Ikea Matchspel gaming chair review

Our VerdictIkea’s affordable gaming chair is a great choice for a budget throne with plenty of options, though the firm seat won’t suit everyone.

Our Verdict

Ikea’s affordable gaming chair is a great choice for a budget throne with plenty of options, though the firm seat won’t suit everyone.

ForLots of adjustment optionsComfortable mesh backAgainstNo pelvic tiltStiff bottom

ForLots of adjustment optionsComfortable mesh back

AgainstNo pelvic tiltStiff bottom

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IKEA

$199.99View

$199.99

$890View

Ikea UTESPELARE/MATCHSPEL…

Amazon

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$890

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Chairs can easily be one of the most important choices you make in life. A cheap uncomfortable gaming chair can lead to all sorts of back pain and health problems, especially if you have long gaming sessions in them. Gaming chairs known for their ergonomics don’t come cheap, to the point where they’re often prohibitively expensive.

This sucks, especially given most people who most need them have probably spent a lot of their cash on things like medicine, and doctors. Reckless fools.

While it’s not groundbreaking for ergonomics, Ikea’s Matchspel gaming chair is a PC throne that offers a fair amount of customisation at a very friendly price.

Ikea Matchspel chair specs(Image credit: Future)Seat type:MeshRecline:Yes, not fullWeight capacity:125.2 kg | 276 lbsMax seat height:59 cm | 23.22 inWarranty:3 yearsAvailable colours:Grey or black/redPrice:$290|£129|AUD$249

Ikea Matchspel chair specs

(Image credit: Future)Seat type:MeshRecline:Yes, not fullWeight capacity:125.2 kg | 276 lbsMax seat height:59 cm | 23.22 inWarranty:3 yearsAvailable colours:Grey or black/redPrice:$290|£129|AUD$249

(Image credit: Future)

Ikea Matchspel gaming chair back of headrest

Seat type:MeshRecline:Yes, not fullWeight capacity:125.2 kg | 276 lbsMax seat height:59 cm | 23.22 inWarranty:3 yearsAvailable colours:Grey or black/redPrice:$290|£129|AUD$249

There’s a choice between a black or grey colourway on these. The black sports a red trim which is very ROG gamer, but I went with the light grey to match my desk.

I also wanted to see if it gathered dirt or discoloured with sweat or just contact. Thankfully, I am happy to report both the mesh backing and leatherette seat still look as grey as the day they arrived, despite much use, including a little sweating during heated gaming moments.

For a seat this affordable, there are a fair few settings to play with to get your own individual comfort.

When setting it up the instructions tell you to leave some screws a bit loose so the back of the chair can move a bit with your body and the lumbar support on this stretched fabric is pretty decent.

The downside is it’s a little rickety feeling and noisy when parts move but not obnoxiously so. The headrest also has this mesh fabric backing and can have its height and angle adjusted quite dramatically to suit different heights.

Image1of4(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Image1of4

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Ikea Matchspel gaming chair seat

(Image credit: Future)

Ikea Matchspel gaming chair side on close up

(Image credit: Future)

Ikea Matchspel gaming chair front on

(Image credit: Future)

Ikea Matchspel gaming chair back of headrest

There’s one lever under the seat that lets you adjust the height via gaslift, and also the tilt of the back portion of the chair. Adjusting vertically is fairly standard and quite granular, but the tilt locks in at different set points. The recline isn’t all the way back either but does let you lean a fair way for a quick relax.

When pushed in, that under seat lever locks the adjustments so you don’t accidentally change your comfortable seat in a heated gaming moment. The armrests are pretty standard plastic but can also be pulled up and be pushed forward and back for further personalised comfort.

(Image credit: Future)

Ikea Matchspel gaming chair being put together plus dog overseeing events.

Buy if…✅You want a good bet for cheap:The Matchspel is a pretty cheap computer chair for how pleasant it is and how many adjustment points it has. You could do a lot worse for the RRP of this seat.

Buy if…

✅You want a good bet for cheap:The Matchspel is a pretty cheap computer chair for how pleasant it is and how many adjustment points it has. You could do a lot worse for the RRP of this seat.

Don’t buy if…❌You need a lower seat tilt:While packed with a fair few customisable settings for the price, it does forgo that pelvic tilt many might find crucial for health, comfort, or both.❌You’re a larger human:The chair isn’t rated for over 110 kgs and I think longer legs would find the depth of the seat wanting. Not necessarily a pick for the big and tall among us.

Don’t buy if…

❌You need a lower seat tilt:While packed with a fair few customisable settings for the price, it does forgo that pelvic tilt many might find crucial for health, comfort, or both.❌You’re a larger human:The chair isn’t rated for over 110 kgs and I think longer legs would find the depth of the seat wanting. Not necessarily a pick for the big and tall among us.

❌You need a lower seat tilt:While packed with a fair few customisable settings for the price, it does forgo that pelvic tilt many might find crucial for health, comfort, or both.

❌You’re a larger human:The chair isn’t rated for over 110 kgs and I think longer legs would find the depth of the seat wanting. Not necessarily a pick for the big and tall among us.

Despite a fair amount of customisation, especially for the price point, my biggest complaint with the Matchspel is still about ergonomics, and it’s that there’s no tilt for the bum cushion. To be fair, being able to tilt this forward and back would have made this chair a bit of a holy grail as it’s not the most common adjustment you find in computer chairs.

If a chair this cheap had it I would be shocked, but given all the other options I was a little hopeful.

Unfortunately, for a lot of people, especially women or other folks with pelvic pain problems or similar issues this is a big deal and arguably is the most important part of a chair to adjust.

That slightly personal (50% of the population) complaint aside, the Matchspel sports a fair few customisation options, and is reasonably comfy, especially for a chair that only costs $290 / £129. It’s on the lower effort end when it comes to hefty computer chairs to set up, and looks business-appropriate in an understated way, especially with the light grey colour options.

It’s gamer stealth, so you can pretend you’re a professional who didn’t totally just alt-tab out of Steam while on Zoom calls.

IKEA Matchspel: Price Comparison

$199.99View$890View

$199.99View

IKEA

$199.99View

$199.99

$890View

Ikea UTESPELARE/MATCHSPEL…

Amazon

$890View

$890

We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

The Verdict79Read our review policyIkea MatchspelIkea’s affordable gaming chair is a great choice for a budget throne with plenty of options, though the firm seat won’t suit everyone.

The Verdict

79Read our review policyIkea MatchspelIkea’s affordable gaming chair is a great choice for a budget throne with plenty of options, though the firm seat won’t suit everyone.

79Read our review policy

Ikea MatchspelIkea’s affordable gaming chair is a great choice for a budget throne with plenty of options, though the firm seat won’t suit everyone.

Ikea Matchspel

Ikea’s affordable gaming chair is a great choice for a budget throne with plenty of options, though the firm seat won’t suit everyone.

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Our Verdict#

Our Verdict