've got the second season as well,” Conley says. “And as you can see in Episode 9, we teed up a lot as far as a pivotal stage in Wolverine's history as far as comic runs go. So we'll get a chance to really explore more of Logan and his own personal kind of rogues gallery coming up. But it seems like the easy thing to do. I feel like a lot of times you just lean into Wolverine because he's a fan favorite, but there's so many other characters that have tragic backstories.

Conley continues, “Rogue is one of my favorite characters of all time, just by the tragedy of her character not being able to touch anyone. I think in terms of just the psychological impact of that, that's just something great to explore. Jubilee as well. We'll get into more and more of these characters as time progresses, but it was intentional, but not malicious. We didn't want to hurt fans by being like, ‘You like Wolverine?’"

How Far Along Is X-Men ‘97: Season 2?

With Season 1 finished, the obvious question arises - when are we going to get Season 2? While Marvel has yet to reveal a release window, it does sound as though work is well underway on the next season. In fact, Winderbaum reveals that production is about halfway through on Season 2 right now, suggesting this won’t be another case like Rick and Morty or Invincible where fans are waiting multiple years for the next season.

“We're about, I would say, halfway through,” Winderbaum says. “We're still in animatic phase where a lot of narrative changes can still be made. We're about halfway done with [voiceover] recording. The storyline is really fun. I don't want to say too much, but I think it delivers on the promise of the second season.”

“We are well underway on Season 2. We have been. There is really no stopping with us,” Castorena says. “We wrapped Season 1 and we were already rolling and overlapping on Season 2. The way it was happening was I'm in a lot of the post-world for Season 1. Our directors are in the pre-production world for Season 2 at the same time. We were making this all happen.”

Conley adds “I will say that we are knee-deep in Season 2 and really just taking the lessons that we learned from creating Season 1 and trying to maximize on everything that made Season 1 great. And exploring other very interesting characters and new frontiers.”

For more on X-Men '97, check out our Season 1 ending explained breakdown and brush up on every Marvel movie and series in development.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Allegations that Sky’s voice was too close to the Marvel movie star’s flared up last week when OpenAI revealed its new GPT-4o model as part of a livestream event. It allows users to have realistic conversations with ChatGPT about any topic they choose. It’s a role not unlike what was seen with Joaquin Phoenix’s character in Her, which involved him falling head over heels for a Johansson-voiced operating system named Samantha.

Say hello to GPT-4o, our new flagship model which can reason across audio, vision, and text in real time: https://t.co/MYHZB79UqN

Text and image input rolling out today in API and ChatGPT with voice and video in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/uuthKZyzYx

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) May 13, 2024

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even went on to post the word “her” on X following the event’s conclusion. In a separate follow-up post, he likened the new voice and video mode to being like something audiences have seen in movies. Additionally, when speaking to The San Francisco Standard last September, Altman named Her as his favorite sci-fi movie.

“I like Her. The things Her got right—like the whole interaction models of how people use AI—that was incredibly prophetic,” he said.

her

— Sam Altman (@sama) May 13, 2024

It’s unclear how OpenAI will address the concerns that Sky is mimicking Johansson’s voice or how it will dodge potential concerns in the future. For more on artificial intelligence, you can read up on the experimental AI-made video game that failed.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

While Soap is a beloved character, some fans have mixed feelings about his inclusiion in the Season 4 Battle Pass.

"Once again, Call of Duty resurrect an objectively dead character purely so they can sell skins for him," wrote YouTuber HiddenXperia. "Soap was literally shot in the head in MWIII's (awful) Campaign, now he's magically alive. I'm so happy I grew up playing CoD before it was ruined by aggressive live service."

In the meantime, there will be plenty of new content to wade through with Modern Warfare III getting three brand-new core 6v6 maps, including one set in Tokyo. The new season will also feature Demolition, Hyper Cranked, and Havoc, new Killstreakers, and other additions.

On the Warzone side of things, Season 4 includes updates to the Urzikstan Bunker and the Gulag along with a new vehicle in the Polaris RZR. The Tactical Sprint Boots have caused some buzz among fans, offering an "unlimited increase in your Tactical Spring Speed, and a reduction in fall damage."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Warzone are currently slated to release May 29.

Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

1. Secretlab TITAN Evo series

The Best Gaming Chair

Secretlab continues to wow us with the TITAN series. It takes what we already loved about the series and continues to refine it further with the TITAN Evo series. A soft, spacious, and generously padded seat is still a staple, and the material options of leatherette or fabric hold up great over time. That's paired with a sturdy backrest containing a sneakily added adjustable lumbar support ensuring you maintain good posture and preventing back pain. Plus, you still get a deep recline that locks into place for better relaxation between heated gaming sessions.

Where the latest model changes things up is in the headrest and armrests; Secretlab has ditched straps for holding the neck pillow in place and instead opted for magnets. This makes for a stylish appearance and finer control over positioning. The tops of the 4D armrests are also magnetically attached, so you’ll have an easy time taking them off if you want to swap them out for some of the alternate toppers Secretlab has available. That also means you can your arms in an ergonomic postion for when you're pulled up to the best gaming desk. Note: See below for the XL version!

2. AndaSeat Kaiser 3

Best High-End Gaming Chair

The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 is a perfect teammate whether you pull it up to your gaming desk or kick back while playing the PS5 or Xbox Series X on the big gaming TV. You’ll rest comfortably for hours on this racing-style chair’s wide, plush seat that loses those uncomfortable side bolsters, ensuring you can place your legs in whatever position you please. That seat, along with the tall backrest, is wrapped in either a durable PVC leather or soft fabric and sits on a sturdy frame ready to hold a range of gamers up to 260 pounds—an XL version supports up to 395 pounds.

Ergonomics were not forgotten on this throne, starting with the 4D armrests featuring magnetically interchangeable toppers, while inside the backrest, you’ll find easily adjustable lumbar support. A memory foam neck pillow even attaches to the headrest at different heights. When you want to kick it between games, the chair reclines down to 165°, and the seat base rocks, helping to get out some nervous energy.

