Game of Life

One rule about eight neighbours, applied to every square at once — no plan, no goal, no randomness. Out of it come blinkers, gliders that walk across the screen, and the thing on the grid right now: a glider gun firing a fresh glider every 30 generations. Drag on the grid to draw your own.

A grid of cells running Conway's Game of Life. Your browser does not support canvas.
drag on the grid to draw cells
12 gen/s

space play · s step · c clear · 1–4 patterns · arrows + enter to draw

Readout

0generation
0live cells
0change
idle

Patterns

The rules

  • 3live neighbours and an empty square comes alive
  • 2–3live neighbours and a live square stays alive
  • elsethe square goes empty — too crowded, or too alone

Colour is age: a cell born this generation is bright, one that has held on for a while fades toward grey.