Snake
Arrow keys or swipe to steer. Eat the food, avoid the walls and your own tail.
How to play Snake
You control a snake that moves continuously around a 20×20 board. Use the arrow keys (or swipe / the on-screen pad on mobile) to change direction. Each piece of food you eat makes the snake one segment longer and adds a point to your score. The game ends if the snake runs into a wall or into its own body. The longer you grow, the less free space remains – simple rules, endlessly escalating difficulty.
Tips for a higher score
- Hug the edges. Sweeping along the walls in an S-pattern keeps your body organized and leaves the middle open for maneuvering.
- Don't chase food greedily. Take the path that leaves you an exit route, not the shortest one.
- Plan the tail. Your tail moves forward as you do – a gap that looks closed now will open by the time you reach it. Learning to use this is the key to expert play.
- Stay calm past 30 points. Most games end in a panic turn. When space gets tight, slow your decision-making down even though the snake doesn't.
A little history
Snake dates back to the 1976 arcade game Blockade and became a global phenomenon when Nokia preloaded it on mobile phones in 1997. It remains one of the most recognizable video games ever made – and one of the best quick reflex-and-planning workouts you can get in a browser.