17+ Best Android Emulators to Run Apps and Games on PC
There are a lot of valid reasons why someone would want to run Android emulators on their PC. App developers may be trying to test their application before shipping it out.
Gamers may want to use a mouse and keyboard on their games. Maybe you just want it there to have it. In any case, Android emulation on PC is possible and we're going to take a look at the best Android emulators for PC.
Please note, the process is rarely easy and some of these require some technical knowledge. Also note that many of these emulators are made more or less the same way. It's a matter of finding the one that works for you! Let's get started.
1. AMIDuOS
AMIDuOS is first on our list and this is a relatively newer Android emulator for PC. This one comes in two flavors: Lollipop and Jelly Bean. Aside from the version type, the only other difference between the two is Jelly Bean costs $10 while Lollipop costs $15. The good news is that those are one-time charges.
AMIDuOS runs very well for multiple purposes. Most of its features are productivity based. That makes it a good option for those who want to use it for things like office use, homework, etc.
There aren't any specific gaming features, but it does run games rather well. Developers could use it for basic testing, but it won't be great for advanced stuff. It's good overall and worth a chance.
2. Android Studio's emulator
Android Studio is the successor to the old yet – still used Eclipse IDE. Android Studio grown by leaps and bounds since its initial release in 2013 as beta. Now, Android Studio also includes an inbuilt emulator to try out the app you develop. That's an another android emulator right? Sort of. Android Studio is meant for developers, not for consumers, so that emulator would be most suitable for developers.
Although the consumer could give a shot, we don't recommend as there are tons of other best android emulator for both Windows & MacOS out there. You'll get most of the developer options within the emulator, only with few exceptions. It comes with only Android's Studio, you have to install it first. You can check more the Android Studio's emulator by clicking here.
Download Android Studio's Emulator
3. Andy
Andy is the elite syncing master between your Android and computer. If you were an avid gamer, then this would be the way to go solution. You can use your Android phone as the joystick to control the game on your desktop. This emerged the many mainstream gamers into this freaking thing.
With the limitless possibilities, you would be at the peak of immense productivity as a developer. You could test the apps or games you'd developed, and deploy them to see the outcome and do many other things.
You could integrate all the communication apps installed n your Android phone to your PC and reply from there itself.
- Clutter Free User interface.
- You can use your Android phone as the controller for playing games on PC.
- Capable of running all the communication apps without any hassle.
- You can use your PC hard drive as your phone internal memory.
- Seamless transition between PC apps and Android apps.
- Multi-touch supported in Andy Emulator.
- Cloud Storage for unlimited space.
- x86 apps with ARM support.
- Sensors integrated and OpenGL hardware supported.
- Camera and Microphone were incorporated.
4. Bluestacks
Uncommonly, Bluestacks is one of the most popular yet free Android emulators For Windows & MacOS out there. Being a complete Android package on the desktop, it offers way more than most of the features any commercial user needs. it still runs on Android KitKat version, which makes it a no go for developers, apart from this it is nothing short than other Android emulators.
The multi-gesture support, & seamless integration with the computer peripherals like keyboard, mouse, trackpad & web camera are notable features. Also, there a compatibility with Android TV, if you are into that sort of thing.
Simple one-click installation and straightforward user interface make the Bluestack as the top notch performing app player. To play the graphic intense games, ensure that you have a dedicated graphic card installed on your computer. Unlike most of the Android emulators, you can open most of the apps or games in full-screen mode, which is a bonus for watching videos from Youtube or Netflix. Also, it also received the best software award in CES 2012 for the innovative idea.
Everything is fine with Bluestacks, except the resource intensive nature. It doesn't need much CPU horsepower, but it is a memory hog. If your Windows computer/Mac have 4 GB of less RAM, then you'll notice lags & even freeze. We don't recommend, if your system has less than a couple gig of RAM, it might not be the best experience. Apart, from that everything is good enough.
5. Droid4X
Droid4X has had its ups and down.s However, it's one of the classic Android emulators for PC. It features a simple design that should be easy for most people to use. It markets itself towards gamers and boasts support for simpler, casual games. However, like most Android emulators, you can do productivity stuff if you want to. We're not entirely sure if Droid4X is still active, but their download page is. Thus, we recommend you tread with caution as this could be a buggy and unstable product.
6. Genymotion
If you are an app developer or one who tests lots of apps, then you should give Genymotion a shot which is one of the self-claimed developer suits. It is a complete package for developers that's is compatible with Android SDK tools, Eclipse and Android Studio. Further, you can go ahead & install Genymotion plugins on your Android Studio for quick access (you should also install Genymotion). Deploying multiple instances, testing your websites through various browsers – user agents, try your location permission required apps, battery status & pretty everything.
