Fortnite might still be the reigning champion of battle royale games, but in the mobile space, PUBG Mobile is a force to be reckoned with. And thanks to Tencent Gaming Buddy (AKA Gameloop), the official PUBG Mobile emulator, players can continue the battle on PC.
This might seem confusing since PUBG Mobile is essentially a mobile version of the original PC game in the first place. However, there are a number of differences between PUBG and PUBG Mobile that make the two games unique. Now that the PC version of PUBG is free-to-play, there are fewer differences, but the mobile version still sports a much higher player base and arguably a better experience.
Plus, it’s much easier to run on weaker PCs. The catch is that you have to put up with certain limitations due to touchscreen controls. But with the Android emulator Gameloop (formerly called Tencent Gaming Buddy) you can get the best of both worlds.
If you’re one of the 700+ million PUBG Mobile players around the world and happen to be looking for the best PUBG Mobile emulator out there, look no further. Gameloop is the best way to play PUBG Mobile on PC.
Editor’s note: Tencent Gaming Buddy has been rebranded as Gameloop since this article was first published, but we’ve left references to the original name in the text below.
What is Tencent Gaming Buddy (AKA Gameloop)?
Tencent Gaming Buddy (also known as Tencent Gaming Assistant or Gameloop) is an Android emulator developed by Tencent. It’s designed to play some of the best mobile games around, including PUBG Mobile, Pokemon Unite, Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile, Mobile Legends, Auto Chess, and more. It’s also capable of playing some PC and web games, as well.
It also has native integration with Nimo TV, which is a game streaming platform created as a partnership between Tencent and Huya. Huya is one of the largest video game streaming platforms in China, behind Douya, which is also partially owned by Tencent.
How to install Gameloop (formerly Tencent Gaming Buddy)
Unlike a lot of PC Android emulators, Gameloop (formerly Tencent Gaming Buddy) was first and foremost designed to emulate PUBG Mobile. This means that not only is it optimized for the game, it’s also super easy to install.
All you need to do is visit the official Gameloop website and download the client. After installing the application, it will automatically begin to download the files you need to play PUBG Mobile on your PC.
That’s it. No account creation, no VPN, just download and play. Easy peasy.
It’s worth mentioning that you can install other popular games like Call of Duty Mobile or Genshin Impact. You can install more games via the games tab once you’ve installed the app. To take advantage of the friends feature, however, you will need to create an account.
Another great thing about Gameloop is that it’s easy to keep your PUBG Mobile version up to date. Typically after a new patch hits, it takes less than a day for the emulator to be updated as well. Once available, all you need to do is launch the app and it will prompt you to update.
Control customization options
Just like other mobile emulators, Gameloop lets you customize the control overlay for PUBG Mobile. These controls are also context-sensitive, so when you are driving or have your inventory open the control scheme shifts to adapt.
There's even the option to set up a boss key that quickly hides the window
There are a few other options as well, like holding or tapping your hotkey to toggle ADS. There’s even the ability to set up a boss key (to quickly hide the window) for those who like to live on the edge at work.
For those moments when you need to tap on a particular part of the screen, you can lock or unlock the mouse at the touch of a button (the default is the tilde key). You can also hide or display the hotkey mini overlay once you are fully accustomed to the controls.
Although the controls work well, there are a few situations where Gameloop doesn’t hold up to the original PC version of PUBG. The first of which is the scroll wheel, which sometimes reacts unpredictably.
The other is sensitivity, which defaults to lightning speed. It makes sense for a mobile game, but on PC it’s virtually impossible to aim. Fortunately, the emulator has an additional option to adjust mouse dpi, and the PUBG Mobile app itself has robust options to adjust the sensitivity.
For those of you who prefer using a controller, Gameloop has you covered. You can use a gamepad and customize the controls to provide a similar experience to PUBG for Xbox consoles.
Play PUBG on low-end PCs
Despite being released years ago, the PC version of PUBG is still plagued by optimization issues. This prevents players with older computers from playing the game.
