If you've paid more than $1,000 for a new phone, you'd likely expect it to be able to run all the best mobile games, especially ones as popular as Genshin Impact. Well, we've seen reports over the last few days that the new Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is struggling with the gacha game, and it all has to do with the Android phone's Tensor G5 processor.
Admittedly, Pixel devices have never been great for mobile gamers, with just one entry from the brand in our guide to the best gaming phones. However, the problem at hand here is all to do with compatibility. In a recent update, Genshin Impact stopped supporting PowerVR GPUs, which, surprise, surprise, is the GPU inside the 10 Pro XL's Tensor G5 chip. The game still runs, but we've seen reports of screen tearing, flickering textures, and controls acting up following the latest update, making it virtually unplayable.
It's worth noting that while we've seen a few reports of issues with the Pixel 10 Pro XL running Genshin Impact, it doesn't seem to affect any other games at the time of writing, including other Hoyoverse mobile titles such as Zenless Zone Zero and Honkai Star Rail. Still, Genshin Impact is one of the world's most popular mobile games, amassing over 200 million downloads since its 2020 launch, so lacking support for the game could be a tricky issue for Google to navigate.
Of course, there's always a chance that Hoyoverse, the developer behind Genshin Impact, might reintegrate support for PowerVR GPUs in a future update. For now, though, if you're looking to pick up a new phone to play the gacha game on, we'd recommend looking at something like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 17 Pro Max instead. Or, if you're on a bit more of a budget, the Poco F7 is half as cheap as the 10 Pro XL and has no problems running Genshin Impact or any other games for that matter.
From now on, we'll be keeping a close eye out for any more reports of Genshin Impact performance issues on Google Pixel 10 handsets to see just how widespread the issues are. For now, though, be sure to check out some devices that have plenty of performance power with our guides to the best gaming tablets and the best handheld consoles.