The Game of Life is a cellular automaton devised by mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970. It consists of a two-dimensional grid of cells, each of which can be alive or dead. The grid evolves in discrete time steps according to four simple rules based on each cell's eight neighbors:
1. Underpopulation: A living cell with fewer than two neighbors dies.
2. Survival: A living cell with two or three neighbors survives.
3. Overpopulation: A living cell with more than three neighbors dies.
4. Reproduction: A dead cell with exactly three neighbors becomes alive.
From these minimal rules, astonishingly complex behavior emerges — gliders that travel across the grid, oscillators that pulse, guns that shoot streams of spaceships, and self-replicating structures. The Game of Life is Turing complete, meaning it can simulate any computation.
Conway Canvas is a free "Game of Life" simulator and pattern editor built by Hammerbyte. It runs entirely in your browser — no installation, no sign-up, no tracking. The goal is to provide the most intuitive and feature-rich Game of Life experience on the web.
Whether you're a student learning about cellular automata, a researcher exploring emergent systems, or just someone who loves watching patterns evolve — Conway Canvas is for you.