Snake Game Online - Free Classic Retro Snake Game

How to Play Snake Online

Snake is the classic retro game that started on Nokia phones and became a worldwide phenomenon. Guide your snake around the board, eat food to grow longer, and avoid crashing into walls or your own tail.

Use arrow keys (or WASD) on desktop, or swipe on mobile to control direction
Eat the food that appears to grow your snake and score points
Avoid hitting the walls or your own snake body
The longer your snake grows, the harder it gets!

Snake Game Strategy

Plan your moves ahead - as your snake grows, you'll need more space to maneuver. Try to keep your snake in a coiled pattern to maximize available space. Don't chase food into tight corners where you might get trapped.

Did You Know? The original Snake game was pre-installed on Nokia phones starting in 1998. It became one of the most played games in history, with over 350 million Nokia phones featuring the game.

How to play

Steer the snake around a 20 by 20 grid with arrow keys, WASD, or a swipe on mobile. Every piece of food is worth 10 points and adds a segment to your tail. Hit a wall or your own body and the run ends. The snake also speeds up every five pieces of food, so long games get twitchy.

Tips

Sweep the board in an S pattern instead of beelining to food. It keeps your body organized and your exits open.

One turn registers per movement step, so let the snake actually turn before keying the next direction.

Late game, treat the walls as your friend: tracing the border keeps the middle clear for maneuvering.

Never follow food into a pocket your own tail is about to close. Ten points is not worth the trap.

The oldest game on this site

Snake predates the web by decades. Its ancestor is a 1976 arcade game called Blockade, and the version most people remember shipped on Nokia phones from 1997, which put it in hundreds of millions of pockets and made it one of the most played games ever. The rules have barely changed: steer, eat, grow, do not hit anything.

This version runs on a 20 by 20 grid. Each piece of food is 10 points and adds a segment, and the snake speeds up every five pieces, so the board gets more crowded and the reactions have to get quicker at the same time. That combination is what makes long games hard: the danger is your own tail, and there is more of it every time you score.

Longer snakes

Sweep in an S pattern instead of chasing food directly. It keeps your body in tidy rows and leaves a clear lane back.

Hug the edges early. The middle is where you get trapped, and an outside loop is always available.

Plan the turn after the food, not just the path to it. Eating in a corner with your tail behind you is how most runs end.

The speed jumps every five pieces. Slow down your decisions when you know a jump is coming.

On a phone, swipe early. A swipe made as you reach the wall arrives too late.

Common questions

How big is the board?

20 by 20. Each piece of food is worth 10 points and adds one segment to the snake.

Does the snake speed up?

Yes, every five pieces of food, so a long game is a fast game.

What are the controls?

Arrow keys or WASD on desktop, and swipe on a phone.