The best io games offer all sorts of amazing experiences for free, whether you’re looking for a match to play in your school’s computer lab or a simple online title that you can dive into with people all over the world. These easy to pick up, hard to master online titles offer a massive variety of moreish fun.
Once you’ve spent some time exploring these fun io games, be sure to check out our list of the best browser games or the best Google Doodle games for some more browser-based fun.
Here are the best io games in 2024:
Monkey Mart
As you may guess from the name, Monkey Mart is a game where you take control of a monkey who runs a supermarket. You start off small, just opening a little banana stand and a cash register, but as the customers start coming your cash starts flowing, and before you know it you’ve got a full-blown superstore on your paws.
While there’s a lot to manage as you get further into the game – from cows and chickens to a popcorn stand – you can hire and upgrade plenty of staff to help you, grab power-ups by watching ads, and, best of all, there are no timers or consequences. To be honest, once you’ve got the staff, you can even sit back and let them do most of the work for you, as long as you remember to collect the cash! So, if you fancy a great business sim game without all the stress, Monkey Mart may be just the ticket.
You can play Monkey Mart in-browser, or you can download the mobile version on Google Play. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there’s an Apple version at the moment, but the browser version should work on your iPhone anyway.
Starve.io
If you’re a fan of multiplayer survival games like Don’t Starve Together, you should give Starve.io a try. This adorable, 2D top-down io game challenges you to survive the cold and hunger by crafting items, collecting resources, growing crops, and more.
You play as a sweet little white block that looks kind of like a hunk of tofu and find yourself in a world full of cute but deadly critters and other tofu-block pals. Will you attack other players and steal their loot, or will you befriend them and work together to fight off the wilderness? The choice is yours.
You can play Starve.io in-browser or download the mobile app from Google Play or the App Store.
Cookie Clicker
There are cookies. You click them. That’s all you really need to know about this game, and for some reason we just can’t stop! The more cookies you click, the more achievements, flavors, and upgrades you unlock – from extra cursors to help you click faster, to a sweet little grandma hanging out on the sidebar.
What makes clicking on a cookie repeatedly so appealing? Who knows. But what we do know is that the PT team has collectively clicked enough cookies to make a whole bakery.
Play Cookie Clicker for free in-browser or on Google Play. There’s also an alternative version on the App Store for all you Apple users.
Slither.io
Have you ever wanted to play snake in multiplayer? Well now you can, with some extra bells and whistles, too. Slither.io is a strangely hypnotic game where you control a worm-like creature on a large hexagonal grid.
Your aim is to slither around collecting as many glowing pellets as possible, and to avoid colliding with other players. You start off pretty small, but as you collect more pellets and grow, it can get pretty tricky to navigate around everyone – especially if other players decide to trap you in their coils.
You can play Slither.io for free in-browser, on the App Store, or on Google Play. And, if you do decide to download the app, be sure to grab some goodies with our Slither.io codes.
Friday Night Funkin’
It’s time to get funky on a Friday night, as we prepare for a round of Friday Night Funkin’. We’ve all heard of this game – it reached meteoric success soon after its release and has been covered by some of the biggest content creators in the world. But did you know that you can play it for free to your heart’s content?
Friday Night Funkin’ is a stylized 2D rhythm game that sees you take control of a little blue-haired dude fighting for his girlfriend. Choose your preferred difficulty setting in either story mode or free play, then enter multiple rhythm battles against a host of colorful characters – from girlfriend’s dad to the terrifying lemon-headed monster and more. You gotta land those directional inputs perfectly, otherwise, it’s game over, and who knows what’s gonna happen to sweet girlfriend?
You can play Friday Night Funkin’ in-browser as well as its many spin-offs, mods, and fan games like Friday Night Funkin V.S. Whitty. There are even some crazy crossovers like Super Friday Night Squid Challenge and Super FNF At Freddy’s 2 – yes, you get to have a sing-off with FNAF Freddy. Unfortunately, there isn’t an official Friday Night Funkin’ mobile app, but there are browser versions optimized for mobile. For example, we use KBHgames Friday Night Funkin’ mobile, which allows us to play with touchscreen controls in both portrait and landscape mode.
