5 best apps to boost smartphone gaming performance

5 best apps to boost smartphone gaming performance (Image via OnePlus)
5 best apps to boost smartphone gaming performance (Image via OnePlus)

Mobile games have evolved massively over the years, and smooth smartphone gaming performance is essential to enjoy titles ranging from fast-paced shooters like Call of Duty to immersive RPGs like Genshin Impact. Stuttering frames, lag, and overheating can quickly ruin your experience and sometimes leave you frustrated.

Thankfully, you can install some apps to help you squeeze every drop of power out of your device. This article lists five such apps that significantly boost smartphone gaming performance by clearing your phone’s storage, hibernating applications, and tweaking your phone's hardware capabilities.


5 apps that boost smartphone gaming performance

1) Files Go by Google

Files Go improves gaming performance by clearing junk files (Image via Google Play Store)
Files Go improves gaming performance by clearing junk files (Image via Google Play Store)

When the phone’s storage is full, it slows down reading and writing data. It leads to stutter, lag, and longer loading times in games. Therefore, cleaning your smartphone’s storage is essential for improving gaming performance.

This is where Files Go by Google comes to the rescue. This free app helps you locate and remove unnecessary files to give your phone a much-needed performance boost.

The app provides a clear overview of your storage usage and offers suggestions on what to clean up. The extra storage allows your phone to run more efficiently, resulting in smoother smartphone gaming performance.


2) Greenify

Greenify is a great utility for hibernating unused apps and games (Image via Google Play Store)
Greenify is a great utility for hibernating unused apps and games (Image via Google Play Store)

While many phone manufacturers include built-in game booster modes, these often simply force-close background apps. It may look effective for a temporary boost in smartphone gaming performance, but it's counterproductive. Constantly restarting apps in the background can drain more battery and processing power than leaving them suspended.

Greenify takes a different approach to enhancing performance by identifying and putting rarely used apps into a hibernation state using Android’s in-built Doze mode. Hibernated apps can't access the internet or background processes, which frees up valuable resources for your game.

Moreover, Greenify doesn't rely on root permissions to function properly, making it a safe and user-friendly option for enhancing your smartphone's gaming performance.


3) GFX Tool

You can tweak resolution, frame rates, and graphics using GFX Tools (Image via Google Play Store)
You can tweak resolution, frame rates, and graphics using GFX Tools (Image via Google Play Store)

For more advanced users looking to boost smartphone gaming performance, GFX Tool offers a way to fine-tune the graphics settings of individual games. This app lets you adjust resolution, frame rate, graphics quality, and more.

By lowering these settings, you can potentially improve performance on older or less powerful devices. However, beware that using the GFX Tool requires some technical knowledge and can potentially cause graphical glitches if not used carefully.

It's recommended to only use this app if you're comfortable tinkering with settings and understand the potential drawbacks to smartphone gaming performance.


4) 3C All-in-One Toolbox

3C All-in-One Toolbox allows granular control over device hardware (Image via Google Play Store)
3C All-in-One Toolbox allows granular control over device hardware (Image via Google Play Store)

3C All-in-One Toolbox is a powerful app that offers various tweaks for boosting smartphone gaming performance. It can free up RAM, optimize hardware performance, and even adjust system governors.

The app provides granular control over the phone’s CPU and GPU performance and even permits overclocking. This level of control over smartphone hardware requires root access and some technical know-how. However, for those with proper knowledge, this can be one of the best apps to boost smartphone gaming performance.


5) Kernel Adiutor

Kernel Auditor lets you tweak your smartphone's kernel to improve performance (Image via F-Droid Store)
Kernel Auditor lets you tweak your smartphone's kernel to improve performance (Image via F-Droid Store)

Kernel Adiutor is another advanced app that requires root access for those seeking a way to boost smartphone gaming performance. It allows you to modify the core settings of your phone's operating system kernel. The app offers device-specific profiles that can be further modified to squeeze every bit of performance from your phone.

Some of these optimizations can include overclocking the CPU and GPU for increased performance. Hence, it is recommended for users who have a deep understanding of how smartphone kernels function.


For most users, Greenify and Files Go by Google are safe and effective options to free up resources. However, if you have the technical knowledge, Kernel Auditor and 3C All-in-One Toolbox can significantly boost your smartphone's gaming performance.


Check out more smartphone gaming articles here:

Best 90Hz phones for gaming || Is Android better than iPhone for gaming? || Best budget smartphones for playing Warzone Mobile || 5 things to keep in mind while buying gaming phones in 2024

Quick Links