1 Bluestacks Android Emulator

• This Android emulator is a unique tool. One of the flagship features is the fact that the tool lets you play multiple games within the same period. The emulator is based on the Android Marshmallow. It also ranks as one of the most updated emulators you will find out there.
• BlueStacks is probably the most known Android emulator among Android users. The emulator is preferred for gaming and is ridiculously easy to set up. Other than Play Store, you have the option of downloading BlueStacks optimized apps from its own app store. Although, BlueStacks supports keyboard mapping but does not go well with gestures.
• BlueStacks is hands-down one of the best Android emulators for Windows PC.

BlueStacks is an American technology company that produces the BlueStacks App Player and other cloud-based cross-platform products. The BlueStacks App Player is designed to enable Android applications to run on PCs running Microsoft Windows and Apple's macOS. The company was founded in 2009 by Jay Vaishnav, Suman Saraf, and Rosen Sharma, former CTO at McAfee and a board member of Cloud.com.

BlueStacks, free download. Android emulator software for Windows: Run Android APK apps and games on a Windows desktop with full access to the Google Play store and other Google and online services. Includes tests and PC download for Windows 32 and 64-bit systems.

Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Redpoint, Samsung, Intel, Qualcomm, Citrix, Radar Partners, Ignition Partners, AMD, and others.^[8]

The company was announced May 25, 2011, at the Citrix Synergy conference in San Francisco. Citrix CEO Mark Templeton demonstrated an early version of BlueStacks onstage and announced that the companies had formed a partnership. The public alpha version of App Player was launched on October 11, 2011.^[9] App Player exited beta on June 7, 2014.

App Player[edit]

The App Player, software that virtualizes an Android OS, can be downloaded in versions for Windows 10 and macOS. The software's basic features are free to download and use. Advanced optional features require a paid monthly subscription.^[10] The company claims the App Player can run 1.5 million Android apps as of November 2019.^[11] As of November 2019, BlueStacks have been downloaded over 210 million times.^[12] App Player features mouse, keyboard, and external touchpad controls.

BlueStacks for Mac[edit]

On June 27, 2012, the company released an alpha-1 version of its App Player software for macOS,^[13] while the beta version was released on December 27, 2012.

In April 2015, BlueStacks, Inc. announced that a new version of App Player for macOS, 2.0, was in development, which was released in July.^[14]

BlueStacks 2[edit]

In December 2015, BlueStacks, Inc. released the new version BlueStacks 2.0^[15] which lets users run multiple Android applications simultaneously.^[16] BlueStacks 2.0 was also available for Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks or later, till 2018.

BlueStacks TV (BTV)[edit]

On April 7, 2016, the company released BlueStacks TV which integrated Twitch.tv directly into the BlueStacks App Player.^[17] This addition allows users to stream their apps to Twitch without the need for extra hardware or software. BlueStacks released Facebook Live integration in September 2016, allowing users to stream their gameplay to their Facebook profiles, Pages they control, or Facebook Groups they belong to.^[18]

BlueStacks 3[edit]

In July 2017, BlueStacks released BlueStacks 3 based on a brand new engine and front-end design.^[19] BlueStacks 3 added App Center which personalizes game suggestions, an account system, chat, new keymapping interface, and multi-instance. Multi-instance allows users to launch multiple BlueStacks windows using either the same or different Google Play account.

BlueStacks 3N[edit]

On January 19, 2018, BlueStacks announced the release of the BlueStacks + N Beta which runs on Android 7 (Android Nougat) and claimed to be the first and only Android gaming platform to have Android 7 at the time, since the majority of Android emulators ran Android 4.4 (KitKat), including prior BlueStacks versions.^[20] This beta version is powered by an upgraded 'HyperG' graphics engine allowing BlueStacks to utilize the full array of Android 7 APIs

BlueStacks 4[edit]

On September 18, 2018, BlueStacks announced the release of its latest flagship version, BlueStacks 4. BlueStacks 4 benchmarks 6-8x faster than every major mobile phone according to the Antutu benchmark.^[21] BlueStacks 4 also includes dynamic resource management which only initializes the required Android libraries thus freeing resources. A new dock and search offer a clean user interface. New AI powered key-mapping tool auto maps keys in supported games with key customization also available for further tweaking. In addition, BlueStacks 4 supports^[22] both 32-bit and 64-bit version of Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

Development for macOS has been restarted, and version 4 is currently available from the website as of November 2019, first released for Mac in January 2019.^[23]

BlueStacks 4 64-Bit Beta[edit]

On January 17, 2019, BlueStacks released a 64-bit version of BlueStacks 4 via its early access program.^[24] This version runs on a 64-bit version of Android 7.1.2 which allows for improved performance, and more efficient memory usage. The prerequisites for running this build include running a 64-bit version of Windows 8 or later, with virtualization enabled, and Hyper-V disabled. This 64-bit release allows the installation and usage of ARM64-v8a android applications.

