The mobile phone market is divided into two different platforms: iOS and Android. However, if there is something to highlight, it is that when it comes to video games, its importance has not stopped increasing in recent years and with exclusive titles along the way. However, having a powerful terminal is very expensive. Well we’ll teach you how to run android games and apps on windowswith which you will avoid having to buy a mobile phone for it.
One of the novelties announced by Microsoft for Windows 11 is the possibility of running Android applications as if they were native to the operating system. This is due to the Linux subsystem which has already been implemented in Windows 10 and which the Redmond company has extended to the point of supporting Google’s operating system. However, at the moment, you can only access it if you are part of the Windows Insider program. Of course, there are alternatives and waves that we will comment on below.
How do I use Android apps on my Windows PC?
Here are three ways to run Android apps, including games, on your Windows PC. One of them is based on cloud emulation and the other two are based on using your PC for it. Keep in mind that running emulated apps requires a lot more power than on the original devices. We therefore recommend that you have a high-performance PC for this. After all, you’re running code for ARM on an x86 processor and with a complex operating system to boot.
Through the cloud with Bluestacks
For that, you need an app called BlueStacks X, which is nothing more than an Android emulator with the necessary enhancements to run the games. Don’t worry if your computer doesn’t have a touch screen, since you can configure your keyboard and mouse. Moreover, it will allow you to touch other parameters such as: resolution, dots per inch, FPS limit and CPU and RAM resources for the emulator. By the way, to run Android games on Windows, BlueStacks X works as a virtual machine, so we recommend enabling Intel VT-X or AMD-V in your computer’s BIOS.
However, BlueStacks X is a special case because it does not natively emulate games on your system, but rather uses cloud computing to actually run. In other words, what is running virtualized is not Android, but a small operating system that remotely accesses a server. It is therefore an ideal option if you have a very modest computer.
Locally with Genymotion
The other option is Genymotion, which emulates Android on your system using VirtualBox, so you will need to have this app on your PC. Like BlueStacks, you will need to enable virtualization in your system BIOS. The first time you launch it, it will ask you for things like resolution, allocated hardware resources, and Android version. Once done, you will see the classic start window of an Android terminal appear.
Via the emulator in Android Studio for Windows
The other option of Android Studio provided by Google itself, since it comes standard with an emulator or rather an interpreter. For it you must have 16 GB of RAM on the PC. So it can be a good excuse to increase the capacity of your PC. As for the steps to follow, they are as follows:
- You must create an Android or AVD virtual device, each of them simulates a different terminal
- On the Android Studio opening screen, select the three vertical dots and Virtual Device Manager.
- Once the project is open, select View > Tool Windows > Device Manager in the main menu bar to see the list of available Android devices.
- On the Android Studio opening screen, select the three vertical dots and Virtual Device Manager.
- If you need to create an AVD, just follow these steps:
- In Device Manager, click Create Device, from which you will get the window Select material.
- You will get a list of devices, if it does not come out, you can even create one. We recommend that you use an existing one.
- The next thing you need to do is select the System image, which is nothing more than the OS version you want to use. Do not use a lower system image than required by the application you want to use.
- The next thing left is to confirm the configuration, once you have done that you can use it to test not only the apps you have created but also the different APKs.
Where can I get the applications?
Some emulated systems come with the Play Store as standard, but you can also find APK apps in different repositories. Note that some Android games have PC clients, which consist of an Android emulator with the standalone app already set up for it. Although they usually secretly use BlueStacks or Genymotion for this.
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