20 Best Co-Op Games On Steam You Should Play It’s fun competing with friends through video games. Sometimes, it makes for some great laughs when you and your pals outsmart each other in kart. When the rare game was ported to Mac, you’d have to purchase the Mac-only version to run it on your Mac. These days, many of the games you already own probably have Mac versions available. Some game developers are more cross-platform than others — for example, all of Valve’s own games on Steam and Blizzard’s games on Battle.net support Mac.
PC emulators for Android have come a long way in the past few years, and now you can enjoy a wide variety of games that your phone might not even be able to run. Bluestacks is our favorite Android emulator with a gaming focus, so we put together this list of the best games to play on the Bluestacks Android emulator. Just click any of the links below to start your Bluestacks download and get playing right away!
Best games on Bluestacks Android emulator:
Editor’s note: This list will be updated regularly when new Bluestacks games are released.
What is Bluestacks?
Bluestacks is one of the most popular Android PC and Mac emulators, used by more than 370 million people around the world. It not only allows you to run Android games on your desktop, it offers a number of additional features to take the experience to the next level.
Those features include improved graphics performance compared to even high-end smartphones, custom mappings for keyboards or bluetooth controllers, and multi-instance capabilities to play on more than one account at a time. Plus, there are regular giveaways for gaming gear and in-game items.
Why download Bluestacks?
The advantages above make Bluestacks an ideal choice for a number of Android games. While most mobile games are designed to be played in short spurts, some require extended play times that will eat through your battery in no time at all. Others, like PUBG Mobile, have graphics requirements that your phone might not meet.
For streamers, Bluestacks has even more advantages. It’s easy to stream to Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and more using OBS or other streaming software. This is a much more comfortable setup than streaming from your phone, which requires specialized cables and software.
Is Bluestacks safe?
Yes, Bluestacks is safe. Unlike many other Android emulators, Bluestacks is a legitimate company based in California that takes data protection seriously. Even so, you should always be sure to download Bluestacks from their official website, and not any third party websites.
Bluestacks will, however, consume a lot of resources on your computer, just like many other resource heavy applications or games. Keep that in mind if you want to leave it running in the background on a less than powerful machine.
Ready to get started? Just hit the Bluestacks download button below, then scroll down to the bottom and click the green download button. Or keep reading to learn more about our favorite games on Bluestacks.
1. AFK Arena
On the surface, AFK Arena looks like just another gacha game, but there is enough depth in its auto-play mechanics to sustain a huge playerbase around the world. Plus, the graphics and animations are fantastic, with just enough story to keep you interested in grinding it out. This makes our list of the best games for Bluestacks because you can take advantage of combo keys to repeat stages each time they’re finished. This is a game-changer for grinding out progression for both new and experienced players.
2. Arknights
Arknights is a new game from the same developer as the hit strategy game Azur Lane. It features the typical anime aesthetics, but gameplay is something truly unique for the gacha genre. It’s a kind of hybrid tower defense game with a much higher difficulty than you might expect. As always, there is an element of grinding to progress, but thanks to Bluestacks you can set it and forget it. With fantastic art and F2P friendly gameplay, Arknights is perfect for fans of gacha games that are looking for something different.
3. The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross
Anime fans will be more than familiar with The Seven Deadly Sins, which is one of the most popular anime and manga series around. Although the manga finished in early 2020, you can still relive the story with the fantastic turn-based strategy game Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross. It features the same voice actors as the anime series and some of the best visuals ever seen in a mobile game. Even if you’re not a fan of the anime, the incredible graphics and charming characters will leave you hooked.
4. Call of Duty: Mobile
Call of Duty: Mobile is one of the biggest releases this year, and although Bluetooth controller support was recently added, mouse and keyboard controls remain the most accurate. That’s where the Bluestacks Android emulator comes in. It allows you to customize your control scheme and play how you want to play. If you enjoy this one, you should also check out PUBG Mobile, although odds are you’ve already spent many hours in the forests of Vekendi.
