How to Play Android Games and run Android Apps on PC

Although smartphones are available with Windows operating system, most people are using the Android operating system. As a result, they are always juggling between two operating systems – Android on their smartphones and Windows on their laptops or desktops. Most are used to sharing data between their phones and their PCs and have no idea that they can also share software. Many Android apps and games are superior to desktop apps, and at some point, you must have wished you could use those apps and play free PC games. Well, with the help of third-party solutions, you can actually enjoy all your Android games and apps on your laptop or PC.

The best way to run Android games and applications on your PC is by using an emulator. An emulator is a software that enables a computer system (the host) to run programs designed for another computer system (the guest). There are many emulators, but the most popular are Bluestacks and YouWave.

Method 1: Using BlueStacks

The BlueStacks App Player is an emulating software that enables you to run Android apps and games on your Windows machine. It is free to use but requires you to sign in using your Google account. Unlike most of the other emulators, BlueStacks includes Google Play hence you can access and install any apps from Play Store.

Installing BlueStacks App Player

1. Download and install BlueStacks App Player. The installation process is quite easy, and all you need to do is download the program from BlueStacks' official website and run the file. The installer file is large, and the installation may require a network connection.
2. Once the installation process is complete, open the program and sign in using a Google account.
3. After signing in, you will need to sync the program, and your apps will appear on the screen.

Installing Apps and Games

You can access apps and games from the BlueStacks App Center or the Google Play Store. The BlueStacks App Center offers a wide collection of apps divided into several categories. You may browse through the top charts of the most popular and trending apps.

While older versions didn’t have the Google Play Store, the newer versions allow you to access it directly. Therefore, you can search and install apps the same way you do on your Android smartphone. Go to the My Apps tab, open the System Apps folder and launch the Play Store.

Method 2: Using YouWave

YouWave is a popular easy-to-use Android emulator for Windows. It allows users to install Android apps on a PC and provides a full Android interface with an app menu, home screen, and everything else. It offers a free ten-day trial for users to get a feel for Android apps, but after that, you buy it at $29.99. YouWave depends on its own instance of VirtualBox hence you can’t use it if you have VirtualBox installed.

1. Download and install YouWave. You can download the setup for windows from YouWave website (https://youwave.com/).
2. When you launch YouWave, the Windows firewall will ask you to grant permission for the program to access the internet. Allow it to access both public and private networks. Once you allow access, it will launch immediately.
3. Configure YouWave based on what you require. YouWave provides a wide range of configurations for users. A user can easily have a tablet interface on their PC and change it to an Android mobile interface.
4. YouWave does not have many apps, but you can install Google Play inside it to access more applications. Go to the View menu, choose Online Content, and then click the Google Play icon to download it. To install it, click the View menu, choose Apps and click the Google Play app.

You can choose to launch the Play Store within the emulator to search and install Android apps. The multitasking capabilities of these emulators will depend on your PC, but they should work reliably.