3. Corsair TC100 Relaxed Gaming Chair

Best Budget Gaming Chair

Corsair isn’t new to the gaming chair game, and that knowledge extends to their wallet-friendly option, the TC100 Relaxed. This racing-style throne offers a robust steel frame and wide seat packed with plush padding to ensure your behind is comfortable during long playing sessions. The entire seat is then wrapped in a durable leatherette or soft fabric material with perforated sections for extra breathability to stay cool during intense play sessions.

Setting you back only $250, this budget gaming chair is great for those that splurged on one of the best gaming PC deals. Though it isn’t as feature-full as more expensive chairs, it has all the basics you need. 2D armrests and a gas lift with a wide range of height adjustments make for an ergonomic alignment with your desk. There is no built-in lumbar support. However, back and neck pillows come with it, while a deep recline lets you kick back between matches.

4. Vertagear SL5800

Best Ergonomic Gaming Chair

Ergonomics are the number one feature you will want in a chair, especially if you plan on spending a lot of time sitting. With that in mind, the VertaGear SL5800 offers the most adjustability in a gaming chair we’ve seen. It starts with a ContourMax lumbar support system that combines a layer of memory foam with four flexible panels that adjust to the shape of your back.

Meanwhile, you’re seated on a highly ventilated and plush VertaAir Seat. The bottom cushion is basically fitted with eight foam pucks with a host of air funnels to keep your bottom from getting hot while seated. Add in all the adjustability you get from the seat height, tilting backrest, and armrest, and you can seriously tune your setup for maximum comfort.

5. Razer Fujin Pro

Best Mesh Gaming Chair

While the Razer Fujin Pro doesn’t look much like a gaming chair, nor does it boast stylish colors or fancy patterns, this mesh chair offers refined elegance that contours to your shape. The built-in lumbar support helps you from slouching in your chair, and the shape promotes healthy blood circulation. Plus, most of the mechanics can be adjusted.

Easy to assemble, this gaming chair can be built in around 15 minutes, so you can get your gaming on in no time. When it’s time to sit down, you’ll appreciate the Razer Fujin Pro’s supportive cushioning, promoting the right ergonomics for you to work and game with. No, you can’t fully recline the chair, you can tilt it to 130 degrees; but it stops you from putting yourself into a position that you might not be able to get up from.

6. noblechairs Icon

Best Leather Gaming Chair

Leather often comes at a premium, but it is super durable and adds a bit of sophistication to your setup. The noblechairs Icon is one of the few gaming chairs that use real, genuine leather, rather than a typical PU and other synthetic leather option. Inside the leather-wrapped seat is a healthy dose of cold foam for a soft, comfy place to rest your behind for extended gaming sessions. The subdued design also doesn't scream "gaming chair," so it fits in just as well in a work environment as in a gaming one.

On top of the noblechairs Icon premium leather design, it is also highly adjustable. The seat can be raised or lowered nearly 4-inches in height, giving you plenty of room to get a proper position at your desk. The 4D armrests make it that much easier to find an ideal ergonomic setup. Plus, when you want to kick back, the chair can recline back to 135 degrees, and the base provides a bit of rocking range as well. Though the design doesn’t insist on them, the Icon includes a lumbar cushion and neck pillow for those who want a little extra support.

7. E-Win Champion

Best Fabric Gaming Chair

For those of us who enjoy wearing shorts when gaming, we all know the inevitable sticky, sweaty, nastiness that can happen during extended play sessions while relaxing in PU leather or leather chairs. Going for a fabric option like the E-Win Champion helps avoid the issues plaguing those types of seats. With it, you get a plush, beautifully-textured softweave material wrapped around the backrest and seat cushion that’s surprisingly breathable, making it ideal for gaming marathons. In fact, the seat cushion is made of a temperature and pressure sensitive cold cure foam, preventing overheating while providing just the right amount of support—not too firm or too soft.

Admittedly, the E-Win Champion series isn’t going to win any awards for its adjustable lumbar support. So, if you suffer from back pain, you might want to seek another option, though an included lumbar pillow does help slightly remedy this problem. Otherwise, the chair’s ergonomics are solid with well-padded 4D armrests, a deep tilt, and decent height adjustability, ensuring ultimate comfort.

8. Respawn 110

Best Budget Fabric Gaming Chair

A good chunk of gaming chairs feature PU leather or pleather for the haters, but if you’re gaming in shorts or a tank top, it doesn’t always feel great on the skin, especially when the inevitable sweat starts to happen. To avoid that sticky situation, you can snag a fabric option, like the Respawn 110, while still staying on budget. You’ll welcome this racing-style chair’s soft, breathable, and surprisingly durable material that’s ready for even your longest gaming sessions.

Respawn didn’t skimp on features, starting with its large, inviting seat toting built-in lumbar support and headrest, while a sturdy frame and piston can hold 275 pounds, so bigger gamers need not shy away. If you want to kick back after each match, you get a deep 135-degree recline, and the tilt tension is adjustable for a bit of rocking action. Unfortunately, the armrests don’t move, but at least it’s easy enough to adjust the seat height to get ergonomic positioning at your gaming desk.

9. Secretlab TITAN Evo series XL

Best Big and Tall Gaming Chair

The Secretlab TITAN Evo series is already in this guide, but we’re happy to see it in an XL model, making it the best big and tall gaming chair. It features a slightly larger form, so you get a wide seat at 19.3 inches, while the bolsters on either side add to that total width. Secretlab also uses a Class 4 lift that combines with the rest of its sturdy structure to support a hefty 395-pound max load.

The Secretlab TITAN Evo Series doesn’t forget taller gamers, as it’s ready for individuals ranging from 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-9 with its high back. Of course, you still get all those ergonomic luxuries like integrated adjustable lumbar support, a magnetic neck pillow, and magnetic 4D armrests that you can swap out to get your optimal arm position. It doesn’t stop there, as your behind rests in a well-cushioned memory foam seat with cooling gel, and the base of the chair can even tilt as you recline, letting you comfortably sink back without sliding out in between matches on your gaming PC.

