There are plenty of little hidden easter eggs in the Google search engine. From barrels rolls to performing the Cha-Cha Slide, you can have a lot of fun typing certain phrases into the search bar. However, we want to give special highlight to the full-on games Google’s snuck away here.
Before we jump into the games themselves, just know that all the games are made to be played on either computers or mobile devices. For most games, you can choose to play with either your mouse or keyboard if you’re on a computer, while mobile devices are limited to touch controls.
The Classics
There is plenty of simple, almost utility games like “Flip a Coin,� “Spinner,� or “Roll a Die� which all do exactly what you expect, but there are also, well, more substantial games. Let’s dive into them
You can enjoy full versions of Solitare, Snake, and Minesweeper with some nice art thrown-in for good measure. These are time-tested games you can play for one minute as a distraction or get into them for longer sessions if you’re dedicated to breaking that high score. You can even play Tic-Tac-Toe against your friends (no online play, unfortunately). The Snake game particularly stands out as there are many options available to tweak the game with new mechanics (such as teleporting) and more difficulty options.
You can even play a fairly complete version of Pac-Man. Instead of the iconic maze of the arcades, you play in a stylized Google maze eating dots and running from ghosts just as you would expect. Just like the arcade game, each time you complete the maze the ghosts get harder, and new higher-scoring fruit is added into the mix.
Google Originals
The most infamous of Google’s own games is definitely the “Dinosaur Game�—a simple, pixelated endless runner where you play as a T-Rex. This pops up any time you’re without an internet connection on Chrome; once you’re at the “No Internet� screen, just press the space bar and you can hop right in. But if you’d like to play without disabling the connection on your device, just go to chrome://dino/ to access the game at any time—this is exclusive to Google Chrome though.
You can also turn to Google Doodles for some fun games. These are those special Google logos you see on the home page for various holidays, anniversaries, and events, and while some are just nice illustrations, others include tiny games to enjoy.
It’s worth checking on whatever the current Doodle is, but even if there isn’t a game attached you can still play older Doodle games thanks to the Doodle archive page. Just a couple of these I want to note is the 2020 Halloween game, which is a fun little level-based arcade game, and the high-score focused Baseball game made for the Fourth of July 2019.
While none of these games are mindblowing, they’re fun distractions to play every once in a while. They’re worth checking out and can deliver on some simple and pure entertainment—the high-score focused games can even drag you in for a while if you get hooked. So instead of immediately jumping on Twitter or Instagram next time you have a few minutes spare, why not head to the search bar instead? After all, they’re all free—you’ve got nothing to lose.
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