Pixel phones are reportedly choking on basic games after Android 17

Pixel users can’t seem to catch a break from broken updates. Earlier this week, we noted concerns about Pixel devices missing calls arbitrarily, and dozens of users resonated with the issue. Just a few days before that, there were reports about Pixels not charging as fast as they should. Now, a new issue has cropped up that sounds a bit too embarrassing for the flagship hardware.

Even though Pixels aren’t particularly great for gaming, no matter how convincingly Google insists. And it’s getting worse, almost impossible, with the latest stable Android 17 update. Per several reports on Reddit, owners of Pixel devices are experiencing choppiness in games. The lag can reportedly be seen not only in heavy games, which Pixels anyway struggles with, but also in basic, much less demanding ones, such as the multiplayer tower defense game Clash Royale. Meanwhile, the relatively heavier Brawl Stars has become unplayable for some users. The majorly hit devices, as per the posts and replies, are the Pixel 10, Pixel 9, and Pixel 8 series primarily.

The exact culprit, aside from the usual explanation of it being a bug, remains unclear. In addition to Android 17, some users have also observed the slowdown since applying one of the June Play Services updates. Some other titles reportedly affected include Monster Hunter and Hill Climb Racing 2, and neither is a game that could send a so-called flagship phone into a crawling fit.

Some users also have suggestions to make games run smoothly on Pixel phones again. One of them is to clear the cache for Google Play services and then restart the device. Another option is to head over to Developer options > Graphics Driver Preferences and change the preferred GPU driver from the default to the system graphics driver for the specific game. Then, repeat the same for ANGLE preferences. Do note that these are suggestions from the users and haven’t been tested by us. These steps will have to be taken for each game individually.

Meanwhile, we’re waiting for Google to acknowledge the issue and will share an update once we get to know more.