Online Snake Game

Run status

{{ started ? (paused ? 'Paused' : 'Live') : (gameOver ? 'Run complete' : 'Ready') }}

Speed {{ speed }} · best {{ bestScore }} · {{ runTimeLabel }}

Score {{ score }} Length {{ snakeLen }} Level {{ level }}

Score

Best

Length

Level

Combo

x{{ combo }}

Time

Slow

{{ focusSeconds }}s

Bonus

{{ bonusSeconds }}s

Next level in {{ applesUntilLevel }} apples • {{ applesIntoLevel }}/{{ applesPerLevel }}

Graphics unavailable. Try another browser or device.

Snake

Choose a pace, then stay alive long enough to build a strong chain.

Sprint from apple to apple to raise your combo multiplier and unlock brief slow-mo boosts.

Controls

↑ ↓ ← → WASD

move

P Space

pause/resume

restart

fullscreen

mute

Paused

Press P or tap Resume to continue.

Game Over

Run Summary

Chain ended. Check your level, apples, and combo before the next run.

Final Score {{ runSummary.score }}

Score{{ runSummary.score }}
Level{{ runSummary.level }}
Time{{ runSummaryTimeLabel }}
Length{{ runSummary.length }}
Apples{{ runSummary.apples }}
Max combox{{ runSummary.combo }}
Crash{{ runSummary.reason }}

Grid Trails

Walls

Wrap Solid

Metric	Value	Copy
{{ row.label }}	{{ row.value }}

Time	Event	Value	Detail	Copy
{{ row.time }}	{{ row.event }}	{{ row.value }}	{{ row.detail }}

Run	Preset	Score	Apples	Duration	Crash	Copy
{{ row.run }}	{{ row.preset }}	{{ row.score }}	{{ row.apples }}	{{ row.duration }}	{{ row.reason }}

Embed:

Customize

Include current inputs

Size

Advanced

Width

Height

Aspect ratio

Max height

Collapsible embed

Allow fullscreen

Referrer policy

Sandbox tokens

Snake turns a small grid into a route-planning problem. The head moves into the next cell, the tail usually leaves an old cell, and each food pickup makes the body longer. A move that looks safe now can close the lane needed ten seconds later.

The game became closely tied to Nokia phones because the rules fit tiny screens and a few direction keys, but the challenge is broader than nostalgia. A growing path, a random target, and strict collision rules create a clear tradeoff: reach food quickly enough to build score, while preserving a loop large enough to survive the next turn.

Snake route choices and common mistakes
Choice	What changes	Common mistake
Shortest food path	Raises score sooner and can extend a combo.	Closing the only return lane behind the head.
Wide loop	Leaves space for the tail to clear cells before the head returns.	Waiting too long and losing the combo window.
Wrapping edge	Turns a border into an exit on the opposite side.	Forgetting that the body may also occupy the arrival lane.
Solid edge	Makes the outside row a hard boundary.	Using the wall as a last-second escape route.

Snake route diagram showing food, a growing tail, a safe loop, and different edge rules

Speed changes how early a decision must be made, while wall behavior changes what an escape means. A wrapping board rewards edge-to-edge planning. A solid border punishes late turns, especially after the body has grown and the tick rate has tightened.

The useful reading of a run combines reward and risk. Score shows points earned, length shows how crowded the board became, apple pace shows how quickly food was collected, and crash cause names the risk that finally ended the route.

How to Use This Tool:

Pick one pace and wall rule, play a full run, then compare the summary and timeline before changing the setup.

Choose Slow, Medium, or Fast on the start overlay. The run begins with Score 0, Length 3, and Level 1.
Set Walls to Wrap for edge-to-edge routes or Solid when crossing a border should end the run. Keep this value fixed when comparing personal bests.
Use Grid when exact cells matter. Use Trails when the body path is hard to read during quick turns.
Move with arrow keys, WASD, touch buttons, or a swipe on the board. Direct reversal is blocked, so plan a corner or loop instead of trying to turn back into the body.
Watch Combo, Slow, Bonus, and the next-level progress line while collecting apples. A bonus pickup lasts only a few seconds, so skip it when the route would trap the head.
Use Pause, P, or Space before an interruption. Use R to restart, F for fullscreen, and M to mute sound.
If Graphics unavailable appears, reload in a browser and device with browser 3D graphics support before starting another attempt.
After a crash, confirm that Run Summary, Event Ledger, Score Timeline, Run History, and JSON are populated. Those artifacts are the proof that the run was recorded.

Interpreting Results:

Score is the headline number, but it needs the route details beside it. Apples collected, Snake length, Level reached, Apple pace, Max combo, and Crash reason explain whether the points came from steady control, a short combo burst, or a risky chase that ended early.

Level reached 1 means fewer than five apples. Level 2 begins at five apples, and each later level begins after another five apples.
Max combo x4 or x5 shows fast apple chaining, but it can hide a bad route if the crash happened soon afterward.
Best for rules compares only the same speed preset and wall setting, which makes it more useful for practice than a single all-time best.
Crash reason separates body collisions from solid-wall crashes, so it points to either route planning or border control.
Score Timeline shows whether points rose steadily or arrived in one brief surge.

For practice, compare runs with the same Preset and Walls values. A higher score with a shorter duration and the same crash reason may mean the combo improved before the route did. Scores have no monetary value, and the game does not create a public leaderboard.

Technical Details:

The board is a 20 by 20 grid. A run starts with three body segments and advances one cell per movement tick. On a normal tick, the head enters the next cell and the tail leaves its old cell. On an apple tick, the tail stays, so the body grows by one segment and the next route has less empty space.

