Getting started
Do I need to install anything?
No. CellSnake runs entirely in your browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. No app to download, no account to create. Open cellsnake.com, press Play, and you're in a live arena within a second.
Is the game free? Are there purchases?
Completely free. No purchases, no premium currency, no pay-to-win. The game is supported by unobtrusive display advertising.
Which browsers are supported?
Chrome 90+, Firefox 88+, Safari 14+, Edge 90+. Opera and Brave work well. Internet Explorer is not supported.
Why do I already have a name when I arrive?
We assign a random call-sign (like "AURORA HAWK") so you can jump straight in without filling out a form. Click the name field to type your own.
Mobile
Does CellSnake work on phones and tablets?
Yes, fully. A virtual joystick lives in the lower half of the screen — touch anywhere there and drag to steer. Pull the stick to its edge and boost engages automatically. The interface strips down to essentials so the arena fills your screen.
My snake stutters on mobile. What can I do?
Usually a network issue. Try: hard-refreshing the page, closing background tabs, or switching to a stronger Wi-Fi or mobile-data connection. We ship continuous performance improvements — see the changelog.
Should I add CellSnake to my home screen?
It helps: the game launches fullscreen without the browser address bar, and the screen wake-lock keeps your display on mid-game. Use your browser's "Add to Home Screen" option.
Gameplay
Are the other snakes real people?
Both. Rooms mix real players with AI rivals so there's always action, and every human who joins replaces one AI. The AI opponents run three distinct personalities (aggressive, cautious, hunter) and are intentionally hard to tell apart from humans — the kill feed doesn't distinguish them either.
How many real players are online?
The home page shows a live counter — players in-game right now, today's total, and all-time sessions (21,000+ and counting).
What happens when I die?
Your body scatters into pellets worth ~70% of your mass. The results screen shows your final mass, your rank in the room, and the gap to the current top 3 — then respawns you within 3 seconds unless you opt out.
How long does the spawn shield last?
10 seconds on your first join, 5 seconds on every respawn. While shielded you cannot be killed; your snake blinks to show it. AI rivals also avoid brand-new players entirely for their first 60 seconds.
How do I get on the leaderboard?
The board lists the room's top 8 by mass, live. Around 3,000 mass usually earns the bottom slot; holding #1 typically takes 20,000+. Our all-time record is over 55,000.
Data & privacy
What data do you collect?
Very little: a random session ID, the display name you chose, and gameplay statistics (mass, survival time, kills) for aggregate analytics. No emails, no passwords, no real names, no precise location. Details in our Privacy Policy.
Where is my progress saved?
Best mass, settings, and daily streak live in your browser's localStorage. There are no server-side accounts — clearing browser data or switching devices starts you fresh.
Does the site use cookies?
The game itself uses only session storage (cleared when the tab closes). Google ads may set their own cookies with your consent — EU/UK visitors see a consent banner first. See the Privacy Policy for the full picture.
Technical
Why does movement occasionally hiccup?
The game depends on a stable WebSocket connection. Corporate firewalls, flaky VPNs and weak Wi-Fi are the usual suspects. If stutter persists on a good connection, report it — device and browser details help a lot.
What's the loading spinner on first visit?
The game engine downloading — a couple of seconds on desktop, up to a few on mobile the first time. Later visits are much faster thanks to caching.
I found a bug. Where do I report it?
Through the contact page. Include your device, browser, what happened, and what you expected — a screenshot is gold. Bug reports get priority.