FlappyRoyale.io
FlappyRoyale.io is pretty much exactly what you expect it to be – an io game that takes heavy inspiration from the iconic Flappy Bird, but with a battle royale twist. Choose from a selection of adorable, pixel-art characters including birds, bananas, broomsticks, and more, then dive into a multiplayer royale match.
From there, you simply tap to drop out of the Fortnite-esque flying bus, then tap your screen to flap, dodging the pipes as you go. Your goal is to get further than the other players and attempt to reach the end. As you play, you also earn eggs, which contain different characters for you to play as.
There’s also a daily trial mode which features a new course every day, challenging you to get as far as you can in five attempts order to earn a spot on the leaderboard. Overall, it’s a really simple and fun little experience that puts a great twist on a classic game, and we just can’t get enough.
You can play a FlappyRoyale.io demo in-browser, or download the full game on iOS. Unfortunately, it looks like the Android version isn’t available right now, but we’ll add a link if we ever find it!
Snake.io
Now, Snake.io and Slither.io are nearly identical, I’ll give you that – but if you’re looking for more snake-like action, then you can’t go wrong with this one. Once again, Snake.io sees you take control of a little cartoon snake, then all you have to do is move around the board at your own pace, weaving in and out of other players’ paths, collecting those yummy rainbow pellets, and becoming as big as you can.
You can also complete missions such as playing a certain number of games or hitting a certain score in order to unlock adorable skins (with the cutest names), such as the pandaconda, the cowbra, or the adderpup. It’s a chill experience, and one that we’ve spent way too much time playing.
You slither on down to play Snake io in-browser, or get the mobile version on Google Play or the App Store.
Paper.io
Paper.io is a ‘conquest’ game where you draw your way to victory by leading a color around a large piece of paper. When you reconnect with your patch of color, you fill that shape in – but if another player crosses you in your path, you start over from the beginning. Your aim is to fill as much of the paper with your color as possible, even if it means cutting into other players’ shapes.
Like all the best io games, the concept of Paper.io is simple and easy to grasp, but pretty darn hard to master. But, when you start to see your color taking over, and even steal some space from other players, it really does feel very satisfying.
You can play Paper.io 2 and its multiple gameplay modes in-browser. There’s also a different version of Paper.io and Paper.io 2 on the App store, as well as Google Play’s version of Paper.io and Paper.io 2.
Shell Shockers
Shell Shockers is a lighthearted, PvP FPS game where you take control of a gun-wielding egg with the sole mission of scrambling your opponents. You start by choosing between a selection of different weapons, then jump right into the action, where you join either the red team or the blue team. Navigate the map, collect ammo and power-ups, and turn the enemy team into one big omelet – just be careful out there, this is some really whisky business.
You can play the original Shell Shockers in-browser, or head to the App Store or Google Play to download mobile versions of the ult-omelet egg-based shooter.
Happy Wheels
You may have had a Happy Meal before, but have you ever played Happy Wheels? This unique, side-scrolling, physics-based, obstacle course game sees you take the role of an irresponsible and inadequately prepared racer as you navigate a hazard-ridden world full of spikes, bombs, boost pads, swinging pendulums, and more.
Happy Wheels allows you to play as a selection of different characters – including Pogo Stick Guy, Irresponsible Dad, Wheelchair Guy, and more – as you zip around impossible maps, propelling yourself over crazy traps and losing limbs in the process. If you’re very lucky, you might make it to the finish line of each level, though it’s unlikely you’ll get there in one piece (in fact, we’ve made it to the end as nothing more than a severed head on occasion).
You can play Happy Wheels in-browser or check out our Happy Wheels download guide to find out how to get it on Android, iPhone, and PC. We’ve also got a guide on how to play Happy Wheels unblocked.
Diep.io
Diep.io is a very simple yet addictive top-down web game in which you take control of a little tank on a big, gray battlefield, populated by heaps of shapes and loads of other players. Your main mission? Move, shoot, and survive.
Take down other players and destroy blocks to earn XP and level up, while also avoiding enemy fire and dodging any obstacles. As you level up, you can boost your stats to change the way your tank plays, and even upgrade your tank to a new class in order to unlock different weapons.
The original Diep.io is available in-browser, but you can also get the fully-optimized mobile version on Google Play or the App Store.
Hole.io
Hole.io is very similar to Donut County on Switch – you take control of a hole, and all you need to do is move around and let various objects fall into it. You can only consume objects that fit into the hole, so you have to start off small by sucking up things like bushes, poles, and pedestrians – then, as you get bigger, you can start dragging larger objects into the unknown.
