Classic Snake Game: play Snake online free
Classic Snake is the famous snake game you can play online free in any browser. Steer a friendly snake across a sunny lawn, eat apples to grow longer and never bite your own tail. Smooth gliding moves, a swallow bulge that travels down the body, golden apples, three speeds, Classic, No walls and a Daily maze, six snake skins, free leaderboards and 25 badges. It works on computers and on phones with swipe controls.
How to play Snake
- Choose a mode (Classic, No walls or Daily maze) and a speed.
- Press an arrow key, swipe or tap an arrow button to start moving.
- Steer the snake to the red apple; every apple makes it one block longer.
- Grab golden apples before they fade for five times the points.
- Never run into a wall, a rock or your own tail.
- Keep going as long as you can and beat your best score.
The snake keeps moving in the same direction until you turn it. It cannot turn straight back into itself, and quick double turns are remembered, so you can make tight U-turns at speed.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Turn | Arrow keys or W A S D | Swipe on the board, or the arrow buttons |
| Start | Any arrow key | Any swipe or arrow |
| Pause | Esc, P or Space | Pause button |
| Play again | Enter | Play again button |
Scoring
| Food | Easy | Normal | Fast | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🍎 Apple | 1 | 2 | 3 | +1 block |
| 🌟 Golden apple | 5 | 10 | 15 | +2 blocks |
A golden apple appears after every 7 to 11 red apples and fades after seven seconds; a ring around it shows the time left.
Modes
Classic is the original snake game: the edges of the board are walls. In No walls the snake wraps around, leaving on one side and coming back on the other. The Daily maze places a few rocks on the board and serves the same apples to everyone that day, at Normal speed, so it is a fair daily contest.
Snake skins
Every apple you eat counts toward new looks for your snake: Meadow (start), Ocean (25 apples), Sunset (75), Candy (150), Ninja (300) and Golden (600).
Leaderboards
Classic, No walls and the Daily maze each have a free leaderboard for today, this week and all time. Open the podium button to see them; you only choose a nickname if you want to join.
Badges
There are 25 badges for apples, length, golden apples, high scores, fast games, skins and daily mazes. Open the medal button in the game to see your progress.
| Badge | How to earn it |
|---|---|
| 🍎 First Bite | Eat your first apple. |
| 🧺 Basket | Eat 100 apples. |
| 🌳 Orchard | Eat 500 apples. |
| 🏔️ Apple Mountain | Eat 2,000 apples. |
| 🐍 Growing Up | Grow to length 10. |
| 🐉 Long Body | Grow to length 25. |
| 🌊 Sea Serpent | Grow to length 50. |
| 🐲 Legend | Grow to length 100. |
| 🌟 Golden Apple | Eat a golden apple. |
| 👑 Gold Collector | Eat 25 golden apples. |
| 🥉 50 Points | Score 50 in one game. |
| 🥈 200 Points | Score 200 in one game. |
| 🥇 500 Points | Score 500 in one game. |
| ⚡ Speed Snake | Eat 20 apples in one game on Fast. |
| 🌀 Wrap Around | Eat 30 apples in one No walls game. |
| 🎨 New Look | Unlock a second skin. |
| 🖌️ Fashion Snake | Unlock four skins. |
| 💛 All the Skins | Unlock every skin. |
| 🔄 Twisty | Make 1,000 turns. |
| ☀️ Daily Maze | Play the Daily maze. |
| 📅 Three Days | Play the Daily maze on 3 different days. |
| 🗓️ Week of Mazes | Play the Daily maze on 7 different days. |
| 🎮 Regular | Play 10 games. |
| 🕹️ Snake Fan | Play 50 games. |
| 🏆 Snake Master | Play 200 games. |
Snake tips
- Hug the edges early. Moving along the sides keeps the middle open for later.
- Zigzag when you are long. Sweeping rows back and forth leaves a clean path behind your tail.
- Think one turn ahead. Before you take an apple, know where you will go next.
- Do not trap yourself. Never enter a pocket that is smaller than your snake.
- Golden apples are a gamble. Grab them when the path is safe, not at any price.
- Start on Easy, then move to Normal and Fast for two and three times the points.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Snake game free?
Yes. Classic Snake is completely free to play online, with no sign-up, no download and no in-app purchases. It runs in your browser on computers, tablets and phones, and your records, skins and badges are saved on your device.
How do I play Snake?
Steer the snake around the board to eat apples. Every apple makes the snake one block longer. The game ends if the snake runs into a wall, a rock or its own tail, so the longer it gets, the more careful you must be.
What are the controls?
Use the arrow keys or W A S D on a keyboard. On a phone or tablet, swipe anywhere on the board in the direction you want to go, or use the arrow buttons under the board. Esc, P or Space pauses the game.
How does scoring work?
A red apple scores 1 point and a golden apple 5 points, multiplied by the speed: ×1 on Easy, ×2 on Normal and ×3 on Fast. A golden apple appears after every few red apples and fades after about seven seconds, so hurry!
What are Classic, No walls and Daily maze?
In Classic the edges of the board are walls. In No walls the snake leaves one side and comes back on the other, so only your tail can stop you. The Daily maze has a few rocks and the same apples for every player each day, at Normal speed, so everyone gets a fair contest.
Does the snake speed up?
A little. Each speed starts at its own pace and the snake gets slightly faster with every apple you eat, up to about a third faster, so long games stay exciting.
How do I unlock new skins?
Skins unlock with the apples you eat in all your games together: Ocean at 25, Sunset at 75, Candy at 150, Ninja at 300 and Golden at 600. Choose a skin with the paint button above the board.
Is there a leaderboard?
Yes. Classic, No walls and the Daily maze each have a free leaderboard for today, this week and all time. Your score is saved at the end of a game; you only pick a nickname if you want to join.
Can I play Snake on a phone?
Yes. The game works in portrait and landscape on phones and tablets. Swipe to turn, or use the big arrow buttons, which you can switch on or off in Settings.
Who invented the Snake game?
The idea goes back to the 1976 arcade game Blockade, and Snake became famous on mobile phones in the late 1990s. Classic Snake at Util.Ninja is an independent, free version with its own look and features.
What is a good strategy for long snakes?
Move in big loops or zigzags along the board so your tail always leaves a free path behind you. Avoid chasing an apple into a corner or a pocket of your own body, and plan the turn after the apple before you take it.
More arcade games: Block Stack, 2048, Word Tower and Sudoku.