Gameloop is much more accessible, meaning that you can play PUBG on low-end PCs. The minimum requirements to run the game are much lower than the original PUBG. This makes sense, given that PUBG Mobile also runs on budget phones. However, with the emulator, you won’t have to worry about third-degree burns on your palms.
With Gameloop (formerly Tencent Gaming Buddy) you don't have to worry about overheating your phone.
For those with more powerful machines, the resolution can be switched between 720p, 1080p, and 2K. Requirements to game at these resolutions are significantly lower than the PC version of PUBG, but we’d still recommend erring on the lower side if you value fps. Speaking of which, you can choose the target fps in the settings as well, from 30 to 90fps.
There are a few other options, like adjusting the brightness independently from your monitor and rotating the window to portrait mode. For PUBG Mobile, portrait mode isn’t very useful, but you can imagine uses for other games that you might want to play on Gameloop like strategy or management titles.
Does PUBG Mobile have cross-platform play?
One of the main draws of Fortnite is that it’s completely cross-platform. PC, console, and mobile players can all play together, with obvious limits to prevent mouse-and-keyboard players from stomping the competition.
Gameloop allows a similar kind of cross-platform play for PUBG Mobile. PUBG Mobile already allows cross-platform play between Android and iOS, but now PC players can get in on the action, too.
For players who prefer console games, Gameloop also features controller support
Like Fortnite, PUBG Mobile separates emulator players from mobile players to keep matchmaking fair. If an emulator player queues for squads or duos with a mobile player, they will be matched with other emulator players. Take that into account before inviting your friends on mobile.
Inviting friends is easy since your friends list is transferred to Gameloop/Tencent Gaming Buddy when you connect your account. No need to search for names manually!
How to log into PUBG Mobile on PC
Logging into PUBG Mobile in Gameloop is easy. All you need to do is link your mobile game with a Facebook or Twitter (X) account, then do the same on your computer. When you first connect an account, your avatar will change to your social profile picture (you can change it back if you’re overly self-conscious).
If you’re worried about password or account security, you can always create a dummy account. Be aware that X (formerly Twitter) accounts can be deleted after six months of inactivity, which may affect your PUBG Mobile account.
Your Royale Pass status and progress will be shared between PC and mobile
Other than the avatar, logging in has a number of immediate benefits. First of all, your level and unlocked cosmetics will transfer over. As mentioned above, your friends list and crew will transfer over, as well.
Most importantly, your Royale Pass status and progress will be loaded and saved in Tencent Gaming Buddy after connecting accounts. If you bit the bullet and paid for the Royale Pass, this is a must to grind out those tiers without running down your battery life.
Differences between PUBG Mobile and Gameloop (formerly Tencent Gaming Buddy)
Although they are essentially the same game, PUBG Mobile on Tencent Gaming Buddy/Gameloop differs slightly from the true mobile experience.
The biggest difference is the playerbase. Since PUBG auto-detects emulator players, you are going to be matched with other mouse-and-keyboard-using players. Most of these players are a step above casual, so expect a higher skill gap than in mobile matchmaking.
Although Tencent is trying to combat it, both versions suffer from hackers ruining games
Another unfortunate side effect is the prevalence of hackers. Tencent is doing its best to combat hacking, but there seems to be a higher number of hackers in the emulator than in the mobile version. Not that they aren’t plentiful in both versions at higher ranks.
Other than that, it’s mostly the same. You’ll still find screaming children and people speaking languages you don’t understand, but at least now you have the option to mute individual players.
There are also many bots and disconnected players in each game, possibly after needing to abandon ship with Tencent Gaming Buddy’s built-in boss key. This problem lessens as you move up in the ranks.
The best way to play PUBG Mobile on PC
If you’re looking for a way to play PUBG Mobile on your PC, Gameloop (formerly Tencent Gaming Buddy) is the way to go. There are several other Android emulators that allow you to play PUBG Mobile, but none of them offer the same great PUBG performance as the official emulator, Gameloop.
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