Before you shop, keep in mind there are really cool limited edition and speciality styles you can from Secretlab in XL size, beyond the simple black or gray chair design. So, depending on your gaming, anime and entertainment franchise interests, you may even want to splurge on a more colorful Esports design (like Cloud9), a special edition design like Mortal Kombat or Cyberpunk 2077, or of course a classic franchise favorite such as Star Wars Stormtrooper or Batman:

10. AutoFull C3

Best Gaming Chair for Relaxation

Sometimes, you want to kick back between intense matches, and the AutoFull C3 lets you do exactly that. While enthralled in the action, this gaming chair keeps you comfortable and focused with a lumbar pillow to dissipate back pressure and a high-density foam seat to ensure your behind doesn’t get sore during longer play sessions. But this seat especially shines in relaxation, as it has a deep 165° recline, supports rocking, and even offers a retractable footrest, so this chair is perfect for getting in a quick nap or watching TV.

Given the chair’s affordable price tag, you may question how well it holds up. Luckily, the AutoFull C3’s seat rests on an all-steel frame and durable nylon base ready to support up to 350 pounds, while the 2D armrests are super stable. A sleek PVC leather wraps around the racing-style seat, making it easy to clean, and the SGS level 4 certified gas cylinder ensures adjusting the chair is smooth and simple.

11. CordaRoy’s OpTic Gaming Bean Bag

Best Bean Bag Chair for Gaming

Gaming chairs are great and all, but maybe you want something you can pull up to a gaming TV or melt into when playing on your portable gaming PC. That’s where one of the best gaming bean bag chairs come into play, like CordaRoy’s OpTic. This seat is large, plush, and built to last—with its lifetime guarantee. Under the cover, you’ll find a polyfoam rather than your typical beans that tend to flatten over time, ensuring your comfort is never compromised.

CordaRoy’s OpTic isn’t your usual bean bag chair, as once you unzip and take off the easy-to-remove, machine-washable cover, you’ll discover the seat folds out into a proper bed. It isn’t some tiny, make-shift mat either; you can choose between full, queen, and king sizes 8-10 inches thick. So, whether you want to nap between matches or gaming marathons with friends go a little too late, and they need a place to crash, this versatile bean bag chair is ready.

12. X Rocker Floor Rocking Gaming Chair

Best Rocker Gaming Chair

Rather than pulling up to a gaming desk, maybe, you're looking for a seat that sits perfectly in front of the best gaming TVs. That’s where the best rocker gaming chairs come into play–literally– and our favorite is the X Rocker Floor Rocking Gaming Chair. You’ll enjoy the c-shaped, free rocking design these seats are known for, while plush padding adds to comfort and faux leather covering makes for easy cleaning. However, given the plastic frame and smaller dimensions, it’s best for smaller gamers and children.

The X Rocker Floor Rocking Gaming Chair does more than rock. It has a built-in speaker system for deeper immersion into your games, movies, shows, and music. Connecting your audio is simple thanks to Bluetooth support or an aux input, and compatibility with all the latest consoles makes it even better. Plus, when you’re done using the chair, it’s foldable for easy storage.

How We Choose the Best Gaming Chairs

When choosing the best gaming chairs for this guide, we did extensive research and testing—attempting to get our behinds in as many seats as possible to see how they held up to real-world use. Even if we couldn’t use the chair ourselves, we were sure to pay close attention to different specs and pricing, helping significantly narrow our picks.

Beyond the basics of the chair size and max load, we looked into the materials used, whether it be the fabric and cushioning in the seat or the frame’s build, ensuring durability over time. Of course, many chairs are full of extra features, including tilt, recline, lumbar support, 4D armrests, neck pillows, and more, making for a better gaming experience, and we checked that they were up to snuff. Cost is always important, if not the most important factor, so all our picks deliver great value for their price.

How to Choose the Best Gaming Chair

The biggest determining factor in the gaming chair you choose will most likely be the price. Going out with a set budget is helpful, as you’ll find chairs ranging from under $50 to almost $1,000. Cheaper gaming chairs, like the Corsair TC100 Relaxed, still deliver the comfort of more expensive offerings. You just need to be prepared to sacrifice features, like 4D armrests or adjustable lumbar support. Though we’d stay away from anything under $100, especially if the chair makes promises that appear too good to be true.

With design, comfort is king; nobody wants to spend hours in a seat that causes back or neck pain. Finding a chair that’s the right size for you is essential for preventing discomfort. Luckily, most chairs list their dimensions, so you’ll want a wide, well-cushioned seat, a long backrest, and a good range of height adjustability, especially if you’re a larger-than-average gamer. All that should rest on a sturdy metal frame ready to hold your full body weight. If you’re looking into a racing-style chair with bucket seats, like the AndaSeat Kaiser 3, pay special mind to the bolsters, as they can dig into your thighs.

When making your decision, you can’t forget about the material used, and for the most part, gaming chairs offer PU leather, fabric, or mesh. PU leather is easy to clean but may not always be super durable and gets hot when wearing shorts. Fabric, which is used on the E-Win Champion, won’t be as easy to clean, though it’s less of a heat magnet. Mesh is the most breathable option. However, you’ll lose the cushioned seat and backrest in favor of a suspension system, which can be a hit or miss. The Razer Fujin Pro is one chair that gets mesh right.

After locking those in, a movable headrest, adjustable armrests, and customizable lumbar support can enhance the chair’s ergonomics. But these features often up the price of the chair. Other quality-of-life additions, like a tilting or rocking mechanism, also help with relaxation between heated gaming sessions.

Keeping all this in mind ensures you know how to pick the perfect gaming chair for your needs.

Gaming Chair: FAQs

What's the point fo a gaming chair?

Because the best gaming chairs are glorified office chairs with an (often) edgy aesthetic, the main point of a gaming chair is being something you can sit on, while adding to the overall aesthetic of your gaming environment. Gaming chairs are often a bit more expensive than comparable office chairs and don't have the same comfort features that a seat designed for working in all day have, but most will have a shape that looks like something in a car, with bright neon colors that stand out in basically any environment. Still, if you love the way the best gaming chairs look, and you're going for a certain vibe in your gaming den, the best gaming chairs do truly shine. You just might want to look at the best ergonomic chairs if you want something that's truly going to take care of your aching back.

How much is a gaming chair?

