Best Android emulators for PC and Mac

Top 14 Best Android Emulators for PC and Mac of 2023

There are many valid reasons why someone wants to run Android Emulator on their PC. App developers can try to test their application before sending it. Gamers may want to use a mouse and keyboard in their games. Maybe you just want it there. 

Whatever it is, Android emulation is possible on PC and it is much easier than before. Some old favorites have either moved out or become unusable at some point (Andy, AmiduOS, and Leapdroid), but everything else here should work just fine for most people. Here are the best Android emulators for PC and Mac

It is also worth noting that Windows will allow the use of native Android apps starting from Windows 11. 

It’s the Amazon App Store, though, so we think people will still use the Android emulator for Google Play Store and Google Play Games cloud-saving access. Windows 11 launches on October 6, 2021, and Android app support should roll out within a few months.


BEST ANDROID EMULATORS FOR PC AND MAC
BEST ANDROID EMULATORS FOR PC AND MAC


Bluestacks


Bluestacks is known by many users as the most widespread Android app player on the market and for good reason.

In addition to running on both Windows and Mac, this emulator comes jam-packed with lots of features to enhance the gamer experience. Among its most popular features are the keymapping tool for creating customized control schemes, instance manager through which you can create multiple instances of the emulator and run several games simultaneously, and quality features like Echo mode, which help reduce resource costs.

Time to run the most demanding games. It is also the most secure emulator out there with certified GDPR compliance - your data is always safe with them.

The latest version, BlueStacks 5, is by far the lightest and fastest emulator, providing high-performance gaming even on low-performance devices. The latest version resolves some common complaints of previous versions - for example, it can feel swollen, especially when running on substandard hardware. Try it now for yourself and discover why Bluestacks has a community of over 500 million gamers worldwide!

LD player


LDPlayer is a lightweight Android emulator that focuses on gaming performance. Running Android Nougat 7.1, it features a simple array of gamer-based features, including good keyboard mapping control, multi-instance, macro, high FPS and graphical support. It supports many games including Epic Seven, Clash of Clans, Arknights and many more.

It is one of the few emulators on the list that receives active updates to improve compatibility. In the latest versions, LDPlayer has optimized the smoothness of Free Fire and Mobile Legends and fixed the limitations of the Moonlight Scalper device.

Also, LDPlayer is a good round emulator for using TickTock, Instagram and other popular apps. It borrows some design from Bluestacks, but it’s not a really bad thing. He is a good all-rounder and should meet most needs.

Android Studio Emulator


Android Studio is the default development console for Android (Integrated Development Environment or IDE). 

It comes with a bunch of tools to help developers create apps and games specifically for Android. As it turns out, there's also a built-in emulator that you can use to test your app or game. The setup is quite complex so it won’t appeal to everyone but it is the fastest and most feature rich option on this list. 

You can run Vanilla Android, download apps from the Google Play Store as you normally would, add custom launchers and keyboards, and simulate any size or form-factor device. You can even try using a foldable device!


ARChon


ARChon is not a traditional emulator. You install it as a Google Chrome extension. This then gives Chrome the ability to run Android apps and games (with limited support). It is not an easy emulator to run. You need to install this thing in Chrome. 

From there, you need to get the APKs and load them As an additional rub, you may need to use a tool to change the APK to make it compatible There are many more steps to do this task than other Android emulators for PC. 

On the plus side, though, it works with any operating system that can run an instance of Chrome (MacOS, Linux, Windows, etc.). We've linked to the official GitHub where you can find detailed instructions for using it.


Bliss OS


Happiness is something a little different. It works as an Android emulator for PC via a virtual machine. However, it can run flat on your computer via a USB stick. The boot-from-USB option is certainly a power user option and is not recommended for less intense use. As with installing a VM, the process is simple, but tedious if you have never built your own virtual machine before. 

The USB installation process is more complicated, but it allows your computer to run Android natively from boot. We do not recommend it for heartburn. This makes Bliss a super unique emulator if you can make it with the last steps. Of course, it works really well if your system is compatible, so be prepared to back up your current operating system. The system runs Android Orio and is one of the newer versions of Android offered in an emulator. You can find more information about this in its XDA-Developers thread here.


GameLoop


Gameloop, formerly known as Tencent Gaming Buddy, is an Android emulator for gamers. In fact, it's good enough that Tencent calls it the official emulator for its games, including Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. 

