Snake

Arrow keys on a keyboard, the d-pad on a touchscreen.

▂▄▆█ SNAKE █▆▄▂

Press a direction
or center key to start

SCORE: 0

How to play

Steer the snake to the food. Each piece you eat makes the snake one segment longer and adds a point. The game ends if the snake hits a wall or runs into its own body.

ActionControls
TurnArrow keys, or the d-pad buttons
Start, pause, and restartSpace or Enter, or the center d-pad button

Speed

The snake moves faster with every piece of food until your score reaches the low twenties, then holds that top speed. From there it is a test of planning rather than reaction time, because the snake keeps getting longer while the board stays the same size.

Tactics

  • Your tail is the real danger, not the walls. Before heading for the food, check that the route won’t box you in.
  • Moving in loose loops around the edge of the board leaves open space in the middle to escape into.
  • At top speed, press the next turn slightly before you reach the corner, not at it.

About the game

Games where a line grows as it moves go back to 1970s arcades, but the version most people remember came preinstalled on mobile phones in the late 1990s, played on small monochrome screens while waiting for a bus. The green screen and chunky pixels here recreate that look.