This page contains 5 best android emulators which you can download and install on your PC for playing games like Clash of Clans on PC. Android emulators are a good way to test apps while they are in development. Once people realized they could use these environments to play android games on a PC/Mac, they became a craze, of sorts. Some emulators can only run apps, while others can emulate the entire operating system. We are going to run down the most popular Android emulators and see which one qualifies as the best. For the purposes of this analysis, we are pitting the 5 most popular Android emulators against each other.
Now lets, find out which are the best Android emulators.
Bluestacks is one of most popular android emulators
1). Android Official Emulator
It is a little unfair since this is tailor made for the express purpose of being as accurate a virtualization of Android as physically possible. Powered by the IntelliJ platform (like Java on steroids), it emulates Android phones very well. It can even emulate Tablets, TVs, Wearables (watches, etc.) and Android Auto. However, it is not as simple as you starting the program and immediately being shown a virtual android screen.
ADVANTAGES:
- Comprehensive Android development environment
- Emulation is specific down to a device and each emulation is precision.
DIS-ADVANTAGES:
- Gargantuan download coming in at 1.8 GB
- Even larger installation taking upwards of 7 GB
2). AndyRoid
Popularly referred to as Andy, this emulator proved to be the most visually and technically sound platform for Android emulation in our tests. Compared to something that requires plenty of configuration, like Genymotion, Andy is much easier to set up.
ADVANTAGES:
- You can run Google based apps right out of the box
- Installing is as simple as dragging and dropping Android Application Packages (APK files) into the emulation (or downloading from the built-in browser).
- You can use your Android phone as a remote control when playing Android games.
DIS-ADVANTAGES:
- If you aren’t careful during the installation process, you might end up with bloatware on your system. Don’t just click ‘Next’. Make sure you read what you’re installing.
- British keyboard layout by default for some reason.
- Installation takes some time.
3). NOX
NOX is another app player that is a few steps ahead of its competitor BlueStacks. It offers far more control than the traditional app player to the point that it can even serve as a decent testing environment.
ADVANTAGES:
- One-click root and unroot capability.
- You can specify number and speed of CPU Processors, as well as RAM size.
- Gamers and any App-Testers can allocate as few or as many resources as they like.
DIS-ADVANTAGES:
- Exceptionally slow to load when it is first launched.
- Running multiple instances requires a separate tool.
4). BlueStacks
BlueStacks is considered one of the most widely used Android emulators for Windows. It is not a succinct emulation environment. It would be more accurate to call it an Android App Player for Windows. BlueStacks is free in some regions now. At one point it was free worldwide.Some people use it to play games like Clash of Clans through multiple accounts. This is easier to manage given the plug and play nature of the tool.
ADVANTAGES:
- Single-click installation on Windows.
- Easy to install 3rd party APKs (double click and go)
- Uses Gmail ID for Play Store access.
DIS-ADVANTAGES:
- If you want to recover your game progress, you will have to install and sign in to G+ and/or Play Games apps.
- A limited library of supported apps.
5). Genymotion
Genymotion is a very popular Android emulation platform. It is quite powerful and features emulation environments of virtually any device available for sale on the market, past, present and future (with sporadic updates). There are premium versions of this app that add features, but with a little elbow grease, one can manage on one’s own with the free version.
ADVANTAGES:
- Robust Environment
- Visually appealing
DIS-ADVANTAGES:
- Requires users to install and configure VirtualBox separately
- Does not come equipped with Google Apps
All emulators bring something unique to the table. Some aim to create an easy to use app player while others target gamers and app testers. However, all of them are perpetually going to be playing catch-up with the Official Android Emulator.