The best gaming phones completely revolutionize your app library. Offering up seriously powerful processors, plenty of RAM and high quality, high refresh rate displays, these devices can push your favorite thumb tappers far further. With the rise of Xbox Cloud gaming services, smaller screens are becoming even bigger business, which means there are plenty of gaming phones out there for the Play Store power-user to choose from.
That makes it difficult to work out exactly what you need from your smartphone, and how much you need to pay for a gaming-specific device. Thankfully, as gaming phones develop, we're seeing prices on the biggest and best falling slightly down the scale. That means there's now options for all budgets, and we're rounding up our favorites right here.
Our team of experts is on hand to point out the best gaming phones currently gracing the market, not to mention the best prices. We've drawn on our own hands on experience with the latest and greatest releases to ensure you're getting an overview of the whole space before making that critical decision. Of course, you're not going to get the performance of a gaming laptop, or even the best gaming tablets, here - but for a pocket-sized thumb twitcher, these are the models we'd recommend.
The quick list
Best overall
With the best display in the business and plenty of power under the hood (as well as a range of extra cooling features), the ROG Phone 9 Pro is our top pick.
Best value
The RedMagic 9S Pro offers a fantastic price tag for its high performance components and luxury display. It's only a minor jump in CPU, but there's still plenty of power under the hood and a slimline chassis to enjoy it all in as well.
Best budget
The Samsung Galaxy A50 will see you through all the latest popular thumb tapppers without breaking the bank. You're not getting blitzing performance here, but lighter games run perfectly fine without the need for expensive extras.
Best controls
Physical pop up triggers make the Black Shark 5 Pro all the more tactile to use. It's a little harder to find these days, but well worth your while.
Most comfortable
We've moved on a generation now, but the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate's curved back makes it a must-see for anyone hating newer designs.
I longed for a Nokia N-Gage in the 00s and have been comparing the latest and greatest gaming phones ever since. That all kicked up a notch when the Razer Phone launched in 2017, renewing my love for all things mobile. I've been testing major releases from Asus, Xiaomi, Black Shark, and more since then.
May 14 - I've had the Poco F7 Pro in my pocket for the last few weeks, and while it offers strong value in the under-$500 category, its base Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor doesn't produce the same kind of performance as the only-slightly more expensive RedMagic 9S Pro. That, plus the fact that it's not widely available in the US, means it's been added to the Also Tested section further down the page, rather than featured in the top list.
The best gaming phone overall
The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is the latest in the brand's industry-topping selection of mobile thumb tappers. Decked out with super-fast processing tech, plenty of storage, and bags of RAM (not to mention the 185Hz refresh rate display to keep it all looking slick), this is the gaming phone to beat in 2025.
✅ You want the fastest screen possible: At 185Hz it's going to be difficult to find a higher refresh-rate display on the market right now.
✅ You want a subtle design: LED array aside, this design is particularly toned-down, with a modest black form factor and very little in the way of RGB.
✅ Performance is everything: You're spending big on the latest and greatest components in here, but if you play demanding games at high settings you'll certainly feel the benefit.
❌ You use a mobile controller: The off-center USB-C connection means finding a wraparound mobile controller that will fit could be a problem.
❌ You only play lighter games: If you're just interested in running the odd thumb tapper, you're not going to get the best value out of this investment.
Design: Flip that gorgeous AMOLED display over and you'll find a fairly understated design. It's a 6.78-inch device with a smooth finish (our review device came in a darker black colorway), and just a hint of red to suggest it's more than a mainstream flagship. That is, until you tinker in its AniMe Vision settings. This is where a small collection of LEDs spring to life, offering a similar back-panel display as the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro before it. That's not the only thing that's journeyed with the ROG Phone 9 Pro from its predecessor - unfortunately, the USB-C port to the bottom of the device is still off-center, which can make finding a mobile controller a little tricky.
Features: Still, it's what inside that really counts, and with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, up to 24GB RAM, and a 5,500mAh battery the ROG Phone 9 Pro offers plenty of horsepower to see you through intensive mobile games and streaming. You can now also play games direct on that AniMe screen on the back panel, which is a neat gimmick for this year's device. You're still getting the brand's Air Trigger controls, a touch capacitive set of bumper buttons that make games like Call of Duty Mobile infinitely easier to command.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro also ships with Armory Crate software, which has sipped from the same AI tea as pretty much every other new gaming device. AI is being used here to cancel unwanted audio from your chat, translate text, and automatically record key in-game moments as they happen. Aside from all that, you're still getting the core Asus experience, with Armory Crate acting as a hub for all your installed games, and offering different performance modes and overlays.
