Changes

'''This page is about emulating Android apps and games on PC as it is slowly building off an important library of exclusives, and emulation coupled with CheatEngine is certainly interesting. If you're interested in emulators for your Android phone, check [[Emulators on Android|this page:Category:Consoles]] instead and see individual console page.'''

Like with [[Nintendo DS emulators]], the computer mouse is used to emulate touch screen touchscreen presses (which can be less than ideal in many cases), and the keyboard emulates the button controller add-ons. Some emulators support X360 controllers as well with some more tweaks.

Android apps come in the .apk file format (occasionally coupled with .obb files). Just like its [[IOS emulators|iOS ]] equivalent (ipa IPA files), their innards can be opened as a regular zip 7z file.

'''Important Note:''' These emulators are usually closed source and while they're distributed for free, their devs look for roundabout ways to monetize them. One such high profile case was BlueStacks. Make sure to check if there are pre-installed apps on your emulator (and disable them), monitor your Internet connection download caps and processor activity to detect any abnormal activity (and block domains accordingly if the need arises) and avoid as much as possible giving sensitive account data (just in case it's key-logged). Besides basic safety, these precautions often make impacted emulators run much faster when the adware services and apps are turned off. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col"|[[Emulation Accuracy|Accuracy]]

|style="text-align:center;"|[[Genymotion]]|style="textWindows, Linux, macOS|[https://www.genymotion.com/download/ {{GenymotionVer}}]|{{✓}} (Non-align:center;"Dev Versions)|VirtualBox|High|{{✓}}|-|[[BlueStacks]]|Windows, Mac, LinuxmacOS|[http://www.bluestacks.com/ {{BlueStacksVer}}]|{{✓}}|QEMU (before v2.5) / VirtualBox (after v2.5)|High|{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|MEmu|Windows|[httphttps://www.genymotionmemuplay.com 2/ 5.76.2] (Official Site)|style="text{{✓}}|VirtualBox|High|{{✓}}|-align|LDPlayer|Windows|[http:center;"//en.ldplayer.net/ 3.41]|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|High|{{✓ (Non}}|-Dev Versions)|style="text-alignNox App Player|Windows|[https:center;"//www.bignox.com/ 6.2.5.3]|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|style="textHigh|{{✓}}|-align|XePlayer|Windows|[http:center;"//xeplayer.com/ 6.0.10]|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|High|style="text{{✓}}|-align|KoPlayer|Windows|[http:center;"//www.koplayer.com 1.4.1056]|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|High|{{✓}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[BlueStacks]]Droid4X|style="text-align:center;"|Windows, MacmacOS|style="text-align:center;"|[http://wwwdroid4x.bluestackshaimawan.com/ Official Site0.10.6]|style="text-align:center;"|{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|OriginalVirtualBox|style="text-align:center;"|MidHigh|style="text-align:center;"|✓{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[Droid4x]]Andy|style="text-align:center;"|Windows, MacmacOS|style="text-align:center;"|[httphttps://wwwandyroid.net/ 0.47.droid4x226.com/ Official Site1076.7]|style="text-align:center;"|{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|OriginalVmWare|style="text-align:center;"|High|style="text-align:center;"|✓{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[DuOS]]YouWave|style="text-align:center;"|Windows|style="text-align:center;"|[httphttps://www.amiduosyouwave.com/ Official Site5.11]|style="text-align:center;"|✗{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|?VirtualBox|style="text-align:center;"|Mid|style="text-align:center;"|{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[andyroid]]Android x86|style="textMulti-align:center;"|Windows, Macplatform|style="text-align:center;"|[http://andyroidwww.android-x86.org 8.net/ Official Site1-rc2]|style="text-align:center;"|{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|VirtualBoxN/A|style="text-align:center;"|MidLow|style="text-align:center;"|✓{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[ARC Welder]] (Google Chrome)Android Studio|style="text-align:center;"|Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS|style="text-align:center;"|[https://developer.chromeandroid.com/appsstudio/getstarted_arc 503.50212.602.01] (Official Site)|style="text-align:center;"|{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|OriginalQEMU|style="text-align:center;"|MidLow|style="text-align:center;"|{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[Windroy]]Anbox|style="text-align:center;"|WindowsLinux|style="text-align[https:center;"|1//anbox.2 (Discontinued)io/ Git]|style="text-align:center;"|{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|Original|style="text-align:center;"|Low?|style="text-align:center;"|{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[Windroye]]|style="text-align:center;"|Windows|style!colspan="text-align:center;7"|2.9.0 (Abandoned/Discontinued)|style="text-align:center;"|✓|style="text-align:center;"|VirtualBox|style="text-align:center;"|Mid|style="text-align:center;"|?

