15 Best Android Emulators for PC and Mac [Updated]

Android Emulator, a very popular name nowadays. It is commonly used on PCs. But do you know why this Android emulator is used? There are many valid reasons for using this Android emulator.

For example, Android developers can test their apps before publishing them. There are many gamers who want to play mobile games on the computer so that they can use the keyboard and mouse, for those

Android emulator is very popular. There are also many uses of this Android emulator, this article cannot be finished today if all its references are mentioned.

In total, this Android emulator is used on computers. However, this is not very difficult to use but not too easy. It requires a little technical knowledge and education to handle this, which is the norm these days. Here I am mentioning the names and companions of some Android emulators that will help to enhance your knowledge.

The index list is here. Click on them to directly jump on that section.

Android Studio’s emulator
Bliss OS
GameLoop
MEmu
Genymotion
LDPlayer
Bluestacks
YouWave
Remix OS Player
NOX
PrimeOS
Phoenix OS
Xamarin
Andy
KOPlayer

What is an Emulator?

An emulator is a software that enables a computer system to behave like any other computer system. To run a smartphone application on a PC, the emulator behaves like an Android system that can be installed on Windows and installed on the emulator from the App Store. So, without delay, let’s start with a list of the best Emulators for Windows and Mac.

Who uses emulators?

In fact, many people use Android emulators. But the users of these emulators can be mainly divided into three parts.

First, you have to catch those who use it to play games, which means gamers. They mainly use emulators to facilitate playing some Android games. Using it makes it easier to play some Android games. Moreover, there are many other difficulties playing games on Android devices such as running out of battery or heating up the mobile, but those problems do not come easily to the PC. So some of the best Android emulators for this gaming are Bluestacks, MeMu, Nox, and KoPlayer.

The second most common use area is Android development. For those who develop or build an Android app or game, this android emulator is very useful. After creating various Android apps or games, they can test them well with this emulator before launching them officially. Some popular Android emulators for developers of this type are Xamarin, Genymotion, etc.

The last major part is productivity. It’s not as common as the other two. So I refer you to Wikipedia for details.

Below are the names and definitions of several Android emulators.

1. Android Studio’s emulator

Android Studio is the official integrated development environment (IDE) of Google’s Android operating system, built on JetBrain’s IntelliJ IDEA software and designed specifically for Android development. It is a replacement for Eclipse Android Development Tools (ADT) as the primary IDE for native Android application development, available for download on Windows, macOS, and Linux based operating systems.

If you are a developer, you can use this emulator to test your apps or games. So, this is not one we would suggest for consumer-level use. However, developers can easily use this tool as their emulator for testing their applications. It also supports Kotlin if developers want to try it out. This is very painful for regular people, but it is great for developers.

Minimum System Requirements

64-bit distribution capable of running 32-bit applications
3 GB RAM
2GB HDD space
Windows, Linux or Mac.

Official website link – Android Studio

2. Bliss OS

Android-X86 is a fork, Bliss OS designed to run on Windows computers or Chromebooks. If you are thinking that your PC or Chromebook can run Bliss OS, a good rule of thumb is if you can run Windows, Linux or Chrome OS, you can run Bliss OS.

Based on Android 10, open-source Bliss OS12 includes a desktop-style launcher (based on AOSP Launcher 3), the ability to run applications on a taskbar, Windows, touchscreen and non-touch device, and type using the Start menu. App drawer, Bliss Bliss button. The OS development of Happiness is based on the Android Open Source project and the Android-X86 project known as AOSP. The introductory alpha version gives testers the compatibility of many theming and customization options, battery optimizations, support for multiple gamepads, customized settings for large and small screens, battery optimization and the ARM / ARM64 apps.

Official website link – GitHub

3. GameLoop – Emulator

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. Calls certainly feature other games besides Tencent, though its collection isn’t that great. Downloading and installing the emulator worked fine and the games we tested were fine. This is not good for productivity or developmental testing. Also, keyboard control and performance are good.

Official website link – Gameloop.

4. MEmu

MEmu is another Android emulator that seems to have worked well with gamers. One of its biggest features is support for both the AMD and Intel chipset. Works on most AMD processors but it’s nice to see developers especially pay attention to AMD’s platform. Additionally, it supports Android Jelly Bean, Kit Kat, and Lollipop. You can even run multiple instances at once for multiple games or experimental features. A lot of this is aimed at gamers like Bluestacks and similar emulators. But it is also quite useful as a productivity tool. Its most recent update was in mid-November 2019 and has been updated with general performance improvements and smart keymapping with bug fixes.

Official website link – MEmu.

5. Genymotion

This android emulator is for most developers. This allows you to test your applications or games on different devices without owning them. You can configure the emulator for different devices with different versions of Android as you need it. 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 at will. It’s not great for consumer use, but Genymotion offers its services for free for personal use. This is one of the most useful features that are available to both your desktop computer and the cloud. Genymotion’s servers can do all the work for those without powerful computers.

Minimum System Requirments for this Android Emulator

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.

Official website link – Genymotion.

6. LDPlayer

LDPlayer

LDplayer is another Android emulator for gamers. It features a general array of gamer-based features, including keyboard mapping controls and support for the latest games. This is one of the few emulators on the list that receives active updates on a very regular basis. The last update fixed a bug that caused Call of Duty: Mobile to crash. It supports many more games including Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Black Dessert Mobile, PUBG Mobile and many more. It runs on an older version of Android so we would like to see it finally get an update in the section. However, it is an otherwise decent tough experience.