Further, you can also automate your app testing through Genymotion's Java API. It manipulates the sensor values of the specified app & tests it in the different locations & scenarios. Changing the device's name, IMEI, MEID is seamless, you can even emulate the fake SMS/calls to know how your app reacts in that situation. And other geeky stuff!
It takes advantage of the OpenGL compatible graphic cards, which slightly makes it faster & more responsive when performing any graphics-oriented tasks. It is power packed for the developers, Genymotion Cloud is something exciting, you could get Android emulator online using Genymotion Cloud, which resides in the cloud & you could browse from your internet browser. Team collaboration & seamless integration is something Genymotion Cloud advertises about.
It is a paid android emulator, which turns off many. Many of the features are only available for paid version, although there is a free version available to download, you are only limited to use few basic features for non-commercial purpose only. If you are app developer professionally, then you should get your paid version without any doubt, nothing comes to it. Also, compatibility isn't an issue, it is available for Windows, MacOS, Linux & Cloud based as well.
7. KoPlayer
Ko Player is another great Win-only Android emulator for your PC, which is decent enough to give a shot. Google play store comes by default, also it is compatible with most of the games & apps. The adaptable resolution makes it the best solution for apps like Youtube, Netflix & others to watch the content in full-screen. Other features include drag & drop for installing apps, supports most of the wired/wireless keyboard, mouse, and trackpads.
It needs a discrete graphic solution and virtualization technology, you could easily enable in your BIOS settings. It is compatible with both AMD & Intel processors platforms which made it reach most of the user. The one con being, it is only available for Windows, for Mac users you have to wait until they come up with one. Meanwhile, check some other emulators which are far better than Ko Player.
8. Manymo
Manymo is an interesting option. Mostly because the actual emulator is online. That not only makes it cross-platform with virtually every desktop OS, but it should also work on every computer regardless of its chipset. It has a variety of sizes that you can choose from. Additionally, there are some development tools. It's for developers more than anyone else. That makes it a poor choice for consumer use. Their pricing structure is based around how many emulators you feel like using on a website.
9. MEmu
MEmu is a light-weight Android emulator for Windows PCs comes in few kernels that support Android Jellybean, KitKat & Lollipop, as they tout it will get Marshmallow & Nougat soon. Being a freeware, it has got most of the things like it's contenders. It supports both Intel & AMD Systems also the dedicated & integrated graphics, in most of the popular games. It is a flexible emulator, means the user can configure CPU, ram, device model & other settings.
You can also create multiple instances & perform a sort of multitasking within the emulator, which sounds cool though. And it supports full-screen support in some popular games, you can play using keyboard, mouse & even joysticks. Other features including drag-and-drop to install apk files, faster loading times, keyboard mapping, easy file sharing between Android & windows and bunch of others.
10. Nox App player
Minimalism at its peak, Nox App player is one of the minimalistic yet best android emulator for Windows PC & Mac computers. If you are into heavy gaming then it has your name written on, the efficient game rendering engine makes effective use of your system resource & provides you enough headroom for other multitasking as well.
The full-fledged operating system expands your possibilities, you could install apps directly from the Google Play Store or install through apks (make sure you enable installation from unknown sources). If you are a developer, then you could make use of Nox app player to evolve Android OS skins, themes or even icon packs.
After all, the whole package comes for free of cost, which is the notable thing among all. If you need more information about this android emulator, check out our in-depth review here. Available for Windows & MacOS.
11. Remix OS Player
Remix OS player is a Windows-only Android emulator that is easy to use with less or no hiccups. It's based on the Android Marshmallow (v6.0.1), which isn't far behind from what we have now. What sets Remix OS apart is its dual booting capability, you could use as a desktop client or install Remix in a separate partition in x86 compatible systems.
The user interface is easy to use & seems stable throughout our testing, Google Play Store comes by default, so you don't have to side load. The team behind Remix OS player touting about the games it supports & experience you'll get. You could remap the keyboards shortcuts to raise any action you need, and also run multiple games simultaneously, thanks to the efficient software optimization.
The unavailability for the MacOS & turns off the Apple users, it is not a big deal as the developers claiming this as the Android emulator for Windows PC, not the Mac. Also, make sure you are covered under the recommended system configuration for optimum performance.
