Five Settings That Save Your Battery While Gaming

Battery anxiety is real when you're deep in a game and the charge icon turns red. The good news is a few settings usually buy you a lot more playtime without ruining the experience.

First, drop the in-game graphics from high to medium. On most phones the visual difference is minor but the heat and drain difference is huge. Second, lower your screen refresh rate if your phone offers 90 or 120Hz; games rarely need it and it burns power fast.

Third, dim the screen a little, since the display is often the biggest drain of all. Fourth, close background apps before a long session. And fifth, turn off vibration in games that love to buzz constantly.

We tested these across several games and consistently squeezed out extra time. Strategy and casual titles benefit the most since they don't need high frame rates to feel good anyway.