Sep 24, 2021 There are several Android emulators for Mac, but BlueStacks is one of the best and easiest for general users. Also Read: How to Play PS4 Games on Any Android Phone with Ease. Install Virtual Android System to Play Android Games on PC. The first method we are going to talk about is installing a virtual Android system on your Windows or macOS PC. Pick the Installation option if you want your system to be installed to the virtual hard drive. If you want to use higher resolution, you can edit the boot option by pressing TAB, change vga=788 (800x600) to vga=791 (1024x768) or vga=794 (1280x1024), and press Enter. You can also use vga=ask to see all available modes. With the virtual machine workaround, you can run Chrome OS inside of Windows on a Mac. Throw Bluestacks into the equation, and you can run Android, Chrome OS, and Windows on an Intel Mac at the.
We’re all well aware about the capabilities of the Android platform. There are smartphones today that can compete with a wide range of technologies. However, what makes those devices really tick is the core Android platform. But what if you own an iPhone and still want to try out Android phone ? Well, you no longer have to purchase an expensive (or inexpensive) phone to find out. There are best Android emulator for Mac today that can help you run and bring full compatibility with all the features of Android (without owning one), while some even update their emulators with the latest version of Android.
With these Android Emulator For Mac, you can run apps for android, play games, and do pretty much anything like the Android device can (barring phone calls, obviously). Those are just the three main uses of a built in emulator. So we’re going to talk a bit about some of the most popular emulators out there. While some user friendly emulators are present here, we’re also going to talk about developer emulators that can help test out or run android apps and android games.
Instead of giving your only 5 best emulators, we are citing 7 on this post for cross platform. So let’s get to the best Android apps and games emulator for Mac.
Best Android Emulator For Mac
1. ARChon
ARChon is a little different than most of our best Android emulators for PC or Mac in that this one is actually a Google Chrome extension. That’s right — no installing a program on your machine and wasting precious storage space! It is comparable to a virtual machine, virtual device or virtual devices.
Of course, it’s certainly not nearly as seamless as a native program, as it can take a bit of fiddling to get apps and mobile games to work. To use ARChon, once you have it setup in the browser, you’ll have to push or drag APKs to load the apps within the browser. It’s a nice, free program for those that want to be able to use an Android emulator wherever there is Google Chrome.
Not sure where to find APKs for ARChon? You can find many of them for free over at almost any Android APK repository. Some of our most trusted and favorites are APK Mirror or APK Pure.
Download it now:here
2. VirtualBox
Believe it or not, you can actually use VirtualBox to create your own Android emulator for Mac. Download VirtualBox on your Mac machine, and then set it up with the necessary ISO image from Android-x86.org. You’ll be able to create an efficient emulator that allows you to play almost any game or app within Mac.
As an added bonus, VirtualBox gives you a lot of control over how much resources and hardware you devote to it. That allows you to keep your overall machine running smoothly while still running your Android operating system emulator in the background. VirtualBox is free to use; however, it is recommended that you have at least 8GB of RAM on your machine if you want to run this one.
Download it now:here
3. KO Player
KO Player is a relatively new entrant in the emulators game and is one of the newer Android emulators on the list. It markets itself as a mid-market emulator that can run apps and multiple games comfortably. While the focus is mainly on games, this is a full blown Android emulator, so it can run pretty much any app on the Play Store as long as it is compatible with the Android version. The company’s website doesn’t mention which version of Android it’s running, but talks about a few popular apps and games that are compatible with KO Player (WhatsApp, Clash of Clans etc).
It also comes with features like gameplay recording, keyboard gameplay support, and comes with the Google Play Store pre-installed. It is said that about 99% of the Play Store apps are compatible with KO Player. The best part here is that KO Player is a free download, and can be snatched up directly from their official website. As with any free offering, expect some minor issues during usage. However, the app developers are pretty keen on offering a fresh and refined experience through bug fixes.
Download it now:here
4. Nox Player
This is yet another decent alternative for gamers. It comes with the ability to run android games, support joysticks and controllers (assuming your Mac supports actual hardware controller support). There is zero lag during gameplay or general usage, so you can be assured of a smooth performance. Among the list of features here is the ability to keep multiple accounts on Nox, which is handy if you want to use it on the family computer. You will find that the emulator is compatible with pretty much every popular game and app right now.
