Minecraft is an incredibly popular cross-platform sandbox where you can do whatever you want. Fight hunger and monsters in survival mode, build incredible buildings in creative mode, run adventures and play with friends online. There are tons of possibilities already in the basic version, and a wide range of mods makes Minecraft completely versatile.
You can run the game on almost any PC with the help of an emulator. This is a special program that creates a virtual device with a separate operating system. Emulators allow you to run games designed for smartphones and tablets on your PC. Minecraft was originally created for PC, but the mobile version has many advantages over the classic one. In this article we will tell you all about how to play Minecraft on PC using emulators and the advantages of such gameplay.
Best android emulators for Minecraft on PC
Emulators that create a virtual phone on your computer are many. It is hard to choose at first glance. However, two projects have been leading the market for a long time – LDPlayer and Bluestacks. They have everything a keen player needs:
- free;
- lightweight;
- productive;
- run even on weak PCs;
- easy to set up and use;
- allows you to create macros.
| Windows: LDPlayer | |
| Mac: BlueStacks |
LDPlayer is chosen by Windows owners. Bluestacks is universal, but it is more often put on computers with macOS because of better optimization. It is the most popular Android emulator for PC.
How to play Minecraft on Windows
Use LDPlayer to play Minecraft on PC whenever you want. Installing the emulator is easy:
- Go to the program’s official website. Download LDPlayer from there – this ensures that it is virus-free.
- Look at the list of available versions. Choose the one that is compatible with your operating system.
- Download the selected file.
- Install LDPlayer. An icon will appear on your desktop
- Right-click on the shortcut. From the drop-down menu, click on “Run as administrator”. Your account password may be required.
- The program will open. Create an emulator by clicking on “New/Clone” in the bottom right corner.
- In the window that opens, select “New Emulator”. If your disk space is low, activate the space saver mode immediately.
- Give a name to your virtual device. Go to the settings.
- Type of device – phone or tablet.
- Maximum number of cores.
- More RAM. The mandatory minimum is 4 RAM. The amount of available memory should not exceed the capabilities of your PC.
- The mode of auto-increase of disk size should be activated.
- Go to the “Other” section.
- Enable Root rights.
- Under “ABC debugging” select “Local connection”.
- Save the emulator and create its shortcut on the desktop.
- Open LD Market and type “Minecraft” into the search bar.
- Click on the game icon.
- Click on “Install”, then on “Local installation”.
- Wait for the installation to complete and get into the game.
You can also download Minecraft to your PC using an apk file. Just drag it into the LDPlayer window and the installation will start automatically.
How to play Minecraft on Mac OS
If you want to play Minecraft on PC, you’ll need Bluestacks and some patience. The installation is a bit more complicated than LDPlayer:
- Go to the Bluestacks website.
- Choose the version of the emulator that suits your operating system. Download it.
- Run the Bluestacks installer.
- Continue the installation by double-clicking the icon in the window.
- In the window that appears, click on “Open”.
- Enter your account information.
- Sometimes a message appears at this stage that the system extension is blocked. Click on the “Open Security & Privacy” button.
- Then click on “Allow”.
- The installation will continue. Depending on the version of your operating system, you will have to take different steps. If you have macOS 10.15 or older, you’ll see a message asking you to restart. Accept the restart. When your system is working again, simply open the program.
- Is your version of macOS 11 or younger? When you try to open Bluestacks, you will see a message that the startup was interrupted.
- Close it and exit the program. Go to Open Security & Privacy.
- Click on the “Restart” button.
- The installation is complete, you can start Bluestacks. Open to the store and find Minecraft.
- Download the game. Click on the shortcut to launch it.
With Bluestacks, you can play Minecraft on Windows and macOS PCs. If you have multiple computers with different operating systems, use this emulator.
Tips for setting up Minecraft on PC
The cube sandbox is not demanding on resources. Any graphics settings will do, but performance needs attention. Configure the emulator so that the FPS is as high as possible. If you have a weak PC, do not run several programs at the same time.
Set up the game controls right away. You can do this through the emulator’s control panel. Bind buttons to the most common actions and use macros to automate construction or resource gathering. Building a wall with a single button press is a reality when playing on the emulator.
You can run Minecraft in multi-window mode. In this case, you should enable prioritization: it will lower FPS in additional windows and allow you to play comfortably in the main one.
Alternative ways to download
Emulators are not the only way to play Minecraft on PC. You can download the game’s Launcher on the official website:
- Go to the project page.
- Buy a suitable package.
- Download the launcher to your PC.
- Install the game and launch it.
Using the official client provides a number of advantages:
- Free switching between Java and Bedrock versions.
- Access to the game marketplace with unique skins, worlds and adventures.
- Ability to use fan-made mods.
The main disadvantage is the huge price for the license. You can play Minecraft on PC through the emulator for free, and for the official version you will have to pay at least $30.
Conclusion
Emulators are the most successful way to play Minecraft on your computer. Convenient control, the ability to customize everything for yourself, complete absence of lags – just part of the advantages of virtual devices. The main thing – everything is absolutely free and runs even on weak PCs. Tell us in the comments what emulator you use. Share your top configurations, and we’ll be sure to add them to the article.
