Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon G-Series Chips for Next-Gen Gaming Consoles

Qualcomm Technologies unveiled new gaming processors at the Game Developers Conference 2025. The Snapdragon G series chips are specifically designed for future portable gaming devices. The lineup includes three models: Snapdragon G1 Gen 2, G2 Gen 2, and G3 Gen 3, which differ in CPU configurations and GPU generations. Only Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 supports hardware acceleration of ray tracing.

Image source: overclock3d.net

The flagship Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 is the only chip in the lineup that supports Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen technology. Qualcomm promises a 30 percent boost in CPU performance and “28 percent faster advanced graphics capabilities” compared to the previous-generation chip. It also boasts better power optimization and improved power efficiency, according to the manufacturer.

The Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 delivers “2.3x faster CPU performance and 3.8x faster graphics capabilities” compared to the G2 Gen 1, but the lack of hardware-accelerated ray tracing support significantly limits its potential.

Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 is primarily focused on cloud gaming and is designed for more affordable devices with support for cloud gaming services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now.

Qualcomm noted the growing interest in its new gaming chips, citing Retroid as an example, which uses the G1 Gen 2 in the Retroid Pocket PR Classic console. The Ayaneo Pocket S2 console is also expected to receive one of the new chipsets. However, neither of these devices is a mass-market product, nor is it comparable in popularity to gaming consoles like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally.