Game of Life

Rules

Customize Rules

Survival (live cell stays alive with): Comma-separated neighbor counts

Birth (dead cell becomes alive with): Comma-separated neighbor counts

Current Rules

Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbours dies (underpopulation).
Any live cell with two or three live neighbours lives on to the next generation.
Any live cell with more than three live neighbours dies (overpopulation).
Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbours becomes a live cell (reproduction).

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History

The Game of Life, devised by mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970, is a cellular automaton that simulates the evolution of simple organisms on a grid. Each cell can be alive or dead, and its fate is determined by the state of its neighbors. The game became famous for demonstrating how complex patterns and behaviors can emerge from simple rules, and it has inspired research in mathematics, computer science, and artificial life.

🚀 Spaceships

Moving patterns that travel across the grid

Glider

The smallest spaceship, moves diagonally every 4 generations.

Lightweight Spaceship (LWSS)

Travels horizontally, period 4.

Middleweight Spaceship (MWSS)

Larger horizontal traveler, period 4.

Heavyweight Spaceship (HWSS)

Heavyweight horizontal traveler, period 4.

Copperhead

Stable diagonal-moving spaceship.

Pufferfish

Orthogonal spaceship that leaves a trail of debris behind.

Weekender

Orthogonal spaceship, travels horizontally every 5 generations.

🔄 Oscillators

Patterns that repeat their states in cycles

Pulsar

Period 3 oscillator, very stable.

Beacon

Period 2 oscillator.

Blinker

Period 2 oscillator - simplest oscillator.

Toad

Period 2 oscillator that switches between horizontal and vertical.

Galaxy

Period 8 oscillator with rotating symmetric pattern.

🔸 Still Lifes

Stable patterns that never change

Block

Simplest still life pattern.

Beehive

Common still life pattern.

Loaf

Still life with an asymmetric shape.

Boat

Small still life pattern.

⚡ Generators

Patterns that create other patterns

Glider Gun

Produces gliders infinitely (large pattern).

🧬 Methuselahs

Long-lived patterns with interesting evolution

Acorn

Takes 5206 generations to stabilize!

Diehard

Dies completely after 130 generations.