Each playthrough should only take a couple of minutes, but the real art comes with finding the best route to get the highest score as you navigate the different maps, beat other players to munching up the biggest items, and avoid getting eaten yourself. It may take a little while to familiarize yourself with the game, but there’s something weirdly satisfying about pulling a city, farm, or candy world into a giant void, and you’ll surely get the system down in no time.
You can play Hole.io in-browser, or head over to Google Play or the App Store to download a mobile version.
Bloxd.io
Bloxd.io invites you into a multiplayer Minecraft-like world, offering some great, blocky action. With multiple gameplay modes including survival, peaceful, creative, evil tower, doodle cube, and even a murder mystery mode, there are plenty of exciting things to explore whether you like building, fighting, parkour, socializing, or just about anything else.
Bloxd.io originally started as a simpler parkour game called BloxdHop.io back in 2021, but quickly grew to a sprawling browser game full of strategy and creativity. And, best of all, you can play Bloxd.io on any browser (desktop, mobile, tablet, etc) without having to download anything. So, if you’re a fan of Minecraft or have always wanted to give it a try, this is a great place to start.
Krunker.io
The easiest way to describe Krunker.io is that it’s like a simplified version of CSGo with Minecraft-like visuals. It’s a blocky, PVP FPS where you find yourself dropped into a battlefield on one team, and your goal is to hunt down and shoot players on the other team.
While the concept and controls are simple, it’s by no means an easy game – in fact, the game even links you to a beginner’s guide to Kruker on the front page to help you get the hang of it. But, with a bit of practice, you’ll be mowing down your enemies in no time.
You can play Krunker.io in-browser or download a different mobile version on the App Store or Google Play.
Little Big Snake
Yet another snake game to stand alongside the likes of Slither.io and Snake.io, Little Big Snake sees you take control of a snake in a garden full of other player-controlled snakes. Slither around chowing down on rainbow snacks and bugs while dodging other snakes as you grow and aim to become the biggest little snake in town.
This one adds a little more challenge through its different consumables, including a variety of creepy crawlies for you to munch. Some of them you can snack on right away, but there are also some bigger bugs that you can only consume when you grow to a certain size. There’s also a selection of skins for you to collect, from a ram-like snake to Cthulu, as well as some rewards you earn by hitting certain milestones, and regalia and arena skins you can unlock by purchasing the VIP pass.
You can play Little Big Snake in-browser by heading to the official website, or download the mobile version on Google Play or the App Store.
Surviv.io
Surviv.io is a 2D, top-down, retro-style battle royale game that packs all the action into intense three- to five-minute rounds. No lobbies, no lengthy drop sequences, just all action, all the time. Surviv.io allows you to play in solo mode, duo, or four-person squads, as you explore randomly generated maps, collect heaps of loot, and take down your enemies until you’re the last one standing. It even supports cross-platform play between PC, desktop, and mobile, so you can play with all your friends, regardless of their device.
Unfortunately, Surviv.io shut down in 2023, and the website now redirects you to Kongreagate’s new (and completely different) game, Bit Heroes Arena. Luckily, a new open-source, 2D battle royal game called Suroi.io appears to be carrying the torch. It’s currently in beta at the moment, but it’s heavily inspired by Surviv.io and, from what we’ve played, it definitely scratches that nostalgic itch. So don’t worry – it looks like Surviv.io lives on through its spiritual successor, and you can still get your browser-based battle royale fix.
Aside from that, you can still play Surviv.io by downloading it from Google Play or the App Store. It’s also available on Steam, though the Steam version sits on mostly negative reviews, so it may be best to stick to the mobile version for now.
Drive Mad
Drive Mad is a physics-based driving game that really lives up to its name – you try to drive, and it drives you mad. The goal is simple, you must drive your vehicle along the racetrack and get to the end in one piece. However, each level features a variety of different obstacles including bridges, ramps, and more. Oh, and your vehicle appears to be the flimsiest, most weightless thing in the world.
Essentially, you end up desperately wrestling with your vehicle, trying to regain balance as it attempts to flip over and fall apart every time it goes over the smallest bump or ridge. But honestly, that’s the beauty of it – and as much as it can be frustrating, there’s something very funny about watching a big ol’ truck trip over a tiny rock, flip upside down, and lose its wheels in one smooth motion, and it’s very satisfying when you finally make it to the end.
