Looking for gaming setup ideas?
We’ve rounded up 15 of our favorite designs and layouts to inspire your next setup.
You’ll want to read until the end—we found some really cool ideas to pick from!
Looking for Gaming Setup Ideas?
A gaming setup is a personalized center at the heart of your gaming needs.
From storing gaming equipment to displaying your favorite video game collector items, your game station is more than the spot where you play games.
If gaming is your happy place or workplace, you should optimize your space for the ultimate game experience. Whether that’s peak fun or peak performance is up to you.
15 Unique Gaming Setup Ideas
You might already have an idea of what the perfect gaming setup looks like, and probably a few of those ideas are on this list. However, we think there might be one or two concepts that will surprise you.
Gaming Chair
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Is it really a gaming setup without a great gaming chair?
The gaming chair comes in all forms, from the simple ergonomic chair to the funky-colored platform-themed chair.
It can get pricey to get a chair explicitly advertised for gaming, so remember to consider other sitting furniture designed for long hours.
Showcased Collections
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Part of the fun of setting up a computer room is the ability to showcase all your areas of geekery. Display collections of things that you enjoy.
You might choose books, bobbleheads, Lego creations, a fandom collection, a hobby collection, or even just plants.
You can use your desktop, but consider adding wall shelves or bookshelves to house your collections as well.
Your gaming room is your happy place, and you’ll feel happier gaming with the items you love surrounding you.
Footrest or Stool
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Once your back is cozy in your sit-friendly chair, remember that your legs and feet deserve a chance for blood circulation.
Whether it’s an hour or several hours, your legs don’t like freefall dangling.
You might invest in a chair that lays back and springs the legs up, but if you’re considering appearing on camera, you might not appreciate the way it looks.
Even if you’re keeping your game scores to yourself, it’s not an ideal position when you’re ready to lean in for a boss fight.
If your space doesn’t allow for a stool, even a short footrest can help alleviate some pins and needles.
Screens
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Whether you play games with a game console or on your computer, your screen is an important aspect of the experience. Having a screen big enough to see all the details is essential for both enjoyment and gameplay.
A 55-inch television is optimal for console gaming, and you need at least a 24-inch monitor for optimal computer gaming. Of course, you can always go larger.
Nobody ever does one thing at a time anymore. And that goes for gaming, too. Of course, you want to be able to keep an eye on social media or stream your favorite music while gaming.
And the more monitors, the better. I’ve seen game room setups with enough monitors to make your head spin. Something you’ll also want to consider for your screen is elevation.
Whether you wall-mount your monitors or put them on risers, it’s important to adjust their height so that you don’t turn into a hunchback from ignoring your posture while staring at the screen.
Your screen should also be high enough that your eyes are 2-3 inches from the top of your screen. Any less, and you start to tilt your head downward.
Lighting
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Good lighting is as essential for work as it is for play. Of course, you can find a trusty desk lamp, ring light, or hanging light if you want classic lighting. But LED strip lighting is the way of the future.
If you’ve seen under-cabinet lighting, you’ve likely seen the effect before. LED strip lights are available in various colors, lengths, and styles. Stick some under or around your table or desk.
Line shelves so your figurines, photos, and spare controllers are easy to spot. Some LED lighting strips are sound-sensitive. So if you switch your headphones to speakers, the lights will react to music and other sounds.
If you set your heart on sound-reactive lighting, plenty of smart lighting panels also have this feature. Nanoleaf is the most well-known brand, but maybe shop around before you settle on the popular pick.
Gaming Desk
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The desk situation mainly applies to gamers with a dedicated setup rather than a shared space with others who use the area for TV and streaming.
A desk isn’t a requirement, as tables and even heavy-duty shelves can support your gaming equipment. However, the easiest option is a desk.
The surface needs to be deep enough to keep your screen at least 20 inches, or an arm’s length, away from your eyes. The width is a personal choice, as it only needs to hold your monitor.
But you might need space for a random assortment of things. For example, consider space for headphones, controller chargers, ring lights, and other technical knick-knacks you want within reach.
Alternatively, you might allocate desk drawer space or hang some shelves above the desk.
Console and PC gamers might opt to leave your device on the floor, but creating room on your desk, side table, or shelving unit is another option.
Some desks incorporate a built-in unit for the average PC, which would also fit most consoles.
Headphone Stand
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Headphones are often the go-to for the best sound quality, but when not on your ears, where do you put them?
You could drop them on your desk or table, or you could show a little appreciation and exhibit your headphones on a stand.
Stand options range from holders to chargers, single to multiple. For those with a few headphones, it’s nice to keep your collection in one place.
However, the best choice for headphones that require some juice is a stand that also charges.
As long as the stand is sturdy and doesn’t take up too much precious space, it’s up to personal preference to select a headphone stand that suits your gaming setup.
Accommodations for Friends and Family
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If you enjoy having friends and family play games with you, it’s important to have the right setting for everyone’s comfort.
