''Surviv.io'' was a

browser-based A web application (or web app) is application software that is created with web technologies and runs via a web browser. Web applications emerged during the late 1990s and allowed for the server to dynamically build a response to the request, ...

multiplayer online A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

battle royale game A battle royale game is an online multiplayer video game genre that blends last-man-standing gameplay with the survival, exploration, and scavenging elements of a survival game. Battle royale games involve dozens to hundreds of players, who ...

created by Justin Kim and Nick Clark. It was released in October 2017 on its website for desktop browsers, and in October and November 2018 respectively for iOS and Android devices. Similar to other titles in the battle royale genre, players battled against other players on a large map from a

top-down perspective A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...

, scavenging for supplies and weapons. The game also supported two or four player team modes, and could be played on

mobile browser A mobile browser is a web browser designed for use on a mobile device such as a mobile phone, PDA, smartphone, or tablet. Mobile browsers are optimized to display web content most effectively on small screens on portable devices. Some mobile bro ...

s as well. In December 2019, ''Surviv.io'' was acquired by online gaming website

Kongregate Kongregate is an American web gaming portal and video game publisher. Its website features over 124,000 online games and 30+ mobile games available to the public. The company also publishes games for PC, mobile, and home consoles. It was purchase ...

. In September 2020, ''Surviv.io'' was released on

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

. Kongregate

sunset Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its Earth's rotation, rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it ...

Surviv.io on March 2, 2023, and named Bit Heroes Arena as its successor.

Gameplay

Players, also called "Survivrs", were represented by circular figures on a 2D grid-like playing field, surrounded by a circular "Red Zone" that shrinks as the game progresses. Players in the "Red Zone" lost health every second, and the amount of health lost per second increased as the game progresses. Players started with only their fists, while extra gear was found in breakable crates and objects located across the map, and in houses and other buildings. Each game featured a randomly generated map, with the locations of buildings and loot being randomized each time. Players dropped all their items upon death, and the last player alive won the match. The game had a rotation of limited time modes with special gameplay modes that offer exclusive weapons, items and roles.

Equipment

Weapons in ''Surviv.io'' ranged from close-quarter shotguns and SMGs to long range sniper and assault rifles. Melee weapons such as katanas and throwable grenades can also be found. Most weapons required additional ammunition, which is found separately. Scopes gave players a wider view of their surroundings, which vary from 1x (the smallest field of vision) to 15x (the largest field of vision). Vests and helmets protected the player and vary in protection level. Players healed using consumable healing items.

Development

''Surviv.io'' was developed by Justin Kim and Nick Clark. Kim stated that their design philosophy while developing the game was to allow the player to enter a game as fast as possible by minimizing the time in between matches. In December 2019, ''Surviv.io'' was acquired by online gaming website

, with the company taking over development of the game. In a press release, the company stated they hoped to "invest in the game’s features, especially on mobile." Co-creator Justin Kim expressed that the team was "excited to have Kongregate's team create new features and expand the player experience over the years to come." In 2020, Kim and Clark announced they would be taking a break and the development would be fully passed on to Kongregate. On February 13, 2023, Kongregate announced that Surviv.io would be

; this occurred less than a month later. During December 2024, an offshoot game called Survev.io was created by Kim and Clark. It is still active as of July 2025.

Reception

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...

praised the game's fast paced gameplay and short

matchmaking Matchmaking is the process of pairing two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the intermediary or matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. Matchmaking may be done as a profession for a fee or it may ...

times, calling it "one of the most enjoyable BR games out there." In May 2018,

VG247 Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

described the game as the "most popular battle royale title after ''

Fortnite ''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...

'' and ''

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds ''PUBG: Battlegrounds'' (previously known as ''PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds'') is a 2017 battle royale video game published by Krafton, and developed by Krafton's PUBG Studios. The game, which was inspired by the Japanese film '' Battle Ro ...

''".

References

External links