I Love These 3 Games On My Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+

Samsung has had quite a busy time lately. First, they unveiled the much-awaited flagship Galaxy Tab S9 series, followed by the Tab S9 FE series. But amidst these major launches, Samsung silently launched two new budget tablets as well: The Galaxy Tab A9 and Tab A9+. The new entrants in the A-series made their debut a few weeks ago, and I’ve had the chance to check out the bigger Tab A9+. After two weeks of hands-on experience, I decided to put the tablet to the gaming test, pushing its Snapdragon 695 processor, 8GB RAM, and 90Hz refresh rate.

Out of the eight games I tried on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+, I eventually narrowed it down to three favorites. While the tablet is decent for gaming, it’s best suited for “casual” gaming sessions. Prolonged gaming sessions might not be the best idea, especially if you’re into demanding AAA titles like Genshin Impact. The Snapdragon 690 is a standard chipset that won’t blow your mind in terms of gaming performance. 

Achieving that crucial 60 FPS mark in today’s popular titles might be a stretch. In simple terms, it all boils down to the game you’re playing and your expectations. The Adreno 619 delivers a respectable performance, but it falls short compared to the top-of-the-line SoCs currently on the market. Anything less demanding will run smoothly without putting too much strain on the processor. However, if you venture into the world of triple-A games, you might not have the best experience.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Unboxing & First Impressions

Best 3 Games to Play on Galaxy Tab A9+ 

Alto’s Odyssey 

Alto’s Odyssey transports you to diverse landscapes, featuring dunes, temples, and canyons. The game kicks off with your character swiftly sand boarding downhill, where you must execute tricks and navigate obstacles, such as rocks, to survive. As you keep playing, you’ll encounter new locations and tricks, adding a distinctive flavor to the game.

A standout feature of Alto’s Odyssey is its soundtrack. Initially calm, it seamlessly intensifies as you enter more challenging phases of the gameplay. We strongly recommend using headphones for a completely different and immersive experience. The Tab A9+’s speakers also deliver a satisfying performance, with no noticeable lags.

If you’re in search of a tablet game that’s easy to play and offers a sense of discovery with each session, Alto’s Odyssey fits the bill perfectly. The game’s relaxing vibe makes it a pleasure to play at any time of the day. The ever-changing scenery, weather, and time of day in Alto’s Odyssey contribute to its nearly endless replay value.

The Galaxy Tab A9+ handles the game well, though at times, I found myself missing the crispness of an AMOLED screen to truly showcase the graphics. Nevertheless, considering the price-to-performance ratio of Samsung’s budget tablet, there’s little room for complaints. In terms of heating, after 40 minutes of continuous gameplay, the Tab A9+ does warm up a bit, but it’s nothing alarming.

Asphalt 9: Legends

Asphalt 9: Legends, a widely acclaimed racing game, performs admirably on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ when set to standard configurations. It’s advisable not to push all settings to the maximum, as the game may experience slight stuttering during intense on-screen action. Despite this, the game maintains a visually stunning appearance and runs smoothly, offering no cause for concern.

For those familiar with mobile gaming, the Asphalt series is a longstanding presence since its inception in 2004 on the Nokia N-Gage platform, an often overlooked OG smartphone gaming platform in today’s discussions about gaming smartphones.

The Asphalt series has consistently stood out for its impressive visuals, setting benchmarks for each generation of mobile games. Asphalt 9 follows suit, placing even greater emphasis on visuals and soundtrack. I appreciate how the Galaxy Tab A9+ effectively reproduces the audio, especially in quiet surroundings where the quad-speaker setup enhances music and effects like nitro boosts or drifting.

As mentioned earlier, the game runs seamlessly at normal settings. However, if you opt for higher-quality graphics, pushing the limits a bit, you’ll start noticing performance issues on the Tab A9+. Stutters become more apparent. Once again, the absence of an AMOLED display is felt, but given its price, the full HD TFT screen holds up well.

Shadow Fight 4

Returning to the Tekken 3 era, my love for combat games runs deep. While testing games for the Tab A9+, I received a Play Store recommendation for Shadow Fight 4. Shadow Fight Arena, the fourth installment in the Shadow Fight series, is a free-to-play multiplayer fighting game for mobile devices. It features high-quality character models. The backgrounds, ranging from misty mountains to bamboo forests, are equally captivating. Fighter animations are fluid, contributing significantly to the gameplay, and the sound, especially the music, complements the experience with a range of tracks.

However, being a free-to-play game comes with the typical challenges. Unlocking fighters involves randomly finding their cards in loot boxes, and they level up through repetitive card discoveries. The in-game currencies, gold, and gems can be earned slowly, but gems can be purchased with real money, and coins can be bought with gems.

On the Galaxy Tab A9+, the game ran smoothly without any performance hiccups, and the speakers on the tablet did not disappoint either.

In conclusion, to put it as simply as possible, I think that Galaxy Tab A9+ punches above its weight class when it comes to gaming. It may not deliver as alluring or flawless experience as a flagship or some of the other mid-range tablets on the market with better processors (like the Xiaomi Pad 6), it still manages to keep the ball rolling with its decent performance. For casual gamers like me, who do not spend a hefty amount of time playing games, the Tab A9+ offers a satisfactory experience. 

If you are a Samsung fan and want to have a budget Galaxy tablet that offers enough to handle your casual gaming needs, then Galaxy Tab A9+ is worth a shot.