So you’ve got yourself a gaming phone and want to put the high-end mobile hardware to the test – but which games should you play?
There are a plethora of games to download on Google Play, but most of these are designed to be played by practically any smartphone, meaning the graphics aren’t usually that impressive. To truly push your gaming phone’s hardware, you instead need to hunt down the most demanding 3D titles around.
That’s where I come in; I’ve been playing mobile games for years, everything from Candy Crush to Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile and much more, and here’s my selection of the six most graphically demanding mobile games that I think will push your gaming phone’s hardware to the absolute limit.
Genshin Impact
When it comes to demanding mobile games to test your gaming phone’s mettle, there’s no better example than the ever-popular Genshin Impact.
The title, available for mobile devices, PCs and consoles, can hammer even the most powerful mobile chipsets if you crank the graphics settings up to maximum – so much so that most phones can’t sustain smooth 60fps performance for extended periods of play – but damn, it looks good.
This makes it the ideal benchmark for mobile gamers curious about just how well their gaming phone can perform under load – and it also helps that it’s a pretty amazing, free-to-play, title with an anime-like visual style, vivid graphics and an addictive gameplay loop. It’s a game you’ll keep on playing too, with reports that it can take 211 hours to fully complete.
Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile
Not quite as taxing as Genshin Impact but still impressive-looking for a mobile game, Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile is another great game to stretch your gaming phone’s muscles – and it has more optional graphics settings than most mobile titles, allowing you to really dial in the kind of visuals you want.
Cranking the graphics up to max and enabling optional visual effects will make any gaming phone sweat, but the ultra-realistic graphics, high-res textures and smooth FPS gameplay make it an absolute joy for those who enjoy online shooters.
Like Genshin Impact, it’s totally free to play with an optional online marketplace to buy skins and other gear, and with a very active online community, you’ll never be waiting long to jump into a game.
Ark: Survival Evolved
Ark: Survival Evolved is one of a growing number of PC and console games with a mobile port, and as long as you’ve got the mobile hardware to run high textures, the detailed 3D world looks absolutely phenomenal.
For those unaware of the 2017 hit title, Ark: Survival Evolved revolves around survival on an island filled with dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. Craft gear, armour and weapons, build huge castles and even tame a dinosaur or two in this action-survival title.
In a running theme of these high-end titles, Ark: Survival Evolved is free to play on smartphones with an in-app marketplace acting as the main source of income for the title.
Fortnite
Fortnite was, at one time, the most popular game in the world, so it doesn’t really need much of an introduction. The bright and appealing art style makes it a great candidate for gaming phones, especially when you crank the graphics settings – of which there are many – to the maximum.
The game’s ever-changing world keeps things interesting, as does Epic Games’ collaborations with high-profile brands, helping keep the battle royale fresh and interesting.
One Punch Man: World
One Punch Man: World is one of the newest games on this list. Set in the world of the hit anime One Punch Man, you follow Satiama’s journey as you explore the open world and battle familiar faces from the series, including Subterranean King, Beast King and many more.
The anime art style matches the anime series perfectly, delivering stunning graphics that make those boss fights feel all the more epic. Don’t be fooled by the 2D art style though; this is very much a game that demands a high-end processor to do its best work.
Grid Autosport
Grid Autosport is another PC/console game that has made its way to mobile with very few visual compromises.
It’s a game that can look absolutely stunning if you’ve got powerful enough mobile hardware to handle ultrarealistic graphics and car physics. It doesn’t just look good either; it plays like a proper semi-simulator racing game like Project CARS with a quality you rarely see on mobile racing games.
Plus, with the option to play at up to 120fps, it’s the perfect game to test the FPS limit of your gaming phone. The only catch is cost; it’s not a cheap download at £9.99/$9.99.
