10+ Best Emulators for low-end PC (Latest 2023)

It’s really hard to find the best emulator if you have a low-end PC system. But not anymore! I’ve got the best ones for you whether you play games, test apps, or simply want to run apps.

So how does an emulator work? An emulator creates a virtual environment for guest apps by utilizing the hardware power of the laptop. This also means, it’s not possible to run apps or games such as Pubg mobile, and free fire if your computer specs are low- regardless of how lightweight emulators you use.

But, the good thing is that you can significantly increase the performance of apps or games if the emulator you are using is not taking up too many resources in the emulation process. Instead, delivering more power to the apps and games.

So, the definition of a lightweight emulator should be:Best emulators for low end PC

Any emulator that does not require too much processing power from your machine. Instead, saving more power to the app’s performance can be put in the category of low-end emulators. Here the processing power means, RAM, SSD, CPU and if you have GPU then it’s also included.

See our top-picked emulators below in the Table.

EmulatorDownloading File SizeMinimum RequirementsCompatible OSBest for
LDPlayer354 MBWindows 7/8/10 (64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 4GB RAM, DirectX 11 or higher graphics cardWindowsGaming, especially for playing mobile games on PC
NoxPlayer383 MBWindows 7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 1.5 GB RAM, DirectX 9.0c or higher graphics cardWindows and MacGaming, productivity apps, and social media apps
BlueStacks963 MBWindows 7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, DirectX 9.0c or higher graphics cardWindows and MacGaming, especially for playing Android games on PC
MEmu471 MBWindows 7/8/10 (64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, DirectX 11 or higher graphics cardWindowsGaming, productivity apps, and social media apps
Gameloop12.8 MBWindows 7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 3 GB RAM, DirectX 11 or higher graphics cardWindowsGaming, especially for playing mobile games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile on PC
KoPlayer376 MBWindows XP/7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, DirectX 9.0c or higher graphics cardWindowsGaming, productivity apps, and social media apps
Andy437 MBWindows 7/8/10 (64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 3 GB RAM, OpenGL 2.1 or higher graphics cardWindows and MacDevelopers and gamers
GenymotionVaries based on the virtual deviceWindows 7/8/10 (64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, OpenGL 2.0 or higher graphics cardWindows, Mac, and LinuxDevelopers
LeapDroid251 MBWindows 7/8/10 (64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, OpenGL 2.0 or higher graphics cardWindowsGaming and productivity apps
Droid4X272 MBWindows 7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit), Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, OpenGL 2.0 or higher graphics cardWindowsGaming, productivity apps, and social media apps

1. Bluestacks 5 or 10– Overall Best

Any list of the best emulators for low-end PC would be incomplete without Bluestacks topping the list. That’s for some good reasons. Bluestacks emulators have outclassed the other emulators in all departments. Whether it’s the RAM usage, CPU usage, or just installing APK files. Refer to this blog post where the Bluestack 5 has been compared with other emulators, including the LD player, Nox, and Memu. In the blog post, it’s clearly highlighted the bluestack 5 got some serious upper hands.

2. LDPlayer- For gamers

Requirements

  • Minimum 2GB of RAM.
  • Compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Only available for Windows operating system. LD player is best for playing android games on your PC or just simply running android apps smoothly. This is a great choice for both purposes. The minimum system requires just 2GB of RAM to create a virtual environment. However, higher specs will deliver smoother performance. Also, to play system-heavy games like COD, or PUBG mobile you need a better GPU in your system. Otherwise, these apps will not run.

What makes this emulator our top choice can be described for two reasons:

  1. It’s packed with all the essential features that you would want in an emulator for gaming, such as keymapping, multi-instance, interactive user interface, built-in support for Google play store to download apps, and support for APK files.
  2. The second reason is simple, it’s really one of the lightest emulators despite it offering all the important functions.

Overall, if you need a powerful, feature-rich emulator for running android apps. It works great on low-end PCs thanks to its lightweight nature and optimized speed that makes it possible to run smoothly.

How to Install LDPlayer 4 Android Emulator on Windows 10

3. NOX player- For running android apps on PC.

Requirements

  • Minimum 2 GB of RAM.
  • Compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10, and macOS.

Nox is a powerful emulator packed with all the important features such as keymapping, Macros, Multi-instance, by default support for gamepads and controllers. Above all, the best feature this emulator offers is that it allows you to adjust the RAM, and CPU usage. Set that to a minimum for low-performance mode and if you wish to emulate more hardware power you can set it to the maximum settings.

Officially the minimum RAM requirement of the Nox emulator is only 2GB. But 4GB is better to experience smoother performance. More hardware power is also important to play high-end android games otherwise you will experience terrible lag.

