Top Android Emulators on PC and Mac

Want to emulate Android directly on your PC? We have selected several solutions, more or less efficient, offering a more or less pure and recent Android experience to launch games and applications from your smartphone in a sandbox directly on your desktop. Here we offer you the best free solutions.

Android typically runs on an ARM SoC, which is common in smartphones, tablets, and various mobile devices. However, it is possible to emulate an Android environment and even boot a virtual machine with a ROM. Kind of like a console emulator or an old computer. Even the DOS operating system was "ported" through emulators.

A few years ago, these services left a lot to be desired, which is no longer the case. Simulators have grown up. They got stronger. You are safer from malware threats. They take better advantage of virtualization on AMD and Intel processors. Not only are they stable, but they run smooth and fast. Some use a developer-focused, Android-only experience to test applications for OS compatibility.

Others have clearly chosen to cater to the needs of those using these emulators to play games available on the Play Store. Compatible with gamepads. Touches at specific locations on the screen can be replaced with mouse clicks or keystrokes. It even offers the possibility to launch multiple games (or the same game multiple times) simultaneously on one screen. These emulators are aimed at gamers who want to play Android games on the big screen and earn money in the process.

There are several free and commercial solutions. For this guide, we've selected only free emulators (or emulators that offer a free version). Few live on love and fresh water. Some publishers offer an edition specifically for developers. Additional versions with advanced game options.

The ability to run Android apps on Windows 11 was a big promise of the operating system when it was first released. We'll have to wait for the 22H2 update in October 2022 to see how the feature plays out in Europe. Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) is based on the Hyper-V virtualization solution. Microsoft has yet to strike a deal with Google over its Play Store. You need the Amazon AppStore to install Android apps on Windows.

WINDOWS SUBSYSTEM FOR ANDROID

The procedure is therefore simple. Make sure you have Windows 11 22H2 feature update installed first if it is not already on your machine. Then all you have to do is install the Amazon AppStore from the Microsoft Store by following the on-screen instructions. The Windows Subsystem for Android then installs automatically in the background.

The Amazon AppStore is the alternative version of the Google Play Store used on FireOS devices. The store therefore offers the same applications found on the Google store. Microsoft has announced that more than 50,000 Android applications are now available in Windows 11, including mostly games. As of January 2023, WSA has moved to Android 13 (beta).

BLUESTACKS

Bluestacks is a reference in the field of Android emulation on computer. Very popular, the software offers a clean and complete experience. Compatibility with games and applications is high. And there are many configurations capable of running the emulator. As with most Android emulators, Bluestacks requires you to enable the virtualization service in your PC's BIOS, if you haven't already.

The services offered by Bluestacks are primarily geared towards gamers. The application supports PC accessories: keyboard, mouse and joystick. It offers to assign areas of the screen to certain keys. And it includes a tool to create macros, to combine several keys at the same time. With Bluestacks it is possible to open multiple sessions of a single game (with different accounts each time) and create scripts to automate certain repetitive tasks. It is even possible to set a fake geographical position. Great for Pokemon Go!

The application relies on an always-active maintenance, the latest version dating from March 2023 (at the time of this writing). The most recent version of Bluestacks is based on Android 11 (beta). The most recent stable version is under Android 7 Nougaut. The application is compatible with Windows (7, 8, 10 and 11). Bluestacks 5 is not yet available on macOS but you can still download version 4 (up to macOS Big Sur). It works equally well with AMD and Intel processor virtualization tools. The software is paid for by affiliation: you can download the games from the Play Store, but also from an integrated store. If you choose the latter, Bluestacks makes money.

Finally, note that there is another version of the application: BlueStacks 10 which offers emulation possibilities in the Cloud for those who have a PC with limited performance.

NOXPLAYER

NoxPlayer is considered as the main opponent of Bluestack in the field of Android emulation on computer. A well-deserved place, as the developers of Nox Player have improved their solution to offer an experience just as qualitative as that of Bluestack. And the NoxPlayer offer has even been modernized, with support for Android 9 and compatibility with macOS, in addition to Windows.

Nox Player is aimed, like BlueStacks, more at gamers with a nice range of advanced functions to adapt the gameplay of Android games to a PC-oriented handling: support for controllers, keyboards and mice, allocation of keys to an area of the screen, creating scripts and macros for automation, opening multiple instances for a single game, etc. A store for downloading and installing games is also integrated, but you can of course go through the Play Store.

Development of Nox Player remains active. The latest versions for macOS and Windows date from February 2023. And an update is released every three months or so, bringing new functions, bug fixes with certain games and gameplay or emulation optimizations. Finally, the publisher regularly publishes guides for the most popular titles on its official site, which are used as much to refine the settings of the emulator as to start a game well.

MEMU PLAY

Launched in 2015, Memu Play was considered at the time the little thumb of Android emulation on the PC. A Tom Thumb full of future and spirit. By focusing its discourse and development on the speed, fluidity and simplicity of the experience, Memu Play gets closer to the "retro gaming" spirit (we fire up the emulator, load the ROM and play). From then on, pinky got the upper hand. On a feature level, it still can't match the kings of Android emulation on PC like Bluestacks. But he's getting closer.

As a result, Memu Play has grown stronger over time. The emulator is now based on Android 9 and no longer based on Android 7. This greatly improves compatibility with the latest games. It provides all expected features: mapping of tactile areas; support for joystick, keyboard and mouse; multi-session. Memu Play is still one of the fastest emulators, even if it can be a bit greedy at times.Also note that the free version includes some ads for monetization. But a paid version allows you to remove them.

As when it was launched, Memu Play still benefits from active development today. Updates remain very frequent. And each update improves compatibility with apps available on the Play Store. At the time of writing, the latest version is numbered 8.1.2 and dates from March 2023. Memu Play, on the other hand, is only compatible with PCs. No Mac version yet with this emulator.