Looking for the best Android emulator? This guide rounds up the best Android Emulators to run Android Applications and Games on a PC. You will learn how to install and use any Android App on PC even without installing an emulator. You will also be provided with a list of the top performing Desktop emulators to run Apps and Games on the big screen with much more power
Android operating system is a gift when it comes to running the best applications and games. The point is, there are so many free high performing apps for Android that are not available for other operating systems. If you have been wondering how to run your favorite Apps or Games on your PC, you have come to the right place. Keep reading, numerous working solutions are there for you.
>>> Check out : The best Android TV emulators
This list covers everything you might need with regard to running Android software on PC, from classic emulators to complete operating systems based on Android, through applications for developers and even the alternative of one of the largest video game companies in the world.
The best Android Emulators
BlueStacks 5
BlueStacks is one of the best and the most popular Android Emulators that you can have on your PC. With the purpose of simplifying your experience as much as possible, BlueStacks comes packed with keyboard and mouse mapping to be able to use it in games.
However, this popularity has made developers make decisions that some will not like, such as putting too many preinstalled applications or making a paid version for if you want to have access to all features.
The application has an interface adapted to the PC desktop. It has multi-view with different instances to be able to use several apps or play several games at the same time. Also, a system of points and awards has been integrated.
The installation file is around 407MB but the emulator will ask you to have around 5.1GB of free storage space available. The installation of BlueStacks 5 is fast and hides absolutely no risk of unwanted third-party software.
BlueStacks X
BlueStacks X is a hybrid emulator specifically designed to offer users Android games on PC directly from the cloud without having to download or compromise disk space.
This very lightweight version offers three usage options depending on your needs.
- The first one is to use directly from within BlueStacks 5 offering an even better gaming experience as it interacts with the Desktop emulator.
- The second option is an online use through the browser we use without any emulator installation and Android app downloads.
- The third option is to download BlueStacks X separately with its own standalone desktop and with an installation file of only 245MB.
Currently, BlueStacks X is in beta version. However, in our tests with all three options it worked without any problems. We ran several Android games on the PC without downloading and installing.
So, if we are only interested in Android games on PC, and don’t want to tie up several GB on the hard drive, BlueStacks X is a very good option.
Android Studio
Android Studio needs no introduction. It is by far the best and the most complete Android emulator for computer. With it you can emulate the latest versions of Android before they are released, and even try Android Auto by simulating your car console. It is such a complete tool, that it is even compatible with Android Wear, Android TV and will soon be compatible with Automotive OS.
Android Studio is basically a programming console with which developers can create and test their Android applications. And since a very important part is precisely testing what you are doing, it comes with an emulator included in which you can test different versions of Google’s operating system.
>>> Check out : How To Install Android TV OS on Windows PC using Android Studio
The positive part is that it’s an official tool and you don’t have to worry about adware or getting dozens of pre-installed apps shoved in. But the downside is that it is quite complicated to use for users with little knowledge, so you will have to take your time to learn the necessary steps to be able to get it.
Nox Player 7
Nox Player is one of the best methods to run Android apps and games on PC. It is a fast new generation emulator, which can offer a spectacular experience with a bit more settings than other emulators.
The free program runs on Windows and macOS. The size of Nox 7 is around 1.6GB and you should have at least 6GB of available storage space. The installation contains 2-3 known programs. If you don’t want them we click on “Reject” to cancel their installation.
Nox gives you access to all the Play Store apps just as you would with your tablet or mobile phone. You will get exactly the same capabilities as the Play Store for app downloads . The simulation is done on Android 9.0.
Nox also supports lateral installation of APK files that we have downloaded to a folder on the PC. All we do is simply drag the app into the program’s interface.
Starting the program, as with all emulators, takes a few seconds. Then the beautiful interface of the Nox player appears, which reminds us of an Android tablet. From there, all we have to do is log in to Google Play by tapping the relevant icon at the top of the emulator. You can install all kinds of apps and games in their latest versions, just like we would with mobile and tablet, and updates are seamless.
MEmu Play
MEmu Play, formerly known as MEmu, is a great Android emulator alternative worth mentioning on this list. Developers have decided to focus on games. This means that its entire experience and interface revolves around allowing you to use Android games as if they were for PC, although that doesn’t prevent you from also being able to use other types of applications.
Memu Play comes fully packed with great features. It has multi-instance so that games run separately and you can use several at once. On the sides of the window you can explore many more specific options.