Lastly, the Nox emulator is compatible with macOS as well followed by Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. Different versions are available on the official websites that you can download for free.

How To Install NOX app player on Windows

4. MEmu Play (Best for shooting games)

Requirements

  • Minimum 2 GB of RAM.
  • Compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10.

MEmu play is a lightweight emulator to play some high-quality android games, it’s the top rival of its alternative like bluestack, and Tencent. Every single spotlight that you look for in an emulator, you will find well-reserved there. For instance, drag and drop apk files to easily configure them, install android programs from the google play store, do keyboard mapping, and plenty of others. The best feature the Memu Play emulator offers is that it has decent support for a variety of gamepads. So, it’s like a plug-and-play.

How to install MEmu Android Emulator 7 on Windows

5. Smart Gaga Lite (Best Free Emulator)

Requirements

  • Minimum 2 GB of RAM.
  • Compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10.

when it comes to free emulators to run android apps on your PC, the Smart GaGa can be a great pick as it is independently developed by the Titan engine, the world’s leading non-virtualized emulator technology. Greatly reduced machine load and running memory consumption. Even on a low-end computer with 2GB RAM, users still can play large games like PUBG Mobile and Free Fire on PC smoothly.

Some features are not offered by this emulator, and it lacks support for many gamepads. That’s why the Smart GAGA emulator is not for people looking for alternatives to Bluestacks 10 and LD player- Emulators that come up with many advanced features.

For basic use, you can use this Emulator as downloading social media apps, Multimedia players. Of course play games as well. However, features like multi-instance, macros, and VT support are not there so consider them as the lacking points in this emulator.

6. Gameloop:

Gameloop is a popular Android emulator that is best known for its ability to run mobile games on PC. It offers high performance and a smooth gaming experience, with support for gamepads and keyboard/mouse controls.

The emulator is optimized for gaming, and is especially well-suited for playing popular mobile games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile on PC.

Gameloop has a moderate system requirement, requiring at least a Windows 7/8/10 PC with an Intel or AMD CPU, 3 GB RAM, and a DirectX 11 or higher graphics card.

7. KoPlayer:

KoPlayer is a lightweight and easy-to-use Android emulator that supports multiple instances and is good for multitasking. It is best for gaming, productivity apps, and social media apps, and has a moderate system requirement, requiring at least a Windows XP/7/8/10 PC with an Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, and a DirectX 9.0c or higher graphics card.

While KoPlayer has limited support for newer Android versions, it is a good choice for users with older hardware or for those looking for a simple and easy-to-use Android emulator.

8. Andy:

Andy is a powerful Android emulator that is best for developers and gamers. It offers powerful development tools and supports multiple devices, making it a good choice for testing apps and games.

The emulator has a high system requirement, requiring at least a Windows 7/8/10 PC with a 64-bit Intel or AMD CPU, 3 GB RAM, and an OpenGL 2.1 or higher graphics card. While Andy offers good support for running Android apps and games on PC, it may have compatibility issues with some apps and may require additional setup for optimal performance.

9. Genymotion:

Genymotion is a powerful Android emulator that is best for developers. It offers powerful development tools and supports multiple devices and versions, making it a good choice for testing apps and games.

The emulator has a moderate system requirement, requiring at least a Windows 7/8/10 PC with a 64-bit Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, and an OpenGL 2.0 or higher graphics card. While Genymotion offers good support for running Android apps and games on PC, it has limited support for the Google Play Store and requires virtualization software to be installed.

10. LeapDroid:

LeapDroid is an Android emulator that is no longer under development, but is still a good choice for users looking for a fast and easy-to-use emulator for gaming and productivity apps. The emulator has a moderate system requirement, requiring at least a Windows 7/8/10 PC with a 64-bit Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, and an OpenGL 2.0 or higher graphics card.

While LeapDroid has limited support for newer Android versions, it offers good performance and is easy to use, with support for multiple instances.

11. Droid4X:

Droid4X is a lightweight and easy-to-use Android emulator that is best for gaming, productivity apps, and social media apps. It offers support for multiple instances and is good for multitasking, with a moderate system requirement that requires at least a Windows 7/8/10 PC with an Intel or AMD CPU, 2 GB RAM, and an OpenGL 2.0 or higher graphics card.

Although Droid4X has limited support for newer Android versions, it is a good choice for users with older hardware or for those looking for a simple and easy-to-use Android emulator.

Written by

I am a software engineer with over 10 years of experience in blogging and web development. I have expertise in both front-end and back-end development, as well as database design, web security, and SEO.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *