In case you’re looking to run Android on your Windows computer, there’s no shortage of emulators available today. For those who are wondering, there are various reasons why you would possibly need to use an Android emulator on your Windows desktop. For instance, Android builders can debug their apps right onto their desktop, gamers can enjoy Android-specific games on a larger screen and the list is going on. So, now which you see the various benefits of using Android emulators, it is probably tempting to try one. The problem with Android emulators is that a lot of them are finicky and tend to not work as marketed. Therefore, I tried more than a dozen emulators to carry you the 7 best Android emulators for Windows:

Note: I tried all the emulators on my HP Envy (Core i7) running Windows 10 Home and can confirm that they work as advertised. All of these apps should work on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 as well but given the wide range of Windows hardware, they may or may not work well.

1.Remix OS Player

We’ve included Remix OS earlier, that’s an operating system primarily based on the Android x86 project. While you can install Remix OS in your Windows or Mac, there’s a fair easier manner to experience Remix OS without going via the trouble of putting in it. Remix OS participant is a free Android emulator for Windows based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Before installing Remix OS Player, please note that it doesn’t support some AMD chipsets and also requires “Virtualisation Technology” enabled in your BIOS.

The primary time you run Remix OS player, you need to be greeted with a fresh-searching interface, complete with the taskbar on the bottom and a shortcut button to get entry to all the installed apps. The Remix relevant app offers you hints of trending apps and games you may down load. It helps Google Play store, so you can download apps and games with no extra setup.

The team recognizes that there’s something extremely rewarding about button mashing while gaming that sometimes you just can’t get from a touch screen and so, they have heavily improved Remix OS Player for gaming. Especifically, you can map keyboard buttons and manage multiple games simultaneously on one screen. There are also a lot of under-the-hood improvements to improve gameplay. If you’re a developer, it still has you covered. You can physically set signal strength, network type, location, battery and lots of other things that can help you debug your Android application.

Overall, Remix OS Player is a strong Android emulator and perhaps the only emulator that runs Marshmallow, a relatively newer version of Android.

Download: (Free)

2.MEmu

MEmu is a high-performance Android emulator for windows this is based totally on Android Lollipop. Alas, it comes preinstalled with Android Jellybean 4.2 and upgrading to Lollipop requires downloading extra applications. It is well matched with Intel, Nvidia powered home windows computers and unlike Remix OS player, it is also well suited with AMD chipsets.

The first time you open it, you are greeted with an ancient 4-year old Android version, with the main menu tucked in the right-hand sidebar. It comes pre-loaded with the Google Play Store, so you can browse and download Android apps and games to your heart’s content. Also, MEmu associates itself with APK files on Windows, so you can just open the APK file from anywhere and it would automatically open and run in MEmu. Also, if you happen to discover new cool Android apps, you can have MEmu push the app right away to your phone via the USB cable.

It supports keyboard mapping, so you can assign certain keys to simulate touch in specific areas of the screen. Other than this, it supports full-screen mode, screenshot tool, a handy “kill process” tool, screen record, amongst several other features. Also, it features an interesting “operation record” tool, so you can record certain touch-screen actions and replay it anytime, thus automating tasks on-the-fly.

I really like the perfect pointer and keyboard integration in MEmu. Perhaps my only rant about it is that it ships with a really old version of Android. You can upgrade to Android 5.0 Lollipop, but that is still at least 2-years old. If you can compromise on the amazing features that Android Nougat carries to the table, MEmu is one of the most capable Android emulators I’ve tried.

Download: (Free)

3.Nox Player

Nox Player is every other Android emulator for Windows, primarily based on Android four.4 KitKat that boasts of class-leading overall performance and advanced features. It ticks a number of packing containers in terms of capabilities, so it’s possible that some may discover the interface to be a touch overwhelming at the beginning. But as you spend a while with it, you’re bound to fall in love with it.

In the settings, you can modify the number of CPU cores, FPS or the amount of RAM you would like to allocate to Nox. If you’ve compatibility problems with some games, you can switch between two graphic rendering modes: DirectX or OpenGL.

It comes with built in support for Google Play store and also, you can just drag and drop APKs to the Nox player to install them. There’s a “simulate touch” capability which is just every other name for keyboard mapping and it aids you in playing games. The “script record” capability lets you record specific events on display screen and replay them later. It is able to be specially useful while you need to automate an action on Android, that would otherwise be very monotonous to carry out manually. To amaze you further, it comes with a rooted version of Android out-of-the-field. also, the multiplayer characteristic helps you to run multiple times of Android at the same time.

As you can see, Nox player is an amazingly feature-rich Android emulator that is let down only by an older version of Android.

Download: (Free)

4.BlueStacks

After all, BlueStacks is depends on Android 4.4 KitKat and has been one of the early pioneers of this whole “Android on PC” thingy. But lately, BlueStacks has become a many bloated and the competition has quickly caught up with it. However, it is still a very capable Android emulator and I strongly feel that this list would have been incomplete without mentioning BlueStacks.

It arises with the Google Play Store pre-installed, which gives you access to over 2 million Android apps and games. Installing APKs is quite easy too. It comes with a many features that none of its competitors offers. The first one is the capability to live-stream to Twitch, so you can show-off you game playing skills to your followers. The second one is that you can live-stream to Facebook Live using BlueStacks TV. Other than this, it supports multitasking, much like an actual Android phone.