You can play Drive Mad in-browser on sites like iogames.onl, slopegame.io, and poki.com. Alternatively, you can download the Android version from Google Play.
Skribbl.io
Similar to Pictionary, Skribbl.io is an online drawing and guessing game. You enter a room with a group of other people, and one player gets to choose a word that no one else can see. That player must then draw a picture that represents the word, and everyone else in the room has to guess what it is. Everyone who guesses it right gets awarded points, but the first person to guess gets to choose and draw the next word. After three rounds, whoever has the highest score wins.
It’s a super simple concept, but with the short timer, questionable drawing skills, and the tricky task of being put on the spot to doodle something in what essentially feels like MS Paint, it can be a real laugh trying to work out what each picture is – especially if you create a private room and play with friends!
You can play Skribbl.io in-browser or download the Android version from Google Play – both support cross-play with each other, too.
Build Royale
If Suroi.io doesn’t satisfy your 2D battle royale cravings, or you’re simply looking for more battle royale experiences to explore, then Build Royale may be the game for you. This multiplayer io game sees you dive into short and intense battles where you must collect loot, build protective walls to defend yourself, and take down your enemies until you’re the last one left in this vivid, top-down world.
Basically, it’s like Fortnite if Fortnite wasn’t Fortnite but was actually a top-down 2D io game. You know, building stuff, grabbing weapons, running around frantically as you try to avoid being shot by someone on the other side of the planet – all that fun stuff.
You can play Build Royale.io in-browser, or head over to Google Play to download the Android app.
Starblast.io
Starblast.io is a retro-style 2D shooter io game set in space, where you initially take control of a small, basic spaceship floating among the stars. Your mission is to gather gems in order to increase your ship’s stats. Once you’ve maxed out all your stats, you can then evolve your model into a different type of spaceship with different stats and weapons.
You can play the game in two different ways. Firstly, you can go for a more passive playstyle, which revolves around you dodging other players and farming gem rocks until you’re strong enough to defend yourself. Alternatively, you can go for a more aggressive playstyle, hunting down other players and shooting down their ships in order to level up faster – just be careful not to take on a fight with a ship much stronger than you! Starblast.io also offers plenty of room for social play, either by making friends in-game, or bringing your own friends in to play alongside you. There’s strength in numbers, after all.
If you’re ready to take to the skies, you can play Starblast.io in-browser through io hosting sites like crazygames.com, iogames.space, or silvergames.com. Or, you can download the mobile version on the App Store or Google Play.
Deeeep.io
Deeeep.io (also known as Deep.io) is a deep sea 2D adventure where you play a marine creature attempting to survive in the ruthless ecosystem that is the ocean. Choose from a selection of different fish, then drop into the area of the ocean closest to your fish’s natural environment. From there, your main goal is to swim around eating as much food as you can – but the ocean is a dangerous place, full of heaps of predators that see you as their next meal.
Duck and dive in and out of hiding places, dodging the hungry critters that want to munch you up, and avoid straying too far from your natural habitat in order to survive. As you explore the depths and munch more foods, you get the chance to evolve into other creatures – from a lowly worm to a cute penguin and all the way up to a great white shark.
Deeeep.io is available in-browser and on Android through Google Play.
Digdig.io
Digdig.io is an io game where your sole mission is to dig and destroy your foes. You control a happy little digger wheel that starts off small, but as you continue to tear through the dirt and expand your territory, you continue to grow.
Keep an eye on your health and armor as you make your way deep underground, searching for different resources to add to your armor strength and make you grow faster. Just watch out for lava and other players – you don’t want to start a fight until you’re strong enough. When you’ve grown enough, you can even start taking on other players for more points yourself.
This one also features multiple gameplay modes to keep things fresh, whether you’re looking for a match where it’s every digger for themselves, a battle royal game, or even a lighthearted round of hide and seek.
You can play Digdig.io in-browser on your PC, phone, or tablet. Unfortunately, there’s no official mobile app, but there is a game called Dig.io 3D on Google Play and the App Store which is clearly heavily based on the original DigDig.io if you’re looking for something similar.
