Runtime Backbuffer Resize Limits Across Platforms

Direct answers

GraphicsDevice.ResetStatus does **not** provide separate codes for cases where GPU resources are preserved versus discarded; it only reports Success, DeviceLost, or DeviceNotReset.

The GraphicsProfile (Reach/HiDef) and its ReleaseProfile setting do not alter reset behavior; state preservation depends on whether resources are in the managed pool and whether the underlying graphics API supports automatic restoration.

In MonoGame 3.6+ the OpenGL ES 3.0 backend can preserve the backbuffer and attached textures when the EGL surface is recreated with the preserveFramebuffer attribute enabled; the OpenGL ES 2.0 path always treats a resize as a context loss that discards GPU resources unless the application reloads them.

Confirmed facts from the research

• ResetStatus enum values: Success, DeviceLost, DeviceNotReset – no distinction for preserved vs discarded state.
• GraphicsProfile/ReleaseProfile influence feature level, not reset outcome.
• MonoGame 3.6+ added EGL surface recreation with optional preserveFramebuffer for ES 3.0; ES 2.0 lacks this option.
• Windows DirectX resizes typically preserve managed resources; iOS/Android may cause full context loss unless preservation flags are used.

Steps to verify on your target platform

1. Create a MonoGame project and load a texture via ContentManager.Load<Texture2D>.
2. At runtime, change GraphicsDeviceManager.PreferredBackBufferWidth or PreferredBackBufferHeight and call ApplyChanges().
3. Immediately after ApplyChanges(), check GraphicsDevice.ResetStatus.
4. Attempt to render the previously loaded texture.
5. If the texture appears correctly, resources were preserved; if it appears blank/default, they were discarded despite a Success status.
6. Repeat the test on Windows (DirectX), iOS, and Android, and toggle the MonoGame build to target OpenGL ES 2.0 vs 3.0 (by adjusting the GraphicsProfile or using the appropriate platform binaries) to observe version‑specific differences.

One missing detail that could change the recommendation: Are you relying on ContentManager to automatically reload resources after a reset, or do you manage GPU resources manually (e.g., custom GraphicsResource handling)? If you use ContentManager, the framework will reload textures automatically after a reset; otherwise you must handle re‑creation yourself.