I've tested countless gaming chairs and the brilliant AndaSeat Novis could be the best budget option yet

AndaSeat Novis: One-minute review

This chair is good. No seriously, it might not look like much, but for the price it's exceptional. You're looking at $200-250 for the regular or XL variant, and for that, the Novis absolutely nails what a good gaming chair should be.

What makes this one of the best gaming chairs around then? Simply put, it's stupidly comfortable to sit in. The padding in the seat base and the bolsters is absolutely next level. It's covered in a faux leather-like PVC material, but overall comfort is top-tier.

The backrest has lumbar support built into it; it's non-adjustable but it's enough to keep you comfortable through long gaming sessions or during the work day, and the overall feel and style are up there. It's not too gamer-y, nor is it too corporate. It treads a fine line between the two, with the only issue being the potentially a little too intense branding.

It's not perfect, of course; AndaSeat has had to cut back on a number of features and build elements to bring the price down. The armrests, particularly on the XL model I tested, are a little too small, and you don't get any included lumbar or headrest pillows (they're optional extras instead), plus the overall frame has been slimmed down a bit to shave off some material cost, but for what you're paying, that's more than acceptable.

The Novis hits the mark, not because it has some fancy gimmicks or outlandish design, but because it nails the basics and does so with an incredible price point attached to it. It's that simple. This is unabashedly one of the most comfortable gaming chairs I've ever tested, and that's saying a lot.

AndaSeat Novis: Price and Availability

• List Price: $250 (around £210)
• Only available direct from AndaSeat.com
• PVC leatherette and Cloth versions

If you're looking to actually grab one of the world's most affordable gaming chairs right now, I've got some bad news. Unfortunately, it's seemingly only available via AndaSeat directly, and right now the release is limited to the US.

I have no doubt it's coming to other regions at a later date (Europe, likely once various health and safety legislation has been met), but for the time being it's a web store exclusive.

That's likely been done again to shave a bit of cost off the overall price tag. I'd suspect the margins for AndaSeat are so low on these things that having to fork out extra cash to Amazon for the privilege of listing it might be a step too far.

But the thing is, though, it's that pricing that really cements the brilliance of this thing. There are effectively four models on offer. You've got the L-size for folk between 155-190 cm and up to 90 kg, and the XL size (featured in this test) for 165-210 cm up to 120 kg.

Within that, there's a choice of either a premium PVC leather option or alternatively, you can opt for a linen fabric instead that comes in a sleek "Ash Gray" finish, looking equally stellar. The standard L size comes in at $200 regardless of material, and the XL is $250.

Another nice addition to the whole affair is bizarrely something that AndaSeat's excluded from the overall package. In this case, that's the lumbar support and headrest pillow. You can actually buy these as optional extras, either as a package together for $59 or individually at $39 each.

To be honest, I would like to see those prices reduced somewhat (they're high for what they are); however, it's quite nice that they're optional extras and that additional manufacturing cost has been removed from the initial outlay.

AndaSeat Novis: Specs

Andaseat Novis: Design and Aesthetics

• No drama
• Sleek PVC Leather
• Basic armrests

With that pricing in mind, you probably wouldn't expect too much from it. $250 for a gaming chair and a lot of cash these days, certainly with the likes of Noblechair's Legend and Secretlab's Titan Evo kicking around in the big leagues.

Yet the Novis actually delivers quite the package. In its PVC leather form, it's clean, slick, and simple. There's no drama outside of a few embroidered logos. It's a bucket seat design out of the gate, with some fairly simple clean stitching and comfortable bolsters running along the slides.

Unlike with the Kaiser line, there are no dramatic colorways to choose from, just black for the leather and grey for the cloth, and that's about it.

It's comfortable enough, and if you put this in a room with 30 other gaming chairs, you'd be hard-pressed to place it at that $200 mark, which honestly is high praise. It's only when you start to look under the hood that you begin to notice some of the features that have been cut back to really nail that budget entry cost.

AndaSeat Novis: Comfort and adjustability

• Armrests need work
• Adjustment is incredibly limited
• Wildly comfortable, even compared to the Kaiser

Flip this thing over during the construction, and you'll spot immediately that there's just one lever. You don't have that lock-out lever for the tilt mechanism.

Instead, it's constantly unlocked. That said, it's very rigid, and although you can technically tilt back on it, it requires some serious force to shuffle it back by that 15 degrees.

Then there's the armrests (always a bit of a sticking point for AndaSeat). I will say these are more functional than the 5D armrests found on the Pro line with the Kaiser 3 series and the Kaiser 4, but that comes with some major caveats.

Unfortunately, you can only adjust them up and down. There's no rotation, no pivot, and no sliding forwards and backwards. That wouldn't be that big of an issue if it wasn't for the fact that they're remarkably small, measuring just 9.8" (25cm) long and 3.1" (8cm) wide. Even for a smaller human like myself at 5'8.5" (174cm) and 165lbs (75kg) actually resting my arms on them during use is a bit awkward at times. They're not awful though, and they do work relatively well. Perhaps better suited to the smaller "L" sizing.

Then there's the seat itself, and it is wildly comfortable; there's no denying it. AndaSeat's cold-cure foam is out of this world. Squishy, supportive—it's just luscious. The added 2.5" (5cm) raised bolsters on either edge and the subtle angling on those and the backrest bolsters just add to the overall luxurious feel and allow it to compete, certainly on a comfort level with those far costlier flagships out there.

One minor complaint: the PVC leather, although durable, does lack some breathability compared to alternatives out there. In part due to its synthetic nature. It could use some perforations or some form of patterning to relieve some of that glossy, sweaty feel.

I've been testing a lot of graphics cards and systems lately, my office has hit 95F (35C) on a few occasions, and it's made the Novis particularly sticky during those moments. Less than ideal. Still, it's an all-round epic chair, and for the cost, it's hard to beat.

AndaSeat Novis: Assembly

• Quick and seamless
• Very standard process
• Minimal components, minimal fuss

So, easy to build? Yeah. If you've built a few gaming chairs over the last decade or so, you'll get along with this just fine. Unlike with the AndaSeat X-Air there's no complex hydraulic cambling to do or anything along those lines.

You chuck the castor wheels into the base, the piston into that, attach your armrests and seat base mount to the underside of the seat, pop that on the piston, then attach the backrest to that, and wrap-up with the side bolt covers.

AndaSeat reckons you're better off installing the backrest to the seat base first before mounting it on top of the gas piston, but honestly, I found it easier to do it the way listed above, as it reduces the overall weight and doesn't take any longer.

You'll notice there's no frills around it, though. Unlike some other options, there's no subtle chrome badging you need to plug in, or flappy paddles, or anything along those lines really. The only minor annoyance is attaching the armrests, but again, it's so cheap and affordable and takes such little time to attach them that it's really not worth complaining about.

Unlike with the Kaiser 3 Pro XL, it didn't have any trouble with the bolts or securing anything into position either on this sample, just happy sailing, and in less than 20 minutes I had a gaming chair up and built.

Should You Buy The AndaSeat Novis?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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How I tested the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro

• Sat in it for two weeks total
• Tested in all manner of working positions
• Hand built solo

I spent two weeks with the Novis XL getting to grips with it. Particularly challenging being slightly shorter than the recommended numbers. I also got friends and colleagues to sit in it too, to judge just how good it was, and then collated that information into my own review as well.

I've also had a ton of experience with the entirety of AndaSeat's range at this point, which has given me particularly good insight into how it operates and which features and models it has at its disposal.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2025