|style="text-align:center;"|[[Android x86]]LeapDroid|style="text-align:center;"|Multi-platformWindows|style="text-align:center;"|[http://www.android-x86leapdroid.com/ 1.org 48.4-r50] (Official Site)|style="text-align:center;"|{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|N/AVirtualBox|style="text-align:center;"|LowHigh|style="text-align:center;"|✗{{✓}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[Shashlik]]AMI DuOS|style="text-align:center;"|LinuxWindows|style="text-align:center;"|[httphttps://wwwami.shashlikcom/en/tech-blog/farewell-amiduos/ 2.io 0.98.38511] (Official Site)|style="text-align:center;"|{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|OriginalVirtualBox|style="text-align:center;"|LowMid|style="text-align:center;"|{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[Xamarin Android Player]]ARC Welder<br /><small>(Google Chrome)</small>|style="text-align:center;"|Windows, MacLinux, macOS<br/>Chrome OS|style="text-align[https:center;"|Discontinued//developer.chrome.com/apps/getstarted_arc 50.5021.602.0]|style="text-align:center;"|✗{{✓}}|style="text-align:center;"|VirtualBoxOriginal|style="text-align:center;"|?Mid|style="text-align:center;"|{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|[[Nox App Player]]Windroye|style="text-align:center;"|Windows|style="text-align:center;"|3.72.59.10|style="text-align:center;"{{✓}}|✓VirtualBox|style="text-align:center;"Mid|?|style="text-align:center;"|Windroy|HighWindows|style="text-align:center;"1.2|{{✓}}|Original|Low|{{✗}}|-|Shashlik|Linux|[http://www.shashlik.io 0.9.3]|{{✓}}| class="wikitable"Original|+MobileLow|{{✗}}

! scope="col"|NameProject Astoria! scope="col"|OSWindows 10 Mobile! scope="col"|VersionDiscontinued! scope="col"|Free{{✗}}! scope="col"|VMOriginal! scope="col"|[[Accuracy]]Low! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]{{✗}}

|style="text-align:center;"|Project AstoriaXamarin Android Player|style="text-align:center;"|Windows 10 Mobile, macOS|style="text[https://developer.xamarin.com/releases/android/android-align:center;"|Discontinuedplayer/ 0.6.5]|style="text-align:center;"|{{✗}}|style="text-align:center;"|OriginalVirtualBox|style="text-align:center;"|Low?|style="text-align:center;"|{{✗}}

The VM column describes what backend technology the emulator uses. Emulators labeled with "VirtualBox" requires sometimes needs the user to install [https://www.virtualbox.org/ Oracle VM VirtualBox]. Usually, it is installed automatically. ===Comparisons===;[[Genymotion]]:A closed-source Android emulator with hardware-accelerated 3D graphics and USB host support, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. In its latest versions, it has pretty good compatibility with commercial games. It's a commercial product though, aimed at software developers and QA teams. You'll need to create an account and download the free non-commercial use license available. Except for pay-to-remove "free for personal use" watermark on the screen, paid builds to add features only useful for Android app developers.

* '''Genymotion''' is an Android emulator with hardware-accelerated 3D graphics and USB host support, available for Windows, Mac and Linux. In its latest versions, it has pretty good compatibility with commercial games. It's a commercial product though, aimed at software developers and QA teams. You'll need to create an account and download the free non-commercial use license available. Except for pay-to-remove "free for personal use" watermark on the screen, paid builds add features only useful for Android app developers.**Setting up the emulator itself is not too hard, but a bit of tinkering is required to add the Google Play store and [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2528952 ARM processor emulation] (what you need essentially here to play the commercial releases) as well as [https://groups.google.com/d/msg/genymotion-users/JpO8HR39PR0/NpSkrnsB8d8J Xbox 360 controller support]. Not noob-friendly, but if you're experienced enough with Android to know your way around a rooted filesystem it shouldn't be too hard.

