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.

237
Total Games
68.8
Avg Rating
1979
First Release
2025
Latest Release

Genre Breakdown

Arcade
30%
Fighting
24%
Shooter
15%
Sport
7%
Platform
4%

Platform Spread

Arcade
107
Neo Geo AES
90
Neo Geo CD
68
Neo Geo MVS
64
PC (Microsoft Windows)
60

Release Timeline

1970s
2
1980s
34
1990s
125
2000s
35
2010s
23
2020s
17

Rating Distribution

14
80-100
56
60-79
15
40-59
2
0-39
Nam-1975 game cover
Rating 6.9

Nam-1975

1990·neogeoaes, Neo Geo CD, neogeomvs
Crystalis game cover
Rating 7.5

Crystalis

1990·famicom, NES
Baseball Stars Professional game cover

Baseball Stars Professional

1990·Arcade, neogeoaes, Neo Geo CD +1
Riding Hero game cover

Riding Hero

1990·Arcade, neogeoaes, Neo Geo CD +1
Puzzled game cover

Puzzled

1990·Switch, neogeoaes, Neo Geo CD +1
League Bowling game cover

League Bowling

1990·PS3, Arcade, Vita +4
The Super Spy game cover

The Super Spy

1990·PC, neogeoaes, Neo Geo CD +1
Cyber-Lip game cover

Cyber-Lip

1990·Arcade, neogeoaes, Neo Geo CD +1
Ikari III: The Rescue game cover

Ikari III: The Rescue

1989·Arcade
Sky Adventure game cover

Sky Adventure

1989·Arcade
SAR: Search and Rescue game cover

SAR: Search and Rescue

1989·Arcade
Beast Busters game cover
Rating 5.2

Beast Busters

1989·Arcade, Amiga, Atari-ST
Gang Wars game cover
Rating 6.4

Gang Wars

1989·PS3, Arcade, PSP
Baseball Stars game cover
Rating 6.0

Baseball Stars

1989·Arcade, famicom, NES
Prehistoric Isle game cover

Prehistoric Isle

1989·PS3, PS4, PC +4
Street Smart game cover
Rating 3.4

Street Smart

1989·Arcade, Genesis/MegaDrive
Touchdown Fever II game cover

Touchdown Fever II

1988·Arcade
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War game cover
Rating 6.8

P.O.W.: Prisoners of War

1988·Arcade
Iron Tank: The Invasion of Normandy game cover
Rating 4.0

Iron Tank: The Invasion of Normandy

1988·NES
Sky Soldiers game cover

Sky Soldiers

1988·Arcade
Chopper I game cover
Rating 6.8

Chopper I

1988·Arcade
Jongbou game cover

Jongbou

1987·Arcade, famicom
Psycho Soldier game cover
Rating 6.3

Psycho Soldier

1987·PS3, Arcade, PSP +3
Touch Down Fever game cover

Touch Down Fever

1987·Arcade, NES
World Wars game cover

World Wars

1987·Arcade
Bermuda Triangle game cover

Bermuda Triangle

1987·Arcade
Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road game cover
Rating 4.9

Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road

1986·PS3, Arcade, PSP +7
Guerrilla War game cover
Rating 6.9

Guerrilla War

1986·PS3, Arcade, PSP
Athena game cover
Rating 5.7

Athena

1986·Arcade, PSP
Ikari Warriors game cover
Rating 4.9

Ikari Warriors

1986·PS3, Arcade, PSP
Canvas Croquis game cover

Canvas Croquis

1985·Arcade
Hal 21 game cover

Hal 21

1985·PS3, Arcade, PSP
Alpha Mission game cover
Rating 7.0

Alpha Mission

1985·PS3, Arcade, Vita +1
TNK III game cover

TNK III

1985·Arcade, C64, ZXS +1
Mad Crasher game cover

Mad Crasher

1984·Arcade
Vanguard 2 game cover

Vanguard 2

1984·Arcade
Marvin's Maze game cover

Marvin's Maze

1983·Arcade
Mahjong Kyoushitsu game cover

Mahjong Kyoushitsu

1983·Arcade
Munch Mobile game cover

Munch Mobile

1983·Arcade, ti-99
Lasso game cover

Lasso

1982·Arcade
Fantasy game cover

Fantasy

1981·Arcade
Sasuke vs. Commander game cover

Sasuke vs. Commander

1980·Arcade
Ozma Wars game cover

Ozma Wars

1979·Arcade
Safari Rally game cover

Safari Rally

1979·Arcade
Ghostlop game cover

Ghostlop

·Arcade, neogeoaes, Neo Geo CD