Best gaming phones 2024

Almost any phone can run free-to-play titles like Angry Birds or Subway Surfers, but for more graphically demanding games, you'll need one of the best Android gaming phones with beastly internals and superb optimization.

Some of the best Android games are PC or console ports that — even in their downgraded state — run significantly better with more powerful chips, a lot of memory, and faster displays. Cloud streaming services like Xbox Game Pass for Android may process data outside of your phone, but a smooth 120Hz and above panel and strong GPU still make a tangible difference. So you have every reason to make sure your next phone delivers all of it in stride.

We think the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is the best overall gaming phone, but if that doesn't strike your fancy or is out of your price range, there are plenty of other options worth considering. Here are some of the best Android phones for gamers.

Harish Jonnalagadda

Harish Jonnalagadda is Android Central's Senior Editor of Asia. In his current role, he oversees the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, networking products, and AV gear. He has been testing phones for over a decade, and has extensive experience in mobile hardware and the intricacies of the global semiconductor industry. 

At a glance

Best overall

ASUS and its offerings continue to push the limits of what we expect from smartphones, and that applies especially to the world of mobile gaming. The new ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is among the most powerful we've ever seen, taking the crown for best Android phone for gaming by far.

Powering all of your games is some of the best silicon in the business. The ROG Phone 8 Pro contains the mighty Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which has better processing speeds and improved efficiency than the previous generation. According to the tests conducted during our review, the ROG Phone 8 Pro absolutely toppled every other Android phone in terms of performance benchmarks, including its predecessor.

Beyond the chipset, the ROG Phone 8 Pro beats its competition in the hardware specs arena by most other gaming metrics. You get up to a whopping 24GB of RAM as well as up to 1TB of internal storage, which is absolutely top tier. You'll have no trouble fitting a bunch of games on your phone at once.

Let's also not forget the customizable ultrasonic triggers built into the shoulders of the phone, the loud stereo speakers that sound phenomenal, and the dual USB-C ports found on this amazing gaming phone from ASUS. Outfitted with such beastly gear, the ROG Phone 8 Pro handles high-res graphics or fast-paced shooters with absolute ease. If you're in the market for a dedicated smartphone and have cash to spare, this ASUS phone has our vote.

Best multipurpose

Samsung doesn't explicitly market the Galaxy S24 Ultra as a gaming smartphone, as it focuses more of its marketing machine on other features like the S Pen. But the brand wouldn't be wrong to throw in a comment or two about its gaming chops. With an IP68 water and dustproof rating, the S24 Ultra is robust for its large size. Pop the hood and you'll let out a long, impressed whistle of admiration.

The S24 Ultra excels at streaming games from Xbox Game Pass, working like a charm when pairing it with a compatible Bluetooth controller. The 120Hz refresh rate gives the screen the fluidity necessary to keep games looking smooth, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy inside is more than enough to handle today's latest mobile titles. The S24 Ultra even supports ray-tracing.

The 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen is hands down one the best on the market, providing plenty of screen real estate for gaming. The new anti-glare filter really impressed us in our review and will keep your games looking crisp even when playing outside in the sun. Battery life holds up well because the 120Hz refresh is dynamic so it doesn't kick in for everything you do on the device. Even at 100% brightness,  we were able to get two days of use from a single charge in our review.

Best value

The Nubia RedMagic 9S Pro is an update to the RedMagic 9 Pro with a slightly faster SoC. To some, this sounds like a waste of time, but to a gamer, every extra frame counts. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version SoC in this phone is faster than that found in something like a OnePlus 12 with a higher clock speed on the main CPU core and the GPU. The RAM on the base model is also up to 12GB from 8GB on the old phone keeping the phone fast when you’re switching between multiple apps. Games should also look great on the 6.8-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel.

Software has become key to smartphone photography and the fact of the matter is that many people will prefer the consistently high-quality results from Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy to the RedMagic 9S Pro. Still, it has a 50MP main camera sensor plus a 50MP ultrawide and a 2MP depth camera that can turn in solid, but not impressive, results. Where this phone does impress, however, is in the inclusion of a massive 6500mAh battery and ultra-fast 80W charging with the included adapter. A lot of people say they wouldn’t mind a slightly thicker phone with no camera bump in exchange for a bigger battery. Well, here it is.

