Aug 06, 2021 Bluestacks is one of the most well-known Android emulators available. This Android Emulator, which is compatible with both Windows and Mac, works flawlessly and receives regular updates. When compared to Bluestacks 3 itself, the fourth version is said to be eight times faster. XePlayer Android Emulator for PC is an emulator which helps you to play any Android games PC. Download XePlayer Android Emulator 8/8.1/10/7/XP Mac Laptop.
Android emulators are considered technological blessings to many gaming buffs as they fulfill the dream of playing games on a widescreen.
Mobile phones have the downside of quick battery drain leading to short gaming sessions.
With Emulators, one can enjoy surplus hours of great Android experience with the luxury of a big screen.
Not just that, games played on desktops give the best visual experience. For all these reasons, people are flocking towards Android Emulators.
As there is a steady rise in popularity for emulators, there are heaps of applications available on the internet. You might be super puzzled about which one to opt for.
Hence, here we are with much gleaned and analyzed information about the top 10 Android Emulators in 2021. So without further ado, let’s get cracking:
GameLoop (Tencent Gaming Buddy)
Users are in awe of GameLoop (Tencent gaming buddy) as it is on a high pedestal for its fastest gaming experience. It is hailed as one of the best android emulators in the market.
Ever since the craze towards PUBG started, gamers were on the serious lookout for a near-perfect emulator.
This is because on a desktop you can see visuals clearly and it is super accurate to aim with the mouse than touch gestures on a smartphone.
GameLoop does that job pretty well and has become a hit among shooting game lovers.
Not just shooting games, other games like Free fire, Fortnite, Call of duty, etc. One also gets access to the google play store which enables users to experience non-gaming apps as well.
One of the pleasing features of GameLoop is the precise keymapping feature which creates a comfortable gaming environment for the users.
It also offers optimized graphics options for all games. On the whole, GameLoop is a premium gaming experience platform that satisfies all gamers to the fullest.
Official Website: GameLoop
Android Studio
There’s more to emulators as some are used for serious things like developing and testing Mobile Apps.
Android studio is one such best android emulators that are widely used by Android App developers.
It is also the official android testing App released by Google. One of the efficient features is you can launch Android SDK directly from Android studio.
Android Studio cannot be claimed as the fastest emulator but it comes with the best features for a developer.
It always features the latest Android version for its users to not miss out on any new updates. Not just Android Apps, the Android Studio Emulator supports Android wear apps like smartwatches.
It works well on high-end PCs but if you are owning a low-end one, you might face low-speed problems with Android studio. And it’s not the suitable one for gaming as it is explicitly made for development purposes.
Best features:
- Motion Editor helps greatly with managing animations and motion-related features.
- Layout inspector gives real-time LIVE info about the UI of the apps which greatly helps to find bugs and fix them in a jiff.
- Check the same screen on multiple devices with ease using the Layout validation option.
Official Website: Android Studio
Prime OS
Prime OS is not an android emulator exactly. We can say it is more of an Android Operating System and it is completely different from other emulators out there.
Prime OS acts as an OS wherein it replaces Windows OS and lets you operate in a completely Android mimicked environment.
It is one of the popular Web Android OS providers with a user base of 2 million. There are a large number of games available in the Gaming Centre for easy search and access.
Best features:
- Prime OS is not just limited to gaming and app development. It also houses streaming services, communication tools, and such.
- It comes with the same interface functions as that of windows which doesn’t make it alien from other platforms.
- You can use different apps simultaneously on a single screen allowing multitasking for customers.
- Simple and user-friendly emulator which gives ease to all its users.=
Prime OS gives a holistic Android experience without installing any Android Software. It is designed to give you a combined experience of Android and Desktop experience.
Official Website: Prime OS
Genymotion
Genymotion is an instant hit in the emulator market to the level that it is said to be on par with Google’s Android studio.
It is acclaimed for being one of the fastest emulators and it is primarily used for testing apps by developers and proves as one of the best android emulators.
Even shifted apps perform so well on Genymotion. The emulator uses OpenGL-capable graphics which gives it the capability to run the platform at a swift speed. It offers a pretty easy and simple installation process for the users to start with.
- It doesn’t consume much RAM which is a big relief for using it on low-end laptops.
- Genymotion easily adapts to Linux, Mac OS X, and windows.
- Name any device, Genymotion has. Its wide range of virtual devices is well-received among its users.
- It allows users to make mock-calls and mock-SMS features to check the interruption response of the apps.
- Most emulators receive backlash for being down after a few minutes of use. Not with Genymotion! One of the remarkable things about Genymotion is that it rarely crashes.
Genymotion has both free and paid versions. Even with freemium, users get a lot of benefits. The paid version comes with two options: indie (99 €) and business (299 €).
Official Website: Genymotion
ArChon
ArChon isn’t your regular Android Emulator. It is the first emulator that is officially available as a Chrome app.
Yes! You heard it right. Like any other chrome extension or app, you can easily download and access ArChon. Upon installing you’ll be able to run apps with ease on your desktop.
Best Features:
- It is lightweight and easy to use.
- Archon acclimatizes to Linux, Mac OS X, and windows easily.
- It is completely free of cost as it comes under Chrome.
- It provides access to the latest Android version.
This best android emulator falls more on a lighter side. If you just wanna experience basic android apps on a desktop screen, go for it.
Official Website: ArChon
NOX Player
NOX player is a great choice in the array of emulators for its top-notch performance.
It has made a name for its hassle-free interface for playing high-end games. It scores a lot over other Android emulators with its plethora of features.
Nox Player also bestows its users with 720p and 1080p resolution level graphics which makes the emulator truly immersive.
