.io Games

IO Games are a genre of free realtime multiplayer online games that you can play in your browser without needing to install anything or create an account. The first io game was agar.io. IO is a domain extension which stands for "Indian Ocean" but it is a favored domain extension by game developers because it also stands for "in / out."

HISTORY OF IO GAMES

The io game genre all began with the release of an insanely addicting game called agar.io (which was probably inspired by another game called “Osmos”). Agario grew so fast that within months, it was already seeing several hundred thousand players worldwide. What made this io game so unique was it’s a very interesting style. Unlike most browser games of the past, it was designed to be played in a full-screen browser window and was entirely multiplayer. This set the framework for many of the other .io games that would hit the web in the months to come.

NEW IO GAMES, RULES FOR SUCCESS

Most fun and successful new io games like zombs.io, zombsroyale.io, slither.io, splix.io, and moomoo.io follow these general guidelines:Have the player be able to hop right into a game with one click.Keep it super simple to learn but difficult to master, like with the krunker io game.Allow the player to “scale” their authority in-game compared to other players. (Ex. in agar.io you grow a lot bigger and scarier the more you eat and scale your size.)And last but not least, they are either competitive or cooperative.Slitherio is a good example. It's a very simple game, with easy-to-use controls. There's no experience required to begin playing, meaning people can get the hang of it very quickly. Despite this, the game is difficult to master. The simple, clean graphics are also worth mentioning as a relevant characteristic of the genre.

WHY CREATE THE LIST OF TOP IO GAMES?

After I found the first few popular io games, I tried to find more. Sadly, without a list, they were really hard to find. I felt that they deserved more exposure, so I decided to create my own list. I put together all the titles I could find, and many helpful users shared new ones with me. From that point on, I was on a mission to push the io movement forward!On this site, you will find that the games in the list have a common style and theme similar to those mentioned above.

The goal of the list is to bring exposure to these awesome .io games that oftentimes go unnoticed. This is due to the fact that they are all standalone games which means that they are all hosted on separate sites. That’s what I'm here for! So, support the games and make sure you bookmark this site. (CTRL-D) I try to keep it updated with the best, new io games every day, so make sure to check back from time to time. Have fun!

What are .io Games?Io games are a series of real-time multiplayer games of which the name ends in the domain extension "io". The .io top-level domain (ccTLD) is originally the country code from the British Indian Ocean Territory, but was popularized for games by some of the initial hits in the .io games genre. The games are casual multiplayer games that involve real-time battles between players in an arena. Players earn points by killing other players. The top players are listed on the leaderboard. The most famous .IO games are Agar.io and Slither.io.Our .io gamesGet ready to battle players around the world in real-time with our complete list of the most popular .IO games! Show your skills by beating people's high scores and rise to the top of the leaderboards in games like Agar.io and Slither.io. These browser-based multiplayer games feature unique gameplay and endless real-time competition!History of .io gamesThe very first .io game was Agar.io. It was created in 2015 by Matheus Valadares, a Brazilian software developer, and released on the internet forum 4chan. It became an overnight sensation, amassing millions of players. The game features cells which grow by eating agar or other players, and which can be split. Agar.io was acquired by Miniclip a few months after its original release.Agar.io’s success inspired other developers to build similar browser-based real-time multiplayer games. Steven Howse, a developer from Michigan, USA, released Slither.io in March 2016. In that game, players return to the world of classic Snake in an improved, multiplayer-enabled version. Players run around the arena eating cool glowing orbs to grow their snakes. All it takes to die is one collision with another player (or yourself). The game reached its peak in July 2016, earning, in that period, an income of over $100,000 dollar per day (according to the Wall Street Journal).Diep.io was released in April 2016 by Matheus Valadares. The game features various tanks which can be leveled up by destroying other players. The game was received generally positively (albeit not as positively as Agar.io) and proceeded to be a hit.These 3 games inspired new developers to create many more .io games, e.g. Bonk.io, Wormax.io, Wormate.io, Zombs.io, Paper.io 2, Brutes.io, Spinz.io, and so forth. They became too much to remember, which is why we collected them here on CrazyGames!Properties of .io games.IO games come in all shapes and colors, but they do have some shared properties:Players grow by eating or otherwise killing other players.The game takes place in an arena.Most games use HTML5 technology to run in any modern browser.The games are fiercely competitive and feature real-time multiplayer gameplay.Fortnite-inspired .io gamesThe Fortnite / PUBG inspired io games are also a lot of fun. In this genre, our 2 most popular games are Surviv.io and the amazing Zombs Royale. Fight until you're the last player surviving in an ever-shrinking arena! Whether you're a fan of strategy, retro, shooters or platform games, you'll have plenty to choose from. So go back to a simpler time and take the fight to others while you're at it!Other notable .io gamesIt’s impossible to discuss all our .io games (that’s why we have the handy list), but here are some notable games.Krunker.io is a first-person shooter .io game initially released in May 2018. It has 3D graphics and pixel graphics similar to those in Minecraft.Shell Shockers is another first-person shooter .io game, but this time you take control of an egg. The game is developed by Egg and Dairy Ministry of Belarus. Your goal is to kill other players (which are also eggs!) using a variety of weapons.Bonk.io is a Flash .io game developed by Chaz which takes place in hundreds of different maps that can be customized by players.Little Big Snake takes the snake-based gameplay championed by Slither to another level. It is made by Russian-based Neodinamika and features “lovable, bug eating, snake-eating cuddly little BIG snakes”.Get ready to control a black hole in Hole.io, a recent addition to the .io games category that is a lot of fun. Absorb anything that comes close to you, including other players. Time is limited, so be quick!Conquer territory in Paper.io 2 by circling areas. Play with friends, or with people from around the world in this real-time multiplayer game!We collected 603 of the best free online .io games. These games include browser games for both your computer and mobile devices, as well as driving games apps for your Android and iOS phones and tablets. Here we show you games 1-70, including Shell Shockers, Worms.Zone, DuckPark.io, and many other free games.
Our IO games thrust you into extremely engaging, competitive multiplayer action. We have all of the most exciting eat-or-be-eaten challenges, including Agar.io and Slither.io. Customize your creature before battle, and prepare to overtake the entire world! Every multiplayer title in our collection teaches you to play within seconds. React fast to thwart everyone around you and become the top scorer.Our growing assortment of IO games feature streamlined controls that are very easy to grasp. You can guide a slithering snake, move a massive orb, and fly a military jet with just one finger! The pulse-pounding action never stops until you die. Then, it's time to jump right back into the game! Never stop dominating the battlefield, and you can top the leaderboard!