Further, the emulator is compatible with x86 as well as AMD processors, thus bringing a variety of devices under its compatibility list and access to most Android games. Like with KO Player, Nox allows users to record their screen and share it on social media as they please. It’s one gaming oriented emulator can be very handy for graphics heavy games available as well as strategy games like Clash of Clans and Fortnite (which will reach Android emulation shortly).
More importantly, it’s light on your computer, much like helping it run smoothly and devoid of lag. This is also a free offering with no hidden caveats. Nox also offers the keyboard mapping feature, so the user can play more efficiently with mouse and keyboard. If you are one of those mobile gamers, this one is for you as it is considered as the Android emulator for gamers.
Download it now:here
5. Bluestacks
Bluestacks is probably the most popular Android emulator currently available in the market, and with good reason. This app has served Windows and Mac OS users for a few years now, giving them a viable way using Android on their desktop. This isn’t an ideal setup for developers, though, as Bluestacks is marketed for the masses. This means there will be some lag when you operate, although it’s rapidly diminishing with each update. The recent version of Bluestacks was updated to Android Nougat, making it the freshest Android emulator out there. It’s too soon to tell if and when Bluestacks will update its offering to Android 8.0 or even 9.0 as the latest Android version, so it will have active updates nearly every month.
As it stands, if gaming and social media is your priority, Bluestacks is an excellent emulator to have as it aims itself at gamers. GameLoop is an Android emulator that is used as a gaming platform. It can run all the heavy games and even offer key mapping support, which has become a prerequisite with modern day Android emulators and can bring the better or for worse Android app and game on your Mac. With the added smart keymapping along with a customizable game support, this android emulator is mostly going to boasts a gamer experience.
Bluestacks official emulator is entirely free to download, but will require a subscription per month for continued usage.
Download it now: here
6. Genymotion
One of the newer emulators if you want to run Android on your Mac is Genymotion. We are now coming to the dev-friendly emulators out there. You won’t find all the bells and whistles that you probably see with Bluestacks, Genymotion lets you test out how an Android device and version would work with a particular app or supports Android operating systems. For example, you can have a Nexus 4 running Android 5.0 or an even older device running that version like Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Kit Kat(assuming it’s compatible).
Genymotion can let you run an emulator directly on your PC or on the cloud, which very few emulators out there can do. This means you can share the functionings of your app with the rest of the world without them having to download a dedicated emulator.
This is a game changer for developers who like to get opinions on their projects from the masses or close associates. Naturally, the android emulator for PC option is also present, so you’re free to use it the old fashioned way. This isn’t a free version offering for personal use, though, so be prepared to subscribe to one of Genymotion’s plans to reap the benefits of all the features mentioned above.
Download it now: here
7. Android Studio
Google’s very own Android Studio emulator also comes with an emulator you can download, although it’s significantly less flashy than a few commercial use emulators and actually run android natively. However, it is updated frequently with new features. This is designed specifically for budding and experienced Android developers to test out their apps before it is pushed to the Play Store. It works with both PCs and Macs, so neither platform is left out. It has all the tools to build and design your apps, while the emulator feature allows you to glance through your creation.
Given the feature set, it is definitely not recommended for amateurs, as setting it up could take some time. Android Studio is a free download on both major platforms, and is a 880MB download for Macs. Though updating those services may take time, watch out for more active development in years with this productivity emulator.
Download it now: here
While these emulators offer a great experience for your Mac as it runs android apps/games like Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG mobile, this may also create a negative effect on your device as the level use might increase, especially with the battery life. Running multiple emulators may affect your device operation as it depends on the operating systems and hardware.
Always test your apps or test apps on the emulator you install once you’ve downloaded them and see the emulators ability to run smoothly and see if it is usable as a productivity tool for PC and Mac. There are still best android emulators that you can discover around the web that can run an Android app or game. The installation process may take longer than expected, depending on various factors such as internet speed and the likes.
If you find another Android emulator or free android emulator that is actually a fairly decent, actually works pretty well and that suits your taste, feel free to use it as long as it runs well or work well, gets the work done or the emulators run properly. You can use emulators as a productivity tool for video loading or loading video. Just find one that supports this kind of function. You might be able to get the price free for personal use just like PrimeOS Remix OS player and other Android Studio S emulator or ldplayer android studio.
