How to play Snake
Snake is one of the oldest arcade ideas still played today: steer a line that grows every time it eats and survive as long as you can inside a closed box. This version runs on a 20×20 grid, moves one tile every 120 milliseconds and awards 10 points per meal.
Rules
The snake keeps moving on its own; you only choose the direction. Steer the head onto the red food to add one segment and 10 points. The round ends when the head hits a wall or any part of the body. There is no wrap-around, so all four edges are solid walls.
Controls
- Arrow keys or WASD change direction.
- Swipe on the board to turn on phones and tablets.
- Space or New Game starts a new round.
- You cannot turn straight back into yourself, and a quick second turn is remembered for the next step.
Tips to score higher
- Plan each turn one tile early; at 120 ms per step, reacting when the head is already next to the food is often too late.
- Keep an exit: avoid turning into pockets only one tile wide, because a long body closes them behind you.
- When the snake gets long, sweep the board in rows (a lawnmower pattern) so the body stays compact and predictable.
- Do not chase food across the middle of the board; route along your own body and the walls instead.
History
Snake grew out of Blockade, a 1976 arcade game in which two players left walls behind them. It became a worldwide hit in 1997, when Nokia preinstalled it on the 6110 phone, and it has been remade on almost every platform since.
FAQ
- Is Snake free to play here? Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, account or installation.
- Can I play Snake on my phone? Yes. Swipe on the board to turn; tap the board after a game over to play again.
- What is the highest possible score? The board has 400 tiles and the snake starts with one, so filling it takes 399 meals, which is 3,990 points.
Build it yourself
Curious how this game works? Our step-by-step tutorial How to Make a Snake Game in JavaScript rebuilds it from this page's code, with examples you can copy.