Gaming on the Google Pixel 5

Video games are obviously the focus of what we do here at GamesReviews.com, although we’ve purposefully expanded into the tech space at the ask of our readers. Google has been a great partner with us on that journey, and you all have really been enjoying the content we put out. Anytime we do a tech review, however, we like tie it directly into gaming, and so today we are looking at gaming on the Google Pixel 5!

If you read through our review of the Google Pixel 5 you know that Google has opted to remove some of the high end phone features and instead focus on providing consumers with a great price. Although you get more RAM and storage space on the Pixel 5 as opposed to the standard Pixel 4 XL, there is one major difference that actually makes the Pixel 4 XL a better gaming platform than the Pixel 5, and that is in the processor.

The Pixel 4 XL is sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 while the Pixel 5 is providing users with the inferior Qualcomm Snapdragon 765. Screen size is also important when talking about gaming on mobile, so you will lose .3 inches going from the 4 XL to the 5. Does this matter, though?

Yes and no. Listen, both devices will be able to play everything available on the Google Play store, and in most cases, the experience you will have is exactly the same, albeit on a smaller screen if you play on the Pixel 5. My standard games for testing – The Simpsons Tapped Out, Disney Emoji Blitz – worked incredibly well on both devices, with no noticeable performance differences. When it came to more depending titles like Asphalt 9 and Hogwarts Mystery, there was minor noticeable differences between the two when placed side by side. There were minor hiccups on the Pixel 5, as well as some frame rate issues during some cut scenes. Nothing major, and without a side-by-side test, you again likely wouldn’t notice the difference.

When it comes to Stadia, life on the Pixel 5 is just as good as it was on the Pixel 4 XL, minus .3 inches. We recently played through the exclusive Stadia demo for Immortals Fenyx Rising and noticed no discernable differences between playing on the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4 XL.

Ultimately, if gaming is what you primarily do on a mobile phone, the quality between the two is so similar that I would look to other phone factors that might tip the scale in favour of one over the other. Do you want that slightly larger screen? The 4 XL is the way to go. Want a better battery life so you can play long? The Pixel 5 is the obvious choice here.

At the end of the day, gaming on the Pixel 5 is just as good as playing on the Pixel 4 XL. With all these other great upgrades in the 5, it’s an easy upgrade recommendation from us!