The Best Emulators for Playing PUBG Mobile on Your PC

With PUBG Lite going the way of the dodo, the only way to play PUBG for free right now is through PUBG Mobile. But for those who just can't stand the thought of using touch controls to shoot their way to a delicious chicken dinner, there's only one thing to do: emulate PUBG Mobile. So which is the best PUBG Mobile emulator? We're here to tell you just that.

Why Emulate PUBG Mobile?

The fact of the matter is that you don't need to just be short on cash to play a free version of Bluehole's genre-defining survival game. PUBG Mobile has millions of players around the world, gets new content drops basically every day, and hosts some of esports biggest tournaments on a regular basis.

If your phone isn't quite up to the task of playing the semi-demanding game, your average computer probably is. You can run at potentiall higher frame rates, won't have to worry about storage space, and can save your phone battery from dying before you even leave the house.

The Best Emulators for PUBG Mobile

When picking an Android emulator for PUBG Mobile, you need to consider the resource impact it'll have on your PC. Emulation is a tricky process that generally demands more from a system than the original hardware requires.

With a good enough CPU, GPU, and enough RAM, however, you shouldn't have too much trouble. For less powerful laptops and older machines, though, you'll want something lightweight. Then it's a matter of security, ease of use, and customizability. Here are the best emulators for the job:

Gameloop - The Best PUBG Mobile Emulator

Formally Tencent Game Buddy, this emulator is actually developed and managed by the publisher of PUBG Mobile, making it the best PUBG Mobile emulator by default. If you ever needed confirmation that emulating is perfectly fine in the eyes of the game's anti-cheat detection methods, this is it.

Gameloop is incredibly easy to set up, features a curated app store with a bunch of top-tier mobile games, and has even been updated to support dummy phones -- meaning it can tell a game to unlock features like 90-120 FPS modes that are typically locked to specific handsets.

When it comes to emulating PUBG Mobile, Gameloop just works. Download the game through the main page, fire it up, and all the keyboard and mouse controls are applied automatically. It's the true plug n' play emulator.

BlueStacks - The Trusted PUBG Mobile Emulator

Considered the 'OG' Android emulator by long-time mobile gamers, BlueStacks has a dedicated development team backing up its big releases. They even just teamed up with groups like Disney to enable mobile gaming through the cloud in your average browser.

BlueStacks is customizable in ways Tencent's walled garden Gameloop would never even consider. It's the option for those who want to play not only PUBG Mobile, but just about any other mobile game they can get their hands out.

With APK installs as simple as dragging and dropping, so long as you know how to source games from other regions and storefronts, BlueStacks can be the only Android emulator you'll ever need.

NoxPlayer - The Lightweight PUBG Mobile Emulator

NoxPlayer (or sometimes just Nox) is another long-standing Android emulator that's constantly evolving. Easily capable of running the groundbreaking Genshin Impact on the right hardware, Nox can power through PUBG Mobile with ease.

If, for whatever reason, you prefer touch-based inputs in your quest for chicken dinners, you can actually use Nox to assign things like swipes and slides to the keyboard. On top of having robust controller support, Nox is a great alternative to the other two picks.

Verdict

Although we firmly believe in Gameloop being the premier PUBG Mobile machine just by way of being official, any of the emulators on this list will get the job done. If you're not worried about your PUBG Mobile account being banned for using an emulator that isn't expressly Tencent-approved, we suggest trying all three out.

Emulation is a tricky thing to achieve, and either of the three options here could run better on your specific hardware configuration than the others. And when it comes to PUBG Mobile, you really should aim for stability and speed over graphics.