How to play Snake
Here’s how to play Snake: guide a growing snake round the board, eat the apples, and avoid the walls and your own tail. Every apple makes you longer and a little faster. It’s free to play online in your browser, on a phone or a computer.
Your best score goes on the Beat Pete leaderboard. Below you’ll find the rules, some strategy tips and answers to common questions.
The basics
Guide the snake round the board, eat the apples and don’t crash. Every apple makes you longer and a little faster.
Steering
- Phone or tablet: swipe anywhere on the board, or tap Show pad for an on-screen pad. Both work at once.
- Keyboard: the ← ↑ → ↓ arrow keys or W A S D.
- Two quick turns in a row are both remembered, so you can make a tight U-turn.
Scoring
- An apple is worth 10 points and makes you one square longer.
- After every fifth apple a golden bonus star appears for a few seconds. It’s worth 50 and makes you two squares longer.
Game over
- Hit a wall or your own tail and the game ends. Fill the whole board and you’ve won.
Pausing
- Press P or Esc, or tap Pause. The game also pauses by itself if you switch to another tab or app.
The leaderboard
- When a game ends your score is saved to your profile and ranked against everyone else. Guests can play; sign up free to put your score on the board.
Beginner tips
- Keep to the edges and turn early. Leave yourself room to move: a snake that wanders into the middle of the board often traps itself as it grows.
- Plan two moves ahead. Turns are queued, so two quick swipes in a row both count — handy for a tight U-turn.
- Don’t forget the bonus star. It appears after every fifth apple for a few seconds and is worth 50, but it isn’t worth a crash.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Snake on a phone?
Swipe anywhere on the board to turn, or switch on the on-screen pad (the Show pad button) and tap the arrows. Both work together.
How do you score in Snake?
An apple is worth 10 points. A golden bonus star, which appears after every fifth apple, is worth 50 but disappears after a few seconds.
Does the snake speed up?
Yes. It gets a little faster with every apple, up to a top speed, so the later apples are the hardest.
Is there a leaderboard?
Yes. Your best score is saved to your profile and ranked against everyone else. Guests can play too — sign up free to put your score on the board.
Is it free to play Snake?
Yes. Snake is free to play in your browser, with nothing to download.
Ready to play Snake?
It’s free and works in your browser — no download. Start against Trevor, the friendliest opponent, and sign up free to climb the ladder of ten computer players all the way to Pete.
Play Snake now