With a barrage of hit titles from Tencent and miHoYo, HarmonyOS games are taking off in a big way!

Recently, HarmonyOS games have been making more and more appearances.

Today (the 25th), the HarmonyOS version of *Golden Shovel Battle* officially launched—marking yet another classic game observed by the Tea House this month that has entered the HarmonyOS ecosystem.

From the September 3 launch of the HarmonyOS version of *QQ Speed* to the September 10 release of the HarmonyOS version of *Genshin Impact*—both of which were showcased at the HarmonyOS Gaming Technology Briefing—followed by the successive launches of top-tier titles and classic IPs such as *Dark Zone Breakthrough*, *League of Legends: Wild Rift*, *Operation Delta*, and *Contra: Return*and "Metal Slug: Awakening," as well as the classic tower defense sequel "Plants vs. Zombies 3," which is set to launch tomorrow.

In just over twenty days, several popular mobile games have successively been adapted for HarmonyOS and launched, creating a buzz where “a new game is released every week, and each one becomes a hit.”

Major game developers are "voting with their feet," flocking to the HarmonyOS ecosystem with their products. This collective move undoubtedly sends a clear message: embracing HarmonyOS is now an inevitability.

01

A Solid Ecological Foundation

Why are major game developers and top-selling titles flocking to adopt HarmonyOS?

Let’s first take a look at the latest official figures: Currently, the number of HarmonyOS 5 devices has surpassed the 17 million mark. Compared to the 14 million reported just a week ago, this clearly demonstrates the rapid pace of adoption.According to our sources, HarmonyOS has attracted over 1,000 game developers, and the number of games has recently surpassed 12,000, covering more than 30 different genres.

To players, these figures translate into a wider variety of gaming options: from hardcore MMOs and competitive titles to casual puzzle games, every genre is represented, offering something to suit the entertainment needs of diverse player groups across various scenarios. For game developers, the HarmonyOS ecosystem’s ever-expanding user base and extensive device coverage are emerging as a key opportunity to reach hundreds of millions of users and unlock new avenues for growth.

As for the HarmonyOS gaming ecosystem itself, the multiple breakthroughs in terminal devices, game products, and the developer community signify that it has successfully completed the first phase of laying the groundwork, thereby establishing a solid foundation for advancing into a new stage of more mature and diversified development.

Now, with popular games from leading developers—such as *Genshin Impact* and *Golden Shovel Battle*—collectively integrating with the HarmonyOS system, a clear and positive signal has been sent to the industry. The implementation experience and practical results of these products will serve as a model, providing valuable guidance for small and medium-sized teams that are still on the sidelines, thereby accelerating the industry’s overall adoption of the platform.

Based on this, Tea House boldly predicts that a new surge in HarmonyOS games is just around the corner.

02

A game’s quality speaks for itself

However, for players, terms like "ecosystem" and "business model" are "abstract concepts"—they may not care about the logic behind technical compatibility or the manufacturers' strategic plans; their only criteria are whether a game is "fun" and "runs smoothly." And when it comes to this most basic need, many games' HarmonyOS versions have delivered impressive results.

Typically, when launching a large game, players inevitably face long wait times; the slow progress bar is extremely frustrating and significantly detracts from the gaming experience.

To address this issue, HarmonyOS offers a cutting-edge instant-launch solution. Take *NBA All-Star* as an example: thanks to memory snapshot technology, the game can skip the initial startup phase after a reboot and jump directly to the login screen or lobby, enabling instant play with no waiting.

While playing games, many players have likely encountered issues such as lag, frame drops, or overheating devices. This is because today’s high-quality games generally prioritize high-resolution graphics, which often place heavy demands on the system. Hardware limitations can directly impact rendering and loading efficiency, significantly compromising the game’s smoothness.

To address these challenges, HarmonyOS 5 has introduced several optimization technologies, including edge-to-cloud compilation, intelligent frame interpolation, binary optimization, enhanced PGA compilation, and a brand-new "game scene awareness" feature. Working together, these technologies significantly improve loading speeds, responsiveness, and visual smoothness in complex game scenes.

For example, after *Crystal Core* integrated the shader-side cloud compilation service, the game’s startup time was reduced by 56 seconds. This also minimized the power consumption and stuttering issues caused by GPU compilation, eliminating lengthy startup wait times and allowing players to enjoy the game anytime, anywhere, without delay.

Since its launch a while back, *Genshin Impact* has received feedback from numerous reviewers and players alike that the HarmonyOS version offers a significantly improved experience. As a prime example of a game featuring top-tier graphics, complex scene rendering, and extremely high performance demands, its smooth performance since joining the HarmonyOS ecosystem once again demonstrates the system’s outstanding ability to handle large, resource-intensive games.