Cubes 2048
Cubes2048.io is like Slither.io but with a mathematical edge. You start off as a little number 2 cube (unless you watch an ad to start off bigger), and you must guide your little cube-y self around, collecting other cubes of an equal or smaller number. When you have two cubes of the same number on your trail, they combine to make one cube of the two numbers totalled – so, if you’ve got two number eight cubes on your tail, they combine to make a number sixteen cube.
Of course, we’ve gotta add a little problem into the equation, haven’t we? Well, there are other players controlling cubes around the map, too. If their front cube is bigger than yours and they catch up to you, they can eat you and add you onto their total. Of course, this goes both ways, so you can also suck up other players with smaller numbers, or simply collect the smaller cubes attached to their tails.
It’s a simple yet effective little game, and it definitely had me revising my times tables in my head. So, if you wanna be like Big Shaq and do some quick maths in game-format, you can play Cubes 2048 in-browser on sites like crazygames.com, silvergames.com, or slopegame.com.
Snowball.io
If you’re feelin’ festive all year ‘round, then slip on your snowshoes and step into Snowball.io. This jolly io game gem takes the form of a multiplayer arena game where you plow around the map rolling up snowballs. Your aim is to knock other players out of the arena by scooting your snowballs at them and bouncing them over the edge. The last player left in the arena wins.
There are a variety of arenas of all shapes and sizes to get accustomed to, as well as a ranking system and free skins that you can unlock by completing achievements. I mean, who doesn’t want to slip around in the snow as a colorful snowmobile, a sled of tiny baby penguins, or an adorably chonky seal?
You can play Snowball.io in-browser or download the mobile version from the App Store or Google Play.
FlyOrDie.io
EvoWorld.io (previously known as FlyOrDie.io) is a 2D side-scrolling io game where you start life as a lowly fly, then evolve into other flying animals by munching the right food. That’s right – you start off eating poop, then you turn into a butterfly and have to eat flowers, and so on and so forth. Of course, you’re not alone though, and the food chain is pretty darn brutal.
Flap around making sure you have enough water and oxygen to stay alive, hunt down the food that your current animal eats, and avoid becoming a snack for other, more-evolved players in a bid to survive and get to the top of the food chain. It’s a colorful and stylized game that makes a kind of morbid yet educational topic fun and palatable, allowing you to learn about the birds and the bees (not in that way, I mean literal birds and bees) without having to hit the books.
You can play EvoWorld.io (FlyOrDie.io) in-browser. Alternatively, you can download it from Google Play.
What are io games?
In the simplest terms, io games are real-time online multiplayer games that you can play in-browser. This means that they run entirely online, and you don’t have to install them to jump into the action. They’re usually free-to-play, revolve around short rounds or quick gameplay loops, and allow you to dive in with other players from all over the world through multiplayer.
Generally, io games are quite simplistic in their graphics and mechanics, making it accessible for anyone to pick them up and play. Their simplicity doesn’t make them easy, though – one of the core reasons why io games are so addictive is because they’re easy to pick up but hard to master, pushing you to keep saying ‘just one more round!’
While io games are traditionally online games that you can play on any device with a browser (mobile, PC, tablet, etc), many of the big titles have found great success as mobile apps, too. Of course, downloading an app does eliminate the ‘no installation’ benefit of playing in-browser (and you can’t download games on school computers, which is one of the main reasons why in-browser io games are so popular), but apps also make it easier to save progress and play regardless of your browser’s connection. As such, there are benefits to both – so it’s up to you which you prefer.
Where can I play io games online?
There are lots of places where you can play io games online for free. Above, we’ve mostly linked the official websites for each of the io games, but there are plenty of sites that collect different io games all in one place. Some popular examples are iogames.onl, crazygames.com, iogames.space, and poki.com – but there are heaps of other sites out there. You can also download mobile versions of a lot of the best io games from Google Play or the App Store.
Where to play io games unblocked
Got a bit of free time in the computer room at school? Unfortunately, a lot of public computers in schools or libraries block io games and sites that host them. However, some sites let you play io games unblocked. Here are a few sites we’ve found that should allow you to play io games unblocked, so you can unwind with a fun game on any computer or smart device with a browser.
That’s all we’ve got on the best io games. If you want more fun on the go, check out our lists of Roblox game codes, Coin Master free spins, Genshin Impact codes, and Honkai Star Rail codes.