Eat apples, grow longer and move faster. Grab golden fruit before it vanishes or beat a rival snake to ten.
Golden Apple Snake has you guiding a cartoon snake with wobbly eyes around a walled grid that is 24 squares wide and 18 tall. Each red apple you eat adds a segment to your tail and a point to your score. The more you score, the faster the snake goes.
There are two ways to play. PLAY is the classic solo run for a high score. VERSUS puts you against a pink computer snake in a race to ten apples.
Getting started
Pick PLAY from the title menu. Your snake starts in the center, four segments long, heading right. Turn it with the arrow keys or W A S D. You can’t flip straight back into your own body, so a quick reverse press does nothing.
Each apple is worth 1 point and makes you one segment longer. A new apple then appears somewhere else. Every point also speeds you up a little, until the speed caps out at 20 points. By then your snake travels at roughly double its starting pace.
The golden fruit
Once you reach 5 points, there is roughly a one-in-five chance that eating an apple brings out a golden fruit. It’s worth 5 points and adds two segments in one bite. The catch is time. It only stays for 6 seconds, with a shrinking ring around it that starts to blink near the end. Its value and countdown appear in the lower-left corner.
Racing in VERSUS
In VERSUS, the computer snake starts on the far side of the board, and two apples are out at once. Whoever reaches 10 apples first takes the round. You also take the round if the rival snake runs into the wall or a body segment. VERSUS stays at one steady speed the whole time.
Common mistakes
- Chasing every golden fruit. If it’s far away, a rushed turn is the fastest way to crash. Let it go.
- Diving into corners. Apples in corners are easy to reach but easy to get stuck beside, so plan your exit first.
- Filling the middle too soon. Early on, stick to the outer lanes and save the middle for when you’re longer.
- Forgetting the tail moves. Unless you just ate, the square your tail leaves is safe to enter on the next step.
In VERSUS, the computer heads for the closest apple it can reach safely. Cutting across its path forces it to turn away and can buy you time.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steer the snake | Arrow keys or W A S D | — | On-screen direction pad (bottom right) |
| Pause | Esc | — | — |
| Choose a mode | — | Click PLAY or VERSUS | Tap PLAY or VERSUS |
Golden Apple Snake FAQ
Does Golden Apple Snake work on a phone or Chromebook?
Yes. On a phone or tablet, touch the screen and a direction pad shows up in the bottom-right corner. Holding the device sideways gives the grid more room. On a Chromebook, steer with the arrow keys or W A S D. A gamepad works too.
Are my scores saved?
Yes. Your best score from the normal mode is kept, and so is your total number of VERSUS wins. Both stay put between sessions, so you can keep chasing a higher number.
How long does a round last?
A normal run lasts until you crash into the wall or your own body, so it can be short or long depending on your skill. A VERSUS round ends as soon as one snake eats 10 apples or crashes.
What ends the game?
In the normal mode, your head hitting the outer wall or any part of your own body ends the run. In VERSUS, slamming into a wall or any snake's body also ends it, and a head-on meeting on the same square is a draw.