While you can buy a gaming chair for $79 or less, doing so is just asking for eventual pain. Something cheap is usually nothing more than a cheap plastic frame (versus steel) with some thin fabric or pleather upholstery on top.

You can get a quality gaming chair for as little as $200 and that’s the absolute bottom floor of affordability we’d go for. Spending $300 or more will get you access to better options like the Secretlab TITAN Evo series and AndaSeat Kaiser 3. If your budget allows you to soar a bit higher, more expensive gaming chairs start to come with built-in lumbar support, cooling gel layers, and even more adjustable ergonomics; not to mention RGB LED Kits and more. It all depends on what matters most to you in the longterm.

How should you sit in a gaming chair?

Between the tall back and support pillows, you should almost feel like you're being forced to sit up straight. Making them feel almost a little challenging and uncomfortable to sit in. That might sound counterintuitive to how chairs are supposed to be just comfortable, but it'll help save you from a lifetime of lower back pain and developing other gaming-related health complications like repetitive strain injury.

Alternatively, most gaming chairs come with a lever like you’re ejecting out of a jet fighter. This is used to recline all the way back so you can lie on the gaming chair like it’s a mini bed.

Should you get a gaming chair or an office chair?

One of the biggest differences between gaming chairs vs office chairs is the seats with gaming in mind often come toting a long back and a headrest to better support your back and shoulders than a short office chair. Extra lumbar and neck pillows on gaming chairs help keep you sitting straighter, while office chairs often offer more effective lumbar support and better seat adjustability. However, gaming chairs usually deliver a deeper recline for better relaxation.

Of course, aesthetics set the two apart, as gaming chairs often feature distinct racing-style seats and come in a variety of colors with big logos, while office chairs keep it much more subdued.

How do you ensure your gaming chair is comfortable?

No matter which type of gaming chair you choose, one thing you'll definitely want is solid, adjustable ergonomics. When we say that we mean a chair with customizable lumbar support, adjustable armrests, levers to tilt and height, and a movable headrest. For the most part, all the gaming chairs on this list include at least one to all the points of adjustability mentioned and you'll want to take advantage of them. Be sure to pick the right size for you, as taller folks may need an XL size for the most support and back comfort.

In short, look for:

• Customizable lumbar support
• Adjustable armrests
• Levers to tilt and height
• Headrest (movable)
• Size (best for your weight and height)

What’s the best brand of gaming chair?

Your classic gaming brands like Razer and Corsair have been known to make mean chairs. Otherwise, brands like Secretlab, AndaSeat, and E-Win consistently deliver comfortable, well-built seats that last a long while for a mid-range price. We’d be remiss not to mention the icon that is Herman Miller. Though expensive, its chairs are made with the best materials and are full of ergonomic features. Just be wary of some brands available only on Amazon, as some offerings may be cheap, but they’re also cheapy. It may be worth it to spend extra on a more notable company.

Best Gaming Chairs in the UK

When it comes to gaming chairs in the UK, the Secretlab TITAN Evo series is the best option available. It offers a durable construction and ergonomic features like adjustable lumbar support and a multi-tilt mechanism. The attention to detail and customizability make it a favorite among serious gamers looking for a high-end chair that can keep up with their long gaming sessions. But ultimately, the best gaming chair for you will depend on your personal preferences and budget.

What's been your favorite gaming chair and why? Let us know in the comments.

Contributions from Danielle Abraham, freelance tech writer, and Kevin Lee.

Image Credit: Annalee Tsujino is a multi disciplinary designer and illustrator. Check them out on Instagram @antsu_illustrations.

“HBO has long been a standard bearer of quality TV,” Lawrence said in a statement. “Getting to do a show there with Steve Carell is an immediate career highlight for Matt and me. Nothing can go wrong now.”

Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman and CEO Channing Dungey also provided a statement. She explains that she’s excited to see what a collaboration between Carrell, Lawrence, and Tarses can bring.

“Collectively, they have been at the center of some of the most iconic and successful shows in television history,” she said. “With thanks to our partners at HBO, we look forward to bringing them together to deliver the next great comedy.”

While Carell moves on to new TV comedy ventures, his previous mockumentary hit, The Office, is morphing into something new. Peacock announced earlier this month that a spinoff show based on the series is officially in the works with Greg Daniels and Michael Koman. Details are still light, but we at least know that Carrell has no plans to reprise his role.

For more on HBO’s upcoming slate of shows, you can read about the latest House of the Dragon news before Season 2 premieres next month. Then be sure to catch up on our newest look at The Last of Us Season 2 before it arrives in 2025.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer at IGN.

Selman called it a "love letter" to the filmmaker, though said The Simpsons team got another chance to show their appreciation a few years later, with a Season 25 episode.

"We were able to take another approach at our love letter to Miyazaki a few years later with, Married to the Blob," he said.

Married to the Blob sees Comic Book Guy fall in love with a Japanese manga artist only have her father reject their marriage after Homer embarasses him. Looking to make things right, Homer goes for drinks with the father and drinks very strong wine, which turns Springfield into a Studio Ghibli-esque wonderland during his walk home.

The Simpsons has otherwise dipped into anime influences on several occasions, such as with an episode inspired by hit show Death Note.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

The documentary charts Reeve's breakthrough into acting and his rise as the Man of Steel, as well as the aftermath of a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. It features a trove of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Reeve's three adult children, as well as celebrities who had worked with Reeves. (I was able to catch Super/Man out of Sundance and trust me, it's a tear-jerker - you can read my thoughts here).

“On behalf of not only Warner Bros., but also my colleagues at DC, HBO and CNN, it’s an honor to be a part of bringing Christopher Reeve and his singular legacy to audiences again," Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, said in the announcement. "It was at this very studio where he made us all believe a man could fly, and this documentary reveals what made him a true hero, on- and off-screen. Partnering with our friends at Fathom Events to deliver this very special film to the big screen was an opportunity we could not pass up.”

“Everyone knows that Superman is a superhero, but I’m eager for audiences to discover the REAL superhero behind Superman," added Fathom Events’ CEO Ray Nutt. "This film is an extraordinary story that takes a deep dive into the man Christopher Reeve really was and the courage he displayed. We’re looking forward to working with our partners at DC Studios and Warner Bros. to bring this inspiring film to theatres nationwide.”

