Updated 11-Jul-2026
Snake games are quite popular. The first widely played snake game is of course snakes and ladders which originated in 2nd century CE India. The game was imported into the UK in the 1890s and made its way to the US as chutes and ladders, snakes apparently too scary for small children.
Snake Video Game Genre
The breakthrough snake video game entered the mainstream when it came installed in Nokia phones in 1998. Snake video games are considered their own genre.
Snake is available as a video game by Google playable in the browser as an easter egg for the search play snake.
Modern Snake Games
In the mid- to late-2010s modern snake games such as Slither.io became popular as multiplayer games. The biggest change is that one does not worry about colliding with one's own tail, only those of opponents. In addition, the playing area is much larger than the main screen, and also when snakes die, they turn back into the food they ate, and can be eaten in turn by surviving snakes. The goal as with the original snake game is to get as large as possible.
Most modern snake games (including Google's snake game) have customization of the skin of the snake.
List of Top Snake Games
Many snake games have both mobile app and web versions