With Memu Play you have he ability of mapping the keyboard to simulate screen touches or a controller you want to connect.
The biggest plus is that Memu Play is adapted for both Intel and AMD processors, although it lags a bit behind in terms of Android versions, with support for Jelly Bean, Kit Kat and Lollipop.
LDPlayer
LDPlayer is a new and very easy to use Android emulator that runs seamlessly and without settings on AMD processor PCs. This emulator comes with Android 7.1 Nougat simulation capabilities.
Just like with Nox, with LDPlayer, you can install all kinds of apps and games in their latest versions, just like you would with the mobile and tablet, and updates are seamlessly done. The emulator supports lateral installation of APK files that we have downloaded to a folder on the PC. All we do is just drag the app into the program interface.
The emulator also has its own store, the LD Store where we can download all Android apps and games on PC, without a Google account.
If you install apps that take up more than one screen, we can switch screens with the mouse wheel. It goes without saying that you can do everything in full screen on the PC.
In addition, it gives us the ability to run more emulator at the same time on Android 7.1 Nougat. We just need to choose LDMultiPlayer4. It is located on the desktop. Then, depending on what we want to do, we just have to click on “NewLDPlayer or “Clone LDPlayer”, as we see in the picture.
Genymotion
Another big name to include in this list of the best Android emulators is Genymotion. This is a very popular Android emulator that stands out its huge capabilities.
Genymotion offers two versions to use. A regular desktop version, and a cloud version to run and test Android Apps in the cloud without consuming much of your computer resources.
The downside is that Genymotion focuses mainly on developers with considerable knowledge in the matter. So, basic users would find it a little bit complicated to deal with. Another negative side is that it is an emulator with payment rates, so despite having a free version, to use its best features you have to pay a fee.
On the positive side, if you are a developer, Genymotion offers you more than 3,000 virtual device configurations. This means that you can test your apps on a wide range of devices from older phones like a Nexus 6 to more modern ones.
iMyFone MirrorTo
iMyFone MirrorTo is a small but very powerful application that allows you to manage your Android device in real time from our PC, and mirror its content on your large computer screen.
Thanks to the advanced features of the application you can play all Android games on PC in full screen with high 2K resolution and at 90fps, using the keyboard and mouse. As long as they are installed on the mobile.
Also, with iMyFone MirrorTo, you can manage not only games, but any mobile application directly from the PC. This means that you can capture videos and screenshots and save them to the PC, manage your notifications, and more.
Although the app is very easy to use, it has detailed step-by-step instructions for all its functions.
iMyFone MirrorTo offers a trial version to try it out by clicking here. Once the trial expires, the app is available in three different subscription plans.
Tencent Gaming buddy
Tencent is a true Chinese giant. We could call it the largest video game company in the world, being the owner of titles such as Fornite or LOL and owning shares and commercial agreements with Ubisoft, Activision or Square Enix. Therefore, for a company with this muscle to have its own Android emulator is not something to be taken lightly.
The idea of this emulator is not to recreate the look or interface of Android on your computer, but to offer a completely different interface in native application format as Steam can be. Its great disadvantage is that it has its own catalog of games that you can not leave, which greatly limits everything unless you are a fan of some of their titles, but it is a project with a lot of potential.
ApkOnline – Online emulator
ApkOnline is a free online emulator that allows you to run almost all Android applications directly from the browser, without downloading and installing a traditional emulator. This means that with Chrome, Firefox, and any other browser you can even more easily set up an Android virtual machine on the PC.
It’s relatively easy to use, with no compatibility issues. All you have to do is click on “Run Onlin”…and after a while the familiar Android interface will appear in the browser. The online emulator uses Android 8.0 Oreo, and you can navigate as you would do on your Android device.
ApkOnline contains thousands of Android apps replicated from different free repositories. It also provides disk hosting where developers can house their apps and run them online.
BlissOS
And for variety, BlissOS is another Android-based operating system that you can install on a computer or a partition of a computer to run as an alternative system to Windows. Open source and with versions of Android Nougat, Oreo and Pie. A completely native experience.
This was our list of the best Android emulators that you can use to run Android Applications and Games on a PC. Some of the options above require no download or installation, thus no fear for your disk space or computer resources. If you have been using any other Android emulator that we did not mention in this list, please use the comments box so that everybody else knows.