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Remake our Life! opens with 28-year-old Kyouya Hashiba completely burnt out on his life and career. The game development studio he worked for went bankrupt and the liferaft of a project he scrambled to join was canceled shortly after he came aboard. This leaves Kyouya with little choice but to move back in with his parents and question all of his major life decisions. Magically, he wakes up ten years in the past just as he’s about to enter college, and vows to make a better future for himself.

Layoffs, studio closures, and general career instability are fixtures of the gaming industry in 2024, and it’s cathartic to see Remake Our Life! address the realities of working in this industry from the get go. What follows this first episode is a cozy exploration of young, passionate people learning first hand about the highs and lows of working in creative fields like game development. If you work in any industry in the digital media bubble and feel the dread that’s related to that bubble deflating over the past half a year, this anime is a heartwarming reminder of why we got into this line of work and how the highs more than make up for the lows.

Remake Our Life! is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Is an anime that’s functionally a commercial for a video game that was so broken at launch that it was delisted from storefronts arguably the least punk thing ever? Yes, but even the haters have to admit that studio Trigger’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a lavishly produced spectacle that serves as a solid entryway to the broader anime landscape. It’s also a fantastic example of the looser approach to adaptation that makes so many anime based on video games feel like a delightful expansion of those universes.

Taking place in Night City, the principal location of both Cyberpunk: 2077 and the Cyberpunk tabletop game, this anime follows David Martinez, a young man who becomes an augmented mercenary, or edgerunner, after a drive-by shooting kills his mother. What follows is a gripping story about people trying to have any semblance of comfort or security under late stage capitalism, and that system beating them back down at every possible opportunity. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a great anime if you’re in the mood for a cool looking, feel-bad time.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is streaming on Netflix.

Pokémon

With how ubiquitous the franchise is to both American and global audiences, it’s both weird and necessary to point out that the Pokémon anime is, in fact, an anime! Before Pokémon was a multimedia juggernaut, it was a couple of video games that sold well enough to adapt the games into an anime. What would follow is a decades spanning television show with over 1,200 episodes that proved integral to making Pokémon the cultural institution it is today.

While we would get some more direct anime versions of the Pokémon Red and Blue games in the form of Pokémon Origins, the mainline Pokémon anime decides to follow a new character, Ash Ketchum, as he explores the world of Pokémon on his journey to become a Pokémon Master. This direction for the anime plays into the greatest strength of the Pokémon games; the terrific worldbuilding that inspires a player to imagine their own adventure in this world. Seeing a fleshed out version of this new trainer's journey fed into the fantasy and and created countless lifelong video game and anime fans.

Use this official guide to figure out where you can watch the many iterations of the Pokémon anime.

Castlevania

Though developed by Frederator Studios and Powerhouse Animation Studios, two US based production companies, the Castlevania show is simply too sick to not count as an honorary anime! Loosely following the events of the games, the Castlevania anime follows Trevor Belmont, and later his descendent, as he and his vampire hunting contemporaries battle Dracula and his demonic horde.

Castlevania excels at nailing the tone and ambience of the games it's based on better than any of the other video game adaptations on this list. While the exploration elements of the Castlevania games would prove foundational in developing game design — hence the metroidvania genre — people were coming to Castlevania games for the vibes! The Castlevania anime perfectly captures the gothic action that the games invoke and the absolute thrill of charging in against an untold number of monstrosities in a battle against a legendary fiend.

Castlevania is streaming on Netflix.

All the Persona Anime

As one might guess from their overtly anime artstyle, there are a host of anime adaptations of the most recent Persona games! There are a total of four Persona 3 movies, a loose sequel to Persona 3 titled Persona -trinity soul-, two different anime series adapting Persona 4, a Persona 5: The Animation series, and several other Persona 5 one-shot anime episodes. These adaptations are more straightforward than the other adaptations of video games on this list, generally being closer to retellings of the games they are based on.

Considering those games are 80+ hours of some of the more difficult and demanding turn based gameplay in the genre, these direct adaptations are more than welcome! The Persona series is more popular than it's ever been, and these anime are a great way to see what all the fuss is about without committing a good chunk of your time and money to them.

The Persona 3 movies are available for purchase on Amazon, the Persona 4: Golden anime is streaming on Crunchyroll, and Persona 5: The Animation is streaming on Hulu and Crunchyroll. Persona -trinity soul- is unlicensed in the US.

Sword Art Online

The 2010s mega-hit Sword Art Online is the reason why there are so many anime today that take place in fantasy worlds incorporating video game mechanics. Trapped in a brand new virtual reality MMORPG, also titled Sword Art Online, our protagonist Kirito has to fight for his life as he can only escape by beating the game and will die in real life if he dies while playing.

This anime is first and foremost a power fantasy for its presumed young, male audience; but its blending of the game of death and sci-fi genres is still novel and appealing today. Video games are better than any other artistic medium at making a player feel great for engaging with the art form and slowly mastering a game's systems and mechanics. Sword Art Online does an amazing job of translating that feeling into an anime and the first half of its first season is a rock solid experience that anime fans new and old should check out.

Sword Art Online is streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

Welcome to the N.H.K.

In many ways the polar opposite of Remake Our Life!, Welcome to the N.H.K. is an anime about how passions around media, and possibly creating media like video games, are sometimes the only things that keep people going. This anime follows Tatsuhiro Sato, a hikikomori — a social recluse who refuses to or is unable to engage with society or even leave their home or bedroom — who’s turned to conspiracy theories to explain his unhappiness and niche, often problematic, media to dull his depression. To try to better himself, Sato helps his more socially attuned neighbor develop an eroge game and is forced by a good samaritan to go outside for more than just food. This anime spends most of its runtime, though, exploring Sato’s deeply misanthropic mentalities.

Welcome to the N.H.K. is a weird anime that’s as critical of its main character and subject matter as it is through in its exploration of the real-life beliefs and ideologies that its protagonist embodies. To offer a point of comparison, if you liked the tone and politics of the No More Heroes games, Welcome to the N.H.K. is more than worth checking out.

