Two snakes, one garden
How to play Snake Battle with a friend
- Swipe to turnSwipe anywhere on the screen to steer. Your snake always starts at the bottom left.
- Eat to growApples make you longer. A lightning bolt gives you a short burst of speed.
- Don't crashA wall, your own body or the other snake ends your round. Get in front of them so they crash first.
- Win two roundsIf the minute runs out, the longer snake wins the round. First to two rounds wins the match.
Only the head can die
You can't attack the other snake. A snake only loses by moving its own head into something: a wall, its own body, or the other snake. All you can do is be in the way.
So the game is about where their head will be in a second, not where their body is now. Lay your body across their path and you have built them a wall. The garden gets smaller for them, and every turn they make is a turn they had to make.
That is the cut-off, and it is how most rounds end. Not a chase — a door closing.
Long is a weapon, and a hazard
Length decides two things. Head to head, the longer snake wins. And when the minute runs out, the longer snake wins the round. Every apple is a point on the scoreboard and another piece of wall.
But a long body fills the garden for you too. Tight turns near your own tail are how long snakes die, usually while chasing one more apple.
A match is best of three. A drawn round doesn't count, and if it is still level after five rounds, the match is a draw.
Two phones, or one
Live, you both play at once, each on your own phone, in the same garden. If one phone drops out, the game waits for it.
On one phone, both snakes share the screen and each player swipes on their own half. It's the sofa version, and nothing is recorded.
There is no a-move-at-a-time version: two snakes in one garden need both players there. From iMessage, Snake Battle sends an invite that opens the app.
Three things that actually help
- Steer for the space in front of their head, not for the apple. An apple is one segment; a crash is the round.
- Stay off the walls early. Every wall you hug is a direction you can't turn.
- Use the speed burst to get in front of them, not to chase food. Getting ahead is how you cut them off.
Snake Battle questions
What happens if the two snakes meet head to head?+
The longer snake wins the round. If nobody crashes before the minute runs out, the longer snake wins then too.
Can we play Snake Battle on one phone?+
Yes. Play on one phone puts both snakes on one screen, and each player swipes on their own half. Nothing is recorded, so it doesn't touch your head-to-head.
Does my friend need to be online?+
Yes, unless you're on one phone. Snake Battle is live only, because both snakes move at once. From iMessage, it sends an invite that opens the app.