Galaxy S26 Ultra as a pocket console! It runs Cyberpunk and The Witcher 3

The YouTube channel ETA Prime embarked on testing the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra as a gaming machine – and the results show that the phone with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 can handle things that would have required dedicated hardware just a few years ago. In Samsung DeX mode connected to a monitor, it ran not only retro emulation but also full-fledged PC games.

The Witcher and Cyberpunk on a phone? Yes, but in 720p

ETA Prime used the GameHub application to emulate PC titles directly on the S26 Ultra. First, he launched Hollow Knight: Silksong, which is an undemanding game, but a stable 60+ FPS confirms a solid foundation. More interesting was the deployment of The Witcher 3 at medium details and 720p resolution – the phone maintained over 50 frames per second.

The most demanding test was Cyberpunk 2077 at low details in 720p. Here, the S26 Ultra hovered around 28 to 30 FPS – playable, but certainly not smooth. Expecting a console-like Cyberpunk experience from a phone would be an exaggeration, but the mere fact that the game runs at all speaks volumes about the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Retro emulation without compromises

Where the S26 Ultra truly shines is in emulating older consoles. Using the Dolphin emulator (Wii and GameCube), it ran games like Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Auto Modelista, and Super Smash Bros – all at 4 times the original resolution without significant issues.

PlayStation 2 emulation via NetherSX2 performed similarly well. Gran Turismo 3 maintained a stable 60 FPS, and Metal Gear Solid 2, Sly Cooper, and Tekken 5 also ran smoothly. For retro game fans, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is essentially a pocket console with a huge library.

Game Booster Plus and GameHub: a gaming hub in your pocket

Samsung adds the Game Booster Plus application to the S26 Ultra, which allows switching between Battery Saver, Balanced, and Performance modes. It offers FPS limiting, resolution scaling, increased frame rate for action titles, and real-time performance monitoring directly on the display. GameHub then centralizes game management – organizing the library, adjusting settings, and monitoring performance metrics from one place.

It’s worth noting that ETA Prime conducted a similar test on the RedMagic 11 Pro with the same chipset. Thanks to active cooling, the gaming phone performed slightly better in some scenarios. The Galaxy S26 Ultra relies on passive heat dissipation, which is a limiting factor during prolonged load. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with CPU clock speeds up to 4.7 GHz offers a 13.2% CPU performance increase and a 21.5% GPU improvement compared to its predecessor – but it still holds true that its full potential cannot be utilized without cooling.

Do you play retro games on your phone via emulators?

Source: ETA Prime