Welcome to the N.H.K. is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Dragon Quest: Adventures of Dai

Unless this is your first time reading an article on a video game website — in which case, welcome and thanks for choosing this one — you’ve probably heard of the monumental Dragon Quest gaming franchise. What you might not know, though, is that these games inspired the quietly seminal shonen manga series Dragon Quest: Adventures of Dai, and that this manga was recently adapted into an anime! Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai follows a young boy raised by monsters named Dai, who turns out to be a legendary hero and, in typical Dragon Quest fashion, has to save the world from the Demon Lord.

Adventures of Dai is a solid, all ages watch and a great way to learn about the origins of many storytelling conventions in the shonen anime genre. The manga it's based on ran in the iconic Shonen Jump magazine right after Fist of the North Star wrapped, and released alongside more overtly influential genre staples like Dragon Ball and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Especially with Dragon Quest character designer Akira Toriyama’s recent passing, there’s never been a better time to check out this anime and see how games have been quietly influential on the anime medium for decades.

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is streaming on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

One of the most grounded anime about video games, My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 focuses on the lives and relationships of the gamers who make up its main cast. Following a breakup with an ex who cheated on her, Akane Kinoshita ends up meeting the standoffish Akito Yamada while playing the MMO that her ex got her into. What follows is a cozy, slice of life romance that’s a great watch for anyone looking for a new comfort show.

For as popular as gaming is today, it’s strange that there are so few stories that show how casually games fit into people’s lives. My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 is a great depiction of gaming as a hobby and how meaningful the relationships formed thanks to that hobby are to people.

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Log Horizon

If Sword Art Online is the anime that popularized the “trapped in a game” sub-genre, then Log Horizon is the anime that perfected that kind of storytelling. For as strong an opening as SAO has, it doesn’t really ground itself in the mechanics and unique tensions that any seasoned MMO player knows all too well. After all, MMO players know that there’s plenty of story material to be mined from the gameplay and social dimensions of this kind of game; like the process of researching a dungeon, planning a raid, and then convincing guild or party members to go along to with the plan and stick to their assigned roles.

Log Horizon faithfully brings these situations and processes to life. It also helps that Log Horizon’s protagonist, Shiroe, plays as a dedicated support class and is less of a vehicle for audience projection than Kirito is in SAO. Log Horizon understands the unique drama and experiences that video games can provide, and is easily one of the best anime about video games.

Log Horizon is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lucas de Ruyter is a freelance writer for IGN.

Boyega, who played Finn in Episodes 7, 8, and 9, was ultimately left disappointed with his Star Wars experience, and has been vocal about how his character as a black man was sidelined in favor of the series' white characters. “They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let's be honest,” he said in 2020. “Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I'm not exposing anything.”

After Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's film directed by Finn was announced, however, Boyega was asked about returning to the franchise once more and appeared a little more open to it.

"[The comments I made were] a few years ago, so they were the subject of that particular project," he said. "But I'm open to all characters and scripts that are enjoyable, have a great cast attached, and a terrific director. So yeah, I'm open to all opportunities."

Very little has been said about the sequel since its announcement in April 2023, when it was revealed as a film focused on Ridley's character Rey as she looks to rebuild the Jedi Order. Ridley herself has commented on the film a few times, but has remained adamant she still knows very little beyond a general outline.

It probably won't feature her character as a mother though, and Ridley also said in November 2023 that it's a "really cool" film that isn't at all what she expected. "I haven’t read anything, but I know the story," she said at the time. "It’s really worth telling, worth exploring, and I think people will be excited."

She later said the film will take Star Wars in a different direction, and it's also the first directed by a woman. "Once I knew what the story was and everything, I knew that it was something I really wanted to do," Ridley said at the time. "I think it's a really fantastic exploration of the Star Wars world. It's a really cool way of taking the story on in a bit of a different direction."

Its release date is also unknown, though Disney has two unknown Star Wars films set for December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027. The Mandalorian and Grogu will be the next Star Wars film and hit cinemas on May 22, 2026, but the two remaining dates could go to any of the several upcoming films.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

4. Sony WH-1000XM5

Best Noise-Cancelling Over Ear Headphones

Pros:

• Hard to beat AI-driven ANC
• Stellar sound quality

Cons:

• Headband doesn’t fold for travel

Are you ready to tune everything out and really dig into what you're listening to? Then, the Sony WH-1000XM5 are the headphones for you. With this model, Sony took what was already a great pair and made them just that little bit better. You now get eight noise-canceling mics effectively doubling the amount from its previous model. AI and a new processor are also integrated into the headphones, so rather than you having to adjust manually, the ANC is automatically optimized. And similar to the WH-1000XM4, by just putting a hand over your one ear cup, the ANC will temporarily disable, so you can hear the world around you. These are the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 totes some of the most drastic design changes to the line in years. You no longer get a foldable headband, making it slightly less convenient for travel. The earcups also have more clamping force for better soundproofing. But, don't worry, these are still a supremely comfortable pair of cans. Once you’ve got the headphones in your ideal position, connecting to your various devices is simple by using Bluetooth or the classic 3.5mm jack. However, you might not feel the need to use the wired connection often, as these offer a 30-hour battery life. And probably most importantly, the WH-1000XM5 sounds stellar.

5. Beats by Dre Studio Pro

Best Looking Over Ear Headphones

Pros:

• Sleek, stylish design
• USB DAC for lossless audio

Cons:

• Limited adjustability

Beats has always delivered stylish headphones, and the tradition continues with the Studio Pro. The headphones are lightweight at only 260 grams and keep a slimmer design than most of the other options on our list. Plus, they come in several sleek, neutral colors, so you’re sure to find a pair that fits your taste. It’s even possible to fold them to a compact size and toss them in the included carrying case to take on the go. However, it’s important to note that these headphones are tight with limited expandability, making them ideal for those with smaller noggins.

