- Use Android on your PC with the best emulators that you can use on your computer.
- So you can play your Android games on your PC
There are dozens of Android emulators for PC that allow you to enjoy a complete – or almost – experience with Android on your computer. In this article, we select the best that exists, and we review the most important characteristics of each of them.
And is that using Android on your computer may have more utilities than you could imagine at first. Having an operating system as complete as Google’s on a desktop platform has infinite possibilities, which go beyond just running Android apps and games on the PC, be it Windows or Mac.
Android emulators for PC: Top with the best
- Official Android Emulator
- Bluestacks
- ARChon
- Genymotion
- BlissOS
- MEmu
- KOPlayer
- GameLoop
- NoxPlayer
- Remix OS Player
- LDPlayer
Not all Android emulators for PC are the same. Some of them allow you to use a complete and clean version of the operating system on your computer. In contrast, others allow you to use Android with an optimized interface and some functions designed to improve the experience.
Official Android Emulator (AVD)
Yes, Google offers an official emulator to use any existing version of Android on a computer. This utility is integrated into Android Studio, and its technical name is AVD –Android Virtual Device–. Although it is a tool mainly intended for app developers to test their creations on virtual devices, users can download Android Studio and install the Android emulator.
One of the advantages of this emulator concerning other alternatives is the possibility of downloading and using the images of any version of Android that has existed, from the first to the last. To do this, users will only have to wait for the package they want to use and then configure the device –virtual– on which it will run.
BlueStacks 4
Outside of the “official” alternative, the best known and most widely used Android emulator for PC – especially after the sudden disappearance of Remix OS Player – is BlueStacks. Currently, the platform is in version number 4. It is undoubtedly one of the complete emulators that can be used when using Android applications or games on the computer.
BlueStacks 4 is primarily intended for running games, but it can be used without any problems to run popular applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, or any other utility. It is based on Android 7 Nougat, and among other things, includes multi-window support.
Very soon, in addition, Bluestacks will offer version 5 with a large number of new features such as reduced RAM consumption, support for the ARM architecture, and other changes that will make Bluestacks 5 the best Android emulator for PC, one more year.
ARChon
Unlike the rest of the emulators seen so far, ARChon is an emulator installed as a Google Chrome browser extension. In this way, it is possible to install and run applications or games for Android through their APK files without leaving the browser.
One detail to keep in mind is that before the applications can be installed in the emulator, they must be “transformed” through a tool offered by the emulator’s own creator in the project’s official repository on GitHub.
Genymotion
Almost as popular as BlueStacks is Genymotion. This Android emulator offers the possibility of running Google’s operating system in the cloud, thus consuming fewer computer resources than other emulators, or locally to obtain a complete experience with more than 3,000 virtual device configurations different.
In both cases, the emulator is primarily intended for developers who want to test their applications before their official deployment.
Bliss OS
The team behind the Bliss OS ROM platform has spent years adapting official operating system images for use on all types of devices, including computers. Today, this is the only platform that allows you to enjoy Android 9 Pie in its full version on a desktop computer and completely free of charge.
In this case, yes, we will not find intuitive wizards or automatic installers. To use Bliss as an emulator, it will be necessary to create a bootable USB with the Bliss OS ISO following the steps offered by our colleagues from Urban Tecno in their tutorial, and then start the computer from the USB without having to install the operating system on the computer.
MEmu
Another popular Android emulator for PC is MEmu. Again, we are facing an emulator designed to run Android games on desktop platforms, whose main virtue is the continued support and the arrival of frequent updates that incorporate new features and optimizations so that its operation is fluid enough in the vast majority of Equipements.
KOPlayer
The last option that we offer you in this selection of the best Android emulators is KOPlayer. We are, once again, before an emulator based on Android used, mainly, for the execution of games – although yes, it also allows installation apps. To do this, it has support for functions such as hardware acceleration and the OpenGL graphics engine. At the moment, it is only compatible with Windows and can be downloaded for free.
GameLoop
In addition to being one of the best platforms to play Android games on the PC, GameLoop is a fantastic emulator mainly focused on the gamer public.
So much so that it is the official Call of Duty: Mobile emulator for PC, backed by the Chinese giant Tencent. It offers the ability to run many Android games on your computer, with optimized controls and an intuitive interface.
NoxPlayer
One of the best Android simulators for PC is NoxPlayer, with which you can install both applications and games of the operating system on your Windows computer. After the latest updates, the emulator is now more stable and smoother than before, so you will notice an improved experience when using your favorite Android apps on your PC.
Of course, you can modify the keyboard settings to your liking and also open multiple instances at the same time. Some of the apps you can install in this emulator are Netflix, Instagram, PUBG Mobile, and WhatsApp.
Remix OS Player
Another option to have Android applications on your PC is Remix OS Player, a free emulator that allows you to use Windows and Android on your computer simultaneously. This is possible because the emulator only opens in one PC window, so you can continue accessing the rest of the windows.
Remix OS Player’s strong point is its interface, as it has been specially designed to facilitate use on devices with a mouse and keyboard. Of course, you can download a large part of the Android app catalog in this emulator.
LDPlayer
If you are mainly interested in playing Android games on your computer, you can turn to LDPlayer, an emulator focused mainly on this section. In LDPlayer, you can find games like PUBG Mobile, Minecraft, Clash of Royale, and Roblox.
Among the features of this emulator are custom keyboard and mouse control, multiple instances to open multiple games at once, and advanced graphics to enhance the gaming experience.
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
