11 Video Game Room Ideas for the Ultimate Gaming Setup

A lot of us have fond memories of playing video games in spaces that were, shall we say, not optimized. From squinting at a non-backlit Game Boy screen in the backseat of a car to firing up the PlayStation 2 on your cousin’s 24-inch cathode ray TV, the best gaming experiences haven’t always come in the most technologically advanced packages.

But let’s be real — nostalgia for subpar setups doesn’t mean that today’s gamer shouldn’t be rocking something better. In fact, upgrading your gaming area using some more grown-up video game room ideas can help you enjoy your favorite games in a totally new way. 

Fathead is all about giving the true fan what they need to reinvent their space, and there’s no doubt that video game fans are some of the most dedicated around. If you’re ready to explore the next level of video game setups, here are 11 video game room ideas that are guaranteed to inspire gamers of all kinds. 

1. Home Theater Gaming Experience

Bigger, better and more immersive is a common way to go for your home gaming setup. It’s just plain hard for a gamer to go wrong with a bigger screen and a bumping sound system. If a 4K TV and surround sound system are within your budget, making them the centerpieces of your video game room will make it easier to truly lose yourself in a Bloodborne session (or whatever you’re playing). 

Don’t think you have to blow your life savings on a setup, either. It’s perfectly possible to get a respectable HD gaming setup that provides an immersive experience without paying a scalper double face value for an RTX 3080 or a PS5. Check out some of the available resources on budget PC building, and keep an eye out for Black Friday sales and other big blowouts on the latest electronics.

When choosing your AV setup for your video game room, make sure to consider how each element will fit in the physical space of the room and how they’ll interact. This is particularly important for high-end sound systems, which can have substantially different characteristics depending on room shape and positioning. You want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth when investing in fancy home theater electronics. 

Creative Ways to Decorate Your TV Wall

2. Combination Game Room/Home Office

Some of us have to be able to flip from gamer to working man or woman in the same space, especially in the post-COVID work from home era. If that sounds like you, think about video game room ideas that will allow you to combine your gaming space and your office space into one. This setup can even come with some built-in advantages, such as only having to buy one chair or one set of monitors.

The creativity required for creating a combination space can actually be part of the fun. To flip the game room into an office quickly, consider getting a video conference backdrop that you can slide over that framed copy of the Red Dead Redemption 2 map. Low-profile office elements like a dry erase calendar wall decal are also great choices for giving your space workday functionality without making it sterile or lifeless. 

Setting Up a Home Office for Remote Work: 5 Design Tips

3. Small Space, Big Effect

Not everyone has a bonus room that’s just begging for a massive video game setup. If you’re making it work with a smaller space such as a dorm room or apartment, there are still some great video game room ideas that will give you a setup your friends will envy. 

First, look into ways to optimize your desk space. A multilevel desk is one popular option, as are wall-mounted storage for things like headphones and controllers. Cable management is another factor that will make or break a small gaming space. There’s nothing that turns a space unmanageable faster than a tangled mess of cables. 

Lighting is an important element of creating a good gaming setup with limited space. A quality desk lamp with a soft lighting color is recommended for providing just enough light to reduce eye strain without killing the ambience. Remember that lighting colors like blue can make your space seem bigger, although you should use them in moderation in a bedroom space since blue light can affect your circadian rhythms. (We’ll talk more about lighting colors shortly.) 

4. Speed Up! 

A lot of the most popular video games require a decently fast Internet connection, and the last thing you want is to have your expertly orchestrated Call of Duty kill ruined by lag. Thus, most gamers will want to make sure that their speeds are up to a reasonable standard. 

Start by using one of the many free speed test utilities online to test your upload and download speeds. Anywhere above 20 mbps is generally considered sufficient for most online gaming, but if other people in your household are using streaming media or playing other games on the same connection, you might need more. 

Getting a Wi-Fi range extender for your gaming room can help if you’re struggling with insufficient signal. However, many serious gamers find that the best option is to hook up directly to an Ethernet connection. If an Ethernet outlet isn’t available in your gaming room, paying your Internet company to add one can be a game-changing investment (pun intended). 

5. Collector’s Edition

If you’ve got a sick collection of gaming-related stuff, why not flaunt it in your space? It could be classic games, action figures, manga, game posters or something else. Whatever it is, it will probably enhance the vibe of your gaming space. Gamers who are displaying collections should consider investing in some high-quality shelves to give their exhibitions extra pop and keep their prized pieces safe. 

Once you’ve got your collection on display, think about how you can complement it with the rest of your decor. Maybe that collection of Nintendo vinyl figures could use some Nintendo wall decals to go along with it, or perhaps your Kingdom Hearts Keyblade would look good with a couple of eSports wall decals alongside it. Whatever makes your little gamer heart happy, we say do it! 