Of course, the Beats by Dre Studio Pro put on a great audio performance, as per usual. This time around, the headphones sound slightly more balanced and crisp with a less heavy bass. But there’s still a good amount of thumping when you want it. You also get ANC, but Bose and Sony still reign supreme in that category. Given Beats is owned by Apple, the headphones are especially well-suited for Apple users. But no matter the platform, anyone will appreciate the simple wireless connectivity. When you opt out of wireless listening, there’s even a USB DAC for lossless audio.

6. Sennheiser Momentum 4

Best Wireless Over Ear Headphones

Pros:

• Long 60-hour battery life
• Ample on ear-controls

Cons:

• Not the best ANC

If you’re opting to cut the cord, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is a comfortable and classy option with heavily cushioned leatherette ear cups and a padded, fabric-lined headband. Even with its lightweight build, you still get a wild 60-hour battery life along with easy-to-operate on-ear controls using both physical buttons and a touchpad—just be aware that touchpad is extra sensitive. Being one of best wireless headphones, you connect to your devices over Bluetooth 5.2 and can enjoy listening to some high-end audio files thanks to the support of AAC, AptX, AptX Adaptive, and SBC codecs.

As far as sound quality goes, the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4 delivers booming bass and crisp, pleasant highs, though you can customize your audio further using the Sennheiser Smart Control app. If you’re looking to make calls while rocking these headphones, the four beamforming mics let you come across clear while dampening noises in your environment. The headphone’s ANC also does a decent job of blocking outside distractions to immerse you deeper in that sound, though still not as well as the Sony WH-1000XM5.

7. Anker Soundcore Q30

Best Budget Wireless Over Ear Headphones

Pros:

• Three ANC modes
• Long battery life

Cons:

• Bass and treble performance could be better

When you don’t want to break the bank in search of wireless over-ear headphones, Anker’s Soundcore Q30 comes in under $100. These headphones have outstanding Bluetooth connectivity that supports NFC pairing and a multi-device connection, though you can also go for a wired connection. Its battery life is also hard to beat, delivering up to 40 hours of listening in noise cancellation mode and 60 hours in standard.

These budget headphones features three user-friendly ANC modes: transport for sitting on the train or plane, outdoors to drown out the traffic and wind, and indoor to escape the office chatter or WFH distractions. Its mics do a decent job of blocking out most sound, while a transparency mode lets you quickly swap to hearing the world around you. Given the Anker Soundcore Q30 is more budget-friendly, there’s room for improvement in audio performance, mainly where bass and treble are concerned, but the 40 mm drivers provide solid mid-accuracy.

8. HiFiMan Sundara

A Planar Magnetic Option

Pros:

• Wide sound stage with virtually no distortion
• Planar magnetic drivers

Cons:

• Chunky and heavy

Most of our favorite over ear headphones offer dynamic drivers where a small coil receives a signal from your device, creating a magnetic field that reacts with a magnet to vibrate a diaphragm and generate sound. Planar magnetic drivers use a design with magnets on either side of the thin, flat diaphragm, allowing for more natural bass extension and less harmonic distortion. However, planar magnetic drivers are more expensive to produce and tend to be heftier, so there’s less variety compared to dynamic driver-based headphones.

Planars are becoming more popular, though, and if you’re ready to dip your toe in the water, the HiFiMan Sundara is a solid and "affordable" entry point. These headphones are chunky and heavy, but the well-cushioned earcups and a suspension band should help relieve fatigue from longer wearing sessions. Once you’re plugged in, you’ll enjoy a wide sound stage and virtually no distortion, even in the highs, making them an audiophile's dream. Just note that these cans use a good deal of power, so you're better off connecting to a computer over your smartphone.

9. Bose QuietComfort Ultra

Best Smart Over Ear Headphones

Pros:

• Extremely immersive
• Soft ear cushions

Cons:

• Expensive

If you’re searching for over ear headphones that seriously immerse you in your music, then the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones will likely grab your attention. Featuring CustomTune technology, these headphones offer personalized sound tailored to individual preferences, ensuring a unique and enjoyable audio experience. These headphones also come equipped with world-class noise cancellation capabilities, including Quiet Mode, Aware Mode, and Immersion Mode.

In this package you not only get immersive sound, but you will also experience extreme comfort with soft ear cushions that gently hug the ears, a pressure-spreading band, and premium materials that make a style statement. And, if you value convenience, the SimpleSync feature allows seamless synchronization with a Bose smart soundbar for a personalized TV listening experience. With an impressive 24-hour battery life (18 hours with Immersive Audio) and quick charging capabilities (15-minute charge for up to 2.5 hours of playtime), these headphones are perfect for users who demand extended usage without compromising on performance, making them one of the best Bose headphones.

10. Apple AirPods Max

Best Hi-Fi Over Ear Headphones

• See on Best Buy

Pros:

• Stunning design
• Spatial audio and head tracking

Cons:

• Pricey

Apple is in on the Hi-Fi game with the release of the premium AirPods Max, the over-ear Apple AirPods option. The headphones are about as Apple as a device can get, aesthetically, with a smooth metal exterior and even Apple's Digital Crown for adjusting volume, controlling audio playback, taking calls, and bringing up Siri. Of course, Apple also inserted its own custom-made dynamic drivers. These are rather heavy, but Apple has designed a mesh band at the top that should distribute the weight evenly.

The AirPods Max come at a high price, but you'll be getting active noise cancellation through eight microphones as well as a transparency mode to allow you to keep enjoying your tunes while still being able to hear the outside world. You'll also get spatial audio with Apple's head tracking feature on supported iPhones and iPads. The head tracking is powered by an Apple H1 chip in each ear cup. The AirPods Max connect wirelessly over Bluetooth 5.0 and have a 20-hour battery life, though you can also use a wired connection with a 3.5mm-to-Lightning cable.

11. Razer Opus

Best Wireless THX Sound

Pros:

• Support for THX
• Great noise-canceling performance

Cons:

• Lackluster design

The Razer Opus headset will check a lot of boxes for users, and support for true THX sound is one of them. The headset was built to THX specifications, and it delivers on frequency response, minimal distortion, and noise isolation. It goes even further to cut down on external sounds with active noise cancellation. Of course, when a headset does this much to erase your surroundings, you can easily toggle on and off ambient sound mode to hear what's around you.