As these examples clearly demonstrate, through system-level technical optimizations—ranging from faster startup and smoother performance to seamless cross-platform continuity—HarmonyOS has effectively enhanced the core experiences that matter most to gamers, providing a solid technical foundation for the development of high-quality mobile games.

03

There are also "new twists" to the gameplay

In addition to a smooth gaming experience, players are most excited about a variety of innovative gameplay features that defy imagination. These features are no longer minor tweaks to traditional modes, but entirely new forms of gaming born from the "soil" of the HarmonyOS ecosystem. Each one precisely taps into players' craving for "novelty," sparking wave after wave of discussion on social media.

In offline social settings, when players want to team up for a game, the traditional process typically involves a series of cumbersome steps, such as sharing links, downloading and installing apps, searching for users, and adding friends. Games based on the HarmonyOS system, however, can leverage the "Tap to Connect" feature to enable instant file sharing and team formation with a single tap. This significantly shortens the entire process from invitation to participation, greatly enhancing the convenience of in-game social interaction.

Want to send the *Best Soccer Club* game package (about 1 GB) to a friend? Just tap the two phones together, and it’ll be transferred in 10 seconds—no need to wait for a long download.

Want to team up with friends to play *Baochao Mengchu*? Just tap your phones together, and you can form a team and start playing right away. Compared to the cumbersome steps of the past, HarmonyOS’s “Tap to Connect” feature streamlines the process from “wanting to play” to “starting to play,” making offline gaming and socializing easier and more instantaneous.

For players looking to unwind during breaks from work or study, there’s no need to open the game app or wait for it to load. HarmonyOS’s innovative desktop cards bring the fun right to your desktop, making entertainment available anytime, anywhere.Take *Floating Life: Linglong* as an example. Players can “virtually raise a child” right from an interactive card on their home screen. During lunch breaks or while waiting for the elevator, a single tap on the card lets them interact with their “child,” providing a soothing experience in just a few seconds.

This model breaks free from the traditional constraints of time and space in gaming, allowing players to interact with their characters during spare moments. This not only enhances the sense of companionship but also boosts user retention. By integrating into daily life in a more streamlined and convenient way, the game further expands the boundaries of interaction and emotional connection in mobile gaming.

Home entertainment experiences have also been further expanded. Take the classic racing mobile game *QQ Speed*, for example: thanks to Lingxi Air Gesture Control technology, players can now race directly on the Huawei MateTV and enjoy the thrill of high-speed racing on the big screen.

In addition, HarmonyOS’s “voice-controlled gameplay”—powered by AI-driven intent recognition—allows players to keep their hands completely free. For example, when playing *Three Kingdoms Kill*, players need only say, “I want to use ‘Wine’ to kill Dong Zhuo,” and the system will accurately recognize the keywords, automatically identify the relevant in-game options (such as “Wine,” “Kill,” and the target character), and simulate the player’s tap actions to execute the command.

This feature breaks the barrier that "playing games requires physical interaction," making it particularly suitable for situations where both hands are occupied—such as during exercise, while doing household chores, or while commuting. Players can still interact with the game continuously via voice commands. For developers, these new use cases represent a valuable opportunity to increase user engagement time.

These innovative features, born from the HarmonyOS ecosystem, not only deliver a fresh gaming experience to players but also expand the game’s application scenarios and emotional value by adapting to real-life situations and enriching the dimensions of game interaction. This has achieved a dual breakthrough in both enhancing the player experience and driving industry growth.

Conclusion

Returning to the question posed at the beginning—the reason why the HarmonyOS ecosystem has attracted top-tier games like *Genshin Impact* and *Teamfight Tactics* to join the platform is that its “magic” is actually quite straightforward: it not only meets developers’ urgent need to break through the competitive landscape but also fulfills players’ simple desire for “more fun and smoother gameplay.”

Without any complicated marketing gimmicks, the core principle boils down to “solving problems with technology and retaining users through experience.”For developers, this space offers fertile ground for differentiated competition and untapped user growth; for players, it delivers smoother controls and fresher interactive experiences. Today, with the accumulated expertise of thousands of games and developers, coupled with the dual appeal of seamless experiences and innovative gameplay, this ecosystem is no longer a choice of “whether to try it,” but a must-answer question of “how to position oneself.”

When demand and supply converge here, it’s not hard to foresee that, as more manufacturers shift from “wait-and-see” to “action,” this ecosystem’s story is only just entering its truly exciting chapter.