Movement is four-directional, with queued turns applied in order on later ticks. A direct 180-degree reversal is rejected because it would send the head into the first body segment. Up to three pending turns can wait, which helps fast key presses and swipes register without changing the collision rule.

Formula Core

Scoring and pace are deterministic once apple timing, level, speed preset, combo, and slow-motion state are known. Apple and bonus positions are random open cells, so two runs with the same rules can still demand different routes.

\begin{array}{lcl} {ΔS}_{apple} & = & 10 \times m \\ S_{burst} & = & 35 + 5 \times L \\ L & = & 1 + ⌊ \frac{A}{5} ⌋ \\ T & = & clamp (B - 7 \times (L - 1) + F, 60, 260) \end{array}

Snake score and timing variables
Symbol	Meaning	Value or range	Effect
`m`	Combo multiplier	x1 to x5	Rises when apples are collected within 6000 ms of each other.
`A`	Apples collected	Integer	Adds body length and raises the level every five apples.
`L`	Level	1 or higher	Increases pace pressure and affects burst bonus value.
`B`	Base tick from speed preset	190, 130, or 90 ms	Slow, Medium, or Fast movement before level and slow-motion adjustments.
`F`	Slow-motion offset	0 or 24 ms	Adds time to each tick while a slow-motion window is active.
`T`	Effective movement tick	60 to 260 ms	Lower values update the snake faster.

For example, 16 apples gives 1 + floor(16 / 5), so the run is on level 4. On Medium without slow motion, the tick is 130 - 7 x (4 - 1), or 109 ms. During a slow-motion window, 24 ms is added, making the same level move at 133 ms per tick.

Rule Core

Snake rule events and effects
Event	Trigger	Effect
Apple pickup	The head reaches the apple cell.	Adds `10 x Combo` points, grows the snake by one segment, places another apple, and updates level progress.
Combo reset or increase	An apple is collected more than 6000 ms after the previous apple, or within that window.	Resets to x1 after a slow pickup or rises by one step up to x5 after a quick pickup.
Slow-motion window	Combo reaches x3 or a slow bonus is collected.	Extends a short slower-tick window. The combo-created window is `4200 + 300 x Combo` ms.
Bonus spawn	A level is completed or combo reaches x4 or higher.	Places a temporary bonus pickup on an open cell for 7 seconds. A high combo spawns a burst bonus; level completion otherwise spawns a slow bonus.
Burst bonus	A burst pickup is collected before it expires.	Adds `35 + 5 x Level` points.
Wrap wall	The head crosses an edge while `Wrap` is active.	The head continues from the opposite edge.
Solid wall	The head crosses an edge while `Solid` is active.	The run ends with `Crash reason` as a wall collision.
Body collision	The head enters a body cell that is not being vacated by the tail.	The run ends with `Crash reason` as a body collision.

Result Fields and Storage

Best score, Best for rules, and Run History are saved in the current browser profile. The completed-run data also records Grid / Trails because those visual aids can change readability, even though they do not change scoring or collision rules.

Worked Examples:

Steady Medium Wrap Run

A Medium run with Walls set to Wrap ends with Score 260, Apples collected 16, Level reached 4, Apple pace 18.0 apples/min, Max combo x3, and Crash reason as Body collision. The useful signal is survival through three level increases before the body closed the lane.

Fast Combo Burst

A Fast run collects four apples inside the 6000 ms combo window. The apple gains are 10, 20, 30, and 40 points, and the x3 pickup starts a slow-motion window. If Score Timeline jumps sharply but Run duration stays short, the player found speed before finding enough route space.

Solid Border Mistake

A Solid run with Apples collected 6, Level reached 2, and Crash reason as a wall collision points to border planning. Repeat the same Preset and treat the outer row as an early turn lane instead of a last-second escape.

Graphics Blocked

If the board shows Graphics unavailable, the run cannot start because the playfield cannot render. Use a current browser or another device with browser 3D graphics support, reload, and confirm that the start choices appear before selecting a speed.

FAQ:

Which speed should I start with?

Use Medium with Wrap for a readable baseline. Use Slow to study routes, then move to Fast when you can keep open lanes under pressure.

Why did my direction key not reverse the snake?

Direct reversal is blocked because it would make the head turn into the first body segment. Use a corner, loop, or queued turn sequence to change direction safely.

Why did the same score feel easier with Wrap?

Wrap changes edge behavior. A border move that continues under Wrap would end the run under Solid, so compare scores with the same Walls value.

Where are best scores and history saved?

Best score, Best for rules, and recent Run History are kept in the current browser profile on the same device. Clearing site data or using another browser can remove or hide them.

Do the visual settings change scoring?

Grid and Trails are recorded with the run, but they do not change scoring, speed, wall behavior, or collision checks.

What if the board says graphics are unavailable?

Use a browser and device with browser 3D graphics support, then reload the game. The start choices should appear before you begin another run.

Glossary:

Combo: The apple-chain multiplier that rises when apples are collected close together in time.
Slow-motion window: A temporary slower movement pace created by a high combo or slow bonus.
Burst bonus: A temporary pickup that adds extra score based on the current level.
Wrap: A wall rule where crossing an edge moves the head to the opposite edge.
Solid: A wall rule where crossing an edge ends the run.
Best for rules: The saved personal best for the current speed and wall combination.

References:

Nokia 6110 User Manual, Games, Nokia Mobile Phones, 1998.
Iconic Snake Game Is Back, HMD Global, 27 February 2017.
Nokia 6110 (included games), MobyGames.