Gadgets
Best Gaming Phones 2025: 10 Best Budget Gaming Phones to High-End Flagship Smartphones
October 28, 2025
Mobile gaming has been popularsince theadvent of mobile phones. With the titles available oniPhone and Android phonesbecoming increasingly impressive, more and more people are looking for thebest gaming phones.
While most new phones can run a fun app or two, thephones on this list are certified powerhouses with great displays and batteries. Whether you want to dive into an immersive single-player or competitive multiplayer experience, it’s all important.
Some of these phones are familiar flagships from big brands like Apple or Samsung, and as a result, they come with the camera and software quality you’d expect.
Others, from companies like Asus ROG and Redmagic, are specifically aimed at gamers and come with extra features like trigger buttons, improved cooling, and unique software. Neither is strictly worse than the other, but it really depends on what you want from your phone.
Table of Contents
Best Gaming Phones: Budget Phones to High-End Smartphones
1. RedMagic 9S Pro
TheRedMagic 9S is a gaming phonefirst and foremost, and features aSnapdragon Gen 3 chipsetthat's an improvement over the Gen 2 version of the RedMagic 8S Pro.
As is typical of this lineup, theRedMagic 9S Profeatures Game Space mode, which sends your RAM straight to the gaming environment for maximum performance. You can also tweak thegeneral performance GPU settingsto optimize it.
Matching the impressive chipset,gaming features, and RAM, theRedMagic 9S Pro has a stunning display setup, featuring a 6.8-inch screen with a120Hz refresh rateand BOE’s Q9+ luminescence technology for fantastic results, giving you a crisp and clear display that shows off what mobile gaming can look like.
In our tests, we found that the device “easily runs games likeZenless Zone Zero and Diablo Immortaleven at thehighest settings.”The RedMagic 9S Procan handle anything you throw at it.
However, there’s a slight downside to the phone being able to get a little hot at times, but theICE13.5 cooling systemprevents things from getting out of hand.
Using the phone for gaming can drain the battery, but the RedMagic 9S Pro packs a massive6,500mAh batterythat should last you a full two days even with intermittent use.
For those who want to get the most out of their gaming, the80W super fast chargingfeature will allow you to charge the phone to 100% in just 30 minutes without charging.
2. Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition
TheAsus ROG Phone 8 Pro Editionwas built from the ground up for gaming. It features aQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, 24GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. The capacitive shoulder buttons can be mapped for gaming, and the fan accessory clips onto the back to keep everything cool.
Another highlight is the6.78-inch AMOLED screenwith a crisp 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution and a fast 165Hz maximum refresh rate. Asus’ gaming software layer also lets you easily tweak settings for the best possible performance.
If you want themost powerful gaming performancepossible on an Android handset, theROG Phone 8 Pro Editionis a worthy choice. This phone is expensive, but its competitive camera, IP68 durability rating, and top-notch performance help justify the cost.
3. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
With processing speeds of3.1GHz, 2.9GHz, and 2.2GHz, you can see why theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultrais such a powerful gaming device.
Like theROG Phone 8 Pro, this phone is powered by theSnapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which makes for a stunning gaming experience enhanced by its stunning and vibrant6.8-inch 120Hz AOLED display.
Better yet, we found the battery to be “impressively” good during our testing, easily lasting two days before needing a little juice. That’s not the case when it comes to gaming, though, and even with extensive use, we still had about 20% battery left at the end of the day.
Despite its price tag, theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultrais a perfect example of a flagship device that has it all. The 200MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto 1, and 50MP telephoto 2 cameras are major selling points for those looking for more than just gaming.
As we mentioned in our review, the downside is that the device tends to “get hot while gaming,” which isn’t ideal for long sessions. Plus, while theAI featureson this device areinnovative and useful, it looks like Samsung is planning to charge for access to these tools in the future. That means you’ll have to spend more.
4. Nuu B30 Pro 5G
If you want to play games on a budget, theNuu B30 Pro 5Gis your best option. Thesimple Nuu B30 Pro 5Gpacks a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chip, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for under $300.
The benchmark scores may not be amazing, but the real-world gaming performance is impressive (it runsGenshin Impactquite well on the highest settings, for example). The phone also comes with a 30W fast charger that can fully charge the battery in about an hour and 20 minutes.
5. Red Magic 8S Pro
Despite costing less than half the price of theROG Phone 8 Pro, theRedmagic 8S Prostill delivers everything most people look for in a gaming phone.
The striking rear design is associated with the dedicated handset, combining unique aesthetics withcustomizable RGB lighting.
The phone itself is powered by theSnapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is no longer Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipset, but still delivers top-notch performance. With at least 12GB of RAM, it can easily handle even themost demanding gameson theGoogle Play Store.
The6.8-inch AMOLED displayis another highlight, combining a120Hz refresh ratewith 960Hz touch sampling for smooth and fluid gaming. Coupled with the impressive stereo speakers, a feature often overlooked on modern phones, you won’t find much to complain about when it comes to audiovisual experience.
The camera is also decent, making theRedmagic 8S Proa great value for your money. It’s bulky, has some software bugs, and lacks water resistance or wireless charging, but these are easily overlooked.
6. Poco X6 Pro
ThePoco X6 Prois a great solution to this problem, offering incredible performance and a ton of gaming features at a very reasonable price.
Powered by theMediaTek Dimensity 8300-Ultra, it’s one of the fastest chips you’ll find in this price range. Our tests showed that the phone canrun gameslikeGenshin Impact at 60fps, ensuring smooth performance while keeping temperatures manageable.
