How to Play Android Games on PC: 4 Best Methods

Do you love playing Android games but find that your phone isn’t powerful enough to handle the more demanding ones? Whatever the reason, there are a few ways to play Android games on your PC.

In this blog post, we will discuss four of the best methods for doing so. So if you are using a Windows computer, read further to enjoy your favorite Android games on a bigger screen.

Why play Android games on PC?

There could be a number of reasons to play Android games on PC:

• First, games tend to look and play better on a bigger screen computer than on a phone.
• The keyboard and mouse also offer more precise control than the touchscreen, making some games easier to play on a computer.
• Your phone might not be powerful enough to handle the more demanding games.
• You want to avoid draining your phone’s battery by playing games for too long.
• The phone might be out of storage from all the other apps you have installed.
• You might want to take advantage of a computer’s better speakers to enjoy the game’s audio.

Top Ways to Play Android Games on PC

There are a few ways that you can play Android games on your PC. We will discuss the most popular methods below.

Use Emulators to Play Android Games on PC

One of the most popular ways to play Android games on your PC is to use an emulator. Emulators create a virtual environment on your computer that allows you to install and run Android apps and games. This is probably the most popular method since it doesn’t require any special hardware or cables. It also offers a wide range of customization options so you can tailor the experience to your liking.

There are a number of Android emulators available, but we recommend using the following:

BlueStacks

BlueStacks is the most popular android emulator, used mainly for gaming. Anyone can easily install and set up this emulator on their computer. It is one of the oldest, best, and fastest emulators available and claims to be six times faster than its competitors. It is available for Windows 11/10/8/7.

Bluestacks doesn’t require a high-end device or a lot of free storage. It is quite optimized software that needs only 2GB of RAM and about 9GB of room for installing apps. It comes preloaded with some stock apps. The targeted audience of Bluestacks is mostly gamers, so it is designed accordingly.

Nox App Player

Nox App Player is a free Android Emulator, as it duly gives the most exceptional experience for users to play Android games and apps on Windows 10 PC. It provides users with a seamless experience to run Android apps. Nox has a clean and straightforward user interface, which is very easy to get used to.

Most of the popular applications are already available to download in Nox Emulator. For a gamer, the Nox emulator is best because it provides many configurations to play with. It also supports third-party controller devices, including joysticks and others.

Mirror your Android Device to a PC

You can also mirror your Android device to your computer so that you can see and control everything on a bigger screen. To do this, you will need an Android device with a built-in Miracast feature and a Windows computer.

You can check if your Android device has Miracast by going to Settings > Display > Wireless display. If it is not listed, your device does not have the feature and you will need to use an emulator instead.

To mirror your Android device to your computer, follow these steps:

1. On your Android device, go to Settings > Display > Cast Screen.
2. Select your computer from the list of available devices.
3. Your Android device will now be mirrored to your computer.

You can also use dedicated screen-mirroring apps like ApowerMirror, LonelyScreen, and AirDroid. These apps offer additional features like the ability to record your screen, take screenshots, and more.

Download Android Apps from Amazon App Store [only for Windows 11]

If you are a Windows 11 user, you can now download Android apps from the Amazon App Store. This is a great way to get access to a wide range of Android apps without having to use an emulator. However, currently, only US Windows 11 users can install Amazon App Store and use it for downloading games on their system.

To install and run Android apps, you require a virtual environment. That virtualized environment would be created by a new Microsoft tool known as Windows Subsystem for Android. In addition to that, to officially install Android apps, you need Amazon Appstore as Microsoft has partnered with them. Both these can be installed together from Microsoft Appstore or Microsoft Website.

Steps to Install Windows Subsystem for Android and Amazon Appstore

1. Navigate to the Windows Subsystem for Android download page. 
2. Click on the Get button.
3. Allow opening Microsoft Store App.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install both Windows Subsystem for Android and Amazon Appstore.

