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Snake
Snake is one of the oldest video-game ideas still in play: steer a line that grows every time it eats, and don't crash. It began with the 1976 arcade game Blockade and became a household name when Nokia put it on its mobile phones in 1997. This version keeps the classic rules — a 20×20 board, solid walls, and a snake that speeds up as it grows — with swipe and on-screen controls for phones.
Snake Rules
The snake starts three squares long, moving to the right. Steer it with the arrow keys or WASD on a keyboard, or swipe on the board (or press the on-screen arrows) on a phone. The snake keeps moving on its own — you only choose when to turn, and it can't reverse straight back into itself.
Each apple you eat adds one square to the snake's length and one point to your score, and a new apple appears on a random empty square. The snake starts at 7 squares per second and gets a little faster with every apple, up to a top speed of 16 squares per second.
The game ends when the snake's head hits one of the four walls or any part of its own body. Your best score is saved in your browser, so you can keep chasing it. Press P (or the Pause button) to pause, and the game pauses automatically if you switch tabs.
Snake Strategy & Tips
Hug the walls early
While the snake is short, travel along the edges of the board and cut inward only to grab apples. Keeping the middle open leaves you room to maneuver later, when the snake is long and fast.
Turn in a tight zigzag when you're long
Once the snake fills a good part of the board, sweep back and forth in tight parallel rows instead of chasing each apple directly. The body then trails behind you in neat lanes rather than cutting the board into dead-end pockets.
Plan the exit before you go in
Before you dive toward an apple near a wall or your own tail, check that there is a path back out. Most crashes happen one or two moves after eating, when the snake has steered itself into a corridor with no way out.
Queue your turns calmly
The game remembers up to three quick turns, so a fast Up-then-Left registers even at top speed. Tap each direction once, deliberately — mashing keys or swiping wildly is what turns a tight U-turn into a crash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Snake on my phone?
Yes. Swipe anywhere on the board to turn, or use the on-screen arrow pad under the board. The page doesn't scroll while you swipe, and the board resizes to fit your screen.
What happens if the snake hits the wall?
In this classic version the walls are solid, so touching one ends the game. The same goes for running into any part of your own body. The tail moves out of the way as you move, so following directly behind your tail is safe.
Does the snake get faster?
Yes. It starts at 7 moves per second and speeds up slightly with every apple, topping out at 16 moves per second after about 40 apples. That steady ramp is what makes long runs tense.
What is the highest possible score in Snake?
On a 20×20 board the snake could, in theory, grow to fill all 400 squares, which would be 397 apples. In practice anything over 50 is a strong run, and over 100 takes careful, planned movement.