Your PC games on Android: how GameNative can display three frames for every one the game renders

GameNative lets you run PC games you already own locally, including titles from Steam, Epic Games and GOG. The phone runs the game and renders the image, with no PC running in the next room or remote server doing the rendering. Compatibility has to be checked game by game. Owning a title in your library does not guarantee it will launch.

In version 1.4.0, released on 5 November, Gamescope handles how frames are presented on screen. It is selected automatically on Adreno devices. The developers also document a route for Mali GPUs using the system Vulkan driver. The option depends on Wayland support in the selected Proton build, so settings that work on a Snapdragon phone do not necessarily carry over to other Android phones.

If the game struggles to render every frame at the screen’s native resolution, the first step is to lower the rendering resolution. Gamescope then upscales the result with a filter such as FSR or NIS. The sharpness slider helps strike a balance between an overly soft image and artificially sharp edges. The number of frames displayed is controlled separately.

In LSFG ×2 mode, the compositor inserts an estimated frame between two frames rendered by the game. In ×3 mode it can add two. A camera pan can then look smoother, but the game does not process three times as many inputs or run its simulation three times faster. A generated frame can also show artefacts around a moving object.

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The quick menu lets you adjust filters and frame generation while playing. The new version can also show what is holding the session back, such as the CPU, GPU or heat. If the starting frame rate fluctuates sharply, try adjusting resolution or detail settings before adding intermediate frames. Our guide to FPS and 1% lows explains why two games with the same average frame rate can feel very different to play.