How to Build a Snake Game in Bash (Yes, Really!)

Most people use Bash for automation, scripting, and server management—but have you ever thought about using it to build a game?

At first, it sounds impossible. Bash lacks graphics support and isn't designed for real-time interactivity. But with clever workarounds, you can create a fully playable Snake game right in your terminal.

Let's break down the core logic behind a Bash-based Snake game and how you can start building it yourself.

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Can You Really Code a Game in Bash?

✅ Yes, but it’s a challenge.

Unlike Python or C, Bash has no built-in game libraries. You need to manually control input, timing, and rendering using simple shell commands.

Here’s what makes it work:

• Real-time input handling (using read in raw mode)
• Game loop simulation (using while true; do ...; sleep x; done)
• Terminal-based rendering (using tput and printf)

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Step 1: Setting Up the Game Grid

Bash doesn’t have a GUI, so the game board is represented using characters.

Basic Board Representation

Imagine a 10x10 grid in the terminal:

##########
#        #
#        #
#   @    #
#        #
##########

Here’s a basic script to draw a static grid:

clear
for i in {1..10}; do
    for j in {1..10}; do
        if [[ $i -eq 1 || $i -eq 10 || $j -eq 1 || $j -eq 10 ]]; then
            echo -n "#"
        else
            echo -n " "
        fi
    done
    echo
done

🔹 What’s happening?

• Loops create rows and columns
• Borders (#) are drawn at the edges
• Spaces (" ") are the playable area

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Step 2: Moving the Snake

Handling real-time input is tricky in Bash. You can’t just use read because it waits for input. Instead, we use:

stty -echo -icanon time 0 min 0

This puts the terminal in raw mode, letting us read one key at a time.

Now, we can move the snake using key presses:

while true; do
    read -n 1 input
    case "$input" in
        w) direction="UP" ;;
        s) direction="DOWN" ;;
        a) direction="LEFT" ;;
        d) direction="RIGHT" ;;
    esac
done

🔹 Why it works:

• read -n 1 reads one character at a time
• case changes the direction variable based on input

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Step 3: Making the Snake Grow

Each time the snake eats food, we increase its length. Instead of storing a graphical representation, we store coordinates:

snake=("3 5" "3 6" "3 7")  # List of x,y positions

Every time it moves:

1. Add a new head
2. Remove the tail (unless it eats food)

Here’s an example update logic:

new_head="$((x+dx)) $((y+dy))"
snake=("$new_head" "${snake[@]:0:${#snake[@]}-1}")  

🔹 Why it works:

• Moves head forward by modifying coordinates
• Removes the last piece (tail) to keep the length constant

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Step 4: Collision Detection (Don’t Crash!)

The game ends if the snake crashes into itself or the wall.

To check for self-collision:

if [[ " ${snake[@]} " =~ " $new_head " ]]; then
    echo "Game Over!"
    exit 0
fi

🔹 Why it works:

• Converts snake[@] to a string and checks if new_head exists inside it.

For wall collision, add a check:

if [[ $x -le 1 || $x -ge 10 || $y -le 1 || $y -ge 10 ]]; then
    echo "Crashed into the wall!"
    exit 0
fi

🔹 Why it works:

• If x or y reaches the grid boundary, the game ends.

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Step 5: Adding Food and Score

A random food spawn looks like this:

food_x=$(( RANDOM % 8 + 2 ))
food_y=$(( RANDOM % 8 + 2 ))

When the snake’s head reaches the food:

1. Increase the length
2. Generate new food

if [[ "$new_head" == "$food_x $food_y" ]]; then
    snake+=("$new_head")  # Grow the snake
    food_x=$(( RANDOM % 8 + 2 ))
    food_y=$(( RANDOM % 8 + 2 ))
fi

🔹 Why it works:

• Food respawns in a random location
• Snake grows by adding a new segment

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Challenges and Enhancements

If you’ve followed along, you have the logic for a simple Bash Snake game. But here are some challenges to improve it:

✅ Add a scoring system

✅ Make the snake move continuously

✅ Increase speed as the game progresses

✅ Store high scores in a file

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Is Bash the Best Choice for a Snake Game?

🚀 Yes, for a challenge.

• Bash wasn’t designed for games, but it’s a great way to learn scripting logic.

🛑 No, for complex games.

• Bash struggles with real-time interaction. Python or C is better for performance.

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Final Thoughts: Can You Build Games in Bash?

Bash isn’t made for game development, but that’s what makes it fun.

• If you love problem-solving, this is a great exercise.
• If you want high-performance, Bash isn’t the best option.

🎯 Challenge: Try building your own Snake game in Bash! Drop a comment if you get it working!

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