How to play Snake
Snake is the arcade classic that lived on every early mobile phone. Steer a hungry snake around a 20 × 20 board, eat apples and grow longer with each one.
The longer you get, the harder it is not to run into yourself.
Rules
- Each apple makes the snake one block longer and scores 10 points × the current level.
- Every 5 apples the level goes up and the snake moves faster.
- Hitting a wall or your own body ends the game.
- You cannot turn straight back on yourself, but you can queue two quick turns to make tight U-turns.
Controls
- Arrows / WASD
- Steer
- Swipe
- Steer on touch screens (on-screen arrows on phones)
- P / Esc / Space
- Pause
- Enter / Space
- Start or play again
Tips
- Move in tidy back-and-forth lanes instead of chasing every apple directly.
- Keep the open part of the board in front of you so you never box yourself in.
- Your tail moves out of the way as you move, so following it closely is always safe.
About Snake
Snake goes back to Blockade, a 1976 arcade game by Gremlin in which two players left growing walls behind them. The single-player eat-and-grow version turned up on home computers through the 1980s, but it was the 1997 Nokia 6110 that made it famous: pre-installed, playable on a bus with one thumb, and the reason a generation knows how to steer with four buttons.
This remake keeps the essentials — a 20 × 20 board, apples, a snake that gets longer and faster — and adds a level every five apples, swipe steering for phones and a local high score so you can keep chasing your personal best.
Questions
Is this the Nokia Snake?
No — it is an original browser version inspired by the classic, free and with nothing to install. The rules are the ones everyone remembers: eat, grow, don’t hit the wall or yourself.
How do I play Snake on a phone?
Swipe anywhere on the board to turn, or use the on-screen arrows that appear on touch devices. On a desktop, use the arrow keys or WASD.
How is the score calculated?
Each apple scores 10 points multiplied by the current level. The level goes up every 5 apples, and so does the speed.
Can I turn straight back on myself?
No, a 180° turn is ignored because it would mean biting your own neck. You can queue two quick turns to make a tight U-turn instead.