Emulation:Android
Key points
- There are several x86 builds of Android, most notable being Android-x86 (Wikipedia article), which allows Android to be installed on regular PC hardware without need for emulation. However, due to most applications being done for ARM architecture, some applications and especially games, simply do not work.
General information
- Android at Emulation General Wiki
Android-x86 based emulators
These emulators are based on Android-x86 source code and mostly use Virtualbox as virtual machine.
- Use older Intel CPU compatibility layer called Intel Houdini which runs slower than Intel Bridge used in Windows Subsystem for Android™
BlueStacks
Key points
General information
MEmu
Key points
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LDPlayer
Key points
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NoxPlayer
Key points
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XePlayer
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KoPlayer
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Gameloop
Key points
- Enable rendering optimization can fix some graphical glitches[1]
- If having stuttering, try to enable vertical sync in the game settings[1]
General information
Non Android-x86 based emulators
These emulators are not based on Android-x86 source code, and possibly closed-source most of the core parts.
Genymotion
Key points
- Runs on Virtualbox
General information
Windows Subsystem for Android™
Key points
- Runs using Hyper-V which is Type 1 Virtual machine and offers near bare-metal CPU performance compared to Virtualbox solution.
- Offer much better CPU compatibility by using latest compatibility layer called "Intel Bridge".
- Based on Android 11 (API level 30) source code.
- Highest image and audio quality possible compared to Virtualbox solution.
- WSA is in Insider testing.
- No Vulkan at the moment.
- Apps outside of Amazon Appstore have to be sideloaded.
- Only runs on Windows 11.
- No keymapper, must rely on game support to properly controlling games.
- Having several GPU rendering issues.
- Heavy RAM consumption and very slow booting speed.
- Incompatible with Google Play login and impossible to login into games that use Google Play Services.
General information
- Introducing Android™ Apps on Windows 11 to Windows Insiders
- Windows Subsystem for Android™ support page
- Store link