How to Play Android Games and Run Android Apps on PC or Mac. Many times, you try to play some of the larger memory-consuming Android games on your phone, but suddenly find that your phone is overheating or cannot run the game you want properly, and has to pause or wait for it to recover. VirtualBox doesn’t typically fall under emulators, but it helps you create one though. The tool you need to use in order to be able to run Android apps on your device is called ARC Welder. Originally ARC, which stands for App Runtime for Chrome was an experiment specifically.
Many times, you try to play some of the larger memory-consuming Android games on your phone, but suddenly find that your phone is overheating or cannot run the game you want properly, and has to pause or wait for it to recover. For a game enthusiast, this is very maddening!
The solution, in this case, is to try to overcome Android phone overheating or to search for a way to play Android games on PC instead of your mobile phone to save your battery, storage and avoid Android phone overheating.
Luckily, there are some ways and software that allow you to run Android apps on PC and MaC, and in this article, I will explain the 7 best ways to play Android games on PC whether by installing a virtual Android system on PC or by using one of the Android emulators available.
Run Android Apps on Mac #1 BlueStacks — Best for Running Apps. BlueStacks (also called BlueStacks App Player) is the oldest and the most popular way of running Android apps for Mac. You will be able to run almost any Android app using this simple emulator. It’s the best choice if you want to run WhatsApp on your Mac or access your Instagram. Android emulators for macOS make it possible to run Android apps on a Mac.With this, one can enjoy over 2.8 million apps from the Play Store and elsewhere. There are several Android emulators for Mac, but BlueStacks is one of the best and easiest for general users.
Also Read: How to Play PS4 Games on Any Android Phone with Ease
Install Virtual Android System to Play Android Games on PC
Android Apps On Mac
The first method we are going to talk about is installing a virtual Android system on your Windows or macOS PC. You may want to know that these virtual Android systems are developed to help developers testing their Android Apps before publishing it on Google Play Store, but luckily, it runs Android games properly, and some of them even run high-end Android games like PUBG or the Call of Duty for Mobile.
1.GenyMotion
GenyMotion is a software that allows you to run Android system on your PC by using your virtual machine-like Oracle VirtualBox or VMware, or by downloading the full bundle of GenyMotion that contains a VirtualBox already.
The best thing of GenyMotion is that it’s available on Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems, so you will be able to run and play Android games on PC whatever the operating system you are using.
GenyMotion is a free software with some in-app purchases, it’s made for developers but allows you to use an Android system on your PC.
You will have the option to run whether the Android 4.2 system that’s used on Nexus One, or Android 6.0 that’s used on Nexus 6, and you can easily switch between them.
Moreover, GenyMotion’s best feature is that it’s available also for PC and the cloud, which means that you will be able to play AAA Android games even if you don’t have a high-end PC by playing over the network via the internet browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
2.Android-x86
This is an unofficial tool that allows you to run the Android system on devices powered by AMD and Intel x86 processors instead of having to run them on ARM chips that can be founded on smartphones.
You will have to allow Android-x86 to install applications from Unknown sources as it doesn’t have access to Google Play Store, so you can install your applications and games by using APK files.
Also, you can run Android-x86 inside a virtual machine like VirtualBox, but make sure of enabling either VT-x or AMD-V in your host operating system’s BIOS to be able to run this version of Android over the VirtualBox software.
By default, you will find applications like Alarm Clock, Calendar, Browser, Camera, Email and others installed on your Android virtual system, and you can install your applications either by enabling Unknown Sources as mentioned before or by using AndAppStore client that contains a huge library of Android Apps.
Also Read: How to Disable Notifications While Playing Games on Android
Download Best Android Emulators for PC and Mac
Wd app setup macos. The second method to play Android Games on your PC is using one of the emulators we are going to recommend.
First, you need to know the difference between an Emulator and a Virtual Machine, as the first one only emulates hardware without relying on the CPU running your PC. On the other hand, Virtual Machines modifies the system to allow it to run on your CPU and its architecture like changing the architecture of Android system from ARM to AMD and Intel x86 as we have seen on Android-x86 software.