Performance: With all that at its disposal, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro confidently beat both the previous 8 Pro and RedMagic 9S Pro in benchmark testing. I would be surprised if it didn't considering the horsepower on offer, but you'll struggle to really get these components sweating with most common mobile experiences these days. The battery kept us going for around five and a half hours of intensive gaming - a considerable uptick compared to cheaper models.
Read more: Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review
The best value gaming phone
While it's very similar to the model before it, the RedMagic 9S Pro is the best value gaming phone on the market today.
✅ You want to use a mobile controller: A centered USB-C port makes for an easy physical connection to a wraparound gamepad.
✅ You don't want to break the bank: The RedMagic 9S Pro isn't the cheapest phone on the market but it does push its components incredibly well for a fair price.
✅ You don't want to worry about battery life: This is a sturdy battery that can see you through hours of gameplay and video without breaking a sweat.
❌ You want turbo performance: This is a boosted version of the Snapdragon Gen 3 processor, which isn't going to run as far as the Extreme model in the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro.
Design: Inline with other industry trends, the 9S Pro is more laid back in its aesthetic than previous entries. A flat sided block with a particularly skinny silhouette, it only hints at its gaming origins at first glance. Of course, things become a little more obvious once that RGB fans whirs to life, but from the outside this could be any mainstream flagship.
That means this is a device that looks good and feels comfortable in the hand, even if we did wish for a slightly curved back during landscape play and speakers that weren't covered when horizontal.
Features: Of course, you're still getting all those gaming phone specific features. The 9S Pro offers two capacitive touch pads along the top which can read inputs at 560Hz, meanwhile the dedicated game launcher provides quick access to all your apps and can provide system information and performance controls with an in-game overlay as well.
Considering the cash you're spending, that display is something else. A super crisp AMOLED is going to look good on any phone, but the screen ratio in here is fantastic considering its lower price point and everything still looks slick despite the lower-than-Asus 120Hz refresh rate.
Performance: It may only be an iterative update compared to the processing power found in the previous 9 Pro model, but you're getting an incredible price to performance ratio here with stunning results in-game. If you're after an Android gaming phone that won't break the bank but still offers an upgrade over a mainstream device, this is where you need to be looking.
Read more: RedMagic 9S Pro review
The best budget gaming phone
Picking up a cheaper gaming phone doesn't mean limiting yourself to match-three puzzlers or go with an unknown brand. The Samsung Galaxy A50 costs a small fraction of its flashier siblings like the S20 or Note series, but this is still a great phone and a stone-cold bargain if you want to spend less, but get a phone that won't let you down.
I was testing this for gaming against some very expensive phones and I almost had to have a word with it and explain how it needed to stop showing up the big boys. Call of Duty Mobile on high settings for graphics and frame rate. Why not? Sure, it wasn't quite as smooth or detailed as your $1000/£1000 flagship phones, but at less than a third of the price, the A50 is way better than it should be.
As a day to day phone, the Samsung Galaxy A50 has a very good camera, with only the night pictures being prone to a loss of detail if there are too many artificial light sources. Amazingly for a phone at this price, it has a dual-SIM slot, making it handy if you have separate work/home SIMs or if you're picking up a cheap data card when traveling abroad. There's a newer Galaxy A51 out there now, which aside from an upgrade to 48MP/32MP (back/front) camera lenses, carries the same internal spec and display, so we'd stick with the A50 for the generally cheaper cost, but if you're curious, here are the latest Galaxy A51 prices.
The best controls on a gaming phone
The price to performance ratio of the Black Shark 5 Pro is excellent. It's no cheap device by any means, but there's little sense of inflated costs here. Plus, for a device to truly be considered one of the best gaming phones it needs to function just as well as an actual smartphone as it does a gaming machine. That's where the camera of the Black Shark 5 Pro comes in.
✅ You don't mind a renewed model: The Black Shark 5 Pro is still available these days, but it's harder to find new.
✅ You play lighter games: Thumb tappers, the odd streaming session, and lighter strategy titles are going to run best on this slightly older model.
❌ You want newer specs: The insides are a little dated now, so if you play more demanding games it's worth future proofing yourself.
