What is a major impact of garbage collection pauses in games, especially on mobile devices?

• A. They speed up frame rate.
• B. They have no impact on performance.
• C. They cause frame drops and stuttering.
• D. They only affect loading screens.

Answer: (C)

Garbage collection pauses interrupt the game loop by halting memory reclamation, so the main thread stops briefly. On mobile devices, where frame budgets are tight (about 16.7 ms for a 60 FPS target) and resources are limited, that short pause can push frame time over the limit, causing frame drops and visible stuttering. This impact can occur during active gameplay, not just on loading screens, making motion feel jumpy or uneven. The other ideas don’t fit because GC pauses don’t speed up frames, and performance issues aren’t confined to loading phases—they can happen anytime the game is actively running.