How to use Android apps on your Windows PC (and why you should)

This summer, the popular game studio Bungie ended the development of the long-running live service game Fate 2. As an avid gamer who had chewed through all the content that game had to offer, I wanted one more Fate fix, so I turned to the next best thing: the mobile game Destiny: Risingdeveloped by NetEase. But while I could easily play the game on my phone or tablet, playing the game on a handheld screen never appealed to me. So I installed the Android version of the game on my PC instead, then backed out and enjoyed the game’s robust mouse and keyboard support, with much better graphics to boot.

But how do I install an Android game on my Windows PC, and are there any reasons to do so about the game? It is much easier to run Android on your PC than you think, with many popular and powerful tools available for this purpose. Almost any computer made in the last decade can run an Android emulator, and as long as you’re at least somewhat familiar with Android, you’ll get the hang of it quickly. And while emulating Android on a PC opens up new possibilities for mobile gamers, it’s also useful for content creators, developers and DIY tinkerers. Here’s what you need to know to start using Android apps on your PC, and why you should.

There was a time when Microsoft planned to make Android apps compatible with Windows 11 out of the box, using something called the Windows Subsystem for Android. While a subsystem for Linux ended up being shipped, Android app support was dropped in 2024 for reasons beyond the scope of this article. The bottom line is that, if you’re looking to run Android apps on your PC in 2026 and beyond, there are two main avenues ahead of you: Android emulators and the Google Play Games app.

Emulators are the most robust solution. Two of the most popular options are BlueStacks and MuMuPlayer, with the latter being the tool I personally use. Bluestacks is a legitimate app, but it’s full of ads that seem to prioritize it over everything else, and they tear up almost every corner of the interface. MuMuPlayer is free, and although it has more ads than a year ago, they only appear on some loading screens. Because it is developed by NetEase, the Chinese publisher of the popular PC and console title Marvel Rivals and mobile games including Destiny: RisingMuMuPlayer is intended as a PC portal for NetEase games and is not as dependent on ads. Still, it’s a full-fat Android emulator and recently got an update to Android 15. You simply create virtual phones and then run apps from the Play Store or elsewhere, just like you would on a handset.

If you only want games, you can try Google Play Games for PC instead, which is a project by Google that translates Android games directly to your PC using a lightweight virtual machine. However, it only works with a select band of titles from developers who have opted in. You will find many familiar games, such as Genshin impact, Clash of Clans and even the mobile adaptation of the critically acclaimed RPG Disco Elysium. Others, like my loved ones Destiny: Risingare conspicuously absent.

It should be noted that Phone Link on Windows 11 allows you to cast your Android phone apps or screen wirelessly to your desktop, although they run on the phone itself rather than directly on your PC.

Gaming is an obvious use case for Android emulation on PC. Even on top-tier gaming tablets, you’ll find restrictions on graphical fidelity and frame rate. That is the case with Destiny: Risingwhich tops out at 60 frames per second on my Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra tablet when I crank up the graphics (even though I’m pretty sure it can handle both at the same time, the game decided for me that it can’t). With PC emulation through MuMuPlayer, I can get much better graphics with the Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti Super on my PC. I could also install Android emulators for old consoles like the PS3 or GameBoy, but due to the legal questionable area that use cases can tip, I didn’t.

If you’re not a gamer, there are still use cases for on-PC Android emulation. Many Android apps lack a dedicated PC edition or have more features in the mobile app than on the PC. You can run social media programs like Instagram or TikTok, messaging apps like Snapchat, or that app your owner downloaded for you to control your smart thermostat and locks that annoyingly doesn’t have a PC version. Of course, Android developers use emulation to test apps. And low-end computers that cannot run pro-grade creative software can run the watered-down Android versions of these programs, at least if their more limited functionality is tolerable.

An Android emulator like MuMuPlayer or BlueStacks can also be a great way to silo certain workflows away from your main computing environment (although local emulation still consumes local system resources). Both tools also allow parallel instances – that is, multiple emulated Android devices running simultaneously – a capability that some mobile gamers use to use in-game resources, social media creators use for multi-account management, and others can use to create separation between work and personal accounts.