How to increase FPS on Android: what actually works

If you want to increase FPS on Android, you have to lower the work the game asks of the phone or remove the limits holding the chip back. In practice that means lower in-game graphics, a frame-rate setting your phone can hold, a high refresh rate, a cool phone and battery saver switched off. No ordinary app can raise another game's frame rate for you, whatever its icon says.

What decides your frame rate?

FPS (frames per second) is how many new pictures the game draws each second. More frames, delivered evenly, make motion look smoother and controls feel quicker.

Google's guidance for game developers names three main reasons a game misses its frame target:

• The chip is too busy. The game asks the processor or graphics chip for more than it can deliver.
• The phone is too hot. The device overheats and moves into a throttled state, where it runs slower on purpose.
• The game and the screen are out of step. The game's frame rate does not match the display's refresh rate.

Every fix that genuinely helps you increase FPS on Android tackles one of these three. Anything else is decoration.

Why can't an app increase FPS on Android for you?

Android keeps each app in its own sandbox. An ordinary app from the store cannot reach into a game and change how it draws, how many effects it renders or which chip speed it gets. Only the game itself, the phone's system software and you, through the settings, can do that.

Google Play's own policy forbids apps that claim features that are not possible to build. So when a "boost" button shows your FPS jumping from 40 to 60, you are watching an animation, not a measurement. Most of these buttons simply close background apps. Android already keeps recently used apps cached and clears them by itself when memory runs short. Our post on why heat slows games down covers the part of the problem that buttons cannot touch.

The changes that really raise FPS

Work through these in order. The first two usually make the biggest difference.

1. Lower the in-game graphics. Open the game's settings and look for Graphics or Display. Drop shadows, anti-aliasing, reflections and resolution before you touch anything else. A lower preset means fewer pixels and effects per frame, so the chip can draw more frames each second.
2. Choose a frame-rate option you can hold. Many games offer settings such as 30, 60, 90 or 120 fps. Pick the highest one your phone keeps steady during a busy fight, not the highest on the list.
3. Check your screen's refresh rate. A 60 Hz screen shows at most 60 frames a second, so a 90 fps setting gains nothing on it. On most phones, open Settings and search for "Refresh rate" or "Motion smoothness", then choose the high or adaptive option. Read refresh rate for mobile gaming to see when it is worth the battery.
4. Turn off battery saver. On Pixel phones, Battery Saver turns off Smooth Display, and the extreme version slows the processor. Other brands behave in similar ways.
5. Keep the phone cool. Phones can hold peak speed only for a limited time before they throttle. Take off thick cases, keep the phone out of the sun, and avoid long sessions while it charges.
6. Use the phone's own game mode, if it has one. On Android 13 and later, and on some Android 12 phones, games can offer a performance mode that you pick from a game dashboard, such as the one on Pixel phones or the phone maker's own game tool. It trades battery life for frame rate, but only works if the game or the phone maker supports it.
7. Update the game. Developers often add new graphics presets and fixes for specific phones, so an old version may run worse than it needs to.

If your phone is older, our guide to graphics settings for low-end phones gives a sensible starting preset.

Which changes help, and by how much?

This table compares common changes by what they affect and whether they can raise your frame rate.

How to check that a change worked

Change one thing at a time. Then play the same mode, map or training scene for a few minutes and compare. Busy fights and big open areas are the best test, because that is where frames drop first.

Some phones and games can show a frame counter. Our guide on how to see your real FPS explains where to find a trustworthy one. Be wary of any app that shows FPS rising after you tap a button, since that is exactly what a fake counter does.

Where CyberBoost fits

CyberBoost is a gaming HUD and game-mode app, so it works on the conditions around your frame rate rather than the frame rate itself. Its live overlay shows battery temperature and the screen's current refresh rate, which tells you when heat or a 60 Hz cap is the real limit. Its eight pre-game checks link straight to settings such as power saving and refresh rate, and its GFX checklist suggests in-game settings for your phone's memory tier. It does not show, measure or change FPS.

Frequently asked questions

Can a 60 Hz phone show 90 fps in a game?

No. The screen redraws 60 times a second, so it can only show up to 60 new frames. Setting a game to 90 fps on that phone mostly adds heat.

Does more RAM mean more FPS?

Not directly. Enough memory stops a game from reloading or crashing, but the frame rate depends mostly on the graphics chip, the settings you choose and heat.

Why is my FPS high at the start and lower later?

That pattern usually means heat. As the phone warms up it slows its chip to protect itself, and the frame rate falls with it.

Is it better to have high FPS or steady FPS?

Steady is usually better. A frame rate that keeps jumping feels worse than a slightly lower one that never changes.