How to fix lag in BGMI and PUBG Mobile
Short answer: work out which lag you have first. A stuttering picture is an FPS problem - lower the graphics tier, free RAM, manage heat. Other players teleporting while the picture stays smooth is a network problem - check ping, server region and Wi-Fi. Fixing the wrong one changes nothing.
Two problems that look identical and aren't
Almost every failed attempt to fix lag comes from treating it as one thing. It's two, they have opposite fixes, and applying the wrong one wastes an evening.
FPS lag - your phone can't keep up
Symptoms:
- The picture stutters when you turn quickly or enter a built-up area
- It gets worse the longer you play, and the phone is hot
- Aiming feels sluggish even when nothing is moving around you
- Dropping graphics settings visibly helps
The fix is on your device: lighter graphics, fewer background apps, less heat.
Network lag - your connection can't keep up
Symptoms:
- Players teleport or rubber-band
- You shoot first and die anyway
- The picture is perfectly smooth right up to the moment everything jumps
- The in-game ping indicator spikes or turns red
The fix is on your connection, and graphics settings are irrelevant to it.
The one-question test: is the picture stuttering, or are other players jumping around while the picture stays smooth? Stuttering picture = FPS. Jumping players = network.
Fixing FPS lag
- Turn the graphics down before the frame rate Ultra HDR is the most expensive setting in the menu and the least important in a firefight. Move to Smooth or Balanced. A fast, plain-looking game beats a beautiful one that stutters. See what each graphics tier costs.
- Free memory before you queue Background apps hold RAM the game wants, and Android will start evicting game assets, which shows up as stutter when you turn into a new area. Close everything and clear memory - the Booster tab in 90 FPS + 120 FPS shows live RAM use so you can see whether this is even your problem.
- Deal with heat If the first ten minutes are fine and it degrades after that, it's thermal throttling. Take the case off, don't play while charging, avoid direct sun, and drop a graphics tier. A cooler phone holds its frame rate.
- Match the frame rate to what your phone sustains Selecting the highest number available is counterproductive if the chipset can't hold it. A locked 90 feels better than a 120 that collapses in fights. Here's how they compare.
- Free up storage A nearly full phone slows down at the filesystem level and the game stutters while streaming assets. Keep several gigabytes free.
- Unlock the frame rate if it's locked low If your phone has a 120 Hz panel but the game caps you at 60, some of what you're calling lag is just a low frame rate. Unlocking the higher tiers addresses that directly.
Fixing network lag
- Find out what your ping actually is Under 50 ms is good, 50–100 ms is playable, over 150 ms will lose you fights you should win. The Booster tab reports current ping with a quality rating, and the game's own indicator works too. Measure before changing anything.
- Pick the right server Playing on a distant server adds latency no local fix can remove. Choose the region closest to you.
- Get closer to the router, or switch to mobile data Wi-Fi at the edge of range is a common and invisible cause. Sometimes a good 4G signal beats weak Wi-Fi outright - test both.
- Check who else is on the network Someone streaming in 4K or running a large download will spike your latency in bursts. This matches the "smooth, then sudden jump" pattern exactly.
- Turn the VPN off A VPN adds a hop and usually adds latency. Unless you have a specific reason for it, don't game through one.
- Avoid "ping booster" apps that promise a lower ping No app on your phone shortens the physical distance to the server. What a legitimate optimiser does is prioritise the game's traffic on your own device, which helps with congestion - not with distance.
Common mistakes
- Lowering graphics to fix network lag. Extremely common, completely ineffective. Rubber-banding has nothing to do with your GPU.
- Trusting "booster" apps that claim to reduce ping. Physics doesn't negotiate.
- Playing while charging. Charging generates heat, heat causes throttling, throttling causes stutter.
- Judging by the lobby. It's trivial to render. Test in a real fight.
- Changing five things at once. Change one, play a match, evaluate. Otherwise you'll never know what worked.
Where the app helps
The hardest part of this whole process is the diagnosis, and it's the part most guides skip. 90 FPS + 120 FPS by TQtech puts the relevant numbers on one screen - live RAM and CPU load, free storage, and current ping with a quality rating - so you can tell in seconds whether you're looking at an FPS problem or a network problem before you change anything.
From there it gives you the corresponding tools: Boost Memory and Optimize Network for the network side, one-tap GFX profiles for the graphics side, and a frame-rate unlock for when the real issue is that your game is capped below what your display can show.
Diagnose it before you change anything
Live RAM, CPU and ping on one screen, plus the tools to act on what you find. Free on Google Play, no root required.
- Free
- No root needed
- BGMI & PUBG Mobile
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my lag is FPS or network?
Watch what stutters. If the picture itself judders when you turn, it's frame rate. If the picture is smooth but other players teleport and your shots don't register, it's network. They need opposite fixes.
Does a GFX tool reduce ping?
Not the distance component - nothing on your phone can. What network optimisation does is prioritise the game's traffic on your own device, which helps when something else on your network is competing for bandwidth.
Why does my game lag only after ten minutes?
That's the signature of thermal throttling. The chipset lowers its clocks as it heats up. Remove the case, stop charging while you play, and drop a graphics tier.
Should I lower graphics or lower frame rate?
Lower graphics first. In a fast-paced shooter, smoothness and responsiveness matter more than texture detail, so keep the frame rate and sacrifice the visuals.
Will clearing RAM really help?
It helps when memory pressure is the cause - which shows up as stutter on entering a new area, as the game reloads assets Android evicted. Check your actual RAM usage first rather than clearing out of habit.