How to Boost Game Performance on Android (No Root Needed)

Does your favourite game lag, stutter or drop frames on your phone?

Games are something most of us play every day. A glitch in the middle of a match is really annoying.

In short: turn on your phone's game mode.

On a Pixel, use Game Dashboard. On a Samsung Galaxy, use Game Booster.

You don't need root for any of it.

When I first wrote this in 2017, my answer was GLTools, a paid app that needed a rooted phone and faked your phone's graphics chip info to change how games ran.

I can't find GLTools on Google Play today, and that approach isn't needed anymore. Android now has a game mode built in, and most phone makers add their own game tools on top.

I'll show you where to find those tools on your phone, and the simple fixes that make the biggest difference.

Also Read: How to Run PSP Games on Android (No Root Needed)

TL;DR

• Google Pixel: open Game Dashboard, turn on "Use Game Dashboard" and choose "Performance" for games that support it.
• Samsung Galaxy: open the Gaming Hub app, then pick "Performance", "Standard" or "Battery saver" in Game Booster.
• Other Android phones: search for "game" in "Settings", because each brand names its tool differently.
• Simple fixes: lower the graphics inside the game, keep the phone cool, keep some storage free and update your games.
• Skip root and booster apps. Google's developer docs say a third-party app can't improve the memory, power or thermal behaviour of your phone.

What Is Android's Game Mode?

Game Mode lets you tell a game whether speed or battery life matters more to you.

According to Google's developer docs, it has three settings:

• Performance: the smoothest frame rates, in exchange for shorter battery life and lower detail.
• Standard: the game's normal settings.
• Battery saver: the longest battery life, in exchange for lower detail or frame rates.

It works on some Android 12 phones and on every phone with Android 13 or later.

You might be wondering why you don't see these options for every game.

The game has to support it, or the phone maker has to add its own tweaks for that game. If a game doesn't support it, the option simply won't show up.

Game Boost Options at a Glance

How to Boost Game Performance on a Google Pixel

On a Pixel, Game Mode lives inside Game Dashboard. Google says it's available on all Pixel phones with Android 12 or later, but it's off by default.

Steps

1. Open "Settings" → "Google" → "Game Dashboard".
2. Turn on "Use Game Dashboard".
3. Open your game. You'll see a small floating Game Dashboard icon.
4. Tap it to open the dashboard.
5. If the game supports it, choose "Performance" in the optimization section.

The dashboard also has a live FPS counter, screenshots, screen recording and Do Not Disturb, so notifications don't pop up in the middle of a match.

How to Boost Game Performance on a Samsung Galaxy

Samsung calls its tool Game Booster. It lives inside the Gaming Hub app.

Steps

1. Open the Gaming Hub app. It may be on your Apps screen or in the Samsung folder.
2. Tap "More options" (the three dots) → "Game Booster" → "Game optimization".
3. Choose "Performance", "Standard" or "Battery saver".

While you're playing, tap the Game Booster icon in the left corner of the navigation bar to open its shortcuts.

Pause Charging While You Play

Do you play with the charger plugged in?

Then look for "Pause USB PD charging when gaming" in Game Booster. Samsung says it pauses charging your battery and uses the charger to power your game instead.

This matters because Samsung also says that playing games while charging can make your phone overheat, so it slows charging down.

How to Boost Game Performance on Other Android Phones

Most other brands have their own version, with their own name.

• OnePlus has a Games app, with a Game Assistant panel you can open while playing.
• Xiaomi has Game Turbo, which you'll usually find in the Security app.
• Other phones: open "Settings" and search for "game".

Menu names change from one software version to the next, so search is the fastest way to find it.

Simple Fixes That Make Games Run Smoother

The built-in game mode helps. But these simple things often help even more.

1. Lower the Graphics Settings Inside the Game

Most big games have their own graphics and frame rate settings.

Pick a frame rate your phone can hold steady. Google's docs say uneven frame rates make a big difference to how smooth a game feels.

So a steady 30 or 60 FPS beats a frame rate that keeps jumping around.

2. Keep Your Phone Cool

This is the big one.

Google's developer docs say phones "can only maintain a high level of performance for a limited amount of time before being thermally throttled". In simple words, when your phone gets hot, it slows itself down.

• Take off a thick case during long sessions.
• Don't play in direct sunlight.
• Avoid charging while you play, or use Samsung's pause charging option above.

Also Read: Why Does Your Phone Overheat and How to Fix It

3. Free Up Storage

Google says your phone can start having issues when less than 10% of its storage is free.

Big games also need space for their updates, so keep some room.

4. Update Your Game and Your Phone

Game updates can include performance fixes.

Check "Settings" → "System" → "Software update" for Android updates, and the Play Store for game updates.

5. Restart Before a Long Session

A quick restart clears out anything that got stuck. Google suggests it as the first fix for a slow phone too.

Do Game Booster Apps From the Play Store Work?

Short answer: no.

Google's own developer docs say that a third-party app can't improve the memory, power or thermal behaviour of an Android device. Many of these "game booster" apps just close your background apps, which makes them task killers with a different name.

Also Read: Why You Should Not Use a Task Killer on Android

If you want to look at one of these apps anyway, my guide to L Speed explains what it does.

What About Rooting?

In 2017, I said a rooted phone let you change game settings that you couldn't touch otherwise.

That's still true, but I wouldn't root a phone just for this today. The built-in tools above do the safe part, and faking your phone's hardware info, like GLTools did, could also make games crash.

If you want more on speeding up your Android device, my guide to How To Overclock Your Android Device to Boost Performance covers it.

Back then, I saw lots of people complaining that Pokémon GO lagged on their phones. Today, try the built-in game mode and the fixes above first.

Final Thoughts

Boosting game performance on Android no longer needs root or a booster app.

Turn on your phone's game mode, lower the graphics a little and keep your phone cool. Those three do more than any booster app.

The caveat is that menus and support change. Game modes only work for games that support them, and the tool names vary by brand and software version, so check your own phone's menus.

FAQs

Do I need root to boost game performance on Android?

No. Game Mode, Game Dashboard and Game Booster are all built in, and none of the fixes in this guide need root.

Why don't I see Performance mode for my game?

The game has to support it, or the phone maker has to add its own tweaks for that game. If the game doesn't support it, the option won't show up.

Do game booster apps from the Play Store actually work?

Google's developer docs say a third-party app can't improve the memory, power or thermal behaviour of an Android device. Many of them just close background apps, so the built-in game mode is the safer choice.

What's the biggest thing I can do to make games run smoother?

Keep your phone cool. Phones that get hot slow themselves down, so take off a thick case during long sessions, avoid direct sunlight and avoid charging while you play.

Still stuck? Tell me through the contact page.