Fnatic Anda Seat review: Gaming comfort

If you put the word “gaming” in front of something enough, I’m going to end up reviewing it. This is what I have learned, and this is how I ended up with the Fnatic Anda Seat. This gaming seat looks a lot like the trendy and sporty office chair that streamers have made popular over the last few years. And I’m impressed with the Fnatic Anda’s comfort and features to the point that I can see why they’re so popular.

The Fnatic Anda gaming chair is available now from Anda’s website for approximately $500 (£400). As the name suggests, it features the branding of the Fnatic esports organization. Anda embroidered the “Fnatic” name along the sides of the headrest and on the lumbar-support pillow. But otherwise, this chair is all-business, and it’s good at what it does.

The Fnatic Anda Seat is comfortable and easy to adjust

I won’t pretend that I’m some office furniture expert. I’ve used a well-worn cheap desk chair for five years, and — unsurprisingly — the Anda Seat is better than it. But I’m a human with a body like you, and I’ll try to convey my experience using the Anda.

The first thing I noticed is that the chair’s material was both soft and supportive. I didn’t feel like my body was pressing into metal, which is a sensation I often had with the seat I got from Office Depot. But at the same time, the chair has a firmness that encourages a better posture. I’m having an easier time sitting up straight in this chair, which is something I really notice and appreciate.

I’m also loving the Anda’s leather material. Even during long sitting sessions in shorts, the chair stayed cool. It also never stuck to my skin.

The pleasant experience also extended the ease of adjusting. You’ll find a number of levers and dials on the Anda, and they’re all easy to reach, with the exception of the rocker knob. But reclining and the height adjuster are all simple to grab.

Above: It’s a big seat if you’re only 30 pounds.

Image Credit: GamesBeat

It’s also heavy and durable

The other thing I noticed immediately was the Anda Seat’s mass. It is a heavy beast. This is mostly a good thing, but it does mean that you might struggle to move the chair around. Also, if you try to grab the seat by the armrests, they can feel flimsy as you’re more likely to adjust their angle than to actually roll the seat — especially on carpet.

But the heft makes the chair feel stable and durable. Anda uses a lot of steel in its frame, which should ensure it can withstand years of use. But it also makes it so that even when I lay back with my 230-pound 6-foot body, the chair doesn’t feel tipsy. It stays right in place. I can even stick my arms or feet out, and the seat never feels like I’m really challenging its center of gravity.

The result here is that I feel like I don’t have to be careful with the chair. If I want to lean back and take a nap, this chair will ensure I won’t have to worry about tipping over. It’s also easily comfortable enough for falling asleep, which was dangerous during my all-night RTX 3080 review.

Is it actually good for gaming?

I think that the chair does earn that “gaming chair” designation. This is marketing, but I don’t think it’s marketing alone. Gamers are a demanding audience, and they’ll speak up if something doesn’t meet their needs.

With that in mind, I find that the Anda Seat does a fine job of fitting into what I need as a gamer — especially on PC. It’s tall enough that I can sit up at my desk with my arms down at my side. I haven’t had proper posture like this while using a mouse and keyboard maybe ever.

I’m also able to scoot the seat in close to the desk thanks to the very adjustable armrests.

Then, when it is time to grab a controller, the chair reclines into an equally comfortable laid-back position, and I’m enjoying that just as much.

The Fnatic Anda Seat is available now for $500. Anda provided a sample unit to GamesBeat for the purpose of this review.