12. Windroy
Windroy is a classic. It's one of the older Android emulators for PC. As such, it's difficult to recommend it to everybody. Think of this one as a last ditch effort if none of the newer, more updated ones work out right. We've heard that it works best on older versions of Windows. It's primarily for productivity. You'll be able to run office apps easily enough. Game support is less reliable. At the very least, the emulator is free to download and installs easily enough. It's worth trying. Especially for older machines.
13. Xamarin Android Player
Xamarin is an IDE. It's similar to Android Studio. The difference is that it can plug into things like Microsoft Visual Studio. Also like the Android Studio, this comes with a built-in emulator for developers. It's for developers only unless you feel like setting up an entire development environment to use it. Xamarin's emulator is not as powerful as something like Genymotion, but it'll get the job done if you intend on using this. It's free for personal use. Companies and larger teams may have to negotiate a payment plan.
Download Xamarin Android Player
14. YouWave
YouWave is remembered for its simple yet unsurpassed features to get the virtual Android device for Windows PC, without any next upgrade.
I'm using Youwave from past three months and found; this Android emulator can be an option for you isn't willing to go for another Android emulator for PC. Though is it premium software that worth enough for its bucks. Still, there are some of the limitations in this android emulator like, i.e., and it doesn't run any apps that require Flash support, etc. Although it is not a big issue, still leaves a lot of reason on your table.
This excellent software is the best android emulator for PC 1GB RAM, which means you can easily run any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows version. You can get all other features and benefits of this Android emulator for PC.
- Run Non-ARM Apps smoothly.
- Multiple screen sizes.
- International Keyboard supported.
- Local system files can be accessed.
- ADB Debugging supported.
- Capable of playing multiplayer online games.
- SD card functionality.
- Android version 4.0 supported (Ice Cream SandWitch).
15. LeapDroid
LeapDroid was a robust Android emulator for PC few years back, after the Google they stopped the updates & closed customer service door. Still, you can install & use Leapdroid, but you won't get any sort of updates in the future including the security patches, which is not recommended.
With a clutter-free user interface, well-supported apps & games and lighter impact on system resources, LeapDroid stands out. Unlike other emulators, LeapDroid has sharp features built-in which is best for enhanced gameplay, seamless apps, games compatibility. The built-in GPS helps you in the navigation system, after all, you don't have to worry about the shortcuts you can manually assign with the keyword mapping.
If you are into gaming, then LeapDroid is the hands down emulator you need. Unlike others, It boots in seconds which is crucial.
16. Google Chrome
During Google I/O 2014, Google announced that it was bringing Android Apps to Chrome OS in an attempt of unifying the two platforms. Chrome is another platform maintained by Google, yes you read it right it is indeed a platform. The world's fastest browser has acquired a huge userbase which made the transition from a web browser to a platform inevitable. While most of us use Chrome to browse the web and unleash our productivity with its extensions, I'm sure only a few people know that you can run Android Apps using Google Chrome.
To do so you need the Arc Welder extension from the Chrome web store. Arc Weldor is a Google project and the technology behind it is worth appreciating. Before harnessing the power of Google Chrome to run Android Apps lets see what Arc welder actually does under the hood. An android app has a .apk extension while a chrome extension is a .crx file, what Arc welder does is, it repacks the android app in form of a chrome extension so that it can be loaded on to Chrome and used as a normal Chrome App.
17. VirtualBox
VirtualBox is not an Android emulator specifically, it is a software that installs other operating systems as Guest OS on your computer. You have to download VirtualBox & Android iOS to get this going, it is quite time-consuming & tedious to setup. Once, you have grounded yourself with the setup, you could play around with Android like you do on a physical device. Even, few Android emulators like Andyroid are based on the VirtualBox & VMware software.
This is powered by Android x86 project, which is one of the unofficial initiatives to bring the Android to the desktop & workstation grade platform running Intel & AMD chipsets. Thanks to the Android's open source nature, they tweaked few things and made it run on desktops.
You need to create a new instance in VirtualBox & make change settings, add the downloaded Android iOS as disk image you are good to go. If you still unable to get through this step, follow this guide by howtogeek. Though you could up & running Android in few minutes we don't recommend this for most of the consumers. Better go with any android emulator for your computers, rather than downloading iso and setting up the instance.
Wrapping up
Well, we can provide you the different choice & explains which one excels in what, that's all. It's up to you to choose the Best android emulator for your needs. It solely depends on the purpose for wishing the emulator, like X emulator, would be best at gaming but requires lots of horsepower & memory and Y might a great option for the normal consumer, which doesn't require too much resource but performance won't be up to the par.
After all, it depends on your needs & how you use it.
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from The Hacker Solutions full article here