How to Play Snake
Steer the snake to the apple, grow, and do not crash. That is the whole game, but a few of the details below can save a run.
The rules
You play on a board of 16 by 16 squares. The snake starts three blocks long, low on the board and moving right. It never stops moving, so all you choose is when to turn.
- Each apple scores 10 points and makes the snake one block longer.
- Each apple also speeds the snake up a little, until it reaches its top speed.
- A new apple then appears on a random empty square.
- Run into your own body and the game is over, in every mode.
- In Classic, hitting a wall also ends the game. In Y2K, you pass through and come out on the far side. See modes and levels for the differences.
Controls
- On a computer
- Steer with the arrow keys or W, A, S, D. Press Space or Enter to start, Space or P to pause, and M to mute.
- On a phone or tablet
- Use the on-screen cross pad, or swipe on the board. Tap the icons to pause or mute.
The game pauses by itself if you switch tabs, leave the window, or scroll the board out of view.
Scoring and best scores
Your score is simply 10 points per apple, whichever level you play. Your best score is saved in your browser, with a separate record for every mode and level, which makes six in total.
How to win
Most games of Snake end in a crash, but this one can be won. Fill every square on the board and you see "You win" instead of "Game over". That takes 253 apples, for a perfect score of 2,530.
Details worth knowing
- You cannot reverse. Pressing the opposite direction does nothing, so you cannot turn straight back into your own neck.
- Quick turns count. The game holds up to two turns in a row and plays them one step at a time, so you can tap two directions quickly to make a tight U-turn.
- The tail moves first. You can safely move onto the square your tail is leaving.
- The designs are only looks. Every snake design plays exactly the same.
Once you know the rules, the strategy guide shows what actually raises your score.