Games like Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, Call Of Duty Legends and Asphalt 9, which offers console-like experience on the go, are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, a number of players are now manufacturing dedicated phones for gaming like Razor Phone 2, Asus ROG Phone, Xiaomi-backed BlackShark phone, and ZTE-backed Red Magic phone. But, what about gaming on mid-range phones?
Well, affordable phones are now quite good, at least as far as the performance aspect is concerned. Many mid-range chips from MediaTek and Qualcomm are capable enough of handling high-end games smoothly. Besides, the fact that 64GB inbuilt storage is fast turning into a norm helps too. So, if you are looking for a good phone for gaming under Rs. 20,000, here are some of the best options that you may consider.

1. Redmi Note 7 Pro

Redmi Note 7 Pro (review) disrupts the sub-20k market with power-packed and feature-rich performance. Snapdragon 675 chipset handles the processing power paired with 4/6GB of RAM. Needless to say, this is a great phone for gaming.

The 6.3-inch FHD+ display; 2340*1080 resolution, and a Dot-notch up top gives you a larger screen surface and immersive visual experience. A 4000mAh battery would endure long gaming hours. The phone also comes with a 48MP + 5MP camera pair at the back. Upfront, the notch houses a 13MP selfie snapper.
Finally, if you are tight in budget, you could go with its base variant. i.e., Redmi Note 7
Display: 6.3-inch FHD+ display; 2340*1080 resolution, Dot-notch | Processor: 2 GHz octa-core, Qualcomm SDM675 Snapdragon 675  | RAM: up to 6GB | Storage: up to 128GB | Software: Android 8.1 Or MIUI 10 (Android 9.0 Pie) | Rear camera: 48MP + 5MP | Front camera: 13MP | Weight: 186g | Dimensions: 159.2 x 75.2 x 8.1 mm |Battery: 4000mAh, QuickCharge 4.0 18W fast charging supported
This is yet another Xiaomi phone that took the smartphone world by surprise when it launched. It deserved the hype due to the power it helmed thanks to Snapdragon 845 chipset along with Adreno 632 GPU. Apart from this, another cool feature is liquid cooling technology to decimate heat and keep the phone temperature in control even with extensive high-end gaming. The 6GB/8GB of RAM should further benefit your experience.

You could install lots of games on its 64GB /128GB storage. It includes 12MP+5 MP rear cameras and 20MP shooter at the front.
Display: 5.99-inch (18:9) Full HD+ IPS | Processor: Snapdragon 660 octa-core  | RAM: up to 6GB | Storage: up to 64GB | Software: Android 8.1 Oreo | Rear camera: 12MP + 5MP | Front camera: 13MP | Weight: 175g | Dimensions: 157.9 x 75.5 x 8.5 mm |Battery: 5000mAh

3. Samsung Galaxy A50

Next up we have Samsung’s new mid-range power-house Galaxy A50 (review) which stands neck to neck against Note 7 Pro. It runs on Samsung’s in-house Exynos 9610 chipset, coupled with 4GB/6GB RAM. Well, the higher variant would cost above 20k. It’s 4000mAh battery would grant enough longevity for hours of gaming.
Samsung Galaxy A50
It comes with either 64GB or 128GB storage which is expandable up to 512GB via a dedicated card slot. It features a 25MP (F1.7) + 5MP (F2.2) + 8MP (Ultra-Wide) trio at the back. Upfront, the 25MP camera residing on the Infinity-U notch takes care of selfies. You get a 6.4 FHD+ Infinity-U display with 1920 x 1080 resolution that has in-display fingerprint scanner too. Unlock to use the Android 9 Pie based One UI out of the box.
Display: 6.4 FHD+ Infinity-U display, 1920 x 1080 pixels  | Processor: 2.3GHz Octa-core Exynos 9610 chipset   | RAM: 4GB/6GB  | Storage: 64GB/128GB (expandable up to 512GB) Dedicated card slot | Software: Android 9 One UI  | Rear camera: 48MP + 5MP | Front camera: 13MP | Weight: 186g | Dimensions: 158.5 x 74.5 x 7.7 mm |Battery: 4000mAh, 15W fast charging supported

4. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2

Asus has launched the second iteration of its Zenfone Max Pro series that brandishes the powerful Snapdragon 660 and runs clean and light stock Android software.

Apart from the best in class processing prowess, which further makes Max Pro M2 (Review) an ideal gaming phone is its massive battery. The 5000mAh battery ensures that you let yourself indulge without fretting too much.
Display: 5.99-inch (18:9) Full HD+ IPS | Processor: Snapdragon 660 octa-core  | RAM: up to 6GB | Storage: up to 64GB | Software: Android 8.1 Oreo | Rear camera: 12MP + 5MP | Front camera: 13MP | Weight: 175g | Dimensions: 157.9 x 75.5 x 8.5 mm |Battery: 5000mAh

5. Oppo K1

Oppo K1 is powered by the Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor that’s powerful enough to steer you through most demanding games. It is fueled by a 3,600mAh battery. You could install as many games on a 64GB inbuilt storage (expandable up to 256GB). You could grab the 4GB RAM variant. Your gaming experience with this phone is likely to be enhanced by the Oppo’s Hyper Boost technology.

