Sideloading apps on the Google Play Games Emulator is easy – here’s how it’s done

From LDPlayer to Gameloop, there are plenty of emulators that can run Android games on PC. When compared to the most popular emulation apps, the Google Play Games Emulator offers one of the most straightforward ways to enjoy your favorite mobile titles on your powerful gaming system. Unfortunately, the first-party emulator has a marginally small library of games and zero apps that you can install from its built-in Play Store.

But the silver lining here is that it’s possible to sideload a bunch of Android titles and applications on the Google Play Games Emulator. Sure, you’ll have to use the USB debugging facility to run a couple of ADB commands, but the entire procedure is a walk in the park if you follow this tutorial!

Sideloading apps via the Windows terminal

The Windows terminal provides an easy way to execute ADB commands on Android devices – and this includes the Google Play Games Emulator. Although we’ve used Powershell inside the Windows terminal front-end, you can follow along even if you’re a Command Prompt user.

1. If you haven’t installed the Google Play Games Emulator yet, be sure to toggle the Always allow from this computer checkbox and hit the Allow button when the emulator asks you to enable USB debugging during the initial setup.

   

2. Alternatively, for those who didn’t enable USB debugging during the installing process, you can turn on this feature from the Developer options menu inside the System tab of the Settings app.

   

3. Open the File Explorer and paste the following address into the Search Bar.

   C:\Program Files\Google\Play Games Developer Emulator\current\emulator

   

4. Right-click anywhere inside the File Manager and choose Windows Terminal.

   

5. Run this command to check whether the Android Debug Bridge detects the Google Play Game Emulator:

   .\adb devices

   

6. Execute the .\adb install command followed by the directory and the name of the APK file you wish to sideload on the emulator.

   .\adb install directory\apk_name

   

7. Assuming you’ve downloaded the APK file from a reliable source, press Install anyway when the Google Play Protect service blocks the installation process.

   

Which apps can you sideload on the Google Play Emulator?

If you followed all the steps correctly, the terminal will display the Success message and the application will appear once you swipe up on the home screen of the Google Play Emulator. That said, there are certain restrictions when sideloading apps on the emulator. For instance, application stores like Aurora and F-Droid can’t install a single app, and I’ve seen mixed results when installing arm64-v8a and armeabi-v7a apps.

Nevertheless, it’s one of the most optimized Android emulators in the PC landscape. Unlike its third-party rivals, Google’s offering neither charges extra fees for the best performance nor shoves ads in your face at every opportunity, making it a great option for casual gamers as well as app developers.