If you’re reading this, chances are, you own a smartphone. In fact, there’s a slightly higher than 50% chance that you’re reading this from a mobile device as this is the proportion of web traffic that comes from smartphones and tablets.
Smartphones are powerful devices that serve many purposes and not just making calls and browsing a few websites. They are our companions, helping us navigate this often crazy and confusing world both literally with apps like Google Maps, and figuratively with tools for managing our finances, learning new skills, and planning our days.
Our pocket-sized computers are also sources of entertainment. In addition to the endless memes that they serve up through social media, smartphones and tablets can stream just about any song, movie, or television show ever created, completely on-demand, to just about anywhere on the planet.
Another popular form of entertainment has been mobile gaming. There are conflicting figures in the media about exactly how many people play games on their smartphones, but most estimates put the number somewhere between 1.5 and 2.7 billion people. Even if you look at the low number, that’s more than the population of all but two countries and more than three times the population of Europe.
If this many people enjoy playing games on their phones, it is probably safe to assume that the format offers a quality playing experience. In recent years, the gap between mobile gaming and console titles has shrunk dramatically, with several popular options now having cross-platform play that lets mobile, PC, and console users compete with or against each other on the same server.
Graphics, physics, and scale of mobile games has also come on leaps and bounds over the last few years. The difference between the likes of Flappy Bird, one of the earliest mobile titles and Call of Duty: Mobile is immense.
But while the current mobile gaming experience is better than it’s ever been, there are still some ways that we can take it to the next level.
Expand Your Library
One of the greatest things about mobile gaming is the vast range of options that are available to players. While in the era before smartphones, handsets would have come preloaded with a small selection of basic titles, today, users can choose from a library of around one million games from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
On top of that, many online casinos also offer large selections of games that can be accessed from smartphones. This includes popular classics like blackjack and roulette as well as more novel options like Double Double Bonus, Joker Poker, and Tens or Better.
With so much choice, you can boost your gaming experience by trying out some more of the options available. This will not only let you find some new favourites, but it’ll also give you the opportunity to learn some new skills to apply to other games.
Try Using a Controller
Touchscreen controls are fine for most mobile games, but there are times when a more ergonomic option can improve your performance and make your gaming experience more comfortable.
The Xbox One and Series S/X have one of the most comfortable controllers ever designed. Its curves fit perfectly in your hands and the buttons, triggers, and sticks are all within easy reach without having to stretch your fingers and thumbs. This makes it an idea companion for smartphone games.
Thankfully, connecting an Xbox controller to an Android device is easy and can be done in just a few simple steps.
Optimize Your Phone
In PC gaming, compatibility with hardware can often be a problem. As new titles get released, older hardware begins to become obsolete, requiring players to upgrade.
This isn’t generally the case for mobile gaming as most handsets that have been sold within the last five years or so will continue to run most of the latest titles.
That said, there are still some things that you can do to eke out even more performance from your phone while you play games. Tweaking the screen refresh rate, clearing junk, and playing with some developer settings can help to boost the FPS, graphics quality, and loading times of your mobile games.