There are also a few gaming-focused features to improve the experience, including software that automatically optimises performance for gaming workloads and a120Hz refresh rateto keep on-screen movement smooth on the 6.67-inch AMOLED panel.
Of course, there are compromises to be made if you’re buying this phone for less than its rivals. Performance isn’t quite as good as the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition, and theultra-wide and macro camerasare likely to disappoint photographers.
There’s also a lot of bloatware and in-app ads that cheapen the experience. Still, these shortcomings are easy to forgive when you can get agreat gaming experience at a budget-friendly price.
7. ASUS ROG Phone 8
TheASUS ROG Phone 8was unveiled to the world onJanuary 9, 2024at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) alongside its Pro variant.
Despite being the standard model, it shares many features with the Pro version, including theSnapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. ASUS consistently uses the same high-performance processor in both the regular and Pro models.
The model also includes gamer-friendly shoulder buttons and the latest battery technology, such asdual USB-C portsand wireless charging. However, it lacks the mini-LED visual accents found on the Pro version, instead featuring a standard RGB logo.
The ASUS ROG Phone 8uses a conduction cooling system using boron nitride and copper to help manage the device’s temperature. It also has a back cover designed to facilitate heat dissipation. An optional accessory for improved cooling is theAeroActive Cooler.
A common criticism of both the regular and Pro models is the distracting placement of the front camera, which compromises the integrity of the screen, unlike the sleek display of previous iterations.
8. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
TheiPhone 15 Pro Maxis currently the most powerful iPhone on the market (until the unexpected iPhone 16 comes out), capable of playing games likeResident Evil Village and the Resident Evil 4 remake. It featuresApple’s A17 Pro chip, which is more efficient than the previous A16 Bionic chip found in iOS devices.
While this goes a long way toward ensuring asmooth gaming experience, so does the display, whose120Hz refresh rate OLED screendelivers stunning visuals.
You can get up to1TB of storageto match the flagship performance, and all iPhone 15 Pro Max devices have 8GB of RAM, so there’s plenty of storage forgames, apps, photos, and the operating system.
The4,422mAh batteryis a slight improvement over theiPhone 14 Pro Max, but it’s still lacking compared to other flagship devices. However, we found that on average we had 60% battery left at the end of the day (35% on the weekend).
Battery is an area where Apple constantly compromises, and the higher price tag can hurt a little more than other devices.
9. OnePlus Open
TheOnePlus Openis thebest book-style foldable you can buy. Few games are optimized for it, but it’s a great choice for gaming, with the option to play on the larger7.82-inch internal display.
The6.31-inch cover screencan hold its own, too, especially since both panels are120Hz and OLED.Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2delivers very good performance, while the durable hinge leaves a barely noticeable crease.
With the best camera you’ll find on any foldable and some thoughtfulAndroid software tweaks, there’s a lot to like here.
The battery is a shame. It struggles to last a full day at times. With a hefty price tag,most gamerswill be better off elsewhere.
10. Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
If you were frustrated byAsus’ decision to stray from its classic gamer aesthetic with theROG Phone 8 Pro, the previous7 Ultimateis the phone for you.
It wasreleased in 2023, so it’s still agood choice in 2025. TheSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipsetis paired with 16GB of RAM for excellent performance.
The6.78-inch AMOLED displayoffers a market-leading 165Hz refresh rate, while the built-in vapor cooling is complemented by an optional clip-on cooler with its own built-in subwoofer to amplify audio.
What sets the Ultimate apart from the competition is the small ‘ROG Vision’ display on the back for notifications and custom animations, as well as the ‘AeroActive Portal’ cooling flap that works to further improve airflow when the cooler is attached.
If you can find theROG Phone 7 Ultimateat a discount and like the design, this is definitely one to consider.
11. Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G
TheMediatek Dimensity 1080isn't as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, but it can still deliver decent performance for its price point, and its 120Hz refresh rate screen looks great. The good thing about the chipset is that it’s a bit older, so the battery doesn’t drain that quickly.
Speaking of the battery, theRedmi Note 12 Pro 5Ghas a 5,000mAh battery that should last you a whole day, but you’ll only be able to play for four hours before needing to charge it. However, the67W Turbochargemakes up for it, and in our tests we were able to fully power up the device in just 15 minutes.
Another thing theRedmi Note 12 Pro5G compromises on is the storage, which is only up to 256GB, while other devices can go as high as 1TB. That’s not bad, though, as it gives you plenty of room to store yourgames, apps, and photos.
The best part aboutthe Redmi Note Pro 5Gis that it excels in every way. If you need a budget handset that can handle gaming while still being suitable for everyday use, this is the one for you. Thedecent cameras, battery life, and build qualityall come together to make for an ace smartphone.
12. Vivo X100 Pro
TheVivo X100 Prois designed with a focus on photography, but its high performance makes it a great choice for gaming as well. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 chipset, which is said to outperform theSnapdragon 8 Gen 3.The Vivo X100 Prois the first phone to feature this chipset.
The display is a6.78-inch LTPO AMOLEDwith a 10-bit color profile and a curved design that eliminates side bezels, offering a resolution of 1260 x 2800 pixels.
TheImmortalis G720 MC12 GPUon this phone supports hardware-based ray tracing, which improves the visual quality of games to match that of gaming consoles.
Charging is fast with a 100W charger, which can replenish 50% of the battery in just 12 minutes. The Vivo X100 Pro also comes with up to 16GB of thelatest LPDDR5T RAM, which is 13% faster than LPDDR5x, improving the overall device performance.
The camera on this phone is excellent, capable of taking high-quality photos even at 100x digital zoom. For those who want a gaming device that is also great for professional photography, theVivo X100 Pro is a great choice.