* '''Bluestacks''' is also ;[[BlueStacks]]:Also commercial with a free option (no requires a google account required). It's less good than Genymotion, and doesn't handle USB cable emulation. Previous versions used to come with an installer with adware, comes with junk apps within the emulator, and has a non-intuitive uninstaller, but that's no longer the case today. It includes Google Apps by default, though you'll need to "root" it install a file manager to load copy game cache when loading your own .apk files to your liking.

* '''Droid4x''' has ;MEmu:A free Android emulator with very good accuracy but forcefully uninstalls VirtualBox, so it cannot co-exist with Genymotion and Xamarinsometimes outperforming BlueStacks.

* '''andyroid''' works too, though the company behind it did adware before previously.;LDPlayer**Just like Genymotion, Andyroid :An Android emulator also use VirtualBox, but with a twist: if it detects an installed virtualbox during installationgood accuracy. When testing games along side Nox, '''it will delete it''' and will refuse LDPlayer shows to workhave better performance/compatibility with games. Beware!

* '''DuOS''';Droid4xHas good accuracy but forcefully uninstalls VirtualBox, not to be confused so it cannot co-exist with a [http://ds-duosGenymotion and Xamarin.blogspotIt's not recommended because it will install hidden background services (xunlei.com/ similarly-named Nintendo DS emulator] by Roorexe, is a relative newcomer to the Android emulation marketand Thunder.exe, made both by American Megatrends i.e. the very same people behind the BIOS/UEFI firmware your PC may be using. Emulation is modest at best, with games Chinese company which developed Droid4x) that seed Chinese torrents constantly and apps such as [[DraStic]] struggling on lower-end hardware. And they are a pain to top uninstall or deactivate (in case you've already fallen for it all off, it ain't free eitheruse Revo Uninstaller).

* '''Google Chrome''' can open apk files using the ARC Welder extension, though their emulation on PC is average at best. Here's a [http;Andyroid://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iIbxaftAu_ho5rv9fUlXSLTzwU6MbKOldsWXyrYiyo8/edit#gid=0 compatibility list] and Not recommended because it will install a [https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeapks dedicated subreddit]. Google has announced [http:emulation/comments/arstechnica.com/gadgets/20168rq4fm/05reminder_that_andyroid_mines_cryptocurrency/the-play-store-comes-to-chrome-os-but-not-the-way-we-were-expecting/ Play Store for Chrome OScryptocurrency miner], but it works on a different "container" technology that is embed your system without asking or informing about this to the Chrome OSuser. In additionJust like Genymotion, Andyroid uses VirtualBox, Google will [httpbut with a twist://blog.chromium.org/2016/08/from-chrome-apps-to-web.html discontinue Google Chrome apps on PC]if it detects an installed VirtualBox during installation, so any major updates '''it will delete it''' and will refuse to ARC Welder for PC is unlikelywork.Beware!

* '''Windroy''' (without the 'e' suffix) ;DuOS:Not to be confused with a [http://ds-duos.blogspot.com/ similarly-named Nintendo DS emulator] by Roor, is a fast relative newcomer to the Android emulator that does not rely on VirtualBox or any similar technologyemulation market, made by American Megatrends i. It isn't accurate thoughe. While Google Play store can the very same people behind the BIOS/UEFI firmware your PC may be installed using. Emulation is modest at best, with some tinkering, not many games can be installed (due to not faking device names) and will spawn multiple harmlessapps such as [[DraStic]] struggling on lower-yet-annoying app_processend hardware.exe crashes. Official site is down since July 2016And to top it all off, so any updates are unlikelyit isn't free either.

