How to Play Surviv.io

Last Updated: March 6, 2025

Surviv.io is an online 2D battle royale game. It is free to play and you do not need an account. If you're diving into gameplay for the first time, you might be confused, but this wikiHow will help you play and win.

This article has been marked as historical.

Surviv.io was discontinued by the developers in early 2023 and is no longer playable. (Posted 2023-02-19).

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Getting Started

1

Go to the Surviv.io website at surviv.io. There are some copycats out there, but if you search for it, the official game page for surviv.io is the one at the top. If it is blocked you may use an official proxy site. Here is a list:

Advertisement

1

Pick a name. Be careful about giving out any of your personal information, like your real name. Avoid anything offensive, as well.
2
Most offensive player names are censored by replacing with random symbols (eg. “@#%!$”).
- If you do not pick a name, the computer will set your name to "Player."
- If you are not logged in, you can’t change your name. It will be set to surviv# followed by a combination of numbers.
- Your username can only contain so many characters, so stick to a short name!
North America, Asia, Europe.
4
Pick your game mode. There are normally 3 game modes: Solo, Duo, and Squad. Other game modes and special events are sometimes added, such as 50vs50.
- In Solo, you play by yourself against other people who play by themselves.
- In Duo, you play with one other teammate against other people who play with one other teammate.
- In Squad, you play with 3 other teammates against other teams with the same number of people as yours.
- If you’re up for a challenge, you can create a team, set on no fill and play in duos or squads. This means you have to play in solo, having to counter duos or entire squads. This is called solo duoing or solo squadding, and many pros prefer to battle that way.
Advertisement

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Playing the Game (Computer)

To move in this game, you use the WASD keys or the arrow keys.
2

Click the left key of your mouse or your keypad to punch or shoot.
)
Use 4 to throw your throwable items.
7
Pick up loot by punching chests, crates, toilets, etc. You can also eliminate your enemies and pick up what they use to have on them, expect for their skin. You can carry a limit of 2 guns, so make sure to choose the best ones. The ones that use red ammo are shotguns(the guns have red outline), the yellow ammo ones mostly are SMGs(have yellow outline), the blue ones mostly are either assault rifles or sniper rifles, the green ones are assault rifles or LMGs, and there are various pistols (most of the pistols are bad) in various colors. You should always have a shotgun or a spray gun for close range combat (some shotguns require great skill to master) and an rifle, LMG, or SMG for long range combat. Some guns are suited for both long and short range combat.
- Other materials are vests, helmets, and packs. The higher level is the better one. There are 3 levels, but in some events, they can have level 4 materials or helmets with special perks. Bandages and Med kits are healing items. Pills and sodas are adrenaline items. Adrenaline increases your running and melee attacking speed, and heals you gradually until the adrenaline has run out. Other items such as flasks, growlers and gunchillidas are for different purposes and appear in different events.
8
Use "emotes". They're used to let other players, including your teammates, know how you're doing. ^{[1]
X
Research source} The default emotes (sad, happy, thumbs up, nuclear) can be accessed by right-clicking.
- The more intricate emotes (ammo, heal, warning call, gift, congregation) are used to communicate with your teammates and can be accessed by holding the key C while right clicking. To show a specific ammo emote, hold the gun with the type of ammo and hold the key C while right clicking.
Advertisement

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Playing the game (Mobile)

1

Use the left d-pad to move
2
Drag the right d-pad out of the grey circle to punch in that direction, and face in a direction by moving the right white circle in that direction, but not dragging it out of the grey circle.
- This can be switched in the settings by turning on left hand mode.
Advertisement

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Using Strategies to Win

That's how you win the game. To increase your chances of winning, you can experiment with some techniques and strategies.
When your opponent is near a barrel, computer, or anything explosive, shoot at the explosive. This causes the explosive to explode next to your opponent, thus causing major damage to their health.
3
Hide your explosives and or yourself with smoke. For this technique, you will need a grenade and a smoke bomb. Throw your smoke bomb where your opponent is. Then, throw your grenade, frag, MIRV or mine. This will result in an explosion inside the smoke, which your opponent can not see and get away in time without taking major damage. Smoke bombs are effective for hiding yourself to escape he opponent(s), consume items, or reloading guns
- Cook your grenades before throwing them. "Cooking" means to hold and press down on the grenade, and release it. This makes it so that when you release the grenade it explodes faster. Do not hold for too long or it will explode and kill you. Frag and MIRV grenades explode after 5 seconds of cooking. Smoke grenades, Mines and IR Strobes will not explode during cooking. Air strikes will appear at the the direction 5 seconds since a IR Strobe has been thrown.
4

Shoot where the enemy is running, not where the enemy currently is. Because the bullets have travel time, this helps you to hit the enemy when he is running.

Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

Should I take a M416 or a Mac-10

Cindy Yang

Community Answer

This depends on your personal preference. I play Surviv.io and prefer the Mac-10, but I usually drop my other gun so I can get both of these. M416 does better damage, while the Mac's firing speed is way faster.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 34 Helpful 63
Question

What are some hacks to log in to Surviv.io?

Mynamejeff1248

Community Answer

There are no hacks to log into Surviv.io. You can log in by linking to your Google, Facebook, Twitch, or Discord account.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3
Question

What key do I use to shoot?

Mynamejeff1248

Community Answer

You have to left click on your mouse to shoot. If you're on a mobile device, drag the right joystick out of the grey circle and into the direction that you are shooting at.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 2 Helpful 1

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Be civil to other players.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Have fun and practice.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Have some good strategies

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Show More Tips

You Might Also Like

[1]

How to Play Surviv.io

Steps

Getting Started

Playing the Game (Computer)

Playing the game (Mobile)

Using Strategies to Win

Community Q&A

Tips

You Might Also Like

References

About this article

Did this article help you?

About this article

You Might Also Like

Explore Categories