Snake (video game genre)

In a snake game, you move a long line.

The line has a head and a tail. You steer the head up, down, left, or right.

The snake eats food like apples or eggs. Each snack makes the snake grow longer.

As it grows, the game gets harder. You must not hit walls. You must also not hit your own body.

People have played these games for a long time. They are fun to play on phones and computers.

In a snake game, you control a long line.

This line has a head and a tail. You steer the head up, down, left, or right. The goal is to avoid hitting walls or your own body.

Many games use this idea. Some are for two players. One early game was called Blockade. In that game, two players try to survive the longest. Other games are for one player. In these, the snake eats food like apples or eggs. Every time the snake eats, it grows longer. This makes the game harder because there is more body to hit.

Snake games are very famous. A version called Snake came on Nokia phones in 1998. This made many people want to play again.

Today, you can find snake games in many places. Some are on websites or apps. Some even help students learn science. For example, a game called Snakeleev helps kids learn about elements. People love these games because they are simple but fun to play.

Snake games are a special kind of action video game. In these games, you control a growing line. This line often looks like a snake with a head and a tail.

The main goal is to keep moving without crashing. You must avoid hitting walls or your own body. As the snake grows, the game becomes much harder. This is because a longer body is more difficult to steer. Players love these games because they require quick reactions and careful thinking.

There are two main ways to play these games. Some are designed for two players to compete against each other. In these versions, players try to survive longer than their opponent. Other versions are for a single player. In a single-player game, the snake eats items like apples or eggs.

Every time the snake eats an item, it gets longer. Some games, like Nibbler, use a maze to make things even faster. In other games, like the Tron arcade game, you control light cycles instead of snakes.

The history of these games started a long time ago. The first game was called Blockade. It was made by Lane Hauck and Ago Kiss. Gremlin Industries published it in 1976.

Other early games followed soon after. For example, Atari released a game called Surround in 1977. A home computer version called Worm was made by Peter Trefonas in 1978. Many different companies made their own versions for many different machines over the years.

Many famous names are linked to the history of snake games. In 1982, Mattel released a game called Snafu for the Intellivision. The game Snake Byte was also released in 1982 for several computers. A very big moment happened in 1998. A game simply called Snake was put on Nokia 6110 mobile phones. This made the game very popular all over the world. Nokia later released many other versions like Snake II and Snake Xenzia. Even today, new versions like Snaky Cat and MageTrain are being made.

Snake games are everywhere in our modern world. You can find them in many different places. Google has even added them as hidden games or "easter eggs." For example, Google Maps had a snake game for an April Fools' Day prank in 2019. Some games are even used for learning in school. A game called Snakeleev helps students learn the periodic table of elements. This shows how a simple idea can turn into many different and useful things.

Snake games are a specific genre of action video games. The player maneuvers the end of a growing line. This line is often themed as a snake. The core challenge involves avoiding collisions. The player must not hit obstacles or their own body. As the snake grows longer, the game becomes more difficult. This difficulty arises because a longer body is harder to steer. Players must use both quick reactions and forethought to succeed.

There are two primary ways these games function. In many original versions, two players compete against each other. Each player controls a snake from a fixed starting position. The head of the snake moves forward continually and cannot stop. Players steer the head left, right, up, or down. The goal is to survive longer than the opponent without hitting walls or the other snake. In single-player versions, the mechanics change slightly. One or more snakes are often controlled by the computer.

In the most common single-player format, the snake eats specific items. These items might be apples, eggs, or abstract objects. Each time an item is eaten, the snake increases in length. This growth increases the likelihood of a self-collision. Different games use different settings for this growth. For example, Snake Byte features a snake eating apples. Nibbler is a faster version where the snake moves through a tight maze. The 1982 Tron arcade game used a light cycle theme. This version featured a single-player segment with light cycles that influenced later games.

The history of the genre began in 1976. The arcade game Blockade was the first of its kind. It was written by Lane Hauck and Ago Kiss. Gremlin Industries published the game. Shortly after, a clone called Bigfoot Bonkers was released. In 1977, Atari released two inspired games. One was the arcade game Dominos. The other was Surround, which played on the Atari VCS. Surround was also sold by Sears under the name Chase. That same year, the Bally Astrocade received a similar game called Checkmate.

As technology changed, snake games moved to home computers. Peter Trefonas programmed Worm for the TRS-80 in 1978. This was the first known home computer version. He later created versions for the PET and Apple II. In 1982, Mattel released Snafu for the Intellivision. That same year, Snake Byte arrived for Atari 8-bit computers and the VIC-20. Dave Bresnen released Snake for the BBC Micro in 1982. In that version, the snake increased in speed as it grew longer. A major resurgence occurred in 1998. A version simply called Snake was preloaded on Nokia 6110 mobile phones. Nokia released many iterations, such as Snake II and Snake Xenzia.

Modern developers continue to expand the genre with new ideas. In 2013, NimbleBit released Nimble Quest, an action RPG snake game. In 2016, Steve Howse launched Slither.io to mimic the success of Agar.io. Other recent titles include Snaky Cat, a battle royale game released in 2025. Some versions even appear on unexpected platforms. In 2023, Spotify added Snake as a downloadable game inside playlists. In 2024, Nothing launched a Snake widget for cellphones. Even Google has participated. They added Snake as a hidden game in YouTube in 2010. They also launched a Snake doodle for web browsers.

The impact of the snake genre reaches into education and science. In 2025, the game Snakeleev was used to help students. It uses snake mechanics to teach the periodic table of elements. This project was published in the Journal of Chemical Education. The game concept was even used for a travel competition in South Korea. Additionally, Python Snake is a tool used to teach students programming. It helps them learn how to use the Python language and the Pygame library. The genre remains a versatile way to combine simple movement with complex learning.