* '''Windroye''' (with ;Google Chrome:Can open .apk files using the ARC Welder extension, though their emulation on PC is average at best. Here'e' suffix) rely on VirtualBox, but still offers better performance than Bluestackss a [http://docs.google. The Play Store is installed by default com/spreadsheets/d/1iIbxaftAu_ho5rv9fUlXSLTzwU6MbKOldsWXyrYiyo8/edit#gid=0 compatibility list] and has no stability issues found from classic Windroy. a [https://www.reddit.com/r/ClashOfClanschromeapks dedicated subreddit]. Google has announced [http://commentsarstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/31lklr05/misc_windroye_for_pcfaster_than_bluestacks_262_mbthe-play-store-comes-to-chrome-os-but-not-the-way-we-were-expecting/ A related Reddit topic can be found herePlay Store for Chrome OS], but it works on a different "container" technology that is embedded in the Chrome OS.In addition, Google will [http://blog.chromium.org/2016/08/from-chrome-apps-to-web.html discontinue Google Chrome apps on PC], so any major updates to ARC Welder for PC is unlikely.

* '''Android x86';Windroy:(Without the 'e' suffix) is a open-source project fast Android emulator that aims to port Android operating system to x86-based netbooksdoes not rely on VirtualBox or any similar technology. It isn't accurate though. While it Google Play store can be run on virtual machines like VirtualBoxinstalled with some tinkering, it does not have 3D graphics emulation and cannot run most many games. Genymotion is can be installed (or at least used due to benot faking device names) a closedand will spawn multiple harmless-yet-source fork of Android x86annoying app_process.exe crashes. The official site is down since July 2016, designed exclusively to be run on VirtualBoxso any updates are unlikely.

* ;Windroye:(With the 'e''Shashlik''' is a project by KDE that aims to run Android applications on Linux using KDE5 and Qt5 technologysuffix) uses VirtualBox, but still offers better performance than BlueStacks. The project Play Store is infancy state installed by default and only known to run on latest Kubuntu versionshas no stability issues found in Windroy. It currently lacks ARM processor emulation, so not many games will run. It is however known to play [https://www.youtubereddit.com/watch?v=9SC6c_ih_Ac Flappy Bird] and can show [https:r/ClashOfClans/comments/31lklr/www.youtube.commisc_windroye_for_pcfaster_than_bluestacks_262_mb/watch?v=ju_R8ftiIp4 Spotify's login screen]A related Reddit topic can be found here. It uses modified [[Qemu]] to emulate the Android operating system.

* '''Xamarin ;Android Player''' was a newcomer x86:An open-source project that aims to port the Android operating system to x86-based netbooks. While it can be run on virtual machines like VirtualBox, it does not have 3D graphics emulation marketand cannot run most games. Not much Genymotion is known about this because it required (or at least used to be) a minimum closed-source fork of $25/month subscription of main Xamarin products. The main Xamarin products were [https://blog.xamarin.com/xamarin-for-all made available for free] after the purchase by MicrosoftAndroid x86, but Xamarin Android Player was discontinueddesigned exclusively to be run on VirtualBox.

* '''Project Astoria''' was a Microsoft-developed ;Anbox:A project that aims to run Android emulator for Windows 10 Mobile included in several insider previews. It could run [https://www.redditapplications on Ubuntu distributions.com/r/windowsphone/comments/3gaoct/android_apps_that_work_on_win10_right_now/ a few applicaions]Currently, though apps required Google Play Services did not run or had issues. This project was reportedly [http://www.windowscentral.com/microsofts-project-astoria-delayed discontinued] in November 2015 it is on alpha state and [http://wwwonly known to work on Ubuntu 16.winbeta04.org/news/microsoft-confirms-Anbox requires custom kernel modules to run because unlike other emulators which emulate the-death-of-project-astoria-focusing-on-other-bridges-instead its cancellation was confirmed] on February 2016whole Linux kernel, so this one uses the emulator is not included in more recent versions of Windows 10 Mobilehost system's Linux kernel directly.