Overstuffed bean bags can accommodate people who can’t fit on the couch while still providing a prime seating location.
Plus, they’re more comfortable than sitting on the floor. Be sure everyone has their own controller.
Having controllers in multiple colors or with different skins can help everyone determine whose controller is whose when someone puts theirs down.
Sound
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When you set up your gaming area, sound is an important aspect. For both computer gaming and console gaming, you will want to make sure to have good-quality speakers and gaming headphones.
A surround-sound setup is ideal to fully immerse yourself in game sound if you’re not using headphones.
The sound experience is better. Plus, surround sound means that you won’t miss when something is approaching from behind.
Headphones are ideal when you don’t want to disturb other people in your home or your neighbors through thin apartment walls while you play.
Gaming headphones also provide a microphone for talking with others in online multiplayer games or for Twitch live streaming.
Futuristic Design
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The setting for your gaming room can set the mood for play. A lot of gaming setup design focuses on neon lighting to bring a futurist feel to the room.
However, the same feel can come through repeating shapes throughout the room or focusing on simplicity. Think about your color scheme. White floors with red and grey highlights feel techy.
Or you might go with a black and green color scheme for a more Matrix-like feel. Add apocalyptic or futuristic paintings. Abstract stained glass can provide an otherworldly feel.
Things to Consider
Before you jump headfirst into preparing your gaming setup, measure your space before buying or adding anything.
You might find the perfect gaming chair or the comfiest footrest, but if it doesn’t fit your desk or table, you’ll be disappointed.
Creating a budget is crucial, whether you’re upgrading a pre-existing setup or starting from scratch.
Think outside the box to maintain your budget. For example, a fancy desk with drawers can be as reliable as a minimalistic wall-mounted desk with a few shelves.
Lighting
When it comes to lighting, you might not get it right the first time. After all, lighting is a profession for a reason. To start, consider how much light your space gets and what time of day you intend to game.
For night gaming, chances are you don’t want to be blindingly bright. Still, it’s better on your eyes if something is glowing other than your screen.
Night readers might have some experience with balancing enough light to see without transforming night into day.
For day-to-day gaming, you probably won’t need much. For example, a well-lit room might not need more than a desk lamp or a ceiling light.
But, on the other hand, if you’re facing a window, you might need curtains to stop the glaring sun from blanking your screen.
An evenly lit room can help prevent eye strain while gaming. Focus on lighting from behind you rather than directly behind or above your screen.
Living Room Gaming Setups
For living room gamers, you can still optimize a TV table. Under-table storage, whether it’s built-in shelves or organizers added after the fact, is fantastic for tucking away controllers, chargers, spare batteries, headphones, and remotes.
If your coffee table is too shallow to add storage underneath, consider a side table. It might even be better to have a dedicated storage container for gaming.
Another option for living room gamers is a dynamic TV stand. Stands these days have slots or shelves for consoles, streaming sticks, cable boxes, external speakers, and the like.
Some drawers are deep enough for an upright headphone stand, although you can also try a headphone charger that takes up less space in a drawer.
Cleaning
We won’t recommend poking into the holes and crevices to clean. Unless you’re an expert at tinkering with gamepads, keyboards, and tech, wiping down outer surfaces with a cloth or cotton swab is a tech-safe maintenance tactic.
Avoid soaking or dripping wet cloths or wipes, and stick to something slightly damp. Then, gently wipe inside any spots you suspect are housing crumbs or food grease.
Optional Accessories
Not every gamer is a streamer, so not all gamers need these accessories. However, you can’t win the award for ultimate gaming setup without these extra optional accessories:
- Microphone
- Webcam
- Video Capture
- Blue Light Reduction Glasses
- Backlit Keyboard
- High Refresh Rate Monitor
- Speakers
- Blackout Curtains
Microphones are necessary if you want to record your voice for streaming or pre-recorded video.
It might also come in handy for certain horror games that take cues from real-world sound to trigger jump scares. You’ve probably heard a bit about blue light reduction glasses.
Of course, night gamers will reap the most benefits, as blue light tells our bodies to stay awake, reducing sleep quality and quantity. However, day gamers also gain something, as blue light glasses can reduce eye strain.
Speakers are best for gamers who need a break from headphones or prefer to turn up the background music. If you share a home with people who appreciate quiet, investing in some soundproofing and avoiding speakers is better.
Video capture cards, especially plug-and-play devices, transform video signals into digital data for a seamless transition to your preferred internet platforms, such as Twitch or YouTube.
Consoles can internally capture gameplay, but external capture hardware improves video quality.
Which Gaming Setup Ideas Will You Choose?
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Did any of these gaming setup ideas inspire your inner Sims or Minecraft decorator?
Do you have plans to upgrade your living room game station with some lighting or add a footrest under your desk?
Whatever ideas stuck out to you, we hope these gaming setup ideas have helped upgrade your space.