One of the biggest attraction of this phone is the availability of an in-display fingerprint scanner at its price tag. Oppo K1’s 6.4-inch AMOLED display houses its 25MP front camera. Flip to the back and you get a 16 MP + 2 MP Dual camera arrangement.
Display: 6.4 inches, 2340 x 1080 px AMOLED Display, 19:5:9 aspect ratio with Waterdrop Notch | Processor: 1.95 GHz, Octa Core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64GB (expandable up to 256GB)| Software: Android, Oreo 8.1 with ColorOS 5.2 | Rear camera: 16 MP + 2 MP Dual Camera with autofocus | Front camera: 25 MP with Flash | Weight: 156g | Dimensions: 158.7 x 75.4 x 7.3 mm |Battery: 3600mAh

6. RealMe 2 Pro

The new online exclusive RealMe 2 Pro (review) is another phone that does well on the gaming front. The phone is driven by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 chipset which is certainly an aggressive offering in this price.

For gaming enthusiasts, the RealMe 2 Pro top variant that comes with 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM fits the bill. The other highlights of the RealMe 2 Pro are its triple slot, dual SIM dual VoLTE support, and 3410mAh battery.
Display: 6.3-inch (19.5:9) Full HD+ IPS | Processor: Snapdragon 660 SoC | RAM: 4GB/6GB/8GB | Storage: 32GB/64GB/128GB | Software: Android 8.1 (Color OS 5.2) | Rear camera: 16MP + 2MP | Front camera: 16MP | Weight: 174g | Dimensions: 156.7 x 74 x 8.5 mm |Battery: 3500mAh

7. Realme U1

Realme U1 (Review) is the first phone to be powered by MediaTek’s Helio P70 platform, which proved to be an excellent chip for gaming. In fact, the benchmark scores place is a notch above Qualcomm Snapdragon 660. We’d recommend you go for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant that costs 14,499 INR at launch.

The Realme U1 is just the right size for gaming and has a sharp and vibrant full HD+ display. Thanks to the power efficient chipset, the 3500mAh battery lasts really long and the 25MP selfie camera is an added bonus.
Display: 6.3-inch (19.5:9) Full HD+ IPS | Processor: MediaTek Helio P70 SoC | RAM: 3GB/4GB | Storage: 32GB/64GB | Software: Android 8.1 (Color OS 5.2) | Rear camera: 13MP + 2MP | Front camera: 25MP | Weight: 174g | Dimensions: 156.7 x 74 x 8.0 mm |Battery: 3500mAh
Pros
  • Premium design
  • Solid Performance
  • Dedicated card slot
  • Fast Face Unlock and Fingerprint sensor
  • Battery backup
Cons
  • Lowlight camera performance
  • Software needs more work
  • No LED notification light

8. Vivo V9 Pro

Vivo has been in really aggressive with their hardware packaging this year. It has followed the same trend with Vivo V9 Pro which should delight more budget gamers. The new offering under V-series banner ships with Snapdragon 660 chipset aided be Adreno 512 GPU.
Apart from being an excellent budget gaming device, the Vivo V9 Pro also features comparatively a good set of cameras.
Display: 6.3-inch (19.5:9) Full HD+ IPS | Processor: Snapdragon 660 octa-core AIE | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 64GB | Software: Android 8.1 | Rear camera: 13MP + 2MP | Front camera: 16MP | Weight: 150g | Dimensions: 154.8 x 75.1 x 7.9 mm |Battery: 3260mAh

9. Honor Play

For the first time, Huawei is offering its flagship Kirin 970 chipset for under Rs. 20K with the Honor Play (review). The base variant offers 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, and a higher variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage is also available for under 20k.

Unlike other contemporary Huawei phone, Honor Play has a metal back. Other notable features include 6.3-inch Notch display, dual rear cameras, and 3750mAh battery.
Display: 6.3-inch (18:9) Full HD+ IPS | Processor: Kirin 970 octa-core  | RAM: 4GB/6GB | Storage: 64GB | Software: Android 8.1 oreo | Rear camera: 16MP + 2MP | Front camera: 16MP | Weight: 176g | Dimensions: 157.9 x 74.3 x 7.5 mm |Battery: 3750mAh

10. Realme 3 Pro (Upcoming)

Image credit: Realme / Twitter
During its recent launch of Realme 3, the company hinted at the imminent launch of the Pro variant onstage. The phone would be in direct competition with the Redmi Note 7 Pro. So, we could expect a high-end performance, possibly powered by Mediatek Helio P90 SoC. It might also showcase optics setup similar to Note 7 Pro, to say the least. So, a 48MP camera would be a good guess.