Use Android games and apps on a Windows PC

Being able to run Android applications on Windows is one of the actions most demanded by users of the main mobile operating system. To be able to carry it out there are different ways, as we will see below.

Windows 11 Subsystem for Android (WSA)

One of the great novelties of Windows 11 is the compatibility with Android applications. For this it will be necessary to have WSA on our computer. This is nothing more than a virtual machine powered by Hyper-V that will allow us to run Android games and applications. Later in it we must install these applications it will be necessary to download Amazon AppStore.

The necessary requirements that our computer must have in order to run this Android virtualization system are:

• Processor : Minimum, Intel Core i3 Gen 8, AMD Ryzen 3000, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c (or better).
• Architectures : x64 or ARM64.
• RAM : minimum 8 GB; recommended 16 GB.
• Storage : Solid State Drive (SSD).
• Virtualization enabled on our team.

In the event that we do not have virtualization enabled, we must access the Windows + I Configuration menu. Then click on Applications and Additional Features. Then we click on More Windows features and check the box for Hyper-V and Virtual Machine Platform so that the necessary components are installed.

The main issue we run into is that Windows Subsystem for Android has only been officially released in the US . That is why with our current copy of Windows 11 we will not be able to download it.

That is why if we want to install WSA on our computer, it will be necessary to configure Windows 11 as if we were in the United States to later download the Amazon AppStore Preview from the Microsoft Store . From it it will be possible to download the applications and games to run it on our computer.

Try emulators

The easiest way to be able to run Android apps on Windows is to make use of different emulators. In them we will have the possibility to access the Play Store with our account and download and run any content, be it applications or games.

BlueStacks

This emulator is one of the easiest ways to run Android apps and make them work on Windows. Its mission is focused on running a complete and modified Android operating system, from which we can access the Play Store and download the content. In fact, what BlueStacks does is pretend to be an Android device by showing up in the list of Google Play devices. We can download BlueStacks for free from its website.

Once downloaded, we start it and a window will open on our desktop, from which we will have access to the Play Store, just as we would from our mobile phone to download any application. To do this, we would only have to log in with our user account. The interface is extremely simple, very similar to what we can find on any mobile and it is also in Spanish.

NoxPlayer

This Android emulator for PC can be used by all types of users and it will allow us to access the Play Store to install applications and games in the same way that we would from our mobile phone. We can download NoxPlayer for free from the developer’s website .

The program is mainly used to run Android games since it has different functions and features focused on optimizing the user experience and its fluidity, since it has its own dedicated graphics engine , which helps it to run. It also has other interesting features such as the ability to change the keys on the keyboard to perform any action quickly. Once we run it, its main menu appears quite similar to the one we can find in BluStacks. Thus, we will only have to click on the Google Play button and access with our user account to be able to download applications.

Android Studio for developers

This tool is the integrated development environment, IDE, officially created by Google to create applications, from scratch, for Android. Among its functions, it includes a complete Android emulator that allows us to emulate a Google device (mobile, tablet, Android TV) and install the version of Android that we want on it, even with Google Play . In this way we can download and install applications to test it. It is not a program dedicated to home users, but for developers. We can download its latest version for free from its website.

Of course, in order to install and use Android Studio we must meet a series of requirements, which can be a bit high:

• 64-bit operating system: Windows 8/10 or Linux
• 2nd generation Intel Core processor (or AMD equivalent) with support for Hyper-V .
• 8 GB of RAM.
• 8 GB of hard drive space.
• Screen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

Once installed, we run Android Studio and click on the “Device Manager” button that we find in the upper right part of the tools menu.

Later we must create a new device by clicking on the “Create device” button.

Now we must choose the device we want to emulate. Of course, it is important that we pay attention that, next to the device , the store logo appears in the Play Store column , this means that it includes it and we can use it to download applications and test them. We will also need to choose the system image that we are going to install on the virtual device.

If everything has gone well we will have a new virtual device, so we must click on the play button to launch the emulator. This will take a while to appear, depending on the power of our computer, but finally the virtual device that we have chosen with Android will appear. Now we only have to enter the Play Store with our credentials to log in and download the application we want.

Use Android apps with VirtualBox

It is also possible to run Android applications on Windows using a virtual machine such as VirtualBox. This free application will allow us to virtually install an Android operating system on our computer and use all the applications from the Play Store. To do this we download VirtualBox and install it.

Now, we need to download an ISO image of Android x86 to be able to carry out its installation. To do this we must access the project website and press the “Download” button.

Create virtual machine

Now we will create the virtual machine in which we will install Android. To do this, we open VirtualBox and press the button to add a new virtual machine. This will open its wizard that will guide us through the entire process. First we give it a name and we choose the operating system which must be Linux and Other Linux (64 bits) .

On the next screen we will assign the amount of RAM memory based on the total that we have available. If we have 8 GB of RAN or more we assign at least 2 GB, and if we have 4 GB then we assign at least 1 GB.

Later we create a virtual hard drive , which is the folder where all the files of the Android operating system that we are going to install will be stored.

Next, we choose the format of the virtual hard disk, choosing DVI and on the next screen, we assign a dynamic size so that the folder grows little by little instead of reserving all the space at the beginning.

Finally, we choose the maximum size that we want the virtual hard drive to have and we will have everything ready to be able to run our Android operating system.

install android

Now in the storage section, within the secondary master IDE we must load the Android ISO that we have downloaded and click on the “Start” button.

Once it starts, a screen appears where we can run Android directly without having to install it, for which we click on the first option “Live CD – Run Android x86 without installation” to continue. In case we choose to install it, click on “Installation – Install Android x-86 to harddisk” .

Now we select the virtual hard drive that we created in the beginning and format it in ext4 , the best option for Android.

When the wizard asks if we want to install the GRUB boot loader , we select “Yes”.

Once the installation is finished, a message appears informing us that the and we only have to select ” Run Android-x86″ and click OK to run Android in the virtual machine.