The Southeast Asian Games owes its origins to the Southeast Asian Peninsular  Games or SEAP Games. On 22 May, 1958, delegates from the countries in Southeast Asian Peninsula attending the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan had a meeting and agreed to establish a sport organization. The SEAP Games was conceptualized by Laung Sukhumnaipradit, then Vice-President of the Thailand Olympic Committee. The proposed rationale was that a regional sports event will help promote cooperation, understanding and relations among countries in the Southeast Asian Peninsula region. Thailand, Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (now Malaysia), Laos, South Vietnam (now Vietnam) and Cambodia were the founding members. These countries agreed to hold the Games biannually. The SEAP Games Federation Committee was formed.

The first SEAP Games were held in Bangkok from 12-17 December, 1959 comprising more than 527 athletes and officials from Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Cambodia, South Vietnam and Laos participating in 12 sports. At the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, the SEAP Federation considered the inclusion of Indonesia and the Philippines. The two countries were formally
admitted in 1977, the same year when SEAP Federation changed their name to Southeast  Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), and the games were known as the Southeast Asian Games. Brunei was admitted at the 9^th SEA Games in Kualalumper, Malaysia, and East Timor at the 22nd SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The 23^rd SEA Games held in the Philippines, which started from 27 November and ended on 5 December 2005, hosting the biennial event for the third time