Use Amazon Appstore to Install Android Apps on Windows 11

After installing the Amazon Appstore, here is how you can log in and use it to install Android apps:

1. Search for the Amazon Appstore in the Windows 11 search box and click on its icon to launch it.
2. You will be asked to log in or create a new account. Do as applicable.
3. On the next screen, enter your credentials and sign in to Amazon Appstore.
4. Download any app you like. Currently, there are only 50 options available.
5. Search the downloaded app like you search any other application on the system and click on its icon to launch.
6. Use the app as you like.

Download Android Games Unofficially [only on Windows 11]

If you are a Windows 11 user, there is another way to download Android games that are not available on Amazon App Store.

Suppose Amazon Appstore is not working in your region, or the application you want to install is not available on Amazon. In that case, you can easily sideload it in Windows Subsystem through Android Debug Bridge (ADB). You just require the APK file of the apps you need and Android SDK Platform-Tools.

Install Windows Subsystem for Android without Microsoft Store

If you are unable to install the Windows Subsystem for Android from Microsoft Store, you can do that externally using its MSIXBundle. Here are the steps:

1. Navigate to the Microsoft Store Link generator site (https://store.rg-adguard.net/)
2. Paste the following link on the given space: (https://www.microsoft.com/store/productId/9P3395VX91NR), choose the Slow medium from the drop-down menu, and click on the Tick icon.
3. A list of many links will be generated. Scroll down and look for Windows Subsystem for Android Keyword. You will notice the .msixbundle at the bottom of the page.
4. Right-click on it and select Save link as. Select where you want to download this 1.2 GB file. 
5. After the download is finished, launch Windows Terminal with Administrator rights from the start menu.
6. Install the Windows Subsystem for Android .msixbundle using the following command (change the path to the actual path): Add-AppxPackage -Path “path”
   • To copy the path of the MSIXBundle, right-click on the file and choose “Copy as path“. Paste the copied path in the command to execute it correctly.
7. It would take some time to install. 
8. Finally, after installation, search for the Windows Subsystem for Android in the search bar to launch it. You can also access Amazon Appstore if it is working in your region.

Download Required Files

• Download the APK of the application you want to install from trusted third-party sources like APKPure and APKMirror.
• Next, download the Android SDK Platform-Tools for Windows. Extract its content on your hard disk.

Steps to sideload Android apps in Windows Subsystem for Android

1. Launch Windows Subsystem for Android from the Start Menu.
2. Scroll down and enable the Developer mode by toggling the switch. Also, copy the IP Address. 
3. If you cannot find the option to copy the IP address, click the Refresh button. If the option is still unavailable, scroll up, and click on the Files option to activate the subsystem.
4. Open Command Prompt and, using the cd command, move to the folder where you extracted the Android SDK Platform-Tools. For example, if you have extracted it to “E:\platform-tools”, you would enter cd e:\platform-tools command and press enter.
5. Now enter the command adb connect ipaddress, where the IP address is the one you copied in step 4. For example, in my case, it is “adb connect 192.168.251.189”. If you see an error about it not being authenticated, ignore the message.
6. Now you can install the APK that you want using the adb install “apk path” command. Instead of apk path, you need to paste the path of that APK file.
   • To copy the path of the APK, right-click on it and select “Copy as path.”
   • Now paste the path in the command and hit enter to execute it and install the app. In my case command becomes: adb install “C:\Users\Peter Brown\Downloads\com.rovio.dream_1.36.1-24376_minAPI21(arm64-v8a,armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk”
7. After the command is successfully executed, you will get the success message.

Launch the Installed Apps

After successfully installing the Android apps, you can launch them easily like you launch any other application on your system.

1. Search for the app that you have installed and click on its icon to launch it.
2. Enjoy the app/game after its launch.

Final Words

These are the best methods to play Android games on PC. You can choose any method that suits you best. All of these methods are quite easy to follow and don’t require any special skills or knowledge. So, go ahead and start playing your favorite Android games on your PC.

Enjoy!

Peter Brown

Peter is an Electrical Engineer whose primary interest is tinkering with his computer. He is passionate about Windows 10 Platform and enjoys writing tips and tutorials about it.