5. Rise of Kingdoms
From the developers behind AFK Arena and Rise of Civilizations, Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade is a strategy game that features both real-time battles and kingdom building gameplay. A huge player base, frequent updates, and plenty of premium currency for free players mean you’ll never run out of things to do.
6. Shop Titans
Shop Titans is a unique take on a fairly well-tread genre for mobile gaming, but what really sets it apart is great execution and balance. In it, you play as an upstart merchant who must build their shop into a retail empire. Not only can you fully customize your character and shop design, you can also team up with other artisans and equip local warriors to defend the town or explore dangerous dungeons. Like most simulation games, it’s a slow burn that you can come back to for years, but the daily and hourly progression is fast enough to keep you playing for hours at a time.
7. King of Avalon: Dragon Warfare
King of Avalon is another mobile game that has stood the test of time. At its core, it’s a multiplayer kingdom building game, but it also has MMO elements that keep the game interesting after weeks or months of gameplay. Playing on Bluestacks Android emulator makes it even easier to keep track of your kingdom while multitasking, and offers some powerful tools like multi-instancing for the truly committed.
8. Idle Heroes
If you’re looking for an idle game to play in the background while studying or watching Netflix, Idle Heroes is one of the best and most popular games out there. Countless players around the world have been playing for years, and by simply logging into your Google Play account you can continue your progression on your phone or PC thanks to the Bluestacks Android emulator. Many games have copied the formula set by Idle Heroes, but few do it as well. Plus, frequent updates and new events keep things fresh for veterans and newbies alike.
9. Civilization War
Civilization building games are a dime a dozen on the Google Play Store, but one of the best of the lot is Civilization War. It lets you choose from eight of the world’s most famous civilizations from history, from ancient Egypt to the Japanese Shogunate. As you build up your civilization, you can attack other players and steal their resources. With Bluestacks’ multi-instancing, you can have several civilizations building at once, which should help alleviate your reliance on active clanmates to progress in the late game.
10. State of Survival
There are plenty of zombie survival games on Android, but one of the best available is State of Survival. As you expand your territory and recruit new survivors, you can learn more about the infection and how to stop it. The game is great for running in the background while you do other tasks, and it’s very friendly to free players.
That’s it for our list of the best games to play on Bluestacks. We’ll be adding more games as they come to the Bluestacks Android emulator! Check out some of our other content about emulation below.
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Power down
Steam gaming often places a premium on power. The latest hardware, the biggest hard drives, the fastest processors. It's exciting, but in many ways, it's the antithesis of what Pocket Gamer is usually about.
So we thought we'd put together a list of pocket-friendly titles for you to check out. Many of these are touchscreen-friendly for tablets, and most are undemanding enough to run on a netbook.
We haven't neglected action titles, either, for those with miniature mice to carry about. There are some classic first-person shooters dating from before the days when the genre became all about cut-scenes.
Want more?Check out our growing collection ofBest on Steam features!
Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition
Steam Games For Mac
By 3D Realms - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£6.99)
Duke Nukem won fame for its humorous script and level of gore. But it managed to keep with with a diverse selection of interesting and amusing weaponry that encouraged tactical play.
You can drop pipe bombs on enemies from above, freeze them, even shrink them and stamp them underfoot.
Braid
By Number None - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£6.99)
Another recent game that won't demand much from your hardware, Braid was rightly celebrated for its narrative curveballs and rock-hard puzzle platforming.
You won't find many other games that manage to so demanding on your brain, your emotions and your twitch fingers all at the same time. It's frustrating but, as the designer said, if you manage to beat its challenges, you will feel very good about yourself.
Terraria
By Re-Logic - buy on PC (£6.99)
A bizarre blend of exploration, action and Minecraft, Terreria offers incredible depth and variety for a game that runs on modest hardware.
