🐍 Snake Game - Java Edition

A modern, feature-rich Snake Game built with Java Swing, featuring multiple difficulty levels, special food varieties, high score tracking, and emoji support!

📸 Screenshots

Welcome screen with game instructions

Active gameplay with special food and score tracking

Game over screen showing final score and high score

🎮 Download & Play

Quick Start (Windows)

Download SnakeGame.exe

Simply download and double-click to play! No installation required.

Note: Requires Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 8 or higher installed on your system.

Alternative Download

• Download SnakeGame.jar - Run with: java -jar SnakeGame.jar

📋 System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 7/8/10/11, Linux, or macOS
• Java: JRE 8 or higher (Download Java)
• RAM: 256 MB minimum
• Disk Space: 50 MB
• Display: 800x600 resolution or higher

📸 Features

🎮 Gameplay Features

• Classic Snake Gameplay - Control the snake, eat food, and grow longer
• Smooth Controls - Responsive arrow key controls
• Multiple Difficulty Levels - Easy, Medium, and Hard modes with adjustable speeds
• Wall Collision Toggle - Choose between classic mode (walls kill) or wrap-around mode
• Pause/Resume - Pause the game anytime with the Pause button

🍎 Food Varieties

1. 🍎 Normal Apple (Red) - Worth 1 point
2. ⭐ Golden Apple (Gold) - Worth 5 points, appears every 15 seconds
3. 💎 Bonus Diamond (Purple) - Worth 3 points, disappears after 5 seconds!
4. ⚡ Speed Boost (Blue) - Worth 1 point + 40% speed increase for 5 seconds

🏆 Score System

• Real-time Score Display - Track your current score
• High Score Tracking - Automatically saves your best score
• Persistent Storage - High scores saved between game sessions
• New High Score Celebration - Special notification when you break records

🎨 Visual Features

• Clean UI - Dark theme with colorful elements
• Emoji Support - Full emoji rendering for food and messages
• Glow Effects - Special foods have glowing auras
• Score Panel - Dedicated panel below game board showing stats
• Countdown Timers - Visual timer for bonus food and speed boosts

🚀 How to Run

Option 1: Run the Executable (Easiest - Windows Only)

1. Download SnakeGame.exe from Releases
2. Double-click the downloaded file
3. Play! 🎮

Option 2: Run the JAR File (All Platforms)

1. Make sure Java is installed: java -version
2. Download SnakeGame.jar from Releases
3. Run: java -jar SnakeGame.jar

Option 3: Build from Source

Prerequisites

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or higher
• Git (optional)

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/bibekchandsah/snake-game.git
cd snake-game

Compilation

javac SnakeGame.java GamePanel.java SettingsPanel.java HighScoreManager.java Food.java

Run

java SnakeGame

Build Executable (Windows)

See BUILD.md for detailed instructions on creating the EXE file.

🎯 How to Play

Controls

• ⬆️ Up Arrow / W - Move Up
• ⬇️ Down Arrow / S - Move Down
• ⬅️ Left Arrow / A - Move Left
• ➡️ Right Arrow / D - Move Right

Supports both Arrow Keys and WASD keys for movement!

Game Rules

1. Click the Start button to begin
2. Use arrow keys to control the snake
3. Eat food to grow and earn points
4. Avoid hitting yourself (self-collision = game over)
5. If wall collision is enabled, avoid hitting walls

Settings

• Difficulty Levels:

  • 🟢 Easy - 150ms delay (slower, easier to control)
  • 🟡 Medium - 100ms delay (moderate speed)
  • 🔴 Hard - 50ms delay (fast-paced challenge)

• Wall Collision:

  • ✅ ON - Snake dies when hitting walls (classic mode)
  • ⬜ OFF - Snake wraps to opposite side (endless mode)

📁 Project Structure

snake-game/
├── SnakeGame.java          # Main application entry point
├── GamePanel.java          # Core game logic and rendering
├── SettingsPanel.java      # UI controls (difficulty, settings, buttons)
├── HighScoreManager.java   # High score persistence manager
├── Food.java              # Food types and properties
├── icon.ico               # Application icon
├── highscore.dat          # Saved high score (auto-generated)
├── preview1.png           # Welcome screen screenshot
├── preview2.png           # Gameplay screenshot
├── preview3.png           # Game over screenshot
├── README.md              # This file
└── BUILD.md               # Build instructions for EXE

