I subject my phone to heavy workloads, such as playing some of the most demanding games, to test it. Below, I’ll list the games I use to test my Android phone, explain why I prefer them, and share the optimal settings I use for maximum strain.

1Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact is an open-world action role-playing game commonly regarded as the most graphically demanding and resource-intensive mobile game. It has beautiful visuals with high-resolution textures, dynamic lighting and shadows, complex animations, and particle effects.

As a result, Genshin can put a lot of stress on a device, especially considering its high memory and storage use. Some phones, including flagship iPhones, dim the screen when you play Genshin Impact for extended periods.

Playing Genshin Impact RPG game on an Android phone

To ensure maximum strain, I always max out all the available in-game visual settings, including graphics quality, render resolution, frame rate, visual effects, and shadow quality. Genshin is my best game for testing because it offers granular graphics settings for manual adjustment.

If your phone struggles to run Genshin Impact or any other game on this list, try ourtips for boosting Android gaming performance.

Hand holding an Android phone with Asphalt 9: Legends mobile racing game home screen displayed

Download:Genshin Impact forAndroid|iOS(Free, in-app purchases available)

2Asphalt 9: Legends

Gameloft’s Asphalt 9 is the best racing game for testing your phone’s performance. The game features some of the best graphics for a mobile racing game, with stunning, high-resolution graphics that include HDR rendering, detailed textures, reflections, and particle effects.

It contains many challenges whwere you get to race through different scenes, experiencing the game’s advanced lighting and shadow techniques that exert maximum strain on the GPU. The gameplay is also demanding due to the fast-paced racing with advanced animations and effects.

Android phone with PUBG Mobile game opened

But that’s not all. I also use Asphalt 9 to test games because it includes high-frame rate support. Adjust the frame rate setting to the maximum available option to get the best benchmarking results.

Download:Asphalt 9: Legends forAndroid|iOS(Free, in-app purchases available)

Android phone on a table top with Call of Duty Mobile game home screen displayed

3PUBG Mobile

PUBG Mobile is a popular battle royale game because of its impressive gameplay, excellent graphics, and multiplayer mode. It’s another perfect candidate for pushing a phone to the limits because of its fast-paced nature, 100-player multiplayer mode with in-game voice chat, high-quality graphics, complex animations, and effects.

I always download HD resources in the setup screen for testing to ensure I apply more strain to the phone. I also download any pending downloads in the resource management center. Once done, I head to the game’s main settings to adjust graphics and audio settings.

Playing Shadow Fight 4: Arena 1vs1 match on an Android phone

I set the graphics and frame rate to the maximum options available across the game, including in combat, in the lobby, and on the home screen. I also set anti-aliasing to 4x and enable shadows. These settings ensure maximum strain while playing the game, ensuring I understand how my phone performs under heavy workloads.

Download:PUBG Mobile forAndroid|iOS(Free, in-app purchases available)

4Call of Duty: Mobile

Call of Duty: Mobile is one ofthe best first-person shooter (FPS) games available for Androiddevices. It’s an action-packed game with battle royale and standard multiplayer modes. The game requires a player to react as fast as possible to survive, making it perfect for testing performance.

The game is almost a 3GB download, and, on top of that, I optionally download HD resources in the setup screen for HD-quality gaming with high-resolution 3D graphics and sound. This is to ensure the game pushes my device to the limits.

To take it a mile further, I also crank up all the relevant in-game settings to increase strain, such as the graphics quality and frame rate, and additionally set the graphics style to dynamic. All these, plus the game’s fast-paced nature, make it one of the most demanding mobile games on the market.

To gauge the efficiency of your device’s thermal management, you should play the game for at least half an hour with no breaks.

Download:Call of Duty: Mobile forAndroid|iOS(Free, in-app purchases available)

5Shadow Fight 4: Arena

Shadow Fight includes 3D graphics and a variety of modes to choose from. It boasts fluid animations, various environments, and complex combat mechanics with multiple moves and combinations with effects that are perfect for pushing both the CPU and GPU to the limits.

Besides its fast-paced nature and multi-touch capabilities, it’s perfect for gauging touch and input responsiveness. Like other games on this list, it includes a multiplayer mode, which is excellent for testing network performance. By default, the game sets the graphics quality to Auto, but I increase it to Ultra to make it more demanding.

Download:Shadow Fight 4 forAndroid|iOS(Free, in-app purchases available)

These five games are my go-to whenever I want to gauge how my phone handles heavy workloads. They are action-packed, fast-paced, and include great visuals and effects, perfect for straining a phone’s hardware resources.

I always play these games at maximum graphics settings for maximum strain. You should do the same if you want to test your device’s processor. If you use your phone primarily for gaming, I also recommend getting variousaccessories for the best mobile gaming experience.