Minimum requirements[edit]

Current minimum requirements for App Player for Windows include: Windows 7 or higher, 2 GB or higher system memory, 5 GB of hard drive space, administrator rights, and an Intel or AMD processor.^[6] BlueStacks clashes with the BitDefender antivirus software.^[25] An update to the latest graphic card driver version is also recommended.

Minimum requirements for macOS are: macOS Sierra or higher, 4 GB RAM, 4 GB disk space, and a model newer than 2014. Please note that BlueStacks has explicitly said that they have not supported Apple Silicon yet.^[26]

GamePop[edit]

On May 9, 2013, the subscription service GamePop was announced.^[27] It allows users to play as many as 500 mobile games on TV. On July 23, 2014 Samsung announced ^[8] it had invested in and was backing GamePop. This brought total outside investment in BlueStacks to $26 million.^[28]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'BlueStacks hits a billion apps used per month and launches new mobile platform'. VentureBeat. December 3, 2015. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
2. ^'BlueStacks Partners With AMD, Bringing 500,000 Android Apps To Windows PCs'. TechCrunch. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
3. ^ ^ab'Bluestacks'. CrunchBase. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020.
4. ^Media, Ryan Daws | 19th September 2018 | TechForge (September 19, 2018). 'BlueStacks emulates Android '6x faster' than leading smartphone and is a verified app (safe to download)'. Developer Tech News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
5. ^'Download BlueStacks Offline Installer'. Bluestacks - The Best Android Emulator on PC as Rated by You. January 21, 2017. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
6. ^ ^ab'System requirements for BlueStacks 4'. BlueStacks Support. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
7. ^'How can I Install and launch BlueStacks on Mac OS?'. BlueStacks Support. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
8. ^ ^abEtherington, Darrell. 'After 10M Downloads, Samsung Backs GamePop As BlueStacks Adds $13M In New Funding'. TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
9. ^Empson, Rip. 'BlueStacks Releases App Player And Cloud Connect Service To Let You Run Android Apps On Your PC'. TechCrunch. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
10. ^Whitney, Lance. 'Android apps can now run on your PC via BlueStacks'. CNET. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
11. ^'BlueStacks Features and Comparison'. Bluestacks - The Best Android Emulator on PC as Rated by You. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
12. ^'What is Bluestacks?'. Bluestacks - The Best Android Emulator on PC as Rated by You. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
13. ^Rosenblatt, Seth. 'BlueStacks ports Android apps to Mac'. CNET. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
14. ^'BlueStacks - Did you pre-order the new Macbook?'. www.facebook.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
15. ^'Bluestacks Review and Fix Engine issues'. TechnoIliyas. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
16. ^'BlueStacks 2.0 Launched, Lets You Run Multiple Apps Simultaneously'. NDTV Gadgets 360. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
17. ^'Twitch users can now live stream Android games from their PC'. techcrunch.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
18. ^'Stream Android apps on Facebook Live with Bluestacks'. engadget.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
19. ^'BlueStacks 2 vs. BlueStacks 3 Features'. bluestacks.com. July 30, 2017. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
20. ^'Android N Comes to PC; BlueStacks Releases the First Android Gaming Platform Ever to Run Android N'. gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
21. ^'BlueStacks, an Android emulator for PC, gets an update with major performance upgrade'. gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
22. ^Kumar, Rahul (August 19, 2019). 'Is Bluestacks safe for Windows and macOS PC?'. HubsAdda. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
23. ^'Release Notes'. BlueStacks Support. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
24. ^'Join our Discord Server for Early Access Releases and a Great Community'. reddit.com. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
25. ^'r/BlueStacks - BlueStack and Bitdefender blocking some XML files'. reddit. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
26. ^'System specifications for installing BlueStacks on macOS'. BlueStacks Support. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
27. ^Empson, Rip. 'After 10M Downloads, BlueStacks Takes On OUYA With Game Console And $6.99 All-You-Can-Play Service'. TechCrunch. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
28. ^'Samsung invests $13M in Android microgaming console GamePop'. CNET. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2017.

External links[edit]

• Official website

Last Updated on October 22, 2020 by

When it comes to playing Android games on PC, BlueStacks is unarguably one of the best Android emulators for Windows 10 and Mac users around the world.

BlueStacks 4, the latest version, runs on Android Nougat (7) technology and it was the first emulator to implement it back in 2018. And ever since then, BlueStacks has added a lot of new features with every update making the gaming experience better and better! Here are few of them that we loved while playing the Android games on BlueStacks.

Astounding Features of BlueStacks

#1. Shooting Mode!

Not all emulators are capable of providing mobile like experience on PC due to compatibility issues of mouse and keyboard. But with BlueStacks, all you need to do is press F1 and start shooting it with your mouse when needed. That’s how simple it is to control the game at your fingertips, especially in the shooting games.

#2. Multi-Instance Manager!

Playing a single game with multiple accounts at the same time is what many gamers prefer when it comes to PC games. The multi-instance gaming option in BlueStacks is capable of running more than 2 games at the same time without making your system slow. Be it a 32-bit or 64-bit Android game, BlueStacks lets you play Android games on PC, you can read more at how to play Android games on PC. All you need to do is sign-in using your different accounts to use a multi-instance manager.