If it's not enough to explore a procedurally generated world, fight boss monsters and attracting followers, you can even use your imagination to build elaborate machines.
Rome: Total War - Alexander
By The Creative Assembly - buy on PC (£2.99)
Total War hasn't managed to be a fixture on the gaming calendar since 2000 for no reason. Happily for the owners of older systems this entry from 2004 remains one of the very best.
It's a proper real-time strategy game with actual strategy in place of base-building races. Plus some good history too. So a winner all round.
Broken Sword - Director's Cut
By Revolution Software Ltd - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£4.99)
No retro-focused list would be complete without a classic point and click adventure. But on Steam, many of these have been enhanced or revamped to a level where they won't run on modest hardware.
Luckily, one of the best of the lot will. With a compelling plot and a diverse selection of logic and hidden item puzzles, it should keep you occupied for hours.
Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition
By Epic Games, Inc. - buy on PC (£5.99)
This may be the purest distillation of frenzied shooting action ever made. It eschews niceties like narrative in favour of a vast range of maps and game types to play against real people online or skilled AI bots off it.
Plus, it's graced with a wonderful selection of enormous guns and ludicrous power ups.
System Shock 2
By Irrational Games - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£6.99)
A game this old shouldn't be this scary. You might want to give up during the opening sequence with its ponderous tutorial and dated graphics. But keep at it and you'll be rewarded with one of the most horrifying action games ever made.
It's another older game that regularly shows up in high positions on best of all time lists. And it's not hard to see why. All the limitations of the ancient video engine won't matter a jot when you're lifted out of your seat by a jump scare.
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
By Ion Storm - buy on PC (£4.99)
When people compile lists of the best PC games of all time, this regularly comes near the top in spite of having been released in 2000.
It's the combination of the free-form way in which you can complete objectives and the knock-on effects of your choices that make it such a winner. The mix is almost as intoxicating now as it was back then.
FTL: Faster Than Light
By Subset Games - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£6.99)
Most of our picks on this list are older classics. But here's a modern game that's undemanding on hardware, but very demanding on the player.
Best Offline Steam Games Mac
It's got an addictive and unusual blend of rogue-like, strategy and choose your own adventure. The story is different every time you play, although it commonly ends with the horrible death of your entire crew.
Half-Life
By Valve - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£6.99)
If you're going to try and run a first-person shooter on a limited machine, you might as well start with the best.
Half-Life remains a pivotal moment in the history of video gaming. And it's old enough now both to run on weak hardware and to be unfamiliar to younger gamers. So there's no excuse not to have experienced this genre-changer for yourself.
Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete
By Firaxis Games - buy on PC (£2.99)
Civilization fans will tell you to play IV or V in the series for challenge and accessibility respectively. However, if you can't run either of those, Civilization 3 still lets you easily connect to network games.
That means you can enjoy playing this incredible strategy franchise against your friends, however aged your device is compared to theirs.
Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
By Black Isle Studios - buy on PC (£7.99)
Good Mac Games On Steam
Everyone's talking about Fallout 4 at the moment. While you wait, why not remind yourself that the popularity of this series started long before Fallout 3 by playing this classic iosmetric RPG.
The interface might feel dated, but the post-apocalyptic setting is just as vivid, exciting and unusual.
X-COM: UFO Defense
By MicroProse Software - buy on PC (£2.99)
Best Multiplayer Steam Games Mac
A contender for possibly the most-played older game on Steam. This was the inspiration behind the much more recent XCOM: Enemy Unknown and will be instantly familiar to fans.
It's nowhere near as accessible or pretty as its successor game. But it is much more challenging, offering enormous amounts of play hours for a tiny investment.
Torchlight
By Runic Games - buy on PC and Mac (£10.99)
Torchlight isn't all that old, but the devloper made a special effort to make it as portable as possible. It's got a special netbook mode which helps it run like a dream on older machines.
And while it might be tempting to go for the more recent sequel, this original has all the fun and charm which underpins the success of the series.