The free version is riddled with ads and constantly nags you to install sponsored apps. So, you can get the premium version, which brings an ad-free experience and priority support.

Download: (Free version, $3.33/month premium version)

5.AMIDuOS

AMIDuOS, also called DuOS, is another Android emulator developed by American Megatrends, a Georgia-based company. Before installing DuOS, ensure that the “Virtualisation Technology” is enabled in BIOS and you have Microsoft Net framework 4.0 or above.

DuOS is depends on Android 5.1 Lollipop but for some weird reason, there’s an option to download the Jellybean-based version too. One important thing you should know is that it does not come with the Google Play Store, but instead, ships with the Amazon App Store. Amazon’s offering is nowhere near the Play Store when it comes to the apps and games offered, but that should not be much of a problem because you can always install APKs in DuOS. In fact, you can just right click on an APK in Windows and it’ll present you with the option to install the APK directly in DuOS.

At the hardware side of factors, it supports gamepads and external hardware GPS. The configuration device lets you set the amount of RAM, frames per second and DPI manually. One feature I really preferred about it’s ability the capability to run in “root mode“. This means that you essentially have baked-in root person privileges and may run all of the fantastic root apps for Android. There’s no keyboard mapping function, so playing video games isn’t going to be any handy, this is until you attach an external gamepad.

There’s a free 30-day trial version to be had, but you’ll have to shell out $15 for the entire model. the full model comes with Android five.x Lollipop and there’s $10 lite version that incorporates Android 4.2 jellybean.

Download: (30-day free trial, $15 Full version, $10 Lite version)

6.LeapDroid

LeapDroid is a powerful Android emulator that was developed by Google last year and eventually shut-down (you can still download it from other sources). But don’t make mistake, despite the discontinuation, LeapDroid still manages to be one of the most robust Android emulators around.

It is depends on Android 4.4 KitKat and arises with all the AOSP apps like browser, music, camera, etc. The home screen provides shortcuts to download popular game titles like Clash of Clans and Pokémon GO. But that’s not it. It comes with full support for Google Play Store, so you can get Android apps and games up and running in no time.

You can also install APKs from your PC if you like. Other than this, it comes with full-screen mode support, a screenshot tool and the option to select graphics rendering mode between OpenGL or DirectX. It also supports keyboard mapping, so you can play games suitably with keyboard shortcuts instead of having to clumsily fiddle around with your mouse pointer. Further, you can also set gesture details and simulate pinch zoom using the scroll wheel of your mouse.

If you can shunt down the gullet the fact that it comes with Android KitKat, LeapDroid is really impressive. Also, because it has been discontinued recently, the company behind it no longer offers any support. So, if you don’t mind searching the web on your own for squashing any bugs you might encounter, give it a try.

Download: (Free)

7.Genymotion

Genymotion has emerged as a great alternative to Android Studio’s default emulator. It is meant to be for improvement purposes but of course, you can use it for non-public use, too. Before downloading it, confirm that you’ve enabled the “virtualization technology” in your BIOS and you have got the latest version of VirtualBox installed. Also, you’ll need to sign up for an account before you can start using it.

One great benefit of using Genymotion is that it exactly allows you select any Android phone to simulate and select to install any Android version — from Android 4.4 KitKat to Android 7.0 Nougat. The free version comes with support for physically setting GPS coordinates, battery level, and camera. The premium version unlocks many new features like screencasting and remote controlling of Genymotion using an actual phone. It has plugins for Android Studio, IntelliJ IDEA, and Eclipse to help developers test their apps directly within the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It doesn’t come with the Google Play Store by default, but with a little bit of setup, you can have it by manually installing GApps.

Genymotion also gives a cloud-based online emulator which you can try right within your browser, though you’d have to contact them and request for a private access.

Overall, Genymotion is the perfect Android tool for developers. You can still use it for casual gaming, although you’d be better off with other options on this list for that purpose.

Download: (Free for non-commercial use only)

Other Android Emulators For Windows

There are some other Android emulators I gave a shot but they didn’t make the cut to the above list. Some of the other Android emulators I tried are AndyOS, KoPlayer, and Droid4X. The reason I didn’t include them above is because I wasn’t able to get them to work on my machine, even after hours of troubleshooting. This does not necessarily suggest that these emulators are worthless. If you feel that even after trying out the best Android emulators, none of them really suits your needs, feel free to give these emulators a try. Lastly, there’s also an official Android emulator that comes bundled with Android Studio. It is built from the ground-up mainly for development purposes, and thus may not be an ideal choice for end consumers looking to run Android apps/games on their PC. That being said, there’s no harm in trying it out!

Run Android Apps on Windows with the Best Android Emulators

So, this become my listing of a number of the high-quality Android emulators you may use to run Android apps in your windows PC. Whether you’re a developer searching to check apps or you’re a informal consumer seeking to play a few games, you’ll certainly find the first-rate emulator for your want. If you question me in my opinion, I’m torn among MEmu and Remix OS player. however with such a lot of properly alternatives around, it doesn’t necessarily ought to be the identical for you. Which one in all them is your favourite Android emulator for Windows?