You'll find plenty of memory foam cushioning inside the Razer Opus, so you can stay comfortable even if you want to wear it for a long time to truly test the 40-hour battery life. When it comes time to charge the battery back up, you can do so with a modern USB-C cable. And for connectivity, you can enjoy the best of both worlds with both Bluetooth and wired audio.

Where to Get the Best Over Ear Headphones in the UK

How we pick the best over-ear headphones

When it comes to over-ear headphones, we attempt to get our hands on as many cans as possible for real-world testing. For the picks we don’t get to try for ourselves, we do extensive research, deep diving into all the specs and features of the headphones, comparing different options, and ensuring all the headphones are up to snuff.

We look into frequency response, driver size, impedance, and other audio specs so you know that the headphones sound great first and foremost. Comfort is equally important, and we pay close attention to the build material, weight, headband design, and earcup cushioning. Beyond that, many headphones tout special features, be it ANC, spatial audio, or head tracking. But even if they offer these extras, they must deliver. We ensure that’s the case. Of course, performance is relative to the price, so that’s also taken into account when choosing the best over-ear headphones.

What to look for in a pair of over ear headphones

You might think narrowing your search down to “over ear headphones” would help make the decision process easier, but there are still a ton of things to consider when buying a pair for yourself. A few of the most important include:

Sound: First, and most importantly, you want a pair that sounds good. Some aspects of sound are subjective, like the sound signature, which refers to how balanced the bass, midrange, and treble are. Some people may prefer a “flat” signature that’s closer to the artist’s intention, while others may prefer heavy bass, or a “v-shaped” frequency response that boosts the bass and treble for a livelier feel.

Other things about sound quality are more objective. It’s possible, for example to have bass-heavy with low-quality sound (where the bass is overly boomy) or high-quality sound (where the bass is tight, punchy, and doesn’t completely drown out the rest of your music). If things sound distorted, harsh, or muddy, that’s usually an indication of lower quality headphones. Higher quality headphones sound better, but also cost more, so it’s all about balancing your ears with your budget.

Comfort: Some feel like a cloud on your head, with plush ear pads and a headband that you barely notice is there. Others clamp down hard, squeezing your brain like it’s in a vice and putting undue pressure on the top of your skull.

Most are somewhere in between.

If you plan on wearing them for long stretches—like multi-hour gaming sessions—you’ll want to make sure you get something that stays comfortable long-term. There are a few things that can help—for example, you can replace pleather ear pads with velour-style pads to keep your ears from getting hot—but sometimes you just have to try a pair for yourself. Make sure you put a set of headphones through its paces within that return period, so you don’t end up with a headache and buyer’s remorse.

Open- or closed-backed: The ear cups of your headphone can either be open, allowing air to pass through them, or closed, creating a more sealed housing. Open-backed headphones have a more natural, airy sound, but leak sound both ways—you can hear everything going on around you, and people sitting next to you can hear your music. That makes them less than ideal for commuting, offices, and libraries, but makes them great for critical listening at home.

Closed-backed headphones, on the other hand, tend to have a more limited soundstage, but are great for emphasizing bass. (That’s not to say all closed-backed designare bass monsters with limited soundstages, but you get the idea). Most importantly, a closed-backed pair stop people from hearing your music and isolate you from outside noise. Both types of headphones can be great, so buy what sounds good to you and fits your use case.

Wired or wireless: Mobile device manufacturers may be trying to slowly pummel the headphone jack into submission, but wired audio is still around and kicking. All other things kept equal, wired headphones will be cheaper than their wireless counterparts, and don’t come with some of the connection problems and none of the battery life limitations that wireless audio comes with. Still, wireless audio can be mighty convenient if you’re out and about, as long as you can charge them regularly—just be prepared to shell out a bit more for a quality pair.

Active noise cancellation: If closed-back noise isolation isn’t enough for you, some headphones also come with active noise cancellation, which uses clever frequency trickery to cancel out noise around you.

It doesn’t work for all sound—it’s better with consistent noise like the drone of an airplane—but it can be mighty useful. That said, it can also make some people uncomfortable or give them headaches, so you may have to experiment with different headphones and levels of cancellation to find something that works right for you.

Impedance: Most of the options on this list have an impedance of 32Ω (ohms) or less, meaning they’ll work great with a laptop, phone, or tablet—just plug it in and press play. Once you get into audiophile-grade stuff over a couple hundred dollars, though, you’ll start to see more high-impedance headphones at 64Ω, 250Ω, or even 600Ω.

The Higher-impedance, the more power is needed for the drivers to work properly, so you may find them too quiet when plugged straight into a phone or laptop—to get them at the proper volume, you’ll need a headphone amplifier to supply more juice. That’s a completely separate topic with its own list of best products, but the JDS Labs Objective2 and Schiit Magni 3 are good starting points at a decent price.

Headphones are one of those products that are sometimes hard to describe using words alone, and they can be incredibly subjective. So, your best bet when shopping is to order a pair and try it out for yourself—just be sure to buy from a store with a good return policy in case they don’t fit your tastes. You can always send them back and try something else.

Over-Ear Headphones FAQ

Do over ear headphones sound better than other headphones?

Over-ear headphones tend to sound better than on-ear, in-ear, or open-ear options thanks to the larger drivers that often deliver a wider soundstage with more impactful sound for a deeper bass and crisper highs. The earcups also aid in sound quality, as they wrap around your entire ear, helping with passive noise cancellation and sound leakage.

Are over ear headphones good for gaming?

Over-ear headphones can work great for gaming if you’re in a pinch, but you’ll usually be better off with a dedicated gaming headset. Gaming headsets often wrap a wealth of features into their build for a lower price than headphones. Sure, the audio quality may not be as great, but the support for apps to tune your headset to your needs, as well as spatial audio and virtual surround sound are game changers. Plus, the boom microphones are often better for clear communication with teammates. If you’re after wireless connectivity, a headset usually comes with a dongle for an ultra-low latency link to your gaming devices – something you’ll rarely find with headphones.

Whitson Gordon is a writer, gamer, and tech nerd who has been building PCs for 10 years. He eats potato chips with chopsticks so he doesn’t get grease on his mechanical keyboard.

Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.