The idea of running Cyberpunk 2077 on a smartphone would have been ludicrous when the game first came out in 2020. Fast forward six years, and now that idea has become a reality. Handheld and SFF specialist ETA Prime on YouTube has made it happen with gaming phone running the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077 at 30 to 40 FPS in emulation.
ETA Prime chose the Red Magic 11 Pro, one of the most powerful Android smartphones on the market, in combination with GameSir's GameHub platform to emulate the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077 on Android. The Red Magic 9 Pro stands out with its integrated cooling system, ensuring sustained performance under load, while maintaining peak performance during extended use.
At low settings using 720P resolution with FSR 2.1 set to Balanced mode, ETA Prime found that the Red Magic 11 Pro was able to pump out an impressive 30 FPS in most scenarios. Under the most challenging conditions, the device fell to the upper 20s, but never reached the teens. The YouTuber also noted that operation was fluid overall, or at least as fluid as those frame rates permit.
To help kick up the frame rate, ETA Prime also ran the same settings with FSR frame generation enabled, boosting Cyberpunk 2077's frame rate significantly, with highs of up to 50 FPS and dips into the low 40s. Tested the Steam Deck configuration, which raises several options to high, and remarkably, the Android device managed to maintain performance. When frame generation was deactivated the device managed to reach approximately 27 FPS, but with frame generation enabled the handset could attain 40-50 FPS.
Per an internal report, the device exhibited CPU usage nearing its limit, with graphics utilization running at elevated levels. Even with The Red Magic 11 Pro's built-in liquid cooling system, temperatures remained extremely elevated, hitting as much as 100 °C (thermal issues are a known characteristic of Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 devices). RAM usage remained high, with the system utilizing nearly all available memory, while the storage capacity remained at its configured level.
ETA Prime's presentation of Cyberpunk 2077 operating on Android highlights how remarkable PC emulation has grown within the mobile device landscape. If you had attempted to operate Cyberpunk 2077 via emulation in a similar manner several years back, it would likely have been unfeasible or at the very least broken. Clearly, Valve's impact on PC emulation within the Android realm has supported making PC emulation for AAA titles practical, just as the firm has achieved in the Linux sector. Valve provides support for certain PC emulators on Android, and GameHub utilizes Valve's Proton compatibility layer within its PC emulation framework.
Mobile processors are becoming increasingly powerful too, which has aided the growth of AAA PC gaming via emulation, exceeding simple code refinements. Should this trajectory continue, it is highly probable that smartphones in just a few years will manage Cyberpunk 2077 near 60 FPS smoothly—at least if the AI appetite for silicon finally diminishes.
Follow 3DTested on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to obtain our newest reports, breakdowns, & appraisals via your feeds.
