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You can build and preview a simple Snake-style game in Microsoft MakeCode using its browser simulator; a BBC micro:bit is only needed to play it on the physical 5×5 LED display. MakeCode provides the coding environment and device workflow, but the controls and game rules below are choices for this example—not an official micro:bit Snake ruleset.
What you need to make a micro:bit Snake game
- Microsoft MakeCode: the micro:bit coding editor supports block-based programming and a JavaScript view. The Micro:bit Educational Foundation introduces it as a way to create and transfer code in its MakeCode guide.
- A browser: MakeCode includes a simulator, so you can start coding and test the game without owning a board. Microsoft describes the editor, simulator, compilation, and transfer process in its MakeCode overview.
- A BBC micro:bit, optionally: use a physical board if you want to play on the LEDs. The Foundation’s getting-started guide explains creating code and transferring it to a device.
The micro:bit’s 5×5 LED display makes the game a tiny grid rather than a large scrolling board. Its buttons and the simulator’s virtual device give you ways to interact with and test a project; the Foundation’s MakeCode technical documentation describes the editor views, simulator, and compilation and download details.
Choose the rules before building
There is no single official micro:bit Snake ruleset established by the platform sources. Decide how your version handles input, movement, food, growth, collisions, scoring, and restart, then make those rules visible to the player.
Use a clear control scheme
For this example, assign the A and B buttons to turns: A turns left relative to the snake’s current direction, and B turns right. This lets the snake keep moving without asking the player to choose a direction from scratch on every turn. Another project could use different controls, but state them clearly and make the same controls work in the simulator and on the board.
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Define movement and collisions
Represent the snake as an ordered list of grid positions, with the first position as its head. On each movement update, calculate the next head position from the current direction, add it to the front of the list, and remove the tail position unless food was eaten. Treat leaving the 5×5 grid or moving into the snake’s body as game over if those are the rules you choose. Preventing an immediate reversal is also a useful design choice: it stops the head from turning directly into the segment behind it.
Place food and grow the snake
Show food on a grid cell that is not occupied by the snake. When the head reaches that cell, keep the tail rather than removing it, increasing the snake’s length by one; then choose another unoccupied food cell. If there is no free cell left, decide whether filling the board is a win or another end condition.
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Make score and game over readable
A 5×5 display has little room for text, so choose a simple signal. For example, briefly show a score as a number between rounds, or use a distinct LED pattern to mark game over. State what the pattern means and how the player starts again, such as pressing both buttons together. These are tutorial design choices, not fixed micro:bit conventions.
Build and test the game in MakeCode
- Open the micro:bit MakeCode editor and create a project. The Foundation’s MakeCode guide explains the blocks and JavaScript views.
- Set up the game state: initialize the snake’s starting position, its direction, a food position, and a score. Use grid coordinates from 0 to 4 for each axis, matching the 5×5 LED display.
- Add button handlers for your chosen turns. If you want to disallow reversing, ignore a turn that would point the snake directly back into itself.
- Run a repeated movement update: calculate the next head cell, check for a boundary or body collision, detect food, update the snake and score, and then redraw the LEDs. Choose a movement interval slow enough to follow on the small display.
- Test in the simulator: check turning, food placement, growth, boundary collisions, self-collisions, and restarting. MakeCode’s simulator lets you preview and interact with a virtual device in the browser, as described in the MakeCode overview and the Foundation’s technical documentation.
- Switch to JavaScript view if useful to inspect or edit the text version of the program. MakeCode offers blocks and JavaScript rather than requiring one format, as explained in the Foundation’s MakeCode guide.
The exact block names or code depend on how you implement the game; the official platform material cited here does not supply a canonical Snake program. Keep the rules and state updates consistent whichever MakeCode view you use.
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Play in the simulator or on a physical micro:bit
| Option | Hardware needed | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| MakeCode simulator | None; use a browser and the MakeCode editor. | Preview and interact with a virtual micro:bit while developing. |
| Physical BBC micro:bit | A micro:bit and a way to transfer the program. | Play on the board’s 5×5 LEDs. The transfer route can vary by computer, browser, and device generation. |
For physical play, create the program in MakeCode and transfer it to the board. Microsoft’s overview describes compilation and transfer to the MICROBIT drive, while the Foundation’s getting-started instructions cover creating and transferring code. Follow the on-screen instructions for your setup rather than assuming every computer or device uses an identical path.
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Common design problems to check
- The snake reverses into itself: reject a direction change that points directly opposite the current direction, if your rules prohibit reversals.
- Food appears under the snake: select a new food position only from unoccupied cells.
- Movement seems too fast: lengthen the interval between movement updates until turns and LED changes are easy to follow.
- Game-over feedback is unclear: use a distinctive LED pattern or pause and show the score, and tell players how to restart.
- Simulator behavior differs from the board: test the same inputs and rules on the physical device after transferring the program; the simulator is a preview, not the hardware itself.
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