3.Android Studio’s emulator
Virtual Android On Mac Laptop
This is the default and official development console for Android and it’s developed by Google. It comes with many tools that help developers to run and test their Android Apps before proposing it to Google Play Store, but it also allows you to deal with your games as if you were a developer.
The weak point of Android Studio’s Emulator is that its installation takes more time than the others and it’s not recommended for consumer level, but I put it here as it still allows you to play your games for free and without Ads nor in-App purchases.
4.Nox App Player
Nox App Player is one of the best Android emulators for PC that help you run your games easily and with some features that you might find in any other software like Screen Recording.
Run Ipad App On Mac
All you have to do to use Nox App Player is to download, install and run it, and you will be ready to play Android Games on PC for free.
It has a simple and easy-to-handle user interface along with some buttons distributed over its window to provide you with a touchscreen-like experience.
And it also has a Keyboard Mapping that helps you improve the performance of high-end games.
After installing Nox App Player, you will first need to enable root on it by heading into the Settings and select On from the drop-down menu. Once you perform the previous steps, restart the application, drag your APKs from the desktop into its screen and start playing.
Moreover, Nox App Player is available for both Windows OS and macOS so you can use it whatever the operating system you are running your PC on.
5.AMIDuOS
AMIDuOS is a simple application that allows you to play both Android games and FireOS games by downloading and installing the games you want via the Amazon App Store and Google Play Store.
The application offers you the gaps packages for Android 4.4.2 Jellybean, Android 5.0.1 Lollipop and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, you can install the version you want based on the version of AMIDuOS you do have, and once downloaded and installed you will be able to download and install Apps from Google Play Store directly.
You can also get the root access to your Android OS on AMIDuOS by going to Settings, AMIDuOS Configuration Tools, and check the box next to RootMode, so you will have all the permissions to install and uninstall what you want.
Run Ios Apps On Mac Os
6.BlueStacks 4
We can’t write about emulating Android OS or playing Android Games on PC without mentioning the most popular emulation software in the world, BlueStacks.
BlueStacks does not emulate the complete Android OS experience, but it’s almost the easiest and one of the best solutions to run Android Apps on PC and Mac too.
The best part of BlueStacks is that it allows you to directly sync your phone’s Apps and games without having to download them manually, and you can even sync photos, text messages, settings and more from your phone to BlueStacks.
BlueStacks has the best and the simplest user interface among the other applications, with the ability to use your laptop’s touch screen to control it, and it has a stretch and fit to screen function that makes your laptop works like a Kindle.
Syncing your phone with your PC via BlueStacks will help you not having to hold your phone every time you receive a message as it will be shown directly on your PC specifically on BlueStacks window.
And above that all, it also allows you to install applications from outside your phone which means that you have much more options for games and Apps.
7. Remix OS Player
Remix OS Player was a truly new player on the field that allowed you to emulate Android 6.0 Marshmallow on your PC.
It’s developed by Jide and it has a very simple installation process which makes its one of the best Android Emulators for consumers and gamers who are not keen on developing Android Apps and games.
Unfortunately, Remix OS Player is no more supported as the company that developed it has turned from ordinary users to enterprises, but you can still download an old version of it and have some good time via SOURCEFORGE.
Conclusion
By reaching this line, you now have the best and the most trusted methods to play Android Games on PC for free either by using Android Virtual Machine or by downloading and installing one of the Android emulators I have shown you above.
The best part of having your Android games on PC is that you can play with the full keyboard of your laptop and even can use a joystick, which will help you rank between your friends and family whom you should share this article with them to play together on your PCs.
How To Run Android Apps On A Mac
Pro Tips – Recover Lost Data from Android Phone
How To Install Android Apps In Mac
If you are searching for a method to root your phone to recover some data that you have lost due to wrong formatting your phone or an error happened while installing a custom ROM or any other reason, I advise you to stop looking for that.
Android Phone On Mac
As now, and with Gihosoft Free Android Data Recovery software, you will be able to recover any type of data without rooting your phone or paying a penny.
Whether you are looking for your photos, videos, call logs, contacts or WhatsApp Messages, I recommend you using Gihosoft Free Android Data Recovery, which will help you recover all your lost data just be connecting your phone to your PC via USB within minutes.