Tips
io games tips: survive longer and climb the leaderboard
The habits that keep you alive in any io arena, plus specific tips for snake, blob, territory and tank games.
3 min read
Blob Arena
Start as a tiny blob in a big arena: eat pellets, swallow smaller rivals, split to lunge at prey and dodge anything bigger than you.
Your blob moves toward the mouse pointer: the further away the pointer, the faster it goes. You can also move with the arrow keys or W, A, S and D. Space splits your blob in two and throws half forward. E throws a little of your mass. P pauses and resumes. M turns sound on or off. F switches full screen. On a touch screen, drag anywhere on the arena to steer, and use the Split and Throw buttons.
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About Blob Arena
Blob Arena is an io-style eating game. You start as a small blob in a large arena full of colourful pellets and computer-controlled rival blobs. Everything you eat makes you heavier, and anything at least a quarter heavier than you can eat you.
Grow by grazing, then turn the tables: split in two to lunge at a smaller rival, throw mass to bait or escape, and hide behind thorns when a giant comes for you. It is single-player and runs in your browser on desktop and mobile.
How to play Blob Arena
- Pick how fierce you want the rivals and a colour for your blob, then press Play.
- Move your mouse to steer. Your blob heads toward the pointer, faster the further away it is. You can also use the arrow keys or W, A, S and D. On a touch screen, drag anywhere on the arena.
- Roll over pellets to eat them. Each pellet adds 1 to your mass.
- Swallow any blob you are at least 25% heavier than by covering it. Stay away from blobs that are 25% heavier than you.
- Press Space to split and lunge forward, and E to throw a little mass.
- The round ends when your last piece is swallowed. Your result is the heaviest you got.
Blob Arena controls
| Steer | Move the mouse, or hold the arrow keys or W, A, S, D |
|---|---|
| Split | Space |
| Throw mass | E |
| Start or play again | Enter or Space |
| Pause and resume | P (Esc also pauses) |
| Full screen | F |
| Sound on or off | M |
| Steer | Drag anywhere on the arena, like a joystick |
|---|---|
| Split | Split button in the bottom corner |
| Throw mass | Throw button next to it |
| Pause and resume | Pause button in the top corner |
Blob Arena rules
Growing
You start with a mass of 25. Pellets add 1 each and come back somewhere else as soon as they are eaten. The heavier a blob gets, the bigger and slower it becomes.
Blobs above 150 mass slowly lose a little mass over time (0.2% a second), so even a giant has to keep eating.
Eating other blobs
A blob can swallow another one when it is at least 25% heavier and covers most of it. Blobs of about the same size simply pass over each other.
You knock a rival out of the round by swallowing its last piece. The arena leaderboard ranks everyone by their current mass.
Splitting
Every piece of your blob with at least 36 mass splits in half, and the new halves shoot forward. Use it to catch prey that is just out of reach, but remember that each half is lighter and easier to eat.
You can have up to 16 pieces. Pieces push apart for 9 to 22 seconds after a split, longer for heavier pieces, then join back together when they overlap.
Throwing mass
Each throw takes 14 mass from every piece with at least 36, and drops a blob worth 12 in front of it. Anyone heavier can eat it, so it can lure a rival or lighten you up to flee.
Thorns
Green spiky thorns are scattered across the arena. A piece heavier than 143 that runs over one bursts into as many as ten smaller pieces flying in every direction. Anything lighter passes under a thorn safely, which makes thorns a good place to hide from big blobs.
Rivals
Every other blob is controlled by the computer and marked AI on the arena leaderboard. Chill has 13 rivals that rarely hunt. Normal has 17 that chase smaller blobs and run from bigger ones. Fierce has 21 that react quickly and split to catch prey.
A rival that is knocked out is replaced by a newcomer a few seconds later, so the arena never empties.
Best mass
Your result is the heaviest you got during the round. The best result for each rival level is saved in this browser.
Tips and strategy
- Split only when your prey is close and clearly smaller than half of you; a missed split leaves you in pieces.
- Hide under a thorn while you are small. Big blobs that chase you there burst apart.
- Keep an eye on the corner map: big rivals show up there before you can see them.
- Throw mass toward a hungry rival to send it the wrong way while you slip off.
- Edges and corners are traps. Keep open space behind you when something bigger is near.
Frequently asked questions
Is Blob Arena multiplayer?
No. Blob Arena is single-player. Every other blob is a computer-controlled rival, marked AI on the leaderboard, and nothing is sent over the network while you play.
Is Blob Arena free?
Yes. It is free to play in your browser with no account, download or payment.
Why can I not eat a blob that looks smaller?
You need to be at least 25% heavier than a blob to swallow it, and you have to cover most of it. Check the numbers on the blobs when you are close enough to read them.
Why does my mass slowly go down?
Pieces above 150 mass lose 0.2% of their mass each second. It keeps giants from growing forever, so keep eating.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Drag anywhere on the arena to steer, and use the Split and Throw buttons. The game pauses automatically if you switch apps or tabs.
Does Blob Arena save my best mass?
Your best mass for each rival level is stored in this browser on this device. It is not uploaded or shared, and there is no online leaderboard.
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