How to play Call of Duty: Mobile on PC

Call of Duty Mobile may have been quickly overshadowed by Call of Duty: Warzone, but there's still a place in the world for this portable entry in Activision's long-running (and bestselling) shooter series. But when we're all staying at home due to global reasons beyond our control, we don't need to restrict ourselves to the small screen. Call of Duty Mobile, being a Tencent project, works flawlessly with the gaming giant's Android emulator, giving us a quick and easy way to play the technological feat on a machine with a bigger screen and superior controls.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • Internet connection

The emulator in question is called Gameloop. It was initially marketed as a way for PUBG Mobile players to get involved from their desktop PCs but has since become a hub to play a bunch of very popular mobile games — Call of Duty Mobile being one of them. It's completely free, legal, and won't get your account unceremoniously banned. Better yet, it can be configured to add controller support if you'd rather play on the biggest screen in the house. Here's how to play Call of Duty Mobile on PC.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Using the Gameloop emulator

Known as "Tencent Game Buddy" up until recently, Gameloop is the new name for this handy piece of software.

Step 1: A quick download and installation are all it takes to get in on the action. Keep in mind, you can play other PC games using Gameloop, like PUBG Mobile, Arena of Valor, or Mobile Legends.

Step 2: Now, one thing to keep in mind is why Tencent allows people to play its touchscreen-focused games with a distinct hardware advantage. Call of Duty Mobile detects who’s using which control scheme. Players are matched only with those playing the same way, eliminating the risk of having hardcore PC players stomp those sliding their thumbs around a 6-inch display.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to play Call of Duty Mobile on PC

All you need to do to play Call of Duty Mobile on PC is follow the steps below:

Step 1: Download Tencent’s “Gameloop” Android emulator here.

Step 2: Install Gameloop from the downloaded file.

Step 3: Click into the Game Center tab.

Step 4: Click the Call of Duty: Mobile banner or image under Recommended (you can also find Call of Duty: Mobile by using the search option in the top right).

Step 5: Hit Download.

At that point, the download and installation should begin automatically. It might even auto-launch, too, so adjust your speaker settings if you don’t want the whole office finding out why you've knocked off work 3 hours early. Your Call of Duty: Mobile PC experience should kick off from there, but there are a few things you can do to cater the whole thing to the machine you’re playing on.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to adjust settings through Gameloop

When you dive in, it's likely you'll need to tinker with many of the settings, so we'll show you what you need to know about changing them.

Step 1: Within the Gameloop software, you can tap the three horizontal line icon in the top right to find some essential settings like screen resolution, screen capture location, and even which rendering method to use.

Step 2: The settings under Engine tend to relate to the Gameloop window and the physical size of game windows. To change the active resolution of Call of Duty: Mobile, you’ll need to go into the Game tab beneath and tweak things from there.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: With a competitive game like Call of Duty: Mobile, we’d recommend lowering the settings as much as your eyes can handle for the smoothest experience. If you’d rather witness just how clean and crisp a mobile game can look these days, feel free to crank things as high as you think your PC can take them. Just don’t go expecting miracles — it’s still at the mercy of Android optimization. You'll probably want to change a few settings within the game itself, too.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to play Call of Duty: Mobile with a controller on PC

There are various gamepads to pick from when you want to play Call of Duty: Mobile on your PC. You can use the Xbox controller or the DualSense. And you can do this in a couple of different ways by using a controller or connecting to Bluetooth.

Step 1: Ensure that you have access to the appropriate technology if you want to use Bluetooth.

Step 2: After you connect your controller, click Key Mapping using Gameloop (you'll see this on the right side of your screen). You must select Gamepad instead of Keyboard. Lastly, check that you have selected the proper method for you. This could be either Multiplayer, Battle Royale, OB, or Bar

Step 3: A critical step is to also double-check the secondary keys beneath the method options. Make sure you choose both Direction (left joystick) and Camera (right joystick).

Step 4: After you've gone through this step, you can start using your mouse to map buttons. From here, right-click on your screen. A blank selection will pop up. Once this happens, you're free to use any controller button to map it to the game.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: Continue mapping until you've configured every single control input. Even though it's not necessary to map all buttons, it's essential to make sure that you've successfully mapped all aiming, shooting, reloading, and jump buttons — all the essentials.

Step 6: After you're finished, be sure to hit Save in the bottom right corner. Then, we suggest loading a game so you can test out the latency.

Editors' Recommendations

Josh Brown is a UK-based freelancer with devoted interests in video games, tech, film, and anime/manga. Just don't talk to…
This satisfying $7 mobile puzzle game is money well spent

If you're looking for a new mobile game that'll keep your hands busy and you have $7 to spare, Boxes: Lost Fragments is money well spent.

Developed by Big Loop Studios, Boxes: Lost Fragments is a moody puzzle game where players are tasked with opening 20 intricately designed, themed puzzle boxes, all while unearthing a creepy gothic narrative. If that sounds a lot like The Room series, it is. You can either read Boxes as a total ripoff or a respectful homage, but one thing is certain in either case: It's extremely satisfying.

Read more
Xbox, PlayStation, and PC: Is Elden Ring cross-platform?

When it launched in 2022, Elden Ring was an immediate hit. The challenging game took everything great from previous FromSoftware titles and merged it with a sweeping open world to explore -- letting players venture in any direction just a few minutes after starting the game. That also made it incredibly daunting. Not only did you have to contend with nightmarish monsters and rage-inducing combat, but you had to figure out how to best reach your next destination without stumbling upon enemies that were twice your skill level.

Thankfully, Elden Ring makes use of a (cryptic) multiplayer system, allowing you to explore the Lands Between with a buddy by your side. You can also read and leave messages for other players, giving them tips and tricks to guide their journey. But is Elden Ring cross-platform, or are you stuck playing with folks on the same platform as you?

Read more
Is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cross-platform?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the latest addition to the award-winning franchise that most of us have been playing for well over a decade. Beyond the enhanced graphics, refined mechanics, and new gameplay features, one of the biggest draws to the COD world has always been online multiplayer. Not only does multiplayer return for MW3, but there’s more to love about the competitive space than ever before. 

But not everyone owns the same version of Call of Duty. Some of us are playing on our next-gen consoles, while others are rocking gaming PCs. So what does this mean when it comes time to join others online? Does MW3 support cross-platform gameplay? The answer is a bit more complex, but here’s all the facts.
Does Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 have cross-platform support?

Read more