Shop All eSports Wall Decals and Decor

6. Colorful Characters

Gaming gear tends to come with a lot of colored lights (which, we suppose, is appropriate for a hobby that uses colored lights as its basic building blocks). From gaming mice to gaming keyboards to RGB PC case lighting, colored LEDs are everywhere in the world of gaming. Thus, one way to make your gaming space pop is to choose an accent color to tie together your various points of lighting. 

Think about what vibe you want your gaming room to have and then choose a lighting color that provides that. Blue is always popular for a cool and slightly relaxing aura, while red might have the right intensity for a person who gets a little too competitive in Rocket League. Pink is a good choice for a funkier vibe, while green can give you an otherworldly atmosphere perfect for getting the absolute crap scared out of you by Alien: Isolation. Or, if you can’t decide, get an RGB lighting setup that allows you to dial in the perfect hue from your device. 

7. Minimal to the Max

Maybe a gaming space that looks like a night out in Shibuya isn’t your thing. It’s perfectly possible to create a tastefully minimal gaming space that lets you focus on the reason you’re here. Minimal video game room ideas are particularly useful if your gaming space is a shared area in which it’s not feasible to fully embrace your Funko Pop-centric vision. 

Start with some high-quality furniture that’s not necessarily gaming-related. The so-called bohemian furniture style is a classic choice for a look that’s elegant without being stuffy. Consider getting a simple chic cabinet to store all of your gaming accessories like controllers and headsets. 

Wall mounting your TV is an excellent option for those who want a clean gaming space, and there are plenty of tastefully sleek ways to store a gaming system, including wall mounting the console itself. Add a couple of simple shelves for storing your games, or just buy them online and take all of your storage into the digital realm. 

8. Space for Socializing

For a lot of gamers, games are a fundamentally social pastime. So, if a lot of your Saturday nights involve bringing over your buddies for a round of Smash Bros. Ultimate (or they will once the pandemic subsides), you’ll want to put some thought into making your space an enjoyable place to socialize. 

Make sure you’ve got enough seating for yourself and a few friends, and take care to place the seating so that every player has a good view of the TV. Set up a place to store controllers so that you won’t have to hunt for them every time, and add a coffee table for general storage of beverages, snacks and other gaming essentials. 

9. Get Comfy

A video game room is a great place to bring out a few of the little indulgences that make life awesome. Adding a mini fridge is one video game room idea that many gamers like. Who wants to make the trek all the way to the kitchen for a Red Bull when your Overwatch match is about to start? 

Keeping a comfortable temperature is also important for a room where you’ll regularly be spending hours at a time. (Plus, a room that gets too hot or too cold can reduce the lifespan of electronics.) And keep some throw pillows and blankets around so that you and your guests can get comfortable in whatever way feels best and puts you in the zone. 

Finally, let’s not forget about getting a good chair. Specialized gaming chairs can be good, but don’t feel like you absolutely need one, either. A comfortable and well-built office chair will serve just fine for most people. Just make sure to get one that offers ergonomic features like lumbar support and adjustable height. 

10. The Stream of Your Dreams

Video game streaming is a massively popular way to make friends online while exploring what you love about games, whether that’s showing off your sniping skills in Call of Duty: Warzone or delving into obscure games from the past. But if you’re planning on setting up your space for streaming, it’s important to know what investments you need to make when considering video game room ideas. 

Audio quality is extremely important for streamers, so look into some of the best microphones for streaming and consider upgrades like acoustic paneling that can provide a big boost to the sound quality in your video game room. You’ll also want to consider what viewers will see on your camera and set up your space appropriately. Unique decorations like lighted signs and custom wall murals can give your streams a spark of personality to set you apart from the pack. 

Light Up Your Space with Lighted Signs from Fathead

Remember that streaming will require a much better Internet connection than gaming alone will — usually in the neighborhood of 100 mbps and up. Invest in the best Internet connection you can afford because what’s the point in streaming if your broadcast is cutting out? Sharing your connection with other people is a common bandwidth eater, so if you’re a truly serious streamer who wants to make it a steady income source, consider getting a dedicated line. 

11. Fan Zone Frenzy

These days, the jocks and the nerds often aren’t so different. In fact, lots of dedicated video game players are now also sports fans. So, if you’re the type to make sure you always have the updated Madden roster downloaded, think about whether you might combine your passions into one awesome fan zone.

Get started by checking out some cool man cave decor ideas (whatever your gender). Fathead offers all kinds of sweet ways to make your fan space come alive, from vinyl sports decals to peel and stick wallpaper featuring your favorite team logos. And if you’re the type to get friends together to watch the League of Legends championship, we’ve got a selection of awesome eSports stickers to rep your favorite teams. 

Gamers everywhere know that Fathead plays to win. Forget low quality posters and paint-destroying wall decals. Fathead offers video game decor that’s wall-safe, reusable and printed using brilliant fade-resistant inks. Check out our whole selection and get started on executing the video game room ideas that will level up your gaming experience.

 

Image Credits

Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

Dean Drobot/Shutterstock

Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

Crystal Eye Studio/Shutterstock

OHishiapply/Shutterstock

Parilov/Shutterstock