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How to play Android games on PC

Play Android Games on PC

Okay, let’s make it clear that Android apps and games cannot be launched/played on a PC/laptop because they have different operating software. So what now, you ask? Well, you can use/play the Android apps and games on your PC through an Android emulator. When you run an Android emulator on your PC, it will provide the operating software needed to launch and run the Android apps and games. Android emulators are one of the best and easiest ways to play Android games on PC, but there are other options available as well for you to choose from. So, this article will cover all the best possible ways to play Android games on PC. Let us see how:

Play Android games on PC with Emulators

As mentioned before, running Android emulators on PC will provide the (Android) games with the Android interface, only then you will be able to launch the games. There are a lot of Android emulators available on the internet for free, some also offer premium features when you pay for a subscription. Let us look at some of the most popular emulators available in the market:

BlueStacks

BlueStacks is one of the oldest and best Android emulators for PC. It is widely popular because of the various array of features it offers on top of a smoothly functioning Android interface. Let us see how to install and use BlueStacks to play Android games on PC:

  1. Go to the official BlueStacks website.
  2. On the main page, click on the “Download BlueStacks“ button.
  3. Download the setup file and launch the setup once it is downloaded.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install software. Launch BlueStacks once the installation is complete.
  5. After launching BlueStacks you will need to log in with your Google account as a prerequisite to download apps/games from the Google Play Store.
  6. Tap on the search button on the main screen to search for any game you would like to download, once you find it, tap on the “Install” button.
  7. Once the game has installed completely, a shortcut for the game will appear on the BlueStack’s main page. Click on it to launch the game.

Note: BlueStacks is free for an hour or so after which this system will ask you to buy a subscription, if you’re not willing to pay you could instead download a sponsored app they recommend as a free alternative to subscription payment.

Nox Player

Nox player is yet another popular Android emulator available for free on the internet. Nox Player also boasts great performance, new features, etc. Follow these steps to play Android games on PC with Nox player:

  1. Go to the official website of Nox.
  2. Click on the download button on the main page to download the latest version of the software.
  3. Once the set-up file has been downloaded, go to downloads on your file manager and launch the set-up file.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions on the set-up install Nox player.
  5. Once the installation is finished, launch the application.
  6. On the main case itself, you will see the Google Play Store app, click on it.
  7. Now you can search and download any game you would like to play.
  8. Once a game has been installed, the shortcut will appear on the main page. Click on it to play the game.

Most free Android emulators provide good performance. You might notice the increased game launch time and some lagging but when the game finally starts, but once it is up and running, the gameplay experience is decently smooth.

Play Android games on PC with Genymotion

Genymotion allows you to operate an (almost) fully functional Android device of your choice, that too in your PC/Laptop! The main product designed by the developers actually costs money to operate but, You can use the free version for personal use. Here are the steps you need to follow to use this free version of the Genymotion software:

  1. Go to the Genymotion website.
  2. Register and create an account on the website.
  3. Download the latest version of Genymotion along with VirtualBox (a prerequisite software to launch Genymotion).
  4. Once the set-up file has been downloaded, launch the set-up file to initiate installation.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions on the set-up application. Make sure to toggle on the “Personal use” button during the Wizard setup.
  6. After installation is complete, launch the Genymotion application.
  7. When you first start the application, you will be presented with a list of device templates you can choose from and install.
  8. The choice of your device will determine the screen resolution, CPU and GPU usage, Android version, etc.
  9. Next, you need to install the Google Play Store app by clicking on the “Open Gapps“ icon from the sidebar.
  10. Now, simply launch the Google Play Store and download any android game you would like to play.
  11. Launch the game from the Home Screen once it is installed.

Run a complete Android interface on your PC

Running a complete Android interface is also preferred by many gamers who play Android games on PC. Unlike Genymotion and other similar software, with Android-x86 you will literally run the Android interface on your PC/laptop in landscape view (like a tablet)! Instead of playing your Android games on a mini screen on your PC’s screen, you can play games on full screen without any hassles. Let us see how to use the Android-x86 software:

Note: This is process is not exactly easy and requires more time as compared to emulators. For casual gamers, this might be too much work and emulators would be the most effective option.

  1. Launch any preferred browser on your PC.
  2. Download an ISO disc image from the internet.
  3. Burn the disc image to a USB drive. To do this, you can use USB drive tools/software such as Rufus. Click here to download Rufus.
  4. After that, insert the USB drive into a PC.
  5. Restart/Reboot your PC and press F12 (while the screen is black) to enter boot menu.
  6. Here, you will two options, either run the Android-x86 directly from the USB or save it on your PC’s hard drive for easy accessibility in the future. Installing it on your PC will give you a slightly better performance.

Play Android games on PC with Screen mirroring

This isn’t technically a way to play Android games on PC, but who wouldn’t mind playing their favorite Android games on PC/Laptop’s big screen? Please keep in mind that you are simply sharing your Android screen on your PC/Laptop. Your PC is not performing the functions of your phone, it’s just sharing the display screen. Let us see how to do this:

Note: You will need to download a third-party app from the Play Store to mirror your screen to your PC. Also, the wired method would be much smoother as compared to a wireless one, unless of course, you have a superfast internet connection.

Here are some of the apps you can choose from for screen mirroring:

  • Vysor
  • ApowerMirror
  • Mobizen

First, you need to enable USB debugging from the Developer’s option. Here’s how to do it:

  1. From your phone’s app drawer, launch the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on the “System/About Phone” option.
  3. From this presented list, find and tap on the “Build number” option five to seven times.
  4. After you get the notification “You are now a developer” head back to the main settings page.
  5. In this list, you would find the “Developer options” option. Open it.
  6. Look for and toggle on the USB debugging option.

Once you have toggled on USB debugging, you can install any of the third-party apps mentioned above from the Google Play Store. After installation, simply follow the on-screen instructions, and you’ll be ready to play your favorite Android game on your PC’s screen in a few minutes!