As for carrier support, RedMagic lists compatibility with AT&T and T-Mobile, though a glance at the supported bands will tell you that 5G coverage could be a bit spottier than some other phones due to the lack of low-band support for band n71 used by T-Mobile. It’s also worth keeping in mind that RedMagic only plans a single Android OS update for this phone, so you may not see an update past Android 15.

Best budget

If you're looking for strong performance on a budget, the OnePlus 12R should be on your short list. This phone is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC we saw in last year's flagships, and it still has plenty of power for all of the latest games. You can get a 128GB model with 8GB of RAM or a 256GB model with 16GB of RAM is you need the multitasking performance.

While the 6.78-inch AMOLED panel supports 120Hz, games are limited to 60fps. Even so, this is a vibrant and responsive panel that's great for general multitasking as well as gaming. It ships with Android 14, so you've got support for the latest software features, with three OS updates planned, so you can keep using this phone for years without being out of date.

Available in black, blue, this phone has a design that looks a lot like the OnePlus 12 with a slightly smaller cameras hump. The cameras underneath also get a cut, so if you really care about camera performance, get the flagship OnePlus 12. Still, the OnePlus 12R gets a large 5500mAh battery and supports up to 80W charging in the U.S. with the included SuperVOOQ charger.

Best foldable

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a powerful phone with a hefty 12GB of RAM and a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy under the hood. This version of the popular flagship SoC runs are a slightly higher 3.39GHz on the primary CPU core which can keep gameplay smooth. It has a large (for a foldable) outer display at 6.3 inches and a massive 7.6-inch inner folding display. Both displays run at 120Hz making them a good fit for gaming.

The phone features the same 50MP main camera, 10MP telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide camera as the last generation of this phone, but with Samsung’s software, you can still get some nice images out of this camera. On the battery front, you only get a 4400mAh pack with 25W charging, so if you need your phone to make it through the day and night on a charge, you might want to pick up one of the best power banks as well.

This phone will work on just about any carrier with full 5G support with Wi-fi 6E, so no matter how you’re connecting you should get plenty of speed for downloading games and playing online. When it comes to software, this phone launched with Android 14 and will receive seven years of support and updates, so you’ll be up-to-date for years to come.

Best software

With the Pixel 8 Pro, Google is finally offering a phone that is one of the best in its category. The phone has a vibrant LTPO OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh, and with Google's custom and powerful Tensor G3 chipset under the hood, it's fantastic for playing simpler games on the go. Google's in-house silicon will handle gaming usage for most players fine. However, the Tensor G3 still isn't exactly the most powerful chipset on the market, and more graphically intensive games might experience some slight stuttering.

It isn't lacking when it comes to memory or storage either; you get 12GB of RAM with up to 1TB of storage. And it doesn't hurt that the Google Pixel 8 Pro takes the best photos on any smartphone. As an added bonus, the 5,050mAh battery lasts all day — even with extended gaming sessions.

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How to choose

If you're upgrading to a new phone and want something that can handle gaming with ease, the ROG Phone 8 Pro is your best bet. It's packed with pretty much all of the features you'd want for gaming and daily use. The ASUS gaming phone has some the beefiest internals available inside any Android phone right now, so you can rest assured that it is a gaming powerhouse.

Without a doubt, one of the best aspects of the ROG Phone 8 Pro after performance is its display. It uses a Samsung-made AMOLED panel that is just as vibrant and colorful as ever and it enables a sublime 165Hz refresh rate. This results in your eyes being treated to one of the best displays that exist on a smartphone right now, which contributes to a better user experience whether you're gaming or using your phone for other tasks.

Another highlight of the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is its sheer specs. With a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, IP68 water and dust resistance, up to 24GB of of RAM and 1TB of storage, and a humungous 5,500 battery, this is a phone that's outstandingly fast, has plenty of room for all of your local files/games, and can easily get through a full day of use. The ROG Phone 8 Pro isn't a cheap or easily accessible device. However, if you have the means to buy it, it's without a doubt the best Android phone for gaming.

If you need something more readily available and versatile, the S24 Ultra is the obvious choice. It has high-end internals and an even better, more vibrant AMOLED screen. You still need to pay a lot more though, and the Samsung phone still lacks gamer-esque features like the ROG Phone's ultrasonic triggers, additional USB-C port, and an extra OLED on the rear.