The Google Pixel 10’s gaming reputation isn’t fair — here’s what my tests showed

It’s a common refrain among reviewers that the Google Pixel 10 is limited in GPU performance and gaming.

I make sure to mention it in multiple articles because it’s an important buying point for many people.

If you’re a hardcore mobile gamer, you’re better off looking at alternatives from Samsung and OnePlus for your smartphone needs.

However, sometimes the criticisms can go a little too far, and a perception forms that the Pixel 10 series phones can’t game. That if you buy a Pixel 10, you won’t be able to enjoy gaming experiences on your new phone.

That’s not true. While I doubt the Pixel 10 will be the first phone I reach for when I want to fire up Genshin Impact, it’s still a viable option.

I tested some of the most popular mobile games on my Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Here are the results.

Genshin Impact

The Great Equalizer for smartphones

I’ve never played a game as poorly optimized as Genshin Impact.

I know it needs to run on multiple platforms, and dialing the game in would be difficult. Still, it’s a rough experience on even the best mobile hardware.

I’ll be the first to admit that playing Genshin Impact on the Galaxy S25 Ultra or OnePlus 13 is a better experience. You can play the game at high settings and still get a decent frame rate.

That doesn’t mean it’s unplayable on my Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The game defaults to medium settings, but the frame rate remains smooth, making it an enjoyable experience.

If you enjoy the other benefits Google offers with its smartphones, rest assured, you can still get your Genshin Impact fix, even if it’s not at max settings.

I understand some are disappointed that a flagship phone can’t play the game at high graphics settings like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13, but that’s a compromise many others are willing to make to own a Pixel.

Each phone has its pros and cons; users simply have to decide their priorities.

Honestly, I don’t know how people play Genshin Impact on their smartphones regularly.

I stepped away from the game for a few days, only to come back to a 10GB download, then wait another five minutes for the shaders to load.

It’s a frustrating experience, but if you enjoy it, know you can still play it on your Pixel 10 series phone.

Pokémon Go

Casual gamers won’t have any issues

I’ve been playing Pokémon GO from the beginning, and I wouldn’t be able to own a smartphone that didn’t allow me to smoothly fire off excellent throws.

Performance is solid on my Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the game’s recent graphical update looks outstanding on the Super Actua display.

Taking down a gym is easily handled, and I don’t experience slowdowns with multiple Pokémon on the map at once.

Hardcore gamers won’t see Pokémon Go as a legitimate test of the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s gaming capabilities.

However, I see more people playing games like Pokémon and Monopoly than I ever see grinding it out in Genshin Impact.

Mobile gaming spans multiple categories, and it’s not right to scare people away whose hardware needs never get that intense.

I didn’t notice significant battery drain while playing Pokémon GO. I could start trails with my phone open and still get solid battery life.

Wuthering Waves

Keep things balanced and you’ll be fine

Wuthering Waves is another game people describe as punishing for mobile hardware.

I’ll admit, I wouldn’t dare bump up the graphics to the Quality setting, but I didn’t need to downgrade to Performance, either.

The game plays smoothly at Balanced settings, and I didn’t notice any significant slowdowns that would make me regret playing on my Pixel 10 Pro XL. Battles were lag-free, and the graphics looked gorgeous even at Balanced settings.

I’ll note that with Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact, my Pixels got slightly warm, but nothing I would consider overheating.

Previous Tensor generations would’ve cooked while playing games for longer periods.

I’ve felt the same warmth from Snapdragon-powered devices, and I wasn’t concerned at any point.

If you’re gaming for hours, you’re sure to see thermal throttling, but for short stints, you’ll be fine.

The Pixel 10 can game, but don’t plan on going pro

I wish Google would improve the GPU performance on the Tensor G5, and upcoming driver updates should help dial it in. However, let’s not make the mistake of thinking the Pixel 10 is useless for gaming.

If you’re on Pokémon GO or Marvel Snap, you won’t have any issues, and Star Trek Fleet Command was a pleasant experience. More intensive games will be limited, but you might not care.