Today in this post I will list some of the best Android emulators for your Computer PC to run Android Apps and Games on your Windows 10 and Mac Computer for free.
So you want Android to work on your PC? You need an Android Emulator. They’re becoming more popular as Android’s popularity keeps growing.
What Is An Android Emulator?
From developers testing apps to gamers playing on a large screen, an Android Emulator allows you to use Android OS on a Windows PC, together with your keyboard and mouse – so you can test much faster and more efficiently.
Maybe you are switching from iPhone to Android, or you merely want to test out a Custom ROM, the possibilities with Android Emulator are endless. While BlueStacks has always topped the list of phone emulators for PC, few others are catching up insanely fast. So, if you’re trying to find the best Android emulator check out this list of the top Android Emulators for your Windows 10 and Mac PC.
You can run the Android ecosystem on Windows and Mac PC for free with emulators. The responsiveness and ease of using the mobile Apps on the emulator depend on your system specifications.
BlueStacks (Windows 10, Mac)
BlueStacks App Player is perhaps the best-known Android emulator, and it’s hardly surprising given its quality and reliability. BlueStacks has been designed with ease of use in mind and looks and feels just like Android on a tablet or smartphone. There are free and paid-for versions available. The free one includes some ads and the occasional sponsored app, but these are pretty discreet.
If you want to add apps and games from other sources, you have the option of using standalone APK files. Performance is decent assuming your hardware is reasonably powerful, making this a great way to bring Android to the big screen.
Pros
- Great compatibility
- Feature-rich
- Based on Android 7.1.2
- Offers an app-store
Cons
- Heavy on resources
Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Microsoft Windows 7 and above.
- Processor: Intel or AMD Processor.
- RAM: Your PC must have at least 2GB of RAM.
- HDD: 5GB Free Disk Space
- Up to date graphics drivers from Microsoft or the chipset vendor.
MEmu Play (Windows 10)
Price: Free / $2.99 per month / $29.98 per year
Okay, so MEmu Play is another amazing Android emulator that works on Windows which has lately gained a lot of popularity. Apart from that, this emulator comes with the ability to run multiple instances of apps and Android versions at the very same time. Also, the software is based on Android Nougat (7.1.2) by default and it can also run Kit Kat (4.4) and also Lollipop (5.0) as well. This Emulator also lets you have three different windows for all three Android versions. So, it’s totally different from others.
Features
Well, let’s be honest, It is actually a very difficult task to name a single or even just a couple of features of this amazing Emulator as MEmu comes loaded with a lot of useful features.
One of the best features of the emulator is the fact that it supports both Intel as well as AMD CPUs too which is honestly great from a compatibility point of view. We know it’s amazing, but it is a feature not available on many Android emulators out there.
Minimum System Requirements
- Intel, Nvidia, or AMD CPU Processor
- Windows XP/7/8 /8.1/10
- Windows DirectX 11 or Graphics driver with OpenGL 2.0
- Hardware Virtualization Technology (Intel VT-x/AMD-V) shall be enabled in BIOS
- Minimum 2GB of system memory
- Minimum 2GB of hard disk free space
Gameloop( Tencent Gaming Buddy)
GameLoop is an Android emulator that is used as a gaming platform. It is an ideal emulator if you want to play games on your desktop. GamLoop emulator includes many popular games like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile.
Features:
- It supports android PUBG mobile games and allows them to play on PC.
- Offers configured controls for playing PUBG games on PC.
- Users can customize PUBG mobile’s control overlay.
- This Emulator doesn’t ask for any type of account creation, so no need to register on it.
- This simulator works in a low configuration computer tool.
To amaze you further, the emulator is very very small in size as compared to its counterparts. Tencent Gaming Buddy is a gaming emulator for Windows which is specifically structured to run games.
Enhancing Game Performance
You can improve the performance of the game by tweaking the Buddy settings, as the emulator is always on development there is much room for improvement. In the settings, you can set the resolution as SD (720p), HD (1080p), or 2K. Also, you can set the display quality as Auto, Smooth, Balance, or HD.
Minimum System Requirement
- Windows 7 and above
- CPU: Dual-core from Intel | AMD @1.8Ghz
- GPU: Basic NVIDIA GeForce | AMD Radeon
- 3 GB of RAM
- 2 GB of free storage
NoxPlayer Emulator ( Windows 10, Mac)
Like BlueStacks App Player, NoxPlayer is a fast, slick Android emulator for PC and Mac. If you’re planning to use NoxPlayer for gaming, you’ll be pleased to learn that you can use your favorite gamepad, and you have the option of mapping keys or buttons to perform various Android gestures.
NoxPlayer gives you a stock version of Android, and while it’s designed with gamers in mind, you can install other apps from the Google Play Store too. NoxPlayer is completely free, but it includes a number of great extras accessible from a vertical toolbar on the right-hand side of the window.
One of the most amazing features of the Nox is, it comes with a rooted version of Android out-of-the-box. So, you get a completely unlocked player to gain full access to the Android. The Nox is upgradable to Nougat. I recommend Nox for its feature-rich and amazingly smooth run on the PC.
Minimum System Requirements
- Windows XP/7/8 /8.1/10 and DirectX 9.0C
- Dual-Core, AMD, or Intel
- OpenGL 2.0 and above
- 1.5 GB RAM
- 2.5 GB Free space on the hard disk
Features:
- Nox Player emulator has open keyboard mapping running with a single click, all gaming controls on gamepad, mouse, and keyboard.
