Games like Paper.io: six territory io games to try
Paper.io made a simple idea famous: leave your land, draw a line, and close the loop to claim what's inside. Plenty of games have taken that idea somewhere new. Here are six worth trying, and what each one does differently.
We make Butter.io, so it's first on the list. The other five are made by other developers, and the facts about them come from their own pages and store listings.
At a glance
| Game | What's different | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Butter.io | 3D jelly cubes, private rooms by link, 3-minute matches | Playing with friends |
| Paper.io 2 | The best known, with lots of skins and a Party mode | The classic |
| Splix.io | Square tiles on a grid | Blocky, precise loops |
| Superhex.io | Hexagon tiles | A different grid to learn |
| TileMan.io | You can stop moving, and there's an Extreme Speed mode | Fast, twitchy rounds |
| Territorial.io | Strategy: grow your land across a map against many players | Longer games of conquest |
1. Butter.io
Butter.io is the one we make. You're a jelly cube on a 3D map. Draw a trail out of your land and bring it home to claim the area inside, and cross other players' trails to knock them out. A match lasts 3 minutes, with five players and one life each, and whoever holds the most land at the end wins.
Its focus is playing with friends. Open a private room and send the link, and everyone lands in the same match, with bots in any seats nobody takes. After the results, the room stays together on the same link for a rematch. It runs in a browser on a computer or a phone.
Play Butter.io or read how it compares in Butter.io vs Paper.io.
2. Paper.io 2
The game most people mean when they say Paper.io. You draw loops to fill the map with your colour and cut other players' trails to knock them out. It has phone apps, browser versions on game sites, and more than 100 skins to collect. Its Party mode lets you share a link or a QR code so your friends land in the same match.
Play it if you want the original, with lots to unlock. On the web it's on game sites such as Poki.
3. Splix.io
Splix.io puts the idea on a grid of squares. You start with a small block of land, leave it to draw a trail, and come back to enclose an area. Every line snaps to the grid, so loops come out blocky, and crossing another player's trail knocks them out.
Play it if you like sharp corners and exact shapes. It's at splix.io.
4. Superhex.io
Superhex.io claims ground in hexagons instead of squares. You can only take whole hexagonal tiles, which changes how loops fit together and how you cut into other players' land.
Play it if you've mastered square grids and want a new shape to think in. It's at superhex.io.
5. TileMan.io
TileMan.io is inspired by Paper.io and Splix.io. Unlike either, it lets you stop moving, and it has several modes, including Extreme Speed. It runs in mobile browsers as well as on a computer.
Play it if you want faster rounds. It's on CrazyGames.
6. Territorial.io
Territorial.io is a different kind of territory game. There are no trails and loops: you start with a small piece of land and grow it by expanding and attacking, against many players at once, on world maps and custom scenarios.
Play it if you want a longer strategy game about conquest rather than quick loops. It's at territorial.io.
What to look for in a game like Paper.io
- Who you play against. A public match with strangers, or a private room with people you know.
- How long a round lasts. Some games run until you're knocked out; others end on a timer with a winner.
- How you move. Free, smooth steering, or lines that snap to squares or hexagons.
- Where it runs. A phone app, or a browser tab on any device.
- How much there is to unlock. Skins and progress, or everyone equal every match.
Which one should you play?
- With a group of friends tonight: Butter.io's private rooms, or Paper.io 2's Party mode.
- The classic: Paper.io 2.
- Something blocky: Splix.io or Superhex.io.
- Something faster: TileMan.io's Extreme Speed mode.
- A long strategy game: Territorial.io.
Questions
What is the best game like Paper.io to play with friends?
If you want everyone in one room from a single link, try Butter.io: the host opens a private room, friends join from the link, and the room stays together between matches. Paper.io 2's Party mode is the other option.
Are there games like Paper.io without a download?
Yes. Butter.io, Splix.io, Superhex.io, TileMan.io and Territorial.io all run in a web browser.
What are games like Paper.io called?
Usually territory io games or area capture games. You score by how much of the map you hold, not by how many players you knock out, and "io" marks a quick online game you play in the browser.