If you have a secondary PC you’re not using, you could also try installing Android as the host operating system. While it is free, it’s heavy on advertisements and transmits quite a lot of data about your PC back to the developers. Nox App Player is one of BlueStacks’ primary competitors, and if offers many of the same features: Mac & Windows compatibility, sharing files, and so on.

It’s a great tool for developers to test their Android apps with, but anyone looking for a way to play games on their PC will come away disappointed. You can’t map on-screen keys, configure macros, record video, or perform other game-related actions.

While it is incredibly fast, and can even run the Google Play Store, it’s not designed for gaming at all. There are a handful of other popular options that might work better for what you’re trying to do, though each comes with its own set of caveats.įirst, there’s actually an official Android emulator from Google included in the Android Studio SDK. The BlueStacks controls editor Why you might want to use other emulatorsīlueStacks is the emulator I recommend for games, but it isn’t the only game in town. A one-time purchase option would be nice, but BlueStacks’ developers have to eat, too. While BlueSacks is free to use, there is a $3.33/mo subscription that removes all advertisements and gives you more customization options. I couldn’t get my 8BitDo Bluetooth controller to work at all, even though it shows up in Windows as an Xbox controller. Here's a helpful controller guide.Ĭall of Duty Mobile, GRID Autosport, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto, and many other games work with controllers, but BlueStacks’ detection seems to be spotty. This process takes a bit of trial and error, but BlueStacks does have built-in control presets available for some popular games, and you can import presets that other BlueStacks users have made.īlueStacks can also detect game controllers connected to your PC and let you use them with compatible Android games. Then you can play the game with a typical WASD key layout. For example, if a game has an on-screen D-Pad for movement, open the Controls Editor (the keyboard button on the right panel) and drag BlueStack’s D-Pad on top of it. Where BlueStacks really shines with games is the ability to create custom controls that bind on-screen buttons to keys on your keyboard.

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