Of course, it features Tencent as well as other games, although its collection is not that large. The emulator is well downloaded and installed and the games we tested are running smoothly It is not good for productivity or developmental testing. 

However, if you have an itch for mobile FPS gaming with some titles, this is actually a fairly decent gaming emulator and it boasts a good collection of new titles. Also, keyboard control and performance are good.


Genymotion


This Android emulator is for most developers. This allows you to test on different devices without owning your app. You can configure the emulator for different devices with different versions of Android to help you with your needs. 

For example, you can run a Nexus One with Android 4.2 or a Nexus 6 with Android 6.0. You can easily switch between virtual devices as you wish. It's not great for consumer use, but Genymotion offers its services free for personal use. 

Its most useful feature is its availability on both your desktop computer and the cloud. For those who do not have a powerful computer, Genymotion's servers can do all the work for them.


MeMU emulator


MeMU is another excellent Android emulator that seems to work quite well with gamers. One of its biggest features is support for AMD and Intel chipsets. Most work on AMD processors, but it's nice to see developers pay particular attention to AMD's platform. In addition, it supports Android Jelly Bean, Kit Kat and Lollipop. 

You can even run multiple instances at once for multiple games or test features. It targets gamers like Bluestacks and similar emulators but it can also be used as a productivity tool. The premium version runs at 2.99 per month and it disables ads, adds more customization options and enables premium support options. 

The emulator receives fairly frequent updates. If you want to see the latest from it, you can see the latest releases here

MuMu


NetEase has actually built a decent emulator with MuMu. This is another gaming emulator that has the same features as most competitors. The emulator runs Android 6.0, a little older than some competitors. 

That said, it has a decent boot time and considerable features of consideration. We didn't have any major problems using it, but it worked well and we were able to download all the games we wanted to test. MeMU, Bluestacks and GameLoop have surpassed it in terms of features and all three get regular updates. However, if none of this works, it probably will.


Nox


Nox is another Android emulator for PC for gamers. This includes common things like key-mapping with your keyboard, physical controller support and even the ability to control key-map gestures. For example, you can assign the function to swipe right on an arrow key and use it in a game without the support of the actual hardware controller. It’s a lot of fun and seems to work well most of the time. It is a blessing in disguise, with free and active development.


Phoenix OS


Phoenix OS is one of the new Android emulators for PC Like these days, it's a proud gamer experience. However, it also boasts a desktop-like experience so it actually works pretty well for productivity as well. It includes Google Play services, although updating those services can sometimes be a bit of a pain. That means you will find every app and game in the Google Play Store. Phoenix OS also runs Android 7.1 which is relatively modern for an Android emulator. You can download the emulator from its official website and its forums are in XDA-Developers.


PrimeOS


PrimeOS is a kind of standout in the Android emulator space. This is not actually an emulator. You install it as a partition on your computer and it launches native Android. It's a gamer-centric Android experience, though you can use it for productivity if you really want to. PrimeOS has a gaming center, support for mice and keyboards, and access to most Android apps and games. Frankly, it runs almost like ChromeOS minus all parts of Chrome. You can multitask, watch video content, or play games of your choice We haven’t tested it in depth yet because it’s new in 2019 from an Indian start-up. We will update the article if we notice anything strange about it.

Remix OS Player


ZD's Remix OS Player is a new Android emulator for PC. It runs Android Marshmallow and it is still relatively new compared to many others on the list. The installation process is quite simple and it is also fairly easy to use. It caters to most gamers. There are a few gamer-specific features with a customizable toolbar. It boasts of features like running multiple games at once. That said, it’s a fairly clean emulator so it’s still perfectly usable as a productivity tool. The site seems to be down and we are relatively sure that Remix OS Player is no longer in active development. It should be okay for another year or two before it starts to feel really old. We will replace it when we find a good 15th option.

Xamarin


Xamarin is an IDE like Android Studio. The difference is that it can plug into things like Microsoft Visual Studio for a larger development environment (for better or worse). Also, like Android Studio, it comes with a built-in emulator for testing apps or games. If it is not easily visible, we recommend it only to developers. The setup is very tedious for regular consumer use. Xamarin's emulator is not as powerful as genimotion, but it will do the job if you want to use it and it is also configurable for your needs. It's free for personal use. Companies and large parties may need to discuss a payment plan.
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