What Are IO Games? Defining the Genre

We all occasionally get carried away by these short and dynamic sessions. But not everyone knows what makes them stand out from other titles. What are IO games? Let’s find this out.

The Origin of IO

Agar.io is the parent of the genre created by Matheus Valadares in 2015. There were similar adventures. But none of them became such a viral phenomenon as Matheus’ creation. Most developers started to add IO to their digital toys. It stands for the domain name of the Indian Ocean. And now it’s a mature genre with millions of users from all over the world. Let’s have a look at what defines it.

What Are IO Games: Characteristics

• A free multiplayer arena filled with real people
• An online component. Real-time action is available without downloading and installation
• Simple graphics that allow users to join even from low-end devices. Only 2 things are necessary: an Internet connection and a browser
• Hooking and intuitive mechanics. No instruction is usually required to get the hang of the gameplay
• Registration is not obligatory. Some cool titles offer to sign in to get access to special benefits. Such as daily rewards, skins, etc.

Additional Features

Most of them share a highly competitive atmosphere. It’s usually vital to munch weaker opponents to boost your own development. The arena is limited and shrinks over the time to push participants to the center. Where it’ll be impossible to hide and avoid combat.

Most adventures use the HTML5 technology that allows them to run through any modern browser.

What Is Not IO

• Single-player digital toys with bots imitating other users
• Titles that do have a multiplayer component but need installation

A virtual toy must have all the mentioned above features to be called IO.

Ready to Start?

What are IO games? They’re fun in the first place. Now you know what they have to offer to provide top-notch entertainment. If you feel like trying one of those, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxdkiV7AWSM. It’ll show you the best options to play. We also recommend checking out the best free online FNAF games here.