10 Ways to Keep Your Android Device Fast for Gaming

When you first purchase an Android device, everything runs smoothly, from launching apps to playing intensive games. However, over time, you might start noticing a slowdown, with lags or stutters becoming more common during gameplay.

This decline in performance is typical as devices age and storage fills up with numerous apps and games, consuming considerable amounts of RAM and leaving behind residual cache that hampers functionality.

In this article, we'll explore practical steps to maintain your Android's speed, enhancing both gaming and everyday performance. Importantly, these tips don't require you to root your device.

1. Uninstall Unused Apps

Often, we keep old apps on our devices thinking they won’t cause any issues. However, removing these unused apps is beneficial as it frees up space for new applications and improves overall performance.

Uninstalling apps is easy to do. You can navigate to Settings > Apps, select the app you wish to remove, and tap the uninstall button. Alternatively, on many devices, you can long-press the app icon and drag it to a trash bin icon to delete it.

Before uninstalling, ensure you back up any important data stored within the apps, like documents, game saves, or ebooks, so you can restore them if needed later.

By decluttering your device of these old applications, not only do you gain more space for new apps, but reinstalling them in the future is easy, especially if they are paid apps, as the Play Store keeps a record, saving you from repurchasing.

2. Clear Cache

Most apps store some data temporarily to help them run faster. This temporary data is called cache. Typically, apps manage their cache by deleting old data that's no longer needed.

However, sometimes apps don't work as they should, and this old cache doesn’t get cleared away. When this happens, you’ll need to clear it yourself.

Just go to Settings > Apps, pick an app, and you'll see how much cache it has saved. If it seems like too much, hit the “Clear Cache” button to clean it out.

After you clear the cache, the app might be a bit slow the next time you open it. This is normal; it's just the app making new cache data. Clearing the cache can fix issues with apps and is safe—it won’t mess with your personal data or settings within the app.

3. Delete Unimportant Files

Just like deleting old apps frees up space, so does getting rid of files you don’t need anymore. Take some time to look through the folders in your phone's internal or external memory. You're likely to find plenty of old files that aren’t useful anymore. Tools like ES File Explorer can help you hunt these down.

Look in places like your downloads or Bluetooth folders. Don’t forget about stuff like offline map data or video caches from online streams—delete these if you're not using them anymore. You might also consider cleaning out old texts, WhatsApp messages, or emails to free up even more space.

If you have photos you don’t often look at but want to keep, think about uploading them to a cloud storage service. Choose from one of today’s top cloud storage options to keep your photos safe without taking up space on your phone.

4. Use Special Apps

Besides the manual methods mentioned earlier, you can try using apps designed specifically for cleaning your device. There are plenty of apps available on the Play Store that can clear cache, remove apps you don't use anymore, and even shut down apps that cause your Android device to overheat.

One useful app is CCleaner. It's also popular among PC users and can get rid of old junk files, freeing up storage space on your device. It works automatically, so you don't need to delete files one by one.

Another app, Clean Master, not only deletes junk files but also closes apps that slow down your Android. It can help free up RAM, boosting your device’s performance.

You might also want to check out The Cleaner. It can clear out junk files, cache, and even your call and SMS history. Plus, it lets you schedule clean-ups at specific times. A neat feature of this app is that it shows how much memory you'll free up after cleaning.

5. Always Update Games

Apps and games on your phone need regular updates. To avoid lag while gaming, make sure you’re playing the latest version of the game. If not updated, the game might lag because the older versions aren’t supported anymore. You can check for the latest game versions on Google Play Games.

6. Use a 4G or WiFi Network

If you love playing online games but still face lag, the issue might be with your internet connection. Ensure you're using a strong, fast internet network. If possible, switch to a 4G network or connect to WiFi. Using a 4G network often solves slow gameplay issues.

For WiFi users, make sure the network isn’t crowded. Also, keep the PING under 200ms to maintain good speed. You can find tips on how to check your internet speed in this article.

7. Turn Off Active Apps

Another tip is to close apps that are currently running. Your smartphone can feel sluggish and overwhelmed when too many apps are open at the same time. This uses up a lot of RAM. Also, having many apps open drains your phone's battery faster, which can weaken its performance.

So, try not to keep too many apps open. Closing apps you're not using can really help your Android phone run smoother, especially when you're playing games.

8. Avoid Charging While Gaming

It's best not to charge your phone while playing games. The heat from charging can slow down your phone's performance, leading to serious lag issues.

Moreover, gaming while charging can shorten your phone's lifespan. Another tip: always use the original charger, not a counterfeit one. Fake chargers can damage your phone. So, make sure your battery is fully charged before you start gaming.

9. Restart Your Phone

Still facing lag while gaming? Try restarting your phone. You can follow the steps in this article to restart your device:

After restarting, it’s a good idea to let your phone rest for about 10 minutes. Give it some time to normalize again. Once you feel it's ready, turn it back on and start your gaming. Often, this simple step can be quite effective.

10. Consider Changing Your Phone

If you’ve tried everything and still experience lag, it might be time to consider the phone itself as the problem. Remember, every phone has its performance limits. If you’re pushing your phone beyond its capabilities, lag is often the unfortunate result.

Consider upgrading to a phone with better performance. You don’t need to spend a fortune either; there are plenty of affordable options that can handle gaming on Android.

With these tips, you shouldn't need to perform a factory reset to boost your phone’s performance. Now, you can enjoy your apps and games without any lag or similar issues. Good luck!