Best Features:
- Rooting is easy as pie compared to Bluestacks.
- It can be easily controlled by external outputs like keyboard, mouse, joysticks, etc.
- One of the riveting aspects of NOX Player is its multi-stance feature. You get the in-built keyboard, open multiple apps at one time and play games at your pace.
- The keyboard mapping feature in the NOX player does its job well.
- Gameplay optimizations on the NOX player are spot-on. This improves gaming performance in spades.
Even though you can run multiple apps, when the number exceeds four, obviously there’ll be trouble.
One drawback with Nox player is that it doesn’t support AMD systems. It is free and compatible with Windows and MAC.
Official Website: NOX Player
LDPlayer
LDPlayer is an up-and-coming emulator that is already hitting the ground running. It is also a gamer exclusive app with spell-bounding visuals with user-friendly interface.
Users profit off of it with a ton of features it offers. LDPlayer has made a name for being the best BGMI emulator in the emulator ecosystem.
If you are looking for a lightweight yet power-packed emulator, the LDPlayer is the perfect pick for your work as one of the best android emulators.
Best Features:
- LDPlayer adapts well in the Windows 10 OS while some emulators exude malfunctions in the same OS.
- It provides a separate app store for games.
- Virtualization technology improves gaming performance to the next level.
- Basic Apps also run flawlessly on LDPlayer.
- Like Nox player, it also allows multiple app usage at the same time. Many people like to browse through social media apps while gaming. LDPlayer even fulfills this wish for its users.
- Many Emulators are not compatible with Linux. But LDPlayer plays there as well.
- LDPlayer is a crash-resistant app as it withstands pretty complex situations remarkably.
- Experience an Ad-free gaming experience at absolutely zero cost with LDPlayer.
LDPlayer is a secured emulator which doesn’t allow any malware making it a safe emulator for its customers.
Official Website: LDPlayer
Bliss OS
Bliss OS is an open-source Operating System that brings in the whole Android environment conveniently on your desktop.
With this emulator, you can play games, browse apps, enjoy streaming sessions and also test apps for mobile app development. Bliss OS runs on desktops, mobile phones, and even on tablets.
Customization is where Bliss OS truly shines. It bestows users with lots of customization options according to the small and big screen.
The speed at which games and apps play out is spectacular on this emulator. It also focuses on energy-saving options while playing high-end games.
Like Windows OS, you can pin the frequently played apps on the taskbar and can group apps too. It is more like a normal OS and also has additional features too.
Official Website: Bliss OS
MEmu Player
Memu player is one of the finest apps in the emulator arena and it is likely here to stay because of its excellent performance.
One can play games and access daily life apps like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc with Memu Player because this is one of the best android emulators available in the market.
It is often compared with Bluestacks and Memu player outshines it in most areas of comparison. It allows many keyboard shortcuts with its par excellence keymapping feature.
Android Device Emulator Mac Download
- You may be surprised to find that it works well on both AMD and Intel CPUs.
- The multi-stance feature lets you access two or more apps at the same time with high efficiency.
- It is very much compatible with the latest Android versions. You can even open separate windows with different android versions and run them simultaneously.
- It also adapts well on Windows 7 to the latest Windows 10 making it accessible for all user ranges.
- You can play games and browse apps on Memu player free of cost.
It is not Ad-free. So that might irk some of the Ad disliking users. Other than that, the Memu player makes a secured and powerful space for a web-based Android environment.
Official Website: MEmu Player
Bluestacks
Bluestacks has come a long way and is one of the oldest and popular Android Emulators in the industry.
It has always been the benchmark platform with which every emulator is compared and competed and has reserved a renowned place in the emulator ecosystem.
Many emulators come and go, Bluestacks is still in high regard as it pretty much upgrades every time and stands renewed with the new competitors. The latest version of Bluestacks is Bluestacks 5 which was released in Feb 2021.
Best Features:
- Users can log in with their Google account to begin on Bluestacks.
- It has an enormous number of apps loaded since it is the popular emulator out there.
- Bluestacks sports minimalistic UI offering a clean and elegant interface to use so it is also one of the best android emulators.
- It gives up to 100+ FPS even on low-end PCs so that even a low-resolution monitor can also give some super-duper gaming experience.
- With Bluestacks 5, you can experience a smoother gaming experience than ever. Even the most complex and demanding games were also played with ease on Bluestacks.
- Bluestacks supports lengthy gaming sessions with utmost stability throughout the time.
- Eco Mode feature on Bluestacks helps in low resource consumption that is 87% less CPU consumption and to stay stable during multiple gaming experiences.
- It is a robust emulator that keeps malware or viruses at Bay. You can trust Bluestacks and have a secured gaming experience.
Android Emulator Not Working On MAC - Stack Overflow
It is an out-and-out free emulator that offers countless features and a big App library.
Some users complain of memory hogging and crashing all of a sudden on Bluestacks. Many low-end PCs and middle-range PCs often face this scenario.
Official Website: Bluestacks
Guide to using Best Android Emulators:
- Before using any Android Emulator, enable the virtualization option in the BIOS section for optimized performance.
- You can remap and set the desired keyboard shortcuts using the keymapping feature. This feature is available in most emulators.
- Always use a backup email account and never the main email to save yourself from any security issues like data breaches or malware. Not all emulators are secured. So it’s better to be on the safer side by using a secondary account.
- Though one can run emulators on low-end PCs, for an efficient emulator experience, 8 GB RAM is recommended.
Conclusion
With this, we have come full circle with a wide range of emulators for all budget ranges.
We hope this will help you to select the best Android emulator and our practical points would help you along the way.