Official website link – LDPlayer.

7. Bluestacks

Blue Stacks is an American technology company that produces Blue Stacks application players and other cloud-based cross-platform products. The Blue Stacks app player is designed to enable Android applications on Microsoft Windows and macOS running PCs.

The application player is downloadable Windows and Macs software that virtualizes the Android operating system. Free subscription to download and use the basic features of the software Free monthly alphabetical payment requires a monthly subscription.

Bluestacks is the most mainstream of all Android emulators. There are several reasons for that. For starters, this is compatible with Windows and Mac. It was also one of the first ones that worked really well which still gets regular updates. This emulator target mobile gamers for its usability.

Official website link – Bluestacks.

8. YouWave

YouWave is an Android emulator which is one of the old for PC. It had been around for a long time. Although the last update was in 2016. This makes it fairly current. The free version uses an ice cream sandwich. After $ 20.5 you get the Lollipop version. Experts didn’t experience any major problems with either one. The installation process was very easy. It doesn’t have any game-specific features, but it does play games if you want. This makes it good for light gaming and productivity. We haven’t seen a meaningful update in a very long time, though its lollipop version is badly outdated. We do not recommend the premium version, but the free version works great for those who want an older Android-powered emulator.

Official website link – YouWave.

9. Remix OS Player

Playing mobile games on your PC with Remix OS Player is going to be easier than ever. Having the skill of playing the headline on your smartphone or tablet is useful, but some people like to use the big screen or better peripherals. Remix OS Player lets you download and play almost any mobile game on your Windows PC quickly. For competitive gamers, this software allows you to take full control of your computer’s hardware so you can outrun all other players. Although mobile games have become extremely popular in the past few years, these titles have several key drawbacks. Touchscreen controls aren’t always organic, and overlayers can occupy quite a bit of your screen. While some newer smartphones and tablets can connect to Bluetooth controllers, delays often affect your gameplay. To avoid all these problems, many people are now playing their mobile games on powerful computers and laptops.

It runs Android Marshmallow and is still relatively new to many others on the list. The installation process is quite easy and fairly easy to use. It caters to most gamers. There are a few game-specific features, including a customizable toolbar. It boasts of features like running multiple games at once.

Official website link – Remix OS Player.

10. NOX

The perfect Android emulator supports keyboard, gamepad, script recording and multiple instances. Each feature is simply tailored to your gaming experience.
NoxPlayer, a Better Experience for Mobile Games. It runs multiple events simultaneously to play more games. Synchronize activity in all situations to use multiple gaming accounts. It can record your complex activities and then execute the script in a single click with the macro recorder.

Official website link – NOX.

11. PrimeOS

If you already use Android, you’ll love it. What you can do with PrimeOS?
The PrimeOS offers a complete desktop experience like Windows or macOS, with access to millions of Android applications. It’s designed to bring you the best of both worlds – the complete fusion of Android and PC. It’s not really an emulator. You install it as a partition on your computer and it starts running native Android. It’s a gamer-focused Android experience, though you can use it perfectly for productivity if you really want to. PrimeOS includes a gaming center, mouse and keyboard support, and access to most Android apps and games. In fact, almost all of the Chrome components run like ChromeOS minus. You can multitask, watch video content or play games you like.

Official website link – PrimeOS.

12. Phoenix OS

Phoenix OS is one of the newest Android emulators for PC. Like this day, it is proud of the gamer’s experience. However, it also boasts a desktop-like experience so it actually works pretty well for productivity. It also has Google Play services although updating these services can be a pain. This means you get every app and game in the Google Play Store running Phoenix OS Android 7.1, which is relatively modern for Android emulators. You can download the emulator from its official website and its forums are set up on XDA-developers. More on Android Authority.

Official website link – Phoenix OS.

13. Xamarin

Xamarin is a very useful emulator for testing apps on Windows. The app is not easy to use for the first time but if you have been working with it for some time you will definitely fall in love with it. The emulator is best suited for professional app developers. Xamarin is an official tool for testing iOS applications. Although Xamarin is now closed to any future development. But you can definitely use it to test the app with different settings and tweaks.

Official website link – Xamarin.

14. Andy

Andy is a simple but powerful emulator for PC and Mac. This allows you to integrate your device more closely with the PC. A good aspect of the app is that it syncs with all connected devices. You can transfer everything from mobile to emulator in a hassle-free way with the app. You can use the phone as a joystick while playing games.

Minimum System Requirements for this emulator

Dual-core AMD or Intel CPU with Virtualization support
3GB of RAM
10GB of free disk space
GPU with OpenGL 2.1 support
Windows 7 SP1 / Windows 8.1 / Ubuntu 14.04+ / OSX 10.8+

Official website link – Andy.

15. KOPlayer

KeoPlayer is a free and solid platform built into kernel technology on the x86 architecture. Which supports advanced features like OpenGL and hardware acceleration. It brings quality Android Play experience to the Windows platform. The emulator supports multiple accounts, screen recording, gamepad, and keyboard mapping to streamline control. The app has built-in GMS support to download your favorite apps safely. more…

I think I covered all the present emulators run in the market. If you think anything needs to change, please let me know.

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