Snake Arena
Steer a growing snake around the arena, grab snacks and bonus gems, and keep clear of the walls and your own tail.
Classic · Solid walls
Steer with the arrow keys or W, A, S and D. Space pauses and resumes. M turns sound on or off.
About Snake Arena
Snake Arena is a modern take on the classic snake game. Guide your snake around a square arena, eat snacks to grow longer, and see how big you can get before you crash.
It plays in your browser on desktop and mobile with keyboard, swipe or on-screen arrow controls. Your best score for each mode is saved on this device.
How to play
- Pick a speed and a wall mode, then press Play.
- Press an arrow key, swipe on the board or tap an on-screen arrow to start moving.
- Steer into snacks. Each one is worth 1 point and makes your snake one cell longer.
- After every fifth snack a gem appears for a few seconds. Gems are worth 5 points and do not make you longer.
- Your run ends when your head hits your own body, or a wall in Solid mode.
Controls
| Steer | Arrow keys or W A S D |
|---|---|
| Start or play again | Enter or Space (or any arrow key to start) |
| Pause and resume | Space or P |
| Pause | Esc |
| Sound on or off | M |
| Steer | Swipe on the board, or tap the arrows below it |
|---|---|
| Start | Tap Play, then swipe or tap an arrow |
| Pause and resume | Pause button above the board |
Rules and scoring
Scoring
A snack is worth 1 point and adds one cell to your snake. A gem is worth 5 points and does not change your length.
A gem appears after every fifth snack and disappears when the ring around it runs out, about 44 moves later.
Speed
Relaxed keeps the same steady pace for the whole run. Classic and Turbo start faster and get a little quicker with every snack, up to a fixed top speed.
Walls
With Solid walls, touching the edge of the arena ends your run. With Wrap, leaving one edge brings you back on the opposite side, so only your own body can stop you.
The arena is a 17 by 17 grid with no obstacles.
Turning
You cannot reverse straight back into yourself. Quick presses are remembered, up to two turns ahead, so two fast taps make a tight U-turn.
Perfect game
If your snake fills every cell of the arena, there is nowhere left for a snack and you win the round.
Tips
- Stay near the edges early on. It keeps the middle open for when your snake gets long.
- Following your own tail is always safe, because the tail moves out of the way as you advance.
- Use two quick turns for a U-turn instead of waiting for the snake to line up.
- In Wrap mode the edges are shortcuts: a snack near the left edge may be closer through the right one.
- Let far-away gems go. A risky detour can cost you the run for 5 points.
Questions
Is Snake Arena free?
Yes. It is free to play in your browser with no account, download or payment.
Does Snake Arena save my scores?
Your best score for each speed and wall combination is stored in this browser on this device. Scores are not uploaded or shared, and there is no online leaderboard.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Swipe on the board or use the arrow buttons under it. The game pauses automatically if you switch apps or tabs.
Why did the game pause by itself?
Snake Arena pauses when the page is hidden or the window loses focus, so a notification or tab switch never costs you a run. Press Space or Resume to carry on.