Editing Browser game (section)

=== .io games (2015–present) ===
{{Redirect|Io game|the 2006 visual novel|I/O (video game){{!}}''I/O'' (video game)}}

''[[Agar.io]]'' was announced on [[4chan]] on 27 April, 2015 by Matheus Valadares,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-19 |title=The story of Agar.io |url=https://gamehag.com/news/the-story-of-agario |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=gamehag.com |language=en}}</ref> a then 19-year-old Brazilian developer. In the game, players control one or more circular cells in a large map with many players, representing a [[Petri dish]]. The goal is to gain as much mass as possible by eating cells and player cells smaller than the player's cell while avoiding larger ones which can eat the player's cells. The game went viral on the free online games site [[Miniclip]], and began a wave of new .io titles from around 2016- a new genre of large scale, arena based browser games, identifiable by their hosting at the [[.io|.io domain]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Castello |first=Jay |date=2018-02-22 |title=The rise and rise of .io games |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-io-games |access-date=2025-05-06 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2018-11-14 |title=A brief history of "IO" games |url=https://www.pacogames.com/blog/brief-history-of-io-games |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=PacoGames |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Burgess |first=Matt |title=How addictive simplicity made Agar.io a global hit |url=https://www.wired.com/story/agario-miniclip-game-viral-success-pewdiepie-youtube/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Lindsey |first=Cameron |date=March 2019 |title=Agar.io: The Game's in the Name |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1555412018821483?journalCode=gaca |url-status=live |journal=[[Games and Culture]] |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=154–169 |doi=10.1177/1555412018821483 |s2cid=150281404 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505130241/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1555412018821483?journalCode=gaca |archive-date=5 May 2023 |access-date=5 May 2023}}</ref> ''[[Slither.io]]'' was the second .io game to be released, which is a free for all multiplayer game that is in the [[Snake (video game genre)|Snake]] genre. The basic premise of the game has 50 players compete to eat colored orbs and grow as large as possible, while destroying other player's snakes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Mark |date=2023-01-06 |title=Tiny Fishing |url=https://thetinyfishing.com |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=is an example of a casual browser game |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Switzer |first=Eric |date=2019-07-09 |title=Where Slither.io Came From And Why It's So Popular |url=https://www.thegamer.com/slitherio-history-success-guide-strategy/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> The game was created in 2016 by Steven Howse, a self-taught independent developer who was inspired to make it after playing ''Agar.io.'' The game quickly rose to be the top game on many platforms.<ref>{{cite web |title=Slither.io Traffic, Demographics and Competitors |url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/slither.io |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521135224/http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/slither.io |archive-date=May 21, 2017 |access-date=March 14, 2017}}</ref> Starting in around 2016, soon after the popularity spikes of ''Agar.io'' and ''Slither.io'', more games in the .io games genre began to be released.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hadley |first=Jupiter |date=2024-09-17 |title=Top 23 best .io games for iPhone and iPad (iOS) |url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/ios/best-io-games-iphone/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226044834/https://www.pocketgamer.com/ios/best-io-games-iphone/ |archive-date=26 February 2024 |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=www.pocketgamer.com |language=en}}</ref> Many of these games were simple [[Video game clone|clones]] of popular games, usually released in a top down-format.<ref name=":1" /> Some notable games released in this period include ''[[Diep.io]]'' (another game by Matheus Valadares),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hodapp |first=Eli |date=2016-07-21 |title=‘Diep.io’ Hits the App Store From the Creator of ‘Agar.io’ – TouchArcade |url=https://toucharcade.com/2016/07/21/diep-io-hits-the-app-store-by-the-creator-of-agar-io/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[ZombsRoyale.io]]'',<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Madnani |first=Mikhail |date=May 11, 2018 |title='ZombsRoyale.io' Is a 2D Top Down Battle Royale That Blends 'PUBG' and 'Fortnite, Available Now on iOS |url=https://toucharcade.com/2018/05/11/zombsroyaleio-fortnite-pubg-free-iphone-battle-royale/ |access-date=April 23, 2019 |website=[[TouchArcade]] |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[Krunker.io]]'', ''[[Wings.io]]'', ''[[Mope.io]]'', ''[[Surviv.io]]'', ''[[Shellshock.io]],''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=George |date=2021-08-20 |title=Shell Shockers passes 35 million game plays on CrazyGames’ web portals |url=https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2021/08/20/98169/shell-shockers-passes-35-million-game-plays-on-crazygames-web-portals/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=European Gaming Industry News |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[EvoWorld.io]]'', ''[[Hole.io]]'', and ''[[Snake.io]]''. These games all remain popular and are some of the most played games in the .io games genre. 

.io games became very popular during the peak of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] from 2020 to 2021, because of their accessibility on the web. Most games, not just .io games, however, also experienced growth during this time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Gang {{!}} The Gaming Industry After Covid-19 |url=https://www.thegang.io/news/the-gaming-industry-after-covid-19 |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=www.thegang.io}}</ref>