SNK logo

SNK

Japan Founded 1978 Website

SNK Corporation (株式会社SNK, Kabushiki-gaisha Esu Enu Kē)[7] is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform, and electronics. SNK is known for its creation of the Neo Geo family of arcade, home, and handheld game consoles in 1990. The Neo Geo line was halted in 2001 because financial troubles forced SNK Corporation to close in the same year. Anticipating the end of the company, Kawasaki established Playmore Corporation in 2001, which acquired all of the intellectual property of the first iteration of SNK Corporation. In 2003, Playmore Corporation was renamed to SNK Playmore Corporation. In 2016, SNK dropped the name Playmore from its logo and reintroduced its old slogan, "The Future Is Now", officially changing its corporate name back to SNK.

SNK at a Glance

If you are browsing PlayPile looking for a publisher with deep roots in arcade history, SNK is a name you will encounter frequently. Founded in Japan in 1978, this company has released 226 games across its long run from 1979 to 2025. Their catalog shows a clear shift in output volume over the decades. They released only two titles in the 1970s and thirty-four in the 1980s. The 1990s marked their peak production with 125 games before activity dropped to 35 in the 2000s, 16 in the 2010s, and 13 in the 2020s. SNK built a reputation on arcade hardware and fighting games. Their top genre focus is Arcade with 93 titles, followed closely by Fighting games at 81 releases. They also have significant holdings in Shooters with 43 games and Sports titles with 24. The company created the Neo Geo family of consoles starting in 1990, which explains why 90 of their games are for the Neo Geo AES and 68 are for the Neo Geo CD. After financial troubles forced the original company to close in 2001, the brand was revived by Playmore Corporation in 2003 before reverting to just SNK in 2016. Quality varies across their library but leans toward solid. Their average IGDB rating stands at 68.7 out of 100 based on 85 rated titles. The breakdown shows 13 games are great, 55 are good, 15 are mixed, and 2 are poor. You can find high scores in their classic roster with Pulstar hitting 87 and Neo Turf Masters reaching 85.1. Recent efforts like Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves scored 79, showing they can still produce well-received modern entries. The company has expanded beyond its arcade roots to include PC releases on Microsoft Windows, where they have 54 games. They also maintain a presence on the Wii with 35 titles and have released content for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation 4. While their output is smaller now compared to the golden age of the 1990s, SNK remains active with recent releases such as Metal Slug: Attack - Reloaded in June 2024 and the upcoming Fatal Fury sequel in April 2025.

235
Total Games
68.7
Avg Rating
1979
First Release
2025
Latest Release

Genre Breakdown

Arcade
30%
Fighting
24%
Shooter
14%
Sport
7%
Platform
4%

Platform Spread

Arcade
106
Neo Geo AES
90
Neo Geo CD
68
Neo Geo MVS
66
PC (Microsoft Windows)
58

Release Timeline

1970s
2
1980s
34
1990s
125
2000s
35
2010s
22
2020s
16

Rating Distribution

13
80-100
55
60-79
15
40-59
2
0-39
Days of Memories 2: Boku no Ichiban Taisetsu na Kimi he game cover

Days of Memories 2: Boku no Ichiban Taisetsu na Kimi he

2006·Mobile
Days of Memories: Boku to Kanojo no Atsui Natsu game cover

Days of Memories: Boku to Kanojo no Atsui Natsu

2005·Mobile
The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact - Maniax game cover

The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact - Maniax

2005·XBOX, PS2
The King of Fighters 2002 game cover
Rating 6.7

The King of Fighters 2002

2002·PS3, PC, Linux +7
Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves game cover

Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves

2001·DC
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2 - Expand Edition game cover

SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2 - Expand Edition

2001·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Nakoruru: Anohito kara no Okurimono game cover

Nakoruru: Anohito kara no Okurimono

2001·PC, DC
SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millenium - Best Collection game cover

SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millenium - Best Collection

2001·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Zupapa! game cover

Zupapa!

2001·neogeoaes, neogeomvs
Metal Slug 2nd Mission (Best Collection) game cover

Metal Slug 2nd Mission (Best Collection)

2001·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Cool Cool Jam game cover

Cool Cool Jam

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Cool Cool Toon game cover

Cool Cool Toon

2000·DC
The King of Fighters 2000 game cover
Rating 7.6

The King of Fighters 2000

2000·PS3, PS4, PC +7
Ogre Battle Gaiden game cover

Ogre Battle Gaiden

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Ganbare Neo Poke-Kun game cover

Ganbare Neo Poke-Kun

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Picture Puzzle game cover

Picture Puzzle

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
The King of Fighters: Evolution game cover

The King of Fighters: Evolution

2000·PC, DC
Metal Slug 2nd Mission game cover

Metal Slug 2nd Mission

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Evolution: Eternal Dungeons game cover

Evolution: Eternal Dungeons

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
SNK Gals' Fighters game cover
Rating 8.0

SNK Gals' Fighters

2000·Switch, Neo Geo Pocket Color
Metal Slug 3 game cover
Rating 8.2

Metal Slug 3

2000·PC, X360, XONE +7
Metal Slug 1st Mission (Best Collection) game cover

Metal Slug 1st Mission (Best Collection)

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
The Last Blade (Best Collection) game cover

The Last Blade (Best Collection)

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise game cover

The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny game cover

The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny

2000·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Faselei! game cover

Faselei!

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Samurai Shodown: Warriors Rage game cover

Samurai Shodown: Warriors Rage

1999·PS3, PS1, PSP
Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure game cover
Rating 7.9

Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium game cover
Rating 7.5

SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium

1999·PC, Switch, Neo Geo Pocket Color
Garou: Mark of the Wolves game cover
Rating 7.9

Garou: Mark of the Wolves

1999·PS4, PC, X360 +8
SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters' Clash - SNK Card Fighter's Version game cover

SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters' Clash - SNK Card Fighter's Version

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters' Clash - Capcom Card Fighter's Version game cover

SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters' Clash - Capcom Card Fighter's Version

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Dark Arms: Beast Buster 1999 game cover

Dark Arms: Beast Buster 1999

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Dive Alert: Becky's Version game cover

Dive Alert: Becky's Version

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Puyo Pop game cover
Rating 8.4

Puyo Pop

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle game cover
Rating 7.6

The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle

1999·PS3, Wii, Arcade +4
Metal Slug 1st Mission game cover

Metal Slug 1st Mission

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Buriki One game cover

Buriki One

1999·Hyper Neo Geo 64
Samurai Shodown! 2 game cover

Samurai Shodown! 2

1999·Switch, Neo Geo Pocket Color
Crush Roller game cover

Crush Roller

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life game cover

Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life

1999·PS3, PS1, PSP
Metal Slug X game cover
Rating 7.9

Metal Slug X

1999·PC, Linux, Mac +7
Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition game cover

Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition

1999·Arcade
Prehistoric Isle 2 game cover
Rating 6.7

Prehistoric Isle 2

1999·PS4, XONE, Switch +3
Strikers 1945 Plus game cover

Strikers 1945 Plus

1999·neogeoaes, neogeomvs
Master of Syougi Color game cover

Master of Syougi Color

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Dive Alert: Matt's Version game cover

Dive Alert: Matt's Version

1999·Neo Geo Pocket Color
Baseball Stars game cover

Baseball Stars

1998·Neo Geo Pocket