#3. MOBA Mode!

Online battle arena and role playing games have gained immense popularity over the times. And the eagerness to play such MOBA games on PC with BlueStacks has also seen a hike. That being said, the MOBA mode in the emulator lets you control the game dynamically instead of your regular WASD keys. Here’s how to activate the MOBA mode in BlueStacks.

• Launch the game and press CTRL + Shift + A to access the advanced game controls.
• Next, drag and drop the D-Pad on the screen and open the D-Pad settings with right-click
• Now choose the MOBA mode and click on Save Changes to activate MOBA mode.

With this, you can skip the usual WASD keys and set custom keys for particular actions. You can find the advanced MOBA settings from the official website here.

#4. High FPS!

When it comes to shooting games, the games are designed to be best played with high FPS. The game that involves quick movements of opponents usually needs high FPS on your PC to be in the game. This is because you need to plan your moves quickly, attack them to win the battles and to do this, high FPS is required in the games you play. To set up high FPS, go to BlueStacks settings from bottom right sidebar and click on Engine option. Now, set the FPS slider to 60 and tick the ‘Enable High Frame Rates’ option in order to adjust the FPS further. These changes will be applicable when you launch the game next time.

Apart from these features, the custom key mappings is something which you’ll find missing in other emulators like NoxPlayer and MEmu. If you would like to edit apps, remove promotional ads from BlueStacks than you need to root BlueStacks and you can do so using BSTweaker 5. With that said, let’s now see how to install the emulator on Windows.

How to Install BlueStacks on Windows PC

The emulator can be installed in 2 ways. One is with an online installer (the installation guide that we’re going to explain now) and the other one can be done with an offline installer.

Step #1

Option 1: Download BlueStacks offline Installer by clicking on the below links to get started depending on your computer CPU.

Option 2: Visit the official website of BlueStacks from here and click on the download BlueStacks button, depending on your system configuration, the installer will automatically detect the 64-bit or 32-bit Windows version and install the latest version of BlueStacks accordingly.

Step #2.

Launch the downloaded file of BlueStacks and click on Yes when the system asks you. Once the BlueStacks appears on the screen, click on the Install Now button in the emulator. Wait for some time until the emulator gets installed. The file size is about 550 MB.

Step #3.

Wait until all the files are extracted and it checks for system requirements before installing. It also checks the extracted files in the process to install the BlueStacks engine on your PC. Ensure that your antivirus is turned off if it’s interfering during the installation of BlueStacks.

It may still take some time to start BlueStacks as this is the first time you’re installing it. Overall, it depends on your PC’s performance.

Step #4.

Once the BlueStacks is launched, make sure that you sign-in using your Google account as it syncs your data if you’ve used the emulator earlier.

Step #5.

Enter your Email ID and password of your existing Google account to proceed further.

Step #6.

Once done, click on ‘I Agree’ on your BlueStacks after entering the password. By default, the Backup to Google Drive option is turned on. Keep it as it is if you want to back up all your BlueStacks data. Next, click on Accept.

Step #7.

It will now launch the Google Play Store through which you can search and install your favorite games just like you do in your Android smartphones or tablets!Well, that’s how simple it is to download and install BlueStacks on your Windows PC. In future if you are not happy with running BlueStacks on your machine than you can read here on how to uninstall BlueStacks completely.

BlueStacks probably occupy a decent amount of RAM on your system. So depending on the RAM you have in your computer, the BlueStacks may run slower or faster.

Minimum System Requirements to Install BlueStacks!

To ensure that BlueStacks runs smoothly and you don’t face any issues while playing your favorite games, make sure that your system is compatible with these system requirements.

Operating System: Microsoft’s Windows 7 and above.

Android Emulator Bluestacks Download

Processor: AMD or Intel Processor.

RAM: Minimum 2GB of RAM

Hard Disk Drive: Minimum 5GB Free Space.

Updated Graphic Drivers is a must!

These are the minimum system requirements but if you’re a heavy user or love to play more Android games on PC, here what your PC must have.

Recommended System Requirements to Install BlueStacks!

Operating System: Microsoft’s Windows 10

HDD: SSD

RAM: Minimum 8GB or higher

Processor: Intel or AMD Multi-Core Processor.

Bluestacks 2

Graphic Cards: Intel/Nvidia/ATI, Onboard or Discrete controller

Bluestacks Iphone Emulator

Apart from all these, ensure that Virtualization is enabled on your PC. If you’re not sure about how to enable it, here’s a simple guide to follow.

Closing Thoughts!

1 Bluestacks Android Emulator Installer

We hope that you’ve now got enough information on BlueStacks to get started! If you face any issues during the installation process or while playing any games, do let us know in the comment section. We will be happy to solve your issues as we’ve played various Android games on BlueStacks until now. Download BlueStacks now and stay tuned for more such detailed guides and tutorials!