How to Play
Press Play and the snake starts moving on its own across an 18 by 18 grid. Your only job is steering. Use the arrow keys or WASD on a keyboard, or swipe in any direction on a phone or tablet. The snake keeps going in its current direction until you tell it to turn.
Guide the head onto the food square. The snake grows by one segment and a new piece of food appears somewhere empty. Keep eating, keep growing, and keep the head away from anything solid.
Rules
- The snake starts three segments long, and every piece of food adds one segment and one point.
- Hitting any of the four walls ends the run. The board does not wrap around.
- Running the head into any part of your own body also ends the run.
- You cannot turn straight back into the direction you came from; a reverse input is ignored.
- Each bite makes the snake slightly faster, until it reaches its top speed after about eighteen pieces of food.
- Space pauses and resumes the game. Your score is the number of pieces of food eaten.
Tips & Strategy
Hug the edges early
While the snake is short, trace a loop around the outside of the board. It keeps the middle open and teaches you where the walls are before the speed goes up.
Think one turn ahead
At top speed you have very little time to react. Before you reach the food, decide which way you will turn after eating so the next move is already planned.
Sweep in rows when you get long
A long tail is the real danger. Moving back and forth in tidy lanes, like mowing a lawn, keeps your body in predictable lines and leaves a clear path back out.
Use pause wisely
If you are about to be interrupted, pause right away rather than letting the snake drift into a wall.
FAQ
Does the snake wrap around to the other side?
No. The walls are solid, so leaving the grid ends the game. Plan your turns before you reach an edge.
Why did my turn not register?
Turning directly backwards is blocked, since it would crash the snake into itself. If you pressed two keys very quickly, only the last valid direction is used on the next step.
How do I get on the leaderboard?
Sign in with Google and pick a nickname. Your score is sent when a run ends and checked by the server before it appears on the daily, weekly, and all-time boards.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. Swipe on the board to steer. The board ignores page scrolling while you swipe, and full screen mode gives you a bigger board.