Snake game online
Steer the snake around the board, eat the red food and grow one square longer with every bite. Bite your own tail – or hit the edge when walls are on – and the game is over.
Source: Wikipedia: Snake (video game genre) – Blockade 1976, mobile phones from 1998. Updated: .
How it is calculated
How to play snake
The snake moves non-stop across a board of 17 × 17 squares; you only choose the direction. Every piece of food scores a point and makes the snake one square longer – so the board gets tighter with every point.
- Start: press “Start”, press an arrow key or swipe across the board.
- Steer: arrow keys or W A S D on a computer; on a phone swipe or tap the direction pad below the board. You cannot reverse directly – the snake would bite itself.
- Pause: Space, P or “Pause”. Switching tabs pauses the game automatically.
Walls or wrap-around
With walls the game ends at the edge, just like the classic on old mobile phones. Without walls (dashed border) the snake comes out on the opposite side, so only its own body can get in the way. A separate high score is kept for every combination of speed and wall mode.
Tips for a higher score
- Run along the edges and lay the snake out in long lanes instead of chasing across the board.
- Plan your way back: before entering a dead end, think about where your tail will be – the square at the tail end becomes free on the next step.
- Two quick key presses in a row (e.g. up, then left) are both carried out – handy for tight U-turns.
A bit of history
The idea goes back to the 1976 arcade game “Blockade”. Snake became world-famous from 1998 onwards, when it came preinstalled on mobile phones. This game is an independent browser version of the basic idea.
Storage and privacy
High scores, number of games and your settings are kept in your browser’s localStorage (key snake). Food is placed at random with the browser’s cryptography API; nothing is sent to a server.
More games: 2048, block puzzle and Mines.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play the snake game online for free?
Yes. It runs right in your browser on computers, tablets and phones, with no sign-up and no app.
How do you control snake on a phone?
Swipe across the board in the direction you want, or tap the direction pad below it. On a computer use the arrow keys or W A S D.
When is the snake game over?
When the snake bites itself or, with walls switched on, runs into the edge. Without walls it wraps around to the other side.
How old is the snake game?
The idea dates back to the 1976 arcade game “Blockade”. Snake became famous from 1998 as a game preinstalled on mobile phones.
Is my high score saved?
Yes, in your browser only – separately for each speed and wall mode. In private mode it is lost when you close the page.
Sources and legal basis
- Wikipedia: Snake (video game genre) – Blockade 1976, mobile phones from 1998
- MDN: Canvas API
- MDN: Pointer events (Wischen)
- MDN: Page Visibility API (Pause im Hintergrund)
- MDN: Crypto.getRandomValues()
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