Design: The Black Shark 5 Pro bucked the trend of its day. Instead of garish RGB, giant vents, and a chunky back panel, this is a slimline device more in-keeping with more modern flagship sensibilities. The back is still stamped with a range of patterns and icons (and it does ship with a case if you want a more subtle look), but it's far less outlandish compared to other gaming phones of its era.
Features: It's rare to find a gaming phone offering such top-line specs and performance while still carrying a decent set of lenses in its corner. We were particularly impressed by the shots we were able to take here. Yes, you are making some smartphone sacrifices - the lack of wireless charging being the biggest here - however this is still an everyday device with the battery to back it up.
Performance: Load up some games, though, and you'll really see the Black Shark 5 Pro shine. Everything is smooth and crisp on that gorgeous OLED display, and with physical pop up trigger buttons to keep all your movements precise and snappy as well. Few phones offer these physical clickers these days, opting for the more svelt touch-capacitive buttons along the top. However, we were particularly thankful for these small additions, making for a far more engaging experience overall.
Read more: Black Shark 5 Pro review
The most comfortable gaming phone
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is an older release, but it's still well worth considering. While its insides aren't going to compete with newer models, its sloped chassis makes for a far more comfortable experience.
✅ You play for longer periods of time: Harsh corners and flat backs aren't particularly comfortable for longer sessions, but the curves of this older model hold out well.
✅ You still want access to Armoury Crate: Though it's a little older, you'll still find Armoury Crate running nicely in the background.
❌ You want the latest specs: If you prioritize performance over comfort, you'll find better value in a newer release.
Design: Sporting an almost identical design to the previous generation, the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a familiar sight with the chunky form factor and bezels of a much older device. However, with newer releases opting for a harsh flat design this is a golden age of comfort we're keen to keep alive.
Features: Pair that with a gorgeous screen (working particularly hard for you considering its resolution sits at just 2448 x 1080) and a beastly set of front firing speakers and the overall experience is unlike anything we've experienced before. Everything is crisp and snappy thanks to the AMOLED display running at 165Hz, meanwhile the touch sensitive triggers make sure you're taking every shot with excellent precision.
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has even avoided software pitfalls that sometimes plague even the best gaming phones. The Armoury Crate software neatly pulls all your games together while also serving as a hub for performance settings, framerate limits, and screen recordings. It's not unusual to find these features split across several different programs clogging up a gaming phone, so this sparsity is a welcome relief.
All of that makes the lofty price point all the more enticing, particularly if you're happy to invest in a high-end device. However, there is one flaw that may well stop you in your tracks. The charging USB-C port to the bottom of the phone is off-centre. That means you won't be able to use the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate with the majority of mobile controllers which often connect directly via this USB-C port. Bluetooth gamepads won't be effected but if you're looking to use something like the Razer Kishi V2, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Performance: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset runs this show, offering some incredible performance and the cooling to back it up. Without the dedicated AeroCooler system (sold separately), things can get a little heated when pushed to max, but we were never uncomfortable during standard everyday gaming. That's not something we can say for the majority of gaming phones out there.
Read more: Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review
How we test gaming phones
Each handset that passes our pockets goes through a series of tests to see if it's worthy of being listed as one of the best gaming phones on the market. First and foremost, though, we live with these devices to see just how well their form factors, cameras, screens, and - crucially - battery lives hold up under every day use. That's why we adopt each model as our own throughout the testing period, putting each phone through its paces in both standard use and through heavy gaming sessions.
After that, we run each gaming phone through a series of titles to determine their performance as well as how much battery they consume. Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG, Magic The Gathering: Arena, and Fortnite (on Android) are our primary titles.
You can find out more about how we make our recommendations in our full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.
Also Tested
FAQ
Which phones are best for gaming?
In our testing, the best phone for gaming is currently the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. However, if you're after value for money we'd recommend checking out the slightly solder RedMagic 9S Pro.
Are gaming phones worth it?
If you're invested in the wide and wonderful world of mobile gaming, sinking some cash into a device that can keep up with your pursuits will always be worth it. You'll enjoy a faster screen, more RAM and storage, a more powerful processor, and additional gaming features like fps caps and performance modes.
However, if you tinker with Apple Arcade every now and then or jump into the odd PUBG session, we'd recommend aiming for a phone that can support your mobile gameplay, but not at the sacrifice of other features. The best gaming phones often drop camera and high-end networking features, and can cost a pretty penny to boot, so it's worth working out whether you'll actually be using those additional gadgets before investing.
Now that you're kitted out, you'll find all the best iPhone games and the best Android games ranked. We're also rounding up all the best gaming earbuds available as well.
