Smartphones have almost entirely replaced handheld consoles for gaming, and with good reason – they often have excellent screens and plenty of power, while the App Store and Google Play Store both have a large and ever growing selection of games.
But not all smartphones are good for games, and there’s more to consider than just raw power – though that’s certainly a factor.
There are phones like the Nubia Red Magic 5G, Asus ROG Phone 3, Black Shark 2, and Razer Phone 2, which are all built specifically with gaming in mind, meaning they have things like extra high refresh rates, touch-sensitive triggers, cooling systems, and more.
On the other hand, there are also excellent gaming phones that aren’t aimed specifically at that market, with many top flagships like the iPhone 12 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S20 also doing a superb job, thanks to their stunning screens and high-end specs.
We’ve included all the best options below, ranked from best to worst, but you’ll find those designed specifically for gaming at the top, while standard handsets that happen to be good for gaming are further down.
Make sure to check back regularly too, as we’re keeping this article constantly updated with new arrivals.
And once you’ve picked your phone we’ve got you covered when it comes to picking games as well, with our best iPhone games, best free iPhone games, best Android games and best free Android games lists – all of which are also regularly updated.
Best gaming phones 2021
The Nubia Red Magic 5G has the world’s first 144Hz smartphone screen, which makes it ideal for gaming, as that’s a silky smooth refresh rate.
But that’s not the only thing that makes this ideal for gaming. In fact, it’s designed specifically for this pastime, with shoulder triggers to give you increased control, a fan and a liquid cooling system to keep the handset cool under pressure, a dedicated ‘Game Space’ to let you customize your gaming experience, and a ‘4D Shock’ feature that adds vibration to games.
That last feature isn’t supported by many titles at the time of writing, and nor is the 144Hz display, but if game developers embrace them then this could be one seriously future-proofed phone.
It also supports 5G of course, and has plenty of power. It’s only let down slightly by a 1080 x 2340 screen, which isn’t among the sharpest around, along with some software bugs and a design that will prove divisive.
Read our review: Nubia Red Magic 5G
The Asus ROG Phone 3 remains a phone with all the perks a mobile gamer needs, including a staggeringly large 6,000mAh battery (for extended gaming sessions), and a slick 144Hz AMOLED screen, in a large 6.59-inch size.
Add to that truly top tier specs, with the combination of a Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset, up to 16GB of RAM and masses of storage, and you can see why the Asus ROG Phone 3 makes our list.
Being designed specifically for gamers, it also has features you won't find on most other phones, such as a clip-on fan, which is generously included in the box, and a range of other accessories (such as a gamepad), which you'll have to buy separately.
There's also built-in software to help you tailor your gaming experience, through, for example, overclocking the already meaty CPU, and adjusting the fan speed.
There are some omissions in the Asus ROG Phone 3, but most of them don't affect gaming. It doesn't have wireless charging or water resistance for example, and the design is sure to be divisive. If all you want your phone for is gaming though, and you either like this design or don't much care, then the Asus ROG Phone 3 is hard to beat.
Read our review: Asus ROG Phone 3
The Black Shark 3 is the best gaming phone from the Xiaomi sub-brand, although it doesn't quite beat its contemporary gaming phones from a few other brands.
The phone is big, bold in design and has LED lights, and its specs are all what you'd expect from a gaming phone - in that, they're top-end. The cameras were surprisingly effective too, especially in low-light settings, though sometimes the optimization could be overzealous.
The reason this phone isn't higher is thanks to its 90Hz refresh rate, which is lower than the other phones higher on this list, and that it doesn't have as many dedicated gaming features as the others either.
Read our review: Black Shark 3
The first Razer Phone was a solid first effort to bring the gamer-specific brand to a mobile device, but it had a few shortcomings that dropped it further down our list. The second version has addressed some and come out with a stronger device for it, though it's still aimed primarily at gamers.
What does that mean? The camera and display aren't nearly as impressive as other phones that cost this much, so casual gamers might want to look elsewhere. But if you're more serious about mobile gaming and can afford it, this is a solid choice.
Outwardly, the Razer Phone 2 hasn't changed much from its predecessor, though it's upgraded to the Snapdragon 845 chip and switched to a glass back for Qi wireless charging. It's also added a slick vapor chamber to cool the device as you game.
At the end of the day, the phone's beefy chipset, 8GB RAM, great speakers, 120hz refresh rate screen and 4,000mAh battery, as well as extensive settings to tweak battery life and performance, make this a great choice for gaming.
Read our review: Razer Phone 2
The Black Shark 2 is the second generation gaming phone from Chinese firm Xiaomi's gaming arm, and it builds well on its predecessor adding more power and a better screen into the mix.
Combining a great camera, excellent internals and improved gaming credentials over the original, the Black Shark 2 is a triple threat that betters most of its gaming phone rivals.
It's lumbered with a handful of instabilities and quirks, but even with those accounted for, the bang for buck it delivers is off the chart. The only thing to watch out for is its availability. It's not easy to find in some countries, such as the US.