- It allows running multiple functions to run at a time to enjoy more games at one time.
- It comes with a macro recorder to record the complex operations and can execute the script in one click.
- As it supports Android 7 which gives the ultimate user experience and superior performance.
Genymotion (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Genymotion is a powerful and very easy to use Android emulator. It is specifically designed for supporting the application developers to test the products in a secure virtual environment.
If you are an Android developer and looking for a way to virtually test out Android apps in a Windows environment then Genymotion is one that you should pick. It runs offline through a Windows app and on the cloud through a web browser so you have great flexibility
It provides a lot of custom features for users to meet their requirements. It is capable of emulating 3000 plus virtual Android device configurations like screen size or Android versions. It has strong sensors, like GPS, multi-touch, etc.
Features:
- Genymotion is a multi-support Android emulator which speeds up testing, share live demos and can monitor performance across all devices.
- It has high definition pixel compatibility which shows your mobile app with great clarity on systems.
- It allows the user to forward gyroscope and multi-touch events from any Android device connected to the users’ desktop.
- It uses the desktop webcam as the video source to record screencasts of the virtual device of the user.
Supported Platforms: Android, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux.
Price: US $136 per year to US $412 per year per user.
Minimum System Requirments
- Microsoft Windows 7, 8/8.1, 10 (32 or 64 bit);
- macOS 10.9 or above;
- Linux Ubuntu 18.04 or above
- OpenGL 2.0 capable video card, with an up-to-date driver.
- Intel HD Graphics 4000 (2012), Nvidia GeForce 500 Series (2011), ATI Radeon HD 6000 Series (2011);
- 64 bit CPU, with VT-x or AMD-V capability, enabled in BIOS settings;
- RAM memory: at least 2GB;
- Screen resolution greater than 1024 x 768 pixels;
- Free space on hard disk: at least 100MB.
- Updated Web Browser
Pros
- Best Android emulators for developers
- Supports the latest Android build
- Choose your own GApps package
Cons
- No gaming
ARChon (Windows, Mac, Linux)
ARChon is not a conventional emulator system for PC. It is actually a Chrome extension that allows loading APK files on Google Chrome Browser in runtime. It is not an easy emulator to run as you need to change the APK file using a tool to make it compatible with ARChon.
The ARChon presently works in Android 4.4 and you can find the extension on Github. To install the extension, download the ARChon runtime and unzip it. Now upload the file into ‘Unpacked Extensions’.
It is to be noted that not all the apk files may not work dues to support issues but most of them will work just fine.
Settings – > Extensions -> Checkmark the ‘Developer Mode’
Features:
- ARChon is highly secured and comes with Google’s reliability.
- As it supports a chrome browser, so it makes it different from other emulators.
- ARChon runtime lets the user run an unlimited number of Android APK which are being created with chromes APK.
- It supports multiple Android applications in a single browser simultaneously.
LDPlayer
Price: Free
LDPlayer is an Android emulator focusing on gaming performance. Running Android Nougat 7.1, it features the usual array of gamer-oriented features, including good keyboard mapping controls, multi-instance, macros, high FPS, and graphical support. This is one of the few emulators on the list that gets active updates to improve compatibility. It supports a wide range of games, including Garena Free Fire, Among Us, Clash of Clans, and many others.
Features:
- You can download Android Games and apps from pre-installed LD Store or Google Play.
- It helps you to manage your gaming automatically.
- Offers custom control with keyboard and mouse
- It allows you to open several games simultaneously.
AndY Emulator (Windows, Mac)
AndY is a famous Android emulator that breaks down the barrier between mobile and desktop computing by keeping the customer updated with the latest Android upgrades. It offers huge storage capacity to users and the freedom to play any games available on the Android platform with ease.
Users can also receive a snapshot phone picture and take a look at it on the desktop. The phone can be used as a joystick with this emulator.
Features:
- It offers storage capacity to users and the freedom to play any games available on the Android platform with ease.
- It provides the feature of the phone as a joystick so that the user never has to leave multi-touch or amazing gaming elements.
- AndY offers smooth interaction between mobile and desktop devices.
- It allows users to download any app from any desktop browser to AndY OS.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which is the best Android emulator for PC?
It all depends on your needs and the compatibility of the device you are using. All of the emulators listed above are unique in their own way and provide you with a good Android experience. You can choose from them.
Which Android emulator is best for low-end PC?
NoxPlayer and MEmu cloud be the ideal choice for low end-pc. They are quite easy own your system. I would not recommend the BlueStacks despite it being the popluar choice. IF you are a developer you can also run the apps on Genymotion as well.
Are Emulators Legal?
Emulators are totally safe and legal, they are just a system built to run on any 3rd party environment. Some of the emulators can steal your data so it is better to choose a popular and reputed emulation system.
Which Emulator is Good for Gaming
It is a tough one but I will place my bet on the Gameloop also known as the Tencent Gaming Buddy. It is specially designed to give the users hands their own PC gaming experience. You can play PUBG, Fortnite, Call of Duty Mobile, and many more. Also, the emulator does not slow down your PC/Laptop and you can easily play your games.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are a developer, want to play mobile games on PC, or you just simply want to use an app on your PC, The listed emulators are for you. These emulators can help you in many ways as long as your device is compatible with it.
Use these emulators for free on your PCs. All of them are free to download but some of them also offer premium services that you can subscribe according to your needs.
That is it folks for the Best Android Emulators to run Android apps on PC in 2021. We will update them accordingly when something changes. Until then enjoy the best Android experience on your PC/Laptop
