I spent 2 months ditching my WFH chair for this gaming chair — and its 'adaptive lumbar' saved my back

Just when I thought this flagship gaming chair couldn’t get any better, Razer has released its upgraded Iskur V2 NewGen. While the V2 had plenty of improvements, this new model features a comfier yet more supportive dual-density cold-cured foam cushion and upgraded EPU synthetic leather with built-in cooling tech.

I still remember trying out the Iskur V2 during my first trip to CES and walking away very impressed with its upgraded lumbar support system. The Iskur V2 NewGen isn’t a complete redesign as it retains what made that model one of the best gaming chairs. Instead, it’s more of a refinement designed to be more comfortable while feeling significantly more premium.

Although I typically spend my days (and my nights) sitting in one of the best office chairs, the Razer Iskur V2 NewGen has been a nice change of pace. From the instant I sat in it, I really liked its stiffer backrest and wide, comfy seat. Likewise, it was a breeze to put together and locking in the perfect fit comes easily too, thanks to the knobs on either side and the lever to control its recline. Still though, this is a high-end gaming chair with a $649 price tag and unfortunately, there isn’t a fabric option like with most of Razer’s other chairs.

My Razer Iskur V2 NewGen review will help you decide if this is the right gaming chair for you or if you’d be better off going with the cheaper yet less full-featured Iskur V2 X instead.

Razer Iskur V2 NewGen: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A premium gaming chair with a strong focus on ergonomics and cooling.
• Who is it for? People who want a very adjustable seat with dedicated lumbar support which they can use for long stretches at a time comfortably that still looks like a gaming chair.
• What does it cost? The Razer Iskur V2 NewGen costs $649 regardless of which colorway you choose.
• What do we like? The adaptive lumbar support system, the wider backrest and seat base, the extra thick foam seat cushion and how easy it is to adjust using the built-in lever and knobs.
• What don’t we like? That the upgraded synthetic leather can still feel hot after extended periods and the higher price compared to other similarly-specced gaming chairs.

Razer Iskur V2 NewGen: Specs

Razer Iskur V2 NewGen: The ups

The Razer Iskur V2 NewGen offers exactly what you’d expect from a premium gaming chair in terms of design and comfort. However, it doesn’t skimp on ergonomics either with an adjustable lumbar support system that moves with your back as you shift in your chair while gaming or even working from home.

A color-coded build

The Razer Iskur V2 NewGen arrived in a single large brown box with everything packed neatly inside. While I wish it came as pre-assembled as the more expensive Herman Miller Vantum, it was surprisingly simple to put together.

With everything unpacked, I was left with the Iskur V2 NewGen’s backrest, frame, seat, casters and the rest of the parts needed to assemble it. One thing I really liked is that the armrests did come pre-attached, which is a nice touch given how tedious installing them yourself can be.

While other companies will often have you scan a QR code to view their assembly instructions online, Razer includes a large printout with key steps highlighted in the company’s signature Razer green. Speaking of which, you also get a pair of black gloves with that same accent color in the box so you don’t get any grease on your hands when installing the chair’s lift mechanism.

Building the Iskur V2 NewGen was a straightforward process using the included Allen wrench. I’d say the hardest part was connecting the seat to the backrest but honestly, this was quite easy to do compared to some of the office chairs I’ve built over the years.

With the Iskur V2 NewGen fully assembled, it was time to take it for a spin.

Wider all around

When looking at the Iskur V2 NewGen, it’s hard not to notice its curves. In fact, this gaming chair almost has an hourglass figure since it’s skinniest at the center where the seat meets the backrest and extends out in either direction.

This was intentional on Razer’s part as a big focus of this NewGen refresh is comfort. The chair is just under 16 inches at its skinniest point. However, the seat extends out to 20.9 inches at its edge while the backrest goes even wider at 21.3 inches. The extended seat allows you to sit cross-legged in this gaming chair while the extended backrest provides plenty of room for those with wider shoulders.

As someone on the smaller side at 5’4”, I still found this extra space to be quite nice to have. I had plenty of room as I shifted from side to side in the Iskur V2 NewGen’s seat and the same was true for my shoulders when my back leaned from left to right.

While I would have preferred a magnetic head cushion like on the Secretlab Titan Evo, I did find the included one made from sculpted memory foam to be quite comfortable even for long stretches. However, I did swap it for the Razer Clio when playing PS5 at my desk since I had a pair of Razer Nommo V2 Pro speakers connected to my gaming PC via USB-C and to my Switch 2 over Bluetooth.

Just the pull of a lever

One thing I really prefer with the Iskur V2 NewGen over some of the more over-designed office chairs I regularly test is the simplicity of its adjustments. Fine-tuning this chair for the perfect fit only takes a few minutes and the more complicated adjustments come with illustrations to further simplify the process.

There are adjustment knobs on the left and right side — but more on that later — and a lever that controls the chair’s recline. Everything is right there within reach and I never had to get out of the Iskur V2 NewGen to make adjustments.

The chair also comes with 4D armrests that you can move up or down, forward or backward, closer or farther away from you and angled inward or outward. Unlike some of the 4D or even 6D armrests I’ve tested on office chairs, I really like how the ones on the Iskur V2 NewGen stay firmly in place. One of my biggest gripes with Herman Miller’s Vantum gaming chair is that I’d need to readjust the pads of its armrests almost every time I sat down.

Given that a lot of office chairs require you to unlock a lever and then lean back whenever you want to recline, the larger, handbrake-style lever on the right side of the Iskur V2 NewGen was a welcome change for me. I’d just hold onto the lever and lean back to my preferred recline position with it in my hand.

