Like it or loathe it, the smartphone has become the ultimate gaming device over the last few years. While consoles like Xbox and PlayStation still have their place in the gaming industry, the number of mobile gamers has risen to 3 billion worldwide in 2024 – more than a 5.3% increase compared to 2022.
We opened with ‘like it or loathe it’ because, believe it or not, some people believe that mobile phones offer a lesser gaming experience compared to traditional consoles. But while this might have been the case in the past, it isn’t the case now.
When the iPhone 15 Pro Max was released last year, for instance, it came with the capabilities to run AAA games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Resident Evil Village – something that most mobile gamers wouldn’t have dreamed of five years ago.
The capabilities of our phones have opened up a wide range of gaming opportunities, whether that’s in the iGaming space or the AAA category. Having said that, there is some credence to be found in the haters standpoint. Not necessarily when it comes to the games, but the devices themselves.
Yes, the iPhone 15 can run AAA games, but the handheld nature of the smartphone can still present challenges for players wanting a truly immersive experience. They’re small, for one. And for two, not everyone has the latest iPhone, which means the speeds aren’t always optimal.
But these are all fixable. In 2024, there are a number of things you can do to make your phone better for gaming, no matter what phone you have, and we’re going to walk you through a few of them now.
Optimizing Performance Settings
To start off, your phone’s settings need to be optimized. It doesn’t matter what the game is. If you’re slots fanatic, even a simple casino platform with a slots library that comes personally recommended by the review team at JohnSlots and is renowned for its performance and usability can benefit hugely from optimized performance settings and boosted gaming capability.
You can do this by turning off background apps – which will be consuming resources – enabling gaming mode if your phone has one, and ensuring your software is updated to the latest version. Clearing data can also be helpful.
Cached data from apps and games can accumulate and consume valuable storage and resources if they’re left alone, ultimately impacting the performance and reducing speeds. If battery is an issue, you should also consider switching on ‘battery saving mode’ and checking out the other, more specific power management features that can throttle performance to extend battery life.
Additionally, you can consider lowering the graphics settings in the games, especially if the gameplay and mechanics are more important to you than the graphical element. This might not be the case with an AAA RPG, but for mini-games for casual gamers, it can be a great option to speed things up.
Using Ergonomic Accessories
We mentioned previously that some players who are against the mobile-gaming takeover point to the reduced ergonomics, but even this can be sorted out quite easily. We understand, of course, that if you’re playing a game like Resident Evil Village, the last thing you’ll want is anything blocking the – already small – screen space.
This is a bit tricky, considering you need to use a touchscreen to control your character. As a result, even more of the minimal screen real estate is taken up, and your vision of what’s happening around you is reduced.
Thankfully, however, there’s gaming equipment like phone grips and controllers that can fit comfortably in your hands, improving the controls of your games as if you were using a standard Xbox or PlayStation controller.
Phone stands and cooling pads can also help you maintain an optimaal viewing angle and prevent overheating – something that even the iPhone 15 can be quite prone to – all while impacting the performance and overall comfort.
Adjusting Screen Brightness
We’ve given you two tips on how to improve speed, usability, and comfort, but what we haven’t mentioned yet is the strain that can be caused when mobile gaming. Specifically, mobile-induced eye strain.
When we’re playing a console game in a gaming room, the screen is typically a few feet away from us. With our phones, however, many people hold them only a few inches away from their faces, which can be detrimental to your vision.
To counteract this, we’d recommend optimising your screen settings, adjusting the screen brightness and lowering the resolution if possible. This can not only help to reduce eye strain during extended play sessions, but it can also improve performance by reducing the strain on your phone’s GPU. It’s a win-win!
These are just a few tips to make the mobile gaming experience better, but there are many more. What’s clear is that – while mobile gaming isn’t perfect right now – there is a genuine appetite for it, and a few niggles along the way isn’t going to stop the mobile gaming revolution!