Is Slither.io safe for kids? What parents of kids 4–7 should know

• –Official rating above age 7
  App Store: 4+; Google Play: Everyone
• –Contact with other players or strangers
  No chat; strangers' nicknames shown (CSM)
• ✓Purchases with real money
  App Store: Remove Ads $3.99
• –Paid random items
  None listed (App Store, Google Play)
• –Violence or scary content in rating descriptors
  No descriptors listed (App Store, Google Play)
• –Government lawsuits, fines, or safety warnings
  No government action found

Each flag is a yes-or-no fact from the sources on this page. The number is a count of flags, not a safety score. How we count.

Checked October 2026. Ratings and settings change; check the official source before you decide. What do these ratings mean?

Facts for parents, not medical or legal advice. If you're worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician.

What is Slither.io?

Short answer: An online game in which you steer a snake, eat glowing pellets, and try to become the longest snake on the server.

If your snake's head touches another snake, yours explodes into pellets that others can eat. Steve Howse made it; it came out in browsers and on iPhone on March 25, 2016, and on Android two days later, according to Wikipedia, and it topped the App Store charts soon after. Google Play shows 500 million+ downloads.

Is Slither.io safe for kids? What the ratings say

Short answer: The stores rate it for all ages; Common Sense Media says 10+.

• App Store: 4+, no content descriptors.
• Google Play: Everyone; Digital Purchases.
• Common Sense Media: 10+, citing ads and racy usernames.

Common Sense Media rates violence as none: snakes explode, but it's "not a gory explosion." We found no ESRB rating; the game isn't sold on consoles.

Strangers, nicknames, and chat

Short answer: Kids play against strangers online, but there's no chat.

Every player types a nickname of up to 24 characters, and it's shown next to their snake and on the leaderboard. Common Sense Media found that names aren't filtered, and Wikipedia notes criticism of the game's moderation, including antisemitic names. Bots also play on regular servers, with names ending in "(bot)"; the phone versions have a mode against the computer only.

Ads and purchases

The App Store lists one in-app purchase, Remove Ads for $3.99. Common Sense Media describes pop-up ads after a snake crashes; Wikipedia says that as of 2026 most versions no longer show ads. We couldn't confirm which versions still do.

The habit kids may copy: names on the board

Players pick any nickname, and the longest snakes' names sit on the leaderboard for everyone to see.

Try tonight: is that name kind?

Make up a funny, kind nickname together, one that doesn't say who your child is. Then think of a name that could hurt someone and ask: "How would someone feel reading that?" In our program, this is the lesson "Stepping In": noticing when someone's left out or hurt.

What age is Slither.io for?

The App Store rates it 4+ and Google Play rates it Everyone. Common Sense Media lists it for ages 10 and up.

Does Slither.io have chat?

No. Players see each other's nicknames and scores, but there's no chat, according to Common Sense Media.

Can you play Slither.io against the computer?

Yes. Wikipedia says the phone versions have a play-versus-AI mode, and bots also appear on regular servers.

Does Slither.io cost money?

It's free to download. The App Store lists one purchase, Remove Ads for $3.99.

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