Although I spent a lot of my time gaming upright while trying out the Iskur V2 NewGen, I did put its recline to the test while using the Razer Kishi Ultra and my Lenovo Legion Tab 3 for some remote gaming.

While an integrated footrest like on the Hbada X7 or even a standalone one like with the LiberNovo Omni would have been nice, it was still quite comfortable playing some PC games using the Steam Link app while laying almost completely flat in the Iskur V2 NewGen.

Lumbar that moves with you

Just like with the Iskur V2, the adaptive lumbar support is one of the standout features of this gaming chair. After using it as my daily driver for the past two months, it’s easy to see why.

Unlike a traditional lumbar support mechanism, this one is able to move with you as you shift from side to side in the Iskur V2 NewGen. For instance, you can feel it move if you look over to either side from your desk. However, I found it to be even more useful in fast-paced games where I tend to move around a bit more than I normally would while working.

While the lumbar support systems in some of the office chairs I reviewed are completely static — meaning they don't pivot or track your spine dynamically as you shift — Razer's system lets you fine-tune its position both vertically and horizontally.

A knob on the left side of the Iskur V2 NewGen allows you to move the lumbar support up and down so it can perfectly align with the small of your back. The knob on the right side is what really impressed me with the original Iskur V2 and this refreshed model.

When you turn this knob, the lumbar support mechanism either extends or retracts. As 1HP’s Dr. Matthew Hwu explained to me a few years ago at Razer’s CES booth, if you tend to lean forward while playing the best PC games at your desk, then you might want to extend the Iskur V2 NewGen’s lumbar support all the way forward. That way, you can sit in your preferred gaming position without hurting your back.

As for me, while I did play some Death Stranding 2 on PC while seated in the Iskur V2 NewGen, I actually spent the majority of my time testing the chair out while playing Star Fox on the Nintendo Switch 2 ahead of my review. During those epic interstellar dog fights with Star Wolf, I put the chair’s adaptive lumbar support to good use as I dodged incoming enemy laser fire.

Razer Iskur V2 NewGen: The downs

The Razer Iskur V2 NewGen certainly performs as a gaming chair but it isn’t without its downsides which include its higher price and how the upgraded cooling tech in its EPU leather just can’t match mesh.

Cooler but still not cool enough

Since I live in Houston, Texas, using a mesh office chair like the Steelcase Karman or the more affordable Branch Aire Chair really isn’t an option — it’s a must.

Given we’re at the start of what’s already looking to be a very hot and humid summer, I was initially a bit reluctant about testing the Iskur V2 NewGen. However, since I tried and really liked the standard Iskur V2, I figured I’d see how well this chair’s new cooling tech performed in a less than ideal situation.

To make this refreshed chair cooler, Razer switched to a new version of its EPU synthetic leather which has CoolTouch fibers embedded within it. On paper, this sounds like it should really make a difference but in my testing, even this high-tech new material fell a bit short for me.

When I was using the Iskur V2 NewGen out in my game room with just a tower fan — alongside central air — to keep me cool, I found that I got sweaty faster than I normally would with a mesh office chair. It got so bad that I moved my Govee Smart Tower Fan 2 Max from in front of our couch over to my desk at the back of the room. That made things slightly better.

In my final week or so testing the Iskur V2 NewGen, I brought it into my office which has a large overhead fan. Maybe it’s due to the room being much smaller but this certainly made a difference.

Now, if you’re using the Iskur V2 NewGen in a more temperate climate, I doubt you’ll run into the issues I did with it. However, if you’re in a warmer and muggier location like I am, I’d recommend the Razer Fujin Pro, which is designed more like a mesh office chair than a traditional gaming chair.

Upgrading at a premium

At $649, the Iskur V2 NewGen is certainly an investment. However, if you have a bad back or want a chair with a wider seat and backrest, it could definitely be worth it. While you might look a tad silly in video calls, I found the Iskur V2 NewGen just as comfortable to work in as it was to game in.

If you’re after a premium gaming chair but want to pick one up at a slightly lower price, the Secretlab Titan Evo starts at $549 and unlike the Iskur V2 NewGen, it’s available in both fabric and leather. Then again, if you like the design of this chair and don’t necessarily need adaptive lumbar support or 4D armrests, you could always opt for the less expensive Razer Iskur V2 X NewGen for $349.

While the Iskur V2 NewGen is on the expensive side, it is cheaper than the Herman Miller Vantum which costs nearly $1,000. On the other hand though, the Vantum won’t look out of place in a video call for work as from the front, it looks just like any other mesh office chair.

Razer Iskur V2 NewGen: Verdict

The Razer Iskur V2 NewGen is an excellent gaming chair with a one-of-a-kind adaptive lumbar support system that makes a major difference every time you sit in it. While its high-tech EPU synthetic leather left a bit to be desired for me personally, this new material is still a significant upgrade over past versions and under the right conditions, it can keep you cool while gaming for longer. Likewise, the Iskur V2 NewGen is incredibly easy to put together and to fine-tune its adjustments to your liking.

If you’re looking for a traditional, racing-style gaming chair but still want the ergonomic support you get from an office chair, you’d be hard-pressed to find this level of comfort and polish anywhere else. Still, you are paying a bit more for the privilege. However, if you game for long hours daily or plan to have the Iskur V2 NewGen serve double duty as your work-from-home chair, then it could certainly be worth it.