We always try to find good value among our reviewed products, and that includes getting high quality at a low price. Sometimes, however, you get what you pay for. That’s the case with the GTRacing Pro Series GT099. At $179.99, it’s one of the least expensive gaming chairs we’ve tested, costing less than half the price of the Mavix M5, SecretLab Titan, and other recommended models. Unfortunately, the GT099's build quality is far below those pricier alternatives, and its faux leather shell squeaks loudly whenever you move in the seat. There are probably some compelling, budget-priced gaming chairs out there, but this isn’t one of them.

Awkward Assembly

Putting the GT099 Pro together is the most do-it-yourself process we’ve seen in a gaming chair. In fact, it has the most steps. Most gaming chairs require some assembly, but the manufacturer at least installs the recline mechanism onto the seat at the factory, and often the armrest supports, too. With the GT099 Pro, you need to screw on the reclining mechanism, the armrest supports, the chair back, and the base plate before you can pop the chair onto the wheeled base (after inserting the wheels and the gas piston cylinder, of course). The assembly process isn't too difficult, but it’s more complicated and frustrating than what you'll experience putting together most other gaming chairs.

Chair Design

Once the chair's assembled, you'll find the Pro’s design relatively generic. It's black combined with some other color (the purchase options include red, blue, green, white, gray, or purple, with the additional and currently sold-out pink-and-white option). The seat and chair back are made of fairly thin foam padding suspended over a metal frame. That padding is covered in similarly thin and slightly rough-feeling, faux leather. Nothing about the chair feels particularly premium or, indeed, “Pro.” It’s just a plain, budget-priced gaming chair.

The GT099 Pro has a seat that’s just under 20 inches wide and a fairly shallow 16 inches deep, with a maximum weight of 300 pounds. The entire chair can be tilted or locked in place, and the chair back can recline up to 170 degrees by pulling the lever on its right side. The armrests have adjustable heights, and can be rotated to three different angles.

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As is typical with most gaming chairs, the GT099 Pro comes with lumbar and headrest pillows. They’re rectangular cushions made of stiff, foam padding and the same faux leather as the chair itself. They feel perfunctory, and aren’t very comfortable unless you like extremely firm lumbar support.

Squeaky Sitting

The chair squeaks. The faux leather makes loud noises whenever I shift in my seat, which is a problem I haven't experienced with other gaming chairs. The wheels and the tilting and reclining mechanisms are fine—it’s just very loud fake leather. Maybe the material needs to be broken in a bit, it’s the noisiest gaming chair I’ve ever sat in.

The chair also doesn’t feel particularly sturdy or comfortable compared with other chairs we’ve tested. The GT099 Pro isn’t overtly bad (besides the squeaking), but next to what AndaSeat and SecretLab offer, it feels flimsy and not very supportive or ergonomic. Even its wheels roll more roughly than the competition's. The GT099 Pro might cost less than half as much as you would spend on those other chairs, but the quality difference is apparent.

The Price You Pay

At $179.99, the GTRacing GT099 Pro gaming chair is much less expensive than our recommended picks, but its build quality is lacking. And it squeaks. Our recent Editors' Choice picks for gaming chairs, the Mavix M5 and the SecretLab Titan, cost much more, but they’re also much better made, with superior materials and more stylish designs. If you’re dedicated to spending less than $200 on a gaming chair, consider going to your nearest office supply or electronics store and look around. You might find an alternative in that price range that you can sit in and feel for yourself. It might be an office chair that doesn’t recline, but it might still be much nicer than the GT099 Pro.