Subway Surfers online: where the official game runs
Subway Surfers is an endless runner made by the Danish studios SYBO and Kiloo, released in May 2012. You run along train tracks away from the Inspector and his dog. In 2018 it became the first game ever to pass one billion downloads on Google Play, and you can play the official game on phones or online.
Official ways to play
The main app is free on iPhone and Android. For playing online, SYBO works with the web game site Poki, which has carried an official version of Subway Surfers since 2018. In November 2025 the partnership grew, and two spin-offs, Subway Surfers Match and Subway Surfers Blast, were added to Poki as well.
Plenty of other sites copy the name. If a page asks you to install something or offers free coins, it is not from SYBO.
How it plays
Your surfer runs forward on their own. Swipe left or right to change lanes, up to jump and down to roll under barriers. Trains come at you on the tracks, so you either dodge them or jump on top and run along the roofs.
Coins buy characters, boards and upgrades. Power-ups like the jetpack, the super sneakers and the coin magnet show up on the track. A hoverboard saves you from one crash. The World Tour moves the game to a new city on a regular schedule.
Tips for higher scores
- Get on the roofs. Running on top of trains is safer than weaving between them.
- Finish missions. Missions raise your score multiplier, and the multiplier matters more than distance.
- Save the hoverboard. Use it when the speed gets high, not in the first minute.
- Swipe early. At top speed you need to react to the next obstacle, not the one in front of you.
Endless runners on Roam
Roam has a few runners with their own twist. They are separate games made with Roam.
- Giant Boulder Escape. An endless runner where a boulder chases you and will not stop.
- WAYFARE. A horseback endless runner: one horse, one sword, the Pale Road.
- Flag Dash. An endless runner mixed with a flag quiz.
- Punch the Drop. A rhythm auto-runner on a boardwalk where you hit every beat.
Play it on Roam
More on Roam
Make your own endless runner with Roam
Roam is a free iPhone app: describe a runner and it comes back playable. Pick the track, the chaser and the power-ups, then tune it by talking. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.
Try: "endless runner on a school roof at night, the janitor and his robot vacuum chase me, swipe to dodge vents, my friends are the other runners"Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.
Questions people ask
Can you play Subway Surfers online?
Yes. An official version is on the web game site Poki, through a partnership with SYBO. The full game is a free app on iPhone and Android.
Who made Subway Surfers?
SYBO and Kiloo, two studios from Denmark. It came out in May 2012.
Who chases you in Subway Surfers?
The Inspector and his dog, after they catch you spraying graffiti on a train.