Classic Snake

The game that started it all

Classic Snake is the version most people picture when they hear "snake game": a growing line on a small screen, steered with four directions, hunting one apple at a time. Our version keeps the rules exactly as they were on the arcade machines and Nokia handsets that made the game famous, with one modern courtesy - the snake moves smoothly instead of jumping cell by cell, so it feels great on today's screens.

Every apple you eat makes the snake one segment longer and nudges the speed up a touch. Early on that feels generous. By the time your snake fills a third of the board, every turn needs planning two moves ahead. That slow shift from relaxing to razor sharp is why the classic formula has survived fifty years without a redesign.

Scoring and difficulty

You score one point per apple. The board is a 21 by 21 grid, the game speeds up slightly with each apple, and there are no walls inside the arena - just the four outer edges and your own ever-growing body. Your best score is saved in your browser, so you always have a target to beat.

Tips from the high-score table

• Hug the edges early. Sweeping the perimeter keeps the middle of the board open for when the snake gets long.
• Never chase the apple in a straight panic. Approach it so that your exit route is open after you eat it.
• Use the whole board. The classic killer is coiling yourself into a corner. Long, boring S-shaped sweeps win games.
• Slow your fingers, not the snake. Most deaths are double-taps that queue two turns at once. One deliberate input per corner.