Android Emulators have become very popular recently. This popularity is directly related to the success of the Mobile gaming industry. Previously, the focus of these Android emulators was to make regular apps functional on PC. But now, developers of Android Emulators focus a lot on making the emulators work smoothly with all the new mobile game releases.
In this article, we will be listing the top 5 Android emulators available in the market currently.
What is an Android Emulator?
An emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system to behave like another computer system. An emulator typically enables the host system to run software or use peripheral devices designed for the guest system.
Android Emulators come under the category of software, which allows one to use Android applications on PC. Currently, Android emulators are mainly used to play Mobile games on PC. Now that we the basics out of the way, let’s get started with top 5 Android Emulators.
Top 5 Android Emulators
All the emulators listed in this article are free to use (except for Genymotion).
1) BlueStacks
Without a question, the best Android emulator in the business currently. It is number 1 in performance, functionality and even in terms of user interface. BlueStacks brings out new updates frequently, specially in-order to make new mobile games work smoothly on PC.
BlueStacks also supports keyboard mapping which is a great feature for any gamer.
- Compatible with all Android games.
- Control settings are much advanced compared to other emulators.
- System requirements are not very demanding allowing budget PCs to be able to run BlueStacks efficiently.
2) NoxPlayer
NoxPlayer is the second-best Android Emulator in the market currently. It is placed second only because BlueStacks has outdone every other Android emulator including itself.
NoxPlayer is very stable, runs apps very smoothly and has a UI which can be considered satisfying to use. NoxPlayer also supports custom key mapping and it also allows the use of controllers.
- Highly stable and very smooth for running all kinds of applications.
- It has a good range of controls settings but it lacks a few options which would allow you to easily play games on it.
- UI is outdated compared to other emulators.
- It is very well optimized and runs smoothly even on low end computers.
3) GameLoop
After the release of CoD, GameLoop started growing bigger and bigger by the day. GameLoop was previously known as Tencent Gaming Buddy. It was initially an emulator which supported very few games, but now it’s a massive product which supports all the big titles.
However, it does not support quite a few games and it also cannot be used for testing Android applications.
- GameLoop’s UI is complicated to understand for beginners.
- It has one of the best control options among all the emulators.
- Cannot run well on low end PCs
- Even after so many updates, GameLoop still has a few of bugs and glitches.
4) MEmu
MEmu is a new-comer among the other emulators in this list, but it quickly rose in ranks and managed to make it into our top 4.
It might not be the best choice to run Mobile gaming applications, but it is great for running productivity applications. However, it is still a decent choice to run gaming applications, as its performance is almost as good as BlueStacks or NoxPlayer. In my opinion, it lacks only in design and user-interface.
- Another emulator which can run even on budget PCs.
- UI is very much outdated.
- MEmu also has a few of bugs and glitches.
5) Genymotion
Genymotion had to make it into this top 5 list because of how unique of an Android Emulator it is. It targets developers and allows them to effectively test mobile applications. Genymotion also allows you to test apps on various virtual devices instead of just Android. Genymotion charges $136 per year.
Keep in mind that Genymotion is made for developers, so it might not be the right choice for you if you are looking for the best Android experience on PC.
- Runs on Linux.
- Installation process is very complicated.
- UI is also very complicated unless you are a developer.
- Genymotion is Ads-free.
- It takes longer than other emulators to boot up.
That was our list for top 5 Android Emulators. Let us know what your thoughts in the comments down below.
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