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Mobile gaming has grown exponentially since the release of smartphones worldwide, with some mobile games boasting millions of daily active players.
While mobile games are developed for gameplay on a smartphone screen, there are still some mobile games that you’d wish you could play on your desktop.
Recommended Read: 5 Best Mobile Games Like Diablo
Luckily, it’s possible to play any mobile game on your computer, as long as it’s on a major android app store or you have the APK file for the game.
In this guide, we show you step-by-step how to play any mobile game on your PC.
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How to play any mobile game on PC
Sometimes you’d just wish that you could play your favorite mobile game on the computer using a large screen, the familiar keyboard, and a mouse. Whether it’s an action game like COD mobile, a strategy game like Pokémon Go, or a casual game like Coin Master, it can be played on the PC.
While you cannot natively run any type of file on your PC, including the commonly-used APK file for mobile games, it is possible to run them on your PC using an emulator. The emulator we use and recommend that you use to run mobile games on your computer is BlueStacks.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to play any mobile game on your computer:
- Download BlueStacks, the emulator needed to run mobile game (APK) files.
You can either click this link or click the button below to get to the BlueStacks download page.
The link takes you to the following page:
- Click the “Download BlueStacks” button in the top right corner.
You’ll reach the following page, where you can see the different versions of BlueStacks.
- Download the installer for the latest version of BlueStacks by clicking the “Download BlueStacks” button.
At the time of this writing, BlueStacks 10 (BlueStacks X) is the latest version, so we’ll continue the rest of the steps based on that version. The steps may be slightly different if you’re downloading a newer version, but they will be similar.
- Run the BlueStacks installer and press “Install now”.
- Once the installation is complete, download the mobile game you wish to play.
On the BlueStacks homepage, a lot of games are featured, but if the game you wish to play isn’t there, you can download it by using the search bar.
The game you search for will be displayed in the search bar if it’s on Google Play and has a high number of installs. In case the game you’re searching for doesn’t appear in the search list but is on Google Play, you can click the “Search in Google Play” button.
This allows you to browse the entire Google Play store just like on a phone.
In case the mobile game you wish to play on PC is not on the Google Play store, you can install it by downloading the APK file for it on your computer. You can find the APK file for a mobile game by searching for its name + APK file on Google. There are many third-party app stores that offer even more mobile games than Google Play and the App Store.
To install an APK file on BlueStacks X, right-click the APK file and click “Open with BlueStacks”. This will open the BlueStacks App Player and install the APK file. Alternatively, you can drag the APK into the App Player or click the “Install APK” icon on the right side. After the APK file has been installed, you’ll see its icon both on the BlueStacks App Player home screen and under My Games on BlueStacks X.
- Click the game icon to start playing the mobile game on PC
Now that you’ve downloaded and installed the game you wish to play, click it on the BlueStacks App Player home screen or on BlueStacks X.
Congratulations! You’re now playing your favorite mobile game on the PC.
The controls for playing a mobile game on the PC depend on the game. The controls are usually displayed on the screen if other than clicking (which is the same as tapping) is required for the game. You can change the control hotkeys through the “Game Controls” icon on the right side.
Are you allowed to play mobile games on an emulator?
Yes, you are allowed to play mobile games on emulators like BlueStacks that emulate mobile games on your computer.
Many large developers even pay to be in the affiliate program for the most popular emulators – meaning that they pay the emulators to get players to play their mobile game on the PC with an emulator.
There are some developers, however, who’ve publicly indicated that they do not want players to play their mobile games on emulators – notably Supercell, who is behind Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, and Hay Day.
It seems that developers are only against their mobile games being played on PC if it gives the PC players a significant advantage over those who play it on mobile devices.
A few mobile games, including PUBG Mobile, have an emulator detection system and only match you against other players using an emulator when you yourself are using an emulator.
Some of the largest developers are starting to make their own PC clients for their mobile games as well.
It does also make sense that a developer doesn’t mind and, in most cases, actually wants people to play on an emulator if it doesn’t give them an advantage over other players, as it only results in more players for the game.
That’s how to play any mobile game on your PC!
Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
