Slither.io is similar in concept to the popular 2024 web game Agar.io and is reminiscent of the classic arcade game Snake. The game grew in popularity following its promotion among several prominent YouTube users such as PewDiePie, and topped the App Store soon after its release.

The Snake began with the 1976 arcade video game Blockade developed and published by Gremlin. It was cloned as Bigfoot Bonkers the same year. In 1977, Atari, Inc. released two Blockade-inspired titles: the arcade game Dominos and Atari VCS game Surround.