On Windows, the official way to play AFK Arena is Google Play Games on PC, which runs the same game and account as your phone. Lilith doesn't make a standalone PC client or a browser version of AFK Arena, and the iPhone app isn't offered for Mac, so Mac players and anyone who wants multiple windows use an Android emulator instead. Whatever you pick, link your account first so the PC opens your existing progress rather than a new account.
Your options
| Option | Runs on | Cost | Several game windows at once |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play Games on PC | Windows | Free, no ads | No |
| BlueStacks | Windows; BlueStacks Air on Apple Silicon Macs | Free with ads, optional paid tier | Yes |
| LDPlayer | Windows | Free with ads | Yes |
| MuMu Player | Windows; MuMuPlayer Pro on Apple Silicon Macs | Free on Windows, MuMuPlayer Pro is paid after a trial | Yes |
Google Play Games is the simplest choice if you play one account on Windows. An emulator is the better choice on a Mac, for playing two accounts side by side, or for running the test server next to the live game, because Google Play Games has no multi-instance and doesn't install apps from APK files.
Google Play Games on PC
Google's minimum requirements for its PC app:
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 version 2004 or later |
| Processor | 4 physical CPU cores |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 630 or comparable |
| Storage | SSD with 10 GB free |
| Other | A Windows administrator account, hardware virtualization turned on |
Hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) is the requirement that most often blocks the install. If the app says virtualization is off, turn it on in your PC's BIOS or UEFI settings and restart.
Install Google Play Games from Google's Play Games site, sign in with your Google account, search for AFK Arena and install it. When the game opens, log in with the account you linked on your phone (see below).
Emulators
An emulator runs a full Android system in a window, so you install AFK Arena from the Play Store inside it, exactly as on a phone. BlueStacks, LDPlayer and MuMu Player all run the game and all support multi-instance, which means several separate Android windows at once, each with its own app and login.
On a Mac, AFK Arena can't be installed from the App Store, and Google Play Games has no Mac version. BlueStacks Air and MuMuPlayer Pro are both built for Apple Silicon (M-series) Macs; BlueStacks Air is free and MuMuPlayer Pro is a paid subscription after its trial.
Keep your progress
AFK Arena saves your progress on Lilith's servers, tied to whichever login you linked. A fresh install on any new device starts a brand new account until you switch to your linked login, so do the linking on your phone before you set up the PC.
1. On your phone, tap your avatar in the top left, open the Settings tab and tap the account button (Link/Switch Account).
2. Link a login that works on the device you're moving to. A Google login works on Android, Google Play Games and emulators. Logins tied to Apple only work on iPhone and iPad, so iPhone players should link an email address or Facebook before moving to a PC.
3. On the PC, open the same account screen, choose Switch, and sign in with the login you linked. Your account loads with everything on it.
Switching on the PC doesn't touch the phone install, so you can keep playing the same account on both.
The quest list pays for linking: 500 diamonds for completing account registration and 1,000 diamonds for binding an email address, so it's worth doing even if you never play on PC.
Settings that matter on PC
Low Power Mode
AFK Arena runs at 60 frames per second, and Low Power Mode caps it at 30. The game turns Low Power Mode on by default unless the device reports more than about 6 GB of memory, so an emulator instance with 4 GB of RAM starts at 30 FPS. Turn it off in Settings to get 60 FPS. The game never goes above 60, so setting an emulator's frame rate higher than 60 gains nothing.
Memory settings
The Memory section of Settings holds Low Battle FX, which the game switches on by itself when the frame rate drops too low, plus options to hide Oak Inn heroes and to skip auto battles when memory runs short. On a PC with spare power, turn Low Battle FX back off if the game enabled it during a slow moment.
High Details
This downloads higher-resolution art. It's an extra download and future updates get bigger, but a PC monitor shows the difference far more than a phone does.
Multi-instance for the test server
The test server has its own app, separate from the live one. In an emulator, create a second instance, install the test client there, and you can run the live game and the test realm side by side. Give each instance enough memory for its own copy of the game, and turn Low Power Mode off in both.