Qualcomm teams up with Epic Games to enhance gaming on Snapdragon

At the Game Developers Conference 2025, held in early April in San Francisco, California, Qualcomm unveiled a complete overhaul of its handheld gaming chip lineup. This announcement included the introduction of new devices powered by the latest G3 Gen 3 chipset, which promises to deliver significant performance enhancements, including a 30% increase in CPU performance and a 28% boost in GPU efficiency over its predecessor. Among the featured devices are the Ayaneo Pocket S2 and Gaming Pad, as well as OneXSugar's Sugar 1, all equipped to support QHD+ gaming at 144 hertz and Wi-Fi 7 capabilities. In addition to the hardware advancements, Qualcomm revealed its strategic partnership with Epic Games aimed at facilitating better compatibility for games running on Arm-based PCs. This collaboration specifically means that Fortnite, one of the most popular games across platforms, will be fully operational on Windows devices powered by Snapdragon. The improvements also address previous compatibility issues with Epic’s Easy Anti-Cheat software, which affected numerous titles utilizing Unreal Engine. By enhancing this compatibility, Qualcomm is paving the way for more seamless gaming experiences on Snapdragon-powered systems. The company also introduced the mid-tier G2 Gen 2 series, which focuses on optimizing both local and cloud gaming. Although performance improvements are noted—more than double CPU and triple GPU performance over the G2 Gen 1—this series targets cost-sensitive consumers, indicating a strategic approach towards diverse market needs. The G2 Gen 2 series will be featured in Retroid Pocket's upcoming handheld, which also supports Wi-Fi 7 but with some compromises in hardware specifications. Collectively, these announcements represent Qualcomm's ongoing commitment to improving gaming capabilities, especially in the mobile gaming sector, which remains a lucrative aspect of its business. The company aims to leverage its expertise in mobile technology to reinforce its presence in the gaming market, providing users with the latest features to enhance gameplay. Industry analysts suggest that this targeted investment could yield significant benefits in consumer engagement, further solidifying Qualcomm’s stronghold in the handheld gaming arena, whether devices operate on Windows or alternative platforms.