Times Tables Snake – a multiplayer multiplication game
Times Tables Snake is a free multiplayer snake game for primary school children. A multiplication question rides on the snake's head; steer the snake onto the sweet carrying the right answer and it grows a segment. It runs in the browser on a phone, a tablet or a laptop, with nothing to download and no adverts.
How to play
Drag a finger across the screen, or move the mouse, and the snake's head follows. Hold to speed up, although a fast snake is harder to steer. Eat the sweet with the correct answer to the question on the head and the snake grows; eat a wrong one and it loses a few segments. Running into another snake's body costs segments too. There is no clock and no game over, so a child can stop whenever they like.
What it teaches
The game covers all 66 multiplication facts from the 2 times table to the 12 times table. Under the National Curriculum for England that is the 2, 5 and 10 times tables in Year 2, the 3, 4 and 8 times tables in Year 3, and everything up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4, ready for the Multiplication Tables Check. Difficulty opens up with length: a short snake meets the easy tables and the harder ones arrive as it grows.
Modes
There are two. On your own: a private arena with computer-controlled snakes, which is the right start for a first go or a weak connection. Shared room: many players in one arena, seeing each other in real time — add ?che=mang to the address to join. The leaderboard counts real players only; computer snakes never appear on it.
Keeping your snake
The start screen shows an eight-character code. Write it down and type it back in next time, on any device, and the same snake comes back with its length and its skin. No email address, no password and no name are asked for anywhere in the game.
Frequently asked questions
Is Times Tables Snake free?
Yes, completely free, with no adverts and no limit on how long you play. You do not need an account to start.
Which times tables does it use?
All 66 facts from 2 × 2 up to 12 × 12. A short snake only meets the easier tables; the 7s, 9s, 11s and 12s appear once it has grown, so a Year 2 child is never thrown straight at 9 × 8.
Can we play as a class?
Yes. Add ?che=mang to the address and everyone joins one shared room and sees each other's snakes in real time. The leaderboard counts real players only, never the computer-controlled snakes.
Will my snake still be there tomorrow?
Write down the eight-character keep-my-snake code shown on the start screen. Typing it back in on any device brings the same snake back. No email address and no password are ever asked for.