A new way to play Battlesnake called Battlegrounds is officially open! Battlegrounds will replace Global Arenas, which will shut down on May 31st.
Battlegrounds is a recurring month-long competition where developers can enter their Battlesnakes in ladders to earn achievements and accolades. Each month, we will open up a new set of competitive ladders, each with a unique environment that will put your coding skills to the test!
Some ladders will offer consistent game modes month-to-month, allowing players to track improvement and progress. Other ladders will act as testing grounds for new experimental combinations of game mechanics in a competitive environment.
At the end of each month, the ladders will be scored and achievements awarded based on your placement on the leaderboards (such as 1st, Top 10 or Top 50).
Battlegrounds ladders will operate similarly to seasonal league ladders, which begin at a set time once per day and run up to 100 matches. This gives players the ability to view ladder progression for all of their Battlesnakes after each round of matches.
New Ladder Progress Card
Getting Started
Battlegrounds are easy to join! If you have a Battlesnake ready, you can enter it into any of the active ladders on the Battlegrounds page. You can participate in any of the ladders you'd like, and you're able to choose different Battlesnakes for each ladder.
Training Program Challenges
You must first complete the Training Program Challenges to compete in Battlegrounds.** These challenges test the basic ability of your Battlesnake and ensure that it is ready for competition. Once you've completed the Training Program, the Battlegrounds feature will unlock for you.
June Battlegrounds
Our inaugural Battlegrounds competition will run from May 15 to June 30th and will consist of 4 different ladders.
Standard
The classic version of competitive Battlesnake: 11 x 11 game board and 4 Battlesnakes. Standard ladder matches run daily at 12 pm GMT.
Duels
The most purely competitive game mode, where two Battlesnakes compete head-to-head on an 11x11 board. Duels ladder matches run daily at 6 pm GMT.
Wrapped
The star game mechanic of the 2022 Competitive Season, the Wrapped ladder will provide a place to compete in-between our scheduled league play. Wrapped ladder matches run daily at 6 am GMT.
Constrictor
The constrictor game mechanic has a special place in our hearts and has not yet shown a Battlesnake with a dominant strategy. Will yours be the first? Constrictor ladder matches run daily at 12 am GMT.
Replacing Global Arenas
The launch of the new Battlegrounds means we are going to sunset the existing Global Arenas on May 31st. Match generation on these ladders will stop and the final results archived. You will still be able to go to these ladder pages going forward but they will not be linked prominently on the play.battlesnake.com site.
The Battlegrounds feature is in beta so expect improvements and changes to occur as we refine the feature. We will be actively listening to feedback on the Battlesnake Discord server and the Battlesnake Discussions forum as we explore what is and isn't working! You're also welcome to email us at hello@battlesnake.com
See you at the Battlegrounds!