What is the Snake game?

Snake is a classic arcade game where you guide a growing line, the "snake," around a bounded board to eat food. Each piece of food the snake consumes makes it one segment longer, and the longer it grows the harder it becomes to avoid running into the walls or into its own body. The game ends the moment the snake collides with a boundary or itself.

The concept dates back to the late 1970s and became a household name when it shipped on early Nokia mobile phones in the late 1990s. Its enduring appeal comes from a simple rule set paired with steadily rising difficulty: the better you play, the longer the snake, and the more careful your steering has to be.

Tool description

This tool is a browser-based version of the Snake game that runs entirely on your device. You control the snake with the keyboard, on-screen controls, or touch gestures, collecting food to raise your score while avoiding collisions. Your best result is saved locally as a high score, and three difficulty levels let you choose how fast the snake moves.

How to play

  • Press Start Game or the Space bar to begin.
  • Steer the snake toward the food dot to grow longer and increase your score.
  • Avoid hitting the walls and the snake's own body — either ends the game.
  • The snake cannot reverse directly into itself; a turn into the opposite direction is ignored.

Controls

  • Arrow keys or WASD: change direction (up, down, left, right).
  • Space: start a new game, or pause and resume an active game.
  • Touch swipe: swipe up, down, left, or right on the board to steer on mobile devices.
  • On-screen buttons: pause/resume and restart the game at any time.

Features

  • Three difficulty levels — Easy, Medium, and Hard change how fast the snake moves.
  • Persistent high score — your best score is stored locally in the browser and shown alongside the current score.
  • Cross-input support — play with the keyboard, on-screen buttons, or touch swipes.

Options explained

  • Easy: the snake moves slowly, giving you more time to react — ideal for beginners.
  • Medium: a balanced default speed for casual play.
  • Hard: a fast-moving snake for an extra challenge and higher-pressure runs.

Tips

  • Plan a route that fills the board in rows or columns so you always leave yourself an exit.
  • Keep the snake near the edges early on to maximize the open space in the center.
  • Slow down on Hard by anticipating turns one move ahead rather than reacting at the last moment.

FAQ

Does the game work offline? Yes. The game runs entirely in your browser with no server connection required after the page loads.

Where is my high score saved? It is stored in your browser's local storage on the current device, so it persists between sessions but is not synced across devices.