Snake

How to play Snake

Snake is one of the oldest video games there is, and one of the most played: it came built into millions of mobile phones in the late nineties. You steer a snake around a board, eating food to grow longer, and the game ends the moment the snake runs into a wall or into itself.

Every piece of food is a point. The snake never stops moving, and every point makes it a little longer — so the board slowly fills with snake, and the space you have to turn in keeps shrinking.

Controls

Switching to another tab or app pauses the game, so a message never costs you a run.

• Keyboard. The arrow keys or W, A, S and D steer. Space or P pauses, and space starts a new game once one is over.
• Phone or tablet. Swipe on the board in the direction you want to go, or use the arrow buttons under it.
• Quick turns are kept. Press two directions in quick succession and the snake makes both turns, one square apart — which is how you turn round in a tight space.
• A turn straight back is ignored, rather than sending the snake into its own neck.

Walls and speed

Classic is the original: hit the edge of the board and the game is over. No walls lets the snake leave one side and come back on the opposite one, so only your own tail can end the game. It is a different game — the edges become shortcuts rather than hazards.

There are three speeds, from relaxed to fast. Your best score is kept separately for every combination of walls and speed, so a high score on relaxed does not hide a lower one on fast.

Tips for a long snake

• Keep to the edges early. A short snake has room to spare. Getting used to travelling round the outside keeps the middle clear for later.
• Move in lanes. Once the snake is long, sweeping back and forth across the board in neat rows keeps it from boxing itself in.
• Follow your tail. The square your tail leaves is always safe to move into, because it is empty by the time you get there. When in doubt, chase your own tail.
• Do not rush for the food. A straight line to the food is often a trap once the snake is long. The food will wait.

Winning

It is possible to win: fill every square of the board with snake and there is nowhere left to put the food. On a board this size that is well over two hundred points, and very few games get there — but it can be done.

How it works

The rules live in a small set of functions that take the game as it is and return it one step later. The board is drawn on a canvas at whole-pixel squares so the edges stay sharp at any size, and it is sized from your window, so it fills a phone held upright and still fits one held on its side.

Food is always placed on a square the snake is not on, chosen at random from all of them. When the snake's tail is about to move, the square it leaves counts as free — that is why following your own tail is safe.

Common questions

Does my high score save?

Yes, on your own device, separately for each combination of walls and speed. Nothing is uploaded.

Can I play Snake on my phone?

Yes. Swipe on the board to turn, or use the arrow buttons below it.

Why did the snake not turn?

A turn straight back the way it came is ignored, and only two turns are remembered between steps, so a flurry of presses can drop the extras.

Is there a version without walls?

Yes. Choose No walls on the start screen and the snake comes back on the opposite side instead of crashing.