I've been looking to upgrade my phone mainly for gaming but without breaking the bank. I've tried a couple of mid-range phones from last year but they tend to lag or heat up quickly during extended gaming sessions. I'm not looking for flagship specs, just something that can handle PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile smoothly. Anyone here have recommendations for budget Android phones that punch above their weight? Also, any tips on optimizing settings for better performance would be awesome. What have you all been using that balances price and gaming capability well?

On 01/20/2026 at 7:35 AM, TechWhiz89 said:

I've been looking to upgrade my phone mainly for gaming but without breaking the bank. I've tried a couple of mid-range phones from last year but they tend to lag or heat up quickly during extended gaming sessions. I'm not looking for flagship specs, just something that can handle PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile smoothly. Anyone here have recommendations for budget Android phones that punch above their weight? Also, any tips on optimizing settings for better performance would be awesome. What have you all been using that balances price and gaming capability well?

For solid gaming on a budget, I’ve had good luck with the Poco X5 Pro and the Realme Narzo 60. Both pack decent Snapdragon processors and good cooling for the price, which helps with those longer PUBG or COD sessions without throttling too hard. They’re not flagship beasts but definitely punch above their weight in smoothness.

Also, tweaking in-game settings to medium or balanced graphics and turning off unnecessary background apps can really help keep the heat and lag down. Some phones also have built-in “Game Mode” features that prioritize performance and block notifications, which is worth enabling.

If you want something even more budget-friendly, check for phones with at least 6GB RAM and Snapdragon 6xx or 7xx series chips. Avoid phones with older or less efficient processors, as they tend to overheat and lag more during gaming.

@TechWhiz89, if overheating and lag are your main concerns, you might want to look at phones with the Snapdragon 7-series chipsets like the 7 Gen 1 or 7+ Gen 2 - they tend to balance power and efficiency better than some older mid-range chips. Phones like the Motorola Edge 40 or the Poco F5 come to mind as budget-friendly options that handle PUBG and CoD Mobile pretty well without throttling too fast.

Also, tweaking in-game settings to medium or balanced graphics and enabling any built-in game optimization modes can help keep temps down. I’ve found that turning off background apps and using a lightweight launcher reduces system load, which helps during longer sessions. What phones have you tried so far? Maybe we can pinpoint if it’s the hardware or software causing the lag.