Guides
History of the Snake game
Snake is one of the oldest game ideas still being played.
Snake descends from Blockade, an arcade game released by Gremlin in 1976 in which two players leave growing trails. Many home computers had similar games. The version most people know arrived on Nokia phones from 1997, starting with the Nokia 6110, designed by Taneli Armanto.
The early years
The idea of a line that grows as it moves and must not touch itself is older than most video games. Blockade, released in 1976 by Gremlin, had two players steering trails that kept lengthening, and the loser was the one who hit a wall or a trail first.
Clones and the single-player snake
In the following years, programmers made one-player versions for home computers and calculators. The single snake that eats food and grows became the standard form of the game.
Snake on phones
In 1997, Nokia included Snake on the Nokia 6110. It was designed by Taneli Armanto, and it was controlled with the phone's number keys. Versions followed on many later Nokia phones, which made Snake one of the best known mobile games.
Today
Snake remains popular because the rules fit in a sentence and there is no ceiling on skill. You can play a version in a few seconds of learning right in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented Snake?
No single person. The idea comes from the 1976 arcade game Blockade by Gremlin. The best known mobile version was designed by Taneli Armanto for Nokia.