;Shashlik:A project by KDE that aims to run Android applications on Linux using KDE5 and Qt5 technology. The project is infancy state and only known to run on latest Kubuntu versions. It currently lacks ARM processor emulation, so not many games will run. It is however known to play [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SC6c_ih_Ac Flappy Bird] and can show [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju_R8ftiIp4 Spotify's login screen]. It uses modified [[QEMU]] to emulate the Android operating system. Last major update was March 2016 and seems abandoned. ;Xamarin Android Player:A newcomer to the Android emulation market. Not much is known about this because it required a minimum of $25/month subscription of main Xamarin products. The main Xamarin products were [https://blog.xamarin.com/xamarin-for-all made available for free] after the purchase by Microsoft, but Xamarin Android Player was discontinued. ;Project Astoria:A Microsoft-developed Android emulator for Windows 10 Mobile included in several insider previews. It could run [https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsphone/comments/3gaoct/android_apps_that_work_on_win10_right_now/ a few applicaions], though apps required Google Play Services did not run or had issues. This project was reportedly [http://www.windowscentral.com/microsofts-project-astoria-delayed discontinued] in November 2015 and [http://www.winbeta.org/news/microsoft-confirms-the-death-of-project-astoria-focusing-on-other-bridges-instead its cancellation was confirmed] on February 2016, so the emulator is not included in more recent versions of Windows 10 Mobile. ==General Emulation issues==

Many emulators, such as Droid4x, andyroidAndyroid, Genymotion , and Xamarin cannot co-exist on the same machine because they will uninstall each other. This can be a problem if one game runs only on one of these emulators but the other games do not work on it.

Most commercial games are developed and published only for devices with ARM CPUs such as most smartphones and tablets. However, the PCs we regularly use contain x86 CPUs, so these games cannot directly run. Some emulators like Bluestacks BlueStacks have ARM emulation by default, and in some others like Genymotion , it is possible to install ARM emulator manually. The ARM emulator requires Intel CPUs to work correctly and not guaranteed to work with all games.

Many commercial games refuse to run if the device is "rooted" (hacked to allow access to the deep portion of Android OS) in order to reduce cheating and pirating. If the emulator is rooted by default, it must be unrooted manually before the game can be played. Some games are very aggressive that they detect Custom ROMs (unofficial firmware) or Android emulators (like the ones listed in this page) by the variety of ways like checking the existence and absence of system files in order to prevent the game from running in any unauthorized environments. These games are very difficult or plain impossible to play on emulators without resorting to cracked versions of the games. Solutions exist, like using MagiskSU (bundled with the Magisk flashable zip) and hiding root on anything Google Play related or installed apps that check for it. ==Emulator Specific Issues=====BlueStacks===* '''Can't root the device:'''  The latest Kingroot's .apk will do the job when loaded inside BlueStacks. It's that simple. Alternatively, you could use Universal [[BlueStacks]] Rooting Software on an existing BlueStacks installation. Before opening it, go to the folder where BlueStacks is installed under Program Files, and run "HD-Quit.exe" once.  Then, from the extracted "BlueStacks RootEZ 32_64", open as administrator "BlueStacks RootEZ.exe". Click "Automatic Detect from Installed Bluestacks", enable "Enlarge System (Root.fs) Size to 400MB", and click "I'm ready for Step 1". A command-line window should appear. Now just wait until "Preparing Complete" appears. Then, click "Go for Step 2" and wait until "Rooting is Complete" appears.  Close the application, and open the "output" folder in the same directory as the extracted application. You should find a newly generated "Root.fs" file. You can use it to replace the existing one under "%programdata%\BlueStacks\Android" (Press Windows+R and go there), but it's recommended to keep a backup of the original in case the new one causes Bluestacks to hang in the loading screen for more than a few minutes.  The package also includes Nova Explorer and Root Launcher. You may verify the rooting status with the "Root Checker" app from Google Play. Considering some apps check for Google Play services for online checks, you can also install "Modded Google Play Store", "Lucky Patcher" and "Magisk". ===Andyroid===* '''Unable To Launch VM Process:'''

Some games are very aggressive that they detect Custom ROMs (unofficial firmware) or Android emulators (like On the ones listed in this page) by variety of ways like checking the existence taskbar, right-click Andyroid's notification icon, and absence of system files in order to prevent the game from running in any unauthorized environmentschoose Settings, Advanced, Set Andy Protocol. These games are very difficult or plain impossible to play on emulators without resorting to cracked versions of the gamesType "tcp" and confirm, then launch Andyroid.