Gaming exposes speaker problems that ordinary use hides, and it also creates a few of its own. Worth separating the two.
For a complete overview, see our full guide: Diagnosing what is actually wrong.
Why gaming exposes existing problems
Game audio is dynamically mixed with wide frequency range and sudden transients — explosions, footsteps,
positional cues. That demands more from a driver than music streaming does, and a partially blocked speaker shows
its limits sooner. If audio is fine for videos but poor in games, blockage is plausible.
Thermal output reduction
This one is specific to sustained gaming. The voice coil heats during prolonged loud output, and heat raises
its electrical resistance — which reduces current and therefore output. Audio that starts fine and becomes
noticeably quieter after twenty minutes of play is usually thermal rather than a fault. It recovers as the device
cools.
Sustained high processor load also heats the whole chassis, compounding it.
Hand positioning
Landscape gaming grips frequently cover the bottom speaker entirely. This sounds obvious and accounts for a
genuine share of complaints. Move your grip and listen again before investigating anything else.
Game audio settings
Many games maintain their own volume levels and audio processing independent of the system. If one game is
quiet while everything else is fine, check inside that game. Some also apply spatial processing that sounds wrong
on a phone speaker.
Bluetooth latency
If you use wireless earbuds for gaming, audio delay is a codec issue rather than a speaker one, and no cleaning
addresses it.
If it is blockage
Case off, grille brushed, Bluetooth off, volume 70–80 percent, grille facing down, three cycles with brushing
between each. Test afterwards with speech rather than game audio.