Here's why your Pixel 10 or Pixel 10 Pro can't handle Genshin Impact

Updated (October 7, 2025): In a statement to Android Authority, Google has denied removing support for Genshin Impact for Pixel 10 users. Here’s the full statement:

Genshin Impact has not removed Pixel 10 GPU support. We partnered closely with miHoYo over the past year for Pixel 10.

Original article follows:

If you’ve tried firing up Genshin Impact on your new Pixel 10 or Pixel 10 Pro, chances are you didn’t make it very far before the screen turned into a chaotic mess of frame drops, crashes, and distorted visuals. And no, it’s not just you. Your Pixel 10 really can’t handle Genshin Impact anymore.

But before you hurl your phone across the room, write an angry Reddit post or X thread, here’s what’s really going on.

Genshin Impact quietly dropped PowerVR GPU support

Back in early August, developer HoYoverse updated Genshin Impact’s Android requirements. The changes didn’t get much attention at the time, but they’re now hitting hard for Pixel 10 owners. In the updated device specs, HoYoverse officially removed support for PowerVR GPUs. The new minimum requirement now explicitly lists “Non-PowerVR GPU” as a condition to play.

That means any device with a PowerVR graphics processor, like the entire Pixel 10 lineup, has effectively been kicked off the adventure.

To quote part of the update notice:

Devices below the minimum specifications may still launch the game, but may experience performance issues including frame rate drops, instability, or crashes during gameplay.

And that’s exactly what’s happening: some users can still load into Teyvat, while others can barely get past the menu screen. The difference? Pure luck. And maybe how deep into the game you go before it implodes.

The Pixel 10’s PowerVR GPU is the culprit

When Google unveiled the Tensor G5, it quietly switched GPU architectures from ARM Mali to PowerVR — a decision that didn’t raise many eyebrows at the time. After all, PowerVR used to be a big name in mobile graphics back in the iPhone 6 days.

But in 2025? Not so much. PowerVR chips have largely vanished from the Android scene, surviving only in a handful of low-end MediaTek phones. So when Genshin Impact cut off PowerVR support, the Pixel 10 lineup became collateral damage.

For a phone that costs as much as it does, being unable to play one of the most popular mobile games on Earth (with over 100 million downloads on Android alone) is… let’s just say, not a great look.

Pixel phones and gaming — an awkward relationship

If you’ve been following Google’s Pixel story, you’ll know this isn’t exactly shocking. Pixel phones have never been gaming powerhouses. And, honestly, Google has never pretended they were.

Remember when the Pixel 4 launched alongside Stadia, Google’s big cloud gaming dream? It was supposed to bridge the gap by letting Pixel owners stream AAA titles like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey straight from a browser, no console needed. For a few glorious months, it actually worked. Pixel users lived in a parallel universe where console-quality gaming ran from a Chrome tab. Then, in classic Google fashion, the updates slowed, the marketing fizzled, and before most people even tried it, the shutdown announcement dropped. The rest of the world leaned into mobile-native gaming instead. Google, meanwhile, seems to have moved on.

So yeah, the Pixel’s strained relationship with gaming goes way back. From skipping high-refresh GPUs to cutting corners on sustained performance, Google has always seemed more interested in AI smarts and camera magic than delivering console-grade gaming on mobile.

And now, Genshin Impact just drove the point home

Losing support for Genshin Impact, a game that routinely appears in the top charts for revenue and downloads, feels symbolic. It’s like Google’s quiet confirmation that gaming isn’t part of the Pixel mission statement anymore. Sure, you can still launch the game (if it doesn’t crash first), but the developers already warned you what to expect: frame drops, instability, and performance issues galore.

Meanwhile, older Pixels like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9, which used ARM Mali GPUs, run the game just fine. It’s only the new PowerVR setup inside the Tensor G5 that’s incompatible.

For a brand that once dreamed of cloud gaming dominance with Stadia, this feels like a full-circle moment, and proof that the Pixel’s future is clearly about AI, not FPS.