Pixel 11's new PowerVR GPU leaves Genshin Impact unplayable; Google confirms a fix is in the works

Google has confirmed to Wired that it's working with HoYoverse to resolve a graphics bug that leaves Genshin Impact effectively unplayable on the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro. Owners have reported severe rendering issues that block normal gameplay, including textures that appear bright purple.

Every Pixel 11 model runs Google's new Tensor G6, which switches to an Imagination PowerVR CXTP-48-1536 GPU. That's notable because the CXTP belongs to Imagination's C-Series lineage, a step back from the D-Series DXT-48-1536 used in last year's Tensor G5. The Tensor G5-powered Pixel 10 shipped with its own PowerVR-related Genshin Impact problems at launch, including flickering, instability, and corrupted textures. HoYoverse's version 7.0 update later flagged Imagination's BXM series and early Rogue/GE/GM-series GPUs as carrying compatibility risks, but neither the D-Series nor the C-Series appears on that list. That leaves it unclear whether the Pixel 10's fix was tied to this same allowlist mechanism and provides no precedent for whether the Pixel 11's CXTP-48-1536 issue can be resolved in the same way.

Google hasn't given a release date for the promised fix, stating only that it's expected to land in an upcoming Genshin Impact update. Other demanding titles, including Zenless Zone Zero, reportedly run on the Pixel 11 without the same issue, suggesting the problem is specific to Genshin Impact's PowerVR handling rather than the GPU driver stack as a whole. The Pixel 11 series starts at $899 and is available on Amazon*.