SnakeOS is a toy operating system written for x86-64 with the mission of running a 2D Snake game. ARM and RISC-V architectures are not supported. Compiler support is GCC and clang only.
The project explores low-level OS development, including bootloader design, memory management, graphics, and hardware interfacing, to build a minimalist but fully functional 64-bit OS.
- Build a custom 64-bit operating system from scratch
- Boot directly into a 2D Snake game without a traditional OS
- Gain hands-on experience with:
- Bootloaders
- Memory management & paging
- Keyboard & input handling
- Low-level graphics rendering
- File system basics
- Custom Bootloader — boots from BIOS, switches to 64-bit long mode
- Protected → Long Mode Transition — complete GDT setup and paging
- FAT12 Support — load files directly from a floppy image
- Keyboard Driver — low-level input handling
- Basic Graphics Mode — VGA or custom framebuffer drawing
- Memory Management — paging tables, identity mapping
- 2D grid-based gameplay
- Real-time input
- Score tracking
- Game-over & restart logic
- Runs natively on SnakeOS without external dependencies
- Language: x86 Assembly (NASM) + C
- Target Architecture: x86-64
- Build Tools:
nasm,gcc,ld,make - Emulator: QEMU (primary), Bochs (optional)
- Disk Format: FAT12 (floppy image)