🎯 Releases

Download the latest version from the Releases page:

• SnakeGame.exe - Windows executable with custom icon
• SnakeGame.jar - Cross-platform JAR file
• Source code - ZIP and TAR.GZ archives

🛠️ Technical Details

Technologies Used

• Java - Core programming language
• Java Swing - GUI framework
• AWT Graphics - 2D graphics rendering
• Timer - Game loop mechanism
• File I/O - High score persistence

Key Classes

SnakeGame.java

• Main window setup
• Integrates GamePanel and SettingsPanel

GamePanel.java

• Game board rendering (600x600 pixels)
• Snake movement and collision detection
• Food spawning and management
• Score tracking and display

SettingsPanel.java

• Difficulty selection (radio buttons)
• Wall collision toggle (checkbox)
• Start/Pause/Resume button
• Auto-updates button states

HighScoreManager.java

• Loads high score from file on startup
• Saves new high scores automatically
• Persistent storage using highscore.dat

Food.java

• Four food types with different properties
• Point values and visual effects
• Timed expiration for bonus food
• Speed boost functionality

🎨 Color Scheme

• Background: Black (#000000)
• Snake Head: Bright Green (#00FF00)
• Snake Body: Dark Green (#2DB400)
• Grid: Dark Gray (#191919)
• Normal Food: Red (#FF0000)
• Golden Food: Gold (#FFD700)
• Bonus Food: Purple (#8A2BE2)
• Speed Food: Deep Sky Blue (#00BFFF)
• High Score: Yellow (#FFFF00)
• Score Panel: Dark Gray (#1E1E1E)

📊 Scoring

Food Type	Points	Frequency	Duration	Effect
🍎 Normal Apple	1	Common	Permanent	None
⭐ Golden Apple	5	Every 15s	Permanent	None
💎 Bonus Diamond	3	Every 20s	5 seconds	Disappears
⚡ Speed Boost	1	10% chance	Permanent	+40% speed for 5s

🎯 Game Strategy Tips

1. Focus on Survival - Don't rush for golden apples if it's risky
2. Plan Your Route - Think ahead to avoid trapping yourself
3. Use Wrap Mode - Disable wall collision for easier gameplay
4. Speed Boosts - Be extra careful when speed boost is active
5. Bonus Food - Rush for purple diamonds before they vanish!
6. High Scores - Try different difficulty levels to maximize points

🐛 Known Limitations

• Game speed doesn't progressively increase with score
• No sound effects or background music
• Single-player only
• Fixed board size (600x600)

🚀 Future Enhancements (Planned)

• Sound effects and background music
• Progressive difficulty (auto-speed increase)
• Multiple themes/skins
• Leaderboard with top 10 scores
• Obstacles and maze mode
• Two-player mode
• Achievement system
• Game statistics tracking
• Mobile/touch controls support

📝 Version History

Version 1.0 (Current)

• ✅ Classic snake gameplay
• ✅ Three difficulty levels
• ✅ Wall collision toggle
• ✅ High score system with file persistence
• ✅ Four food varieties with special effects
• ✅ Emoji support
• ✅ Pause/Resume functionality
• ✅ Welcome screen
• ✅ Score panel below game board

👨‍💻 Development

Compilation Requirements

• JDK 8+ (for lambda expressions)
• Supports emoji rendering on Windows (Segoe UI Emoji font)

File Structure

All .java files should be in the same directory for compilation.

📄 License

This is a learning project. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute as needed.

🤝 Contributing

Feel free to fork this project and add your own features! Some ideas:

• Add sound effects
• Create new food types
• Implement power-ups
• Add multiplayer support
• Create custom themes

🎮 Enjoy Playing!

Have fun playing the Snake Game! Try to beat your high score and master all difficulty levels! 🐍🏆

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Made with ❤️ using Java Swing

Last Updated: November 15, 2025