Read our review: Black Shark 2
The best non-gaming phones for gaming
We've suggested the best phones designed for gaming, but if you'd rather have a more mainstream device, here are all the phones we recommend that, among the rest of their strengths, are also very good phones to play games on.
You'll find a lot of overlap with our best phones list, for good reason: these handsets have top-end specs and screens to give the best gaming experience possible outside of gaming-focused phones.
The newest and best iPhone Pro model out there, the iPhone 12 Pro is the best of the Apple bunch right now. Its 6.1-inch display looks fantastic and is just the right size to get the most out of your gaming experience. Backed up by a powerful processor and plenty of storage space, you won't be disappointed by how speedily games run.
There's also no shortage of game options thanks to the App Store having a huge wealth of games available to it, plus the benefits that come from using Apple Arcade for a Netflix-style library of options.
The iPhone 12 Pro is expensive for what you get and 5G isn't really relevant to a lot of users just yet (but will be a huge help gaming in future), but such a purchase will mean that you're future-proofed for a while to come yet.
Read our review: iPhone 12 Pro
The OnePlus 7 Pro used to rank high on this list, but it’s been bettered in every important way by the OnePlus 8 Pro, a phone that has both all the power you need for games, and a screen that helps them look their best.
There’s a top-end Snapdragon 865 chipset inside this phone, along with up to 12GB of RAM, so you get flagship power. As for the screen, the OnePlus 8 Pro has a 6.78-inch 1440 x 3168 one with a 120Hz refresh rate, so it’s big, sharp, and smooth.
5G is also supported, so you can game online without lag wherever you are (as long as there’s 5G signal), and with its big 4,510mAh battery you’ll be able to game for a long time between charges.
When it comes time to charge you won’t be out of the action for long either, as the OnePlus 8 Pro also supports both fast and wireless charging.
Read our review: OnePlus 8 Pro
The Samsung Galaxy S20 and Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus are obvious inclusions for this list, seeing as how they’re the latest entries in the most high-profile Android flagship range around.
They’re not just coasting on their name though, these phones really are great for games, thanks in no small part to the top-end computing power at their heart. You get either a Snapdragon 865 chipset if you’re in the US, or an Exynos 990 in most other places, and in both cases these are flagship smartphone chipsets.
You also get 8GB of RAM, so not much should slow these phones down. And games will look great on them, as both models have a QHD+ screen with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. They also pack big batteries, giving you either 4,000mAh or 4,500mAh to play with in the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Plus respectively.
Read our reviews: Samsung Galaxy S20 | Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
The LG V60 ThinQ seems like an updated and up-sized version of the LG G8, which popularized the Dual Screen peripheral that makes the V60 stand out from the competition.
In essence, the Dual Screen is an exact copy of the V60's 6.8-inch Full HD Plus (2460 x 1080) display. The software takes a moment to get used to, but you can effectively have two apps running at the same time – handy if, like in the photo above, you want to play games on one screen and watch media on the other.
There is a gaming mode that makes the second screen an input touchpad, leaving the first screen free of fingers, but it's not the most intuitive. There are also a handful of apps, like Google Maps, that can splash across both screens to varying degrees of helpfulness.
Otherwise, the phone is a typically powerful flagship for 2020: Snapdragon 865 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of storage, and it runs Android 10. The 5,000mAh battery is a great addition to keep your gaming going, and the 3.5mm headphone jack is a rarity in phones these days. Overall, a strong pick for gaming and watching media – or both at the same time.
Read our reviews: LG V60 ThinQ review
The Motorola Edge Plus is the first top-tier flagship Motorola has released in years, and in many ways, it was worth the wait: the waterfall display is big and gorgeous, the phone packs great specs, and there's even a new gaming feature thrown in: digital trigger buttons that hang over the screen's edge, just under your fingers.
The phone packs an impressive specs array: a Snapdragon 865 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage (sadly not expandable). The 6.7-inch display has a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support, giving a far sharper image than we'd expect from its Full HD Plus (2340 x 1080) screen. And its triple rear camera is headed by a staggering 108MP shooter.
While the Motorola Edge Plus' price is about equal to other flagships at $999 (around £800 / AU$1,550), you might have trouble finding it given its limited availability: even in the US, it's only available through Verizon.
The phone's cheaper sibling, the Motorola Edge, has a few compromises in specs and but it's notably cheaper as a result, starting at £549 / $699 (about AU$1,015). And yet, it may be available in more places, and still retains many of the best features of the Edge Plus.
While the Motorola Edge 'only' has a display supporting HDR10, a Snapdragon 765G chipset with 6GB of RAM, a 64MP main shooter, and a smaller 4,500mAh battery, those aren't dealbreakers for the lower price, in our opinion. Plus, the Edge's 128GB of storage is expandable via microSD.
And best of all, both versions come with 3.5mm headphone jacks.
Read our reviews: Motorola Edge Plus review | Motorola Edge review
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