Which mobile games actually respect your battery

After testing dozens of games on the same two phones, one pattern stands out: 3D racers and big RPG battles hammer the battery, while arcade and cozy sim games barely register. It's not always about how good a game looks either — some pretty games are surprisingly efficient.

Frame rate settings are the biggest lever you have. Dropping a racing game from 60 to 30 frames can add a lot of playtime, and honestly most people won't notice much in casual play. It's the first thing I change on a long trip.

Heat and battery go hand in hand. If your case is warm, your phone is throttling and draining faster. Taking off a thick case during long sessions genuinely helps more than people expect.

If you're playing away from a charger, stick to lighter genres and turn brightness down a notch. You'll get far more out of a single charge than you think.