Samsung’s latest Galaxy Ultra phone demonstrates significant progress in PC gaming capabilities via DeX, supported by mature GameNative app and enhanced GPU drivers, though limitations remain for heavy titles and sustained loads.
Samsung’s latest Galaxy Ultra phone can now stand in for a light gaming laptop in a narrow but practical set of cases. In testing by Android Authority’s Hadlee Simons, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, when connected to an external display through DeX, was able to run a range of older PC titles through GameNative, with performance varying sharply by game, graphics driver and thermal load. The result is not a full desktop replacement, but it is no longer a novelty either.
The shift is being driven by two developments. First, GameNative has matured into one of the more polished PC gaming apps on Android, with Steam support and broader launcher integration. Secondly, unofficial Turnip GPU drivers for Snapdragon 8 Elite-class chips have improved compatibility and frame rates, especially in demanding emulation and translated-PC workloads. Android Authority notes that these drivers were missing in earlier Snapdragon 8 Elite testing, but now materially change what a recent Galaxy flagship can do.
In DeX mode, the S25 Ultra handled lightweight titles comfortably. Games such as Baba is You, Mina the Hollower and Battleblock Theater ran smoothly, and temperatures stayed modest. More demanding older titles were a mixed bag: Crysis was playable at 1080p on low settings, Deus Ex: Human Revolution mostly held 60fps with dips, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain benefited noticeably from the Turnip driver, which kept frame rates close to the cap. By contrast, some games failed for reasons unrelated to raw power, including a Steam launch error in Call of Duty 2.
The same pattern held as the games became heavier. The Witcher 3 was described as playable, albeit with obvious mouse judder that improved once the frame rate was capped at 30fps. Cyberpunk 2077 could launch, but it hovered in the low teens to around 20fps and was prone to crashes, making it unsuitable for most users. That outcome fits broader reporting on Snapdragon 8 Elite devices: the chip is strong for burst performance, but sustained loads still raise heat and throttling concerns, particularly in compact hardware.
DeX itself is now part of the story, not just the display layer. Android Authority says ultrawide monitor support works through Samsung’s Good Lock MultiStar tool, while bypass charging still depends on app handling inside Gaming Hub. The newer One UI 8 rebuild of DeX also introduced a controller bug that Samsung has since fixed in One UI 8.5, though that leaves some older Galaxy devices at a disadvantage if they cannot move beyond One UI 8. Taken together, the software is good enough to support keyboard-and-mouse PC gaming, but not yet friction-free.
The broader conclusion is cautious but clear. Recent Galaxy flagships with Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon can now deliver a credible lightweight gaming PC experience when plugged into a monitor, especially for older or less demanding titles. That is a meaningful step forward from the state of Android PC gaming only a year ago. But compatibility gaps, anti-cheat restrictions and heat remain limiting factors, and even Samsung’s best phone is still some way from replacing a proper laptop or desktop for serious gaming.
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