How to play Snake
- Choose the mode, the board size and the speed, then tap the board or press an arrow key to start: the snake moves on its own.
- Turn with the keyboard arrows (or W, A, S, D) or by swiping on the board. You cannot make a U-turn on the spot: only left or right of where you are heading.
- Eat the red food: the snake grows by one cell, you score one point and the game speeds up a little.
- The game ends if you hit a wall (in classic and obstacle modes), an obstacle or your own body. If you fill the entire board, you win.
Modes, tricks and strategy
Classic mode has walls: touching the edge ends the game. In no-walls mode the snake exits one side and reappears on the opposite one, which gives more room to maneuver but makes distances harder to judge. Obstacle mode adds fixed random blocks (they never split the board into pieces, so there is always a path to the food).
To go far, it pays to sweep the board in a zigzag, hugging an edge, and always leave an exit open: trapping yourself in a small space is the most common way to lose. Once the snake is long, avoid cutting through the middle and use the edges to stay organized; you can chase your own tail without crashing, because the tail moves away on the same step.
Quick turns are not lost: the game stores up to two turns in a row, so you can press two arrows almost together to make a U-turn in two steps. Everything is calculated in your browser; only your record for each mode and size is saved on your device.
Things to keep in mind
- The record is saved per mode and per board size, only in this browser: if you clear the site data, it is lost.
- On a phone, swiping on the board does not scroll the page; to move around the page, swipe outside the board.
- Speed increases with each piece of food up to a maximum. The game pauses by itself when you switch tabs or apps, and you can pick it up again with the Resume button.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Snake on a phone?
Swipe your finger on the board in the direction you want to turn. A pad of buttons also appears below the board if you prefer to tap.
What is the difference between the modes?
In classic, the walls end the game; in no-walls mode the snake reappears on the other side; in obstacle mode there are fixed blocks that you cannot touch either.
Why can't I turn backwards?
Because the snake would hit its own body at once. You can only turn left or right of the direction it is moving.
Can you win?
Yes: if the snake fills every cell of the board, you win. It is hard, especially on the 20 × 20 board and in obstacle mode.
Is my record saved?
Yes, in this browser and separately for each mode and board size. It is not sent to any server and your score is not recorded anywhere.
How do I pause the game?
With the Pause button, the space bar or the P key. It also pauses by itself if you switch tabs or the window loses focus.