The method in most old videos no longer exists. Microsoft removed the Windows Subsystem for Android in 2025, but Android apps on a Windows 11 PC are still possible. This guide gives you every method that honestly works in 2026.
When Windows 11 launched, its biggest party trick was running Android apps directly, using the Windows Subsystem for Android, also called WSA. The video above shows that method: turn on virtualization, install the subsystem, and sideload almost any APK file. That world ended on March 5, 2025, when Microsoft ended support for WSA and removed it and the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store. If you follow an old guide today, the very first download simply is not there. Do not worry and do not download random WSA copies from unknown sites, because many of them carry malware. The good news is that you still have four honest ways to enjoy Android apps and games on your PC, and this guide walks through all of them so you can pick the right one.
This is what the Microsoft Store shows today. The two entries every old tutorial depends on are gone, and that is why those guides fail at step one.
WSA was a small virtual Android system built into Windows 11. Apps installed through the Amazon Appstore, and advanced users sideloaded APK files with developer tools. Microsoft announced the shutdown a full year in advance and ended support on March 5, 2025.
So the goal has not changed, only the road has. Pick your road from the next four fixes based on what you actually want to run.
This is Google's own official app, and it is the safest option in 2026. It runs supported Android games in a light virtual machine, syncs progress with your phone through your Google account, and plays well with keyboard and mouse.
The official minimum requirements for Google Play Games on PC. The two that stop most people are the SSD requirement and virtualization.
An emulator such as BlueStacks, LDPlayer or MuMu Player runs a complete copy of Android inside a window. You get the real Google Play Store, so almost any app or game installs normally, and most emulators also let you drag and drop an APK file to sideload it.
Be honest with yourself about the cost: a full emulator is heavy. On a PC with 8 GB RAM it will eat a large share of memory, it shows ads in its interface, and some banking and streaming apps detect the emulator and refuse to open. For those apps, use the next fix instead.
Microsoft's Phone Link app does not install Android apps on your PC at all. It streams apps from your real Android phone to the Windows screen, so the app keeps running on genuine hardware and nothing detects anything unusual.
The honest limit: the Apps screen and app streaming need a supported phone, mainly Samsung, HONOR, OPPO and Surface Duo devices, and the phone must stay nearby and unlocked for some features. Calls, messages, photos and notifications work on almost every Android phone.
The lightest solution is often already there. WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Spotify and most banking services offer a full Windows app in the Microsoft Store or a complete website that works in your browser and can be installed as a web app from Edge.
This uses almost no RAM, updates itself, and never fights with emulators. For many people this fix quietly replaces the whole Android-on-PC project.
The video shows the full original setup on screen. Watch it to understand the requirements like virtualization, then apply the 2026 methods from this guide.
▶︎ Watch Full VideoNo. Microsoft ended support on March 5, 2025 and removed WSA and the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store. New official installs are not possible, and copies offered on random websites are unofficial and risky.
For games, Google Play Games on PC is the official free option. For regular apps and APK files, a full emulator like BlueStacks or MuMu Player gives you the complete Play Store experience.
It can. A full Android emulator uses several GB of RAM and multiple CPU cores. On a PC with 8 GB RAM you will feel it. Close the emulator when you are not using it, and prefer the web version of an app when one exists.