What do you get when one of the planet’s most serious tech companies lets its hair down? The answer is dozens of hidden features, games, and interactive jokes hiding in plain sight within Google’s ever-expanding World Wide Web. These fun secrets, known as Google Easter eggs, bring a little unexpected adventure to your search experience.
These are not the results you’re used to searching for. Google easter eggs are the playful side of Google, you could say – they show off the techie company’s sense of humour (or just someone’s sense of humour), and demonstrate exactly that one time when not everything about Google is pure algorithmic level data-crunching. They are made for fun and play, not productivity.
What’s especially interesting about these Google Easter eggs is how they have evolved alongside internet culture itself. Ranging from simple screen animations to full games you can play, they represent Google’s evolution from a basic search engine to a sprawling digital playground. Every hidden feature is a story about technology, creativity, and the way people are trying to have fun while adding a splash of whimsy to their daily digital lives.
Table of Contents
- Classic Google Easter Eggs That Never Get Old
- Hidden Game Easter Eggs for Instant Entertainment
- Interactive Easter Eggs That Respond to Your Curiosity
- Doodle-Based Games That Celebrate Global Culture
- The Cultural Impact of Google Easter Eggs
- How to Discover New Google Easter Eggs in 2025
- Retired Google Easter Egg Games
- Google’s Hidden Playground
- FAQs
Classic Google Easter Eggs That Never Get Old
Some of the most beloved Google Easter eggs have become legendary among online users. These are classic gold that still entertain and warm the hearts of a new audience and those who have already seen them before.
Do a Barrel Roll
Search “do a barrel roll” on Google, and see the entire contents of your screen twirl in a 360-degree circle. It’s a Google Easter egg commemorating the classic video game Star Fox, and characters in the game used to scream this catchphrase during aerial battles.
Askew
Just type “askew” in the search bar, and Google will tilt the entire results page slightly on its side. This quick and clever visual trick is a neat representation of what the word means and also showcases Google’s dedication to detail with their Easter eggs Google series.
Atari Breakout
Go to Google Images and type in “Atari Breakout” to turn the screen into the familiar brick-breaking game. When you click on it, this Google Easter egg game takes static thumbnails and actually lets you break colorful bricks with a bouncing ball, one of the coolest ways Google has dabbled in gaming.
Pac-Man
Type “Pac-Man” in the search bar, and a full-blown version of the arcade game appears in your search results. These very special Google easter egg games are proof of how effortlessly entertainment can be meshed with search, offering an experience that’s both comfortable and surprisingly entertaining.
Hidden Game Easter Eggs for Instant Entertainment
Beyond the well-known classics, Google has embedded several complete games throughout its ecosystem. These google easter egg games offer surprisingly robust entertainment experiences.
Game | How to Access | Platform | Difficulty |
---|---|---|---|
Snake | Type “snake game” | Any browser | Easy |
Solitaire | Search “solitaire” | Any browser | Medium |
Tic-Tac-Toe | Search “tic tac toe” | Any browser | Easy |
Dinosaur Game | Offline Chrome or search “Chrome Dinosaur Game” | Chrome browser | Medium |
Interactive Easter Eggs That Respond to Your Curiosity
Some of the most sophisticated google easter eggs respond dynamically to user input, creating personalized interactive experiences that go beyond simple visual tricks.
The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything
“The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything” is a reference to Douglas Adams’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Look up this exact string, and Google’s calculator says “42.” This well-known response was actually given by the supercomputer Deep Thought after pondering for 7.5 million years. It is a great way for google easter eggs to honor literary culture.
Flip a Coin and Roll a Die
Use “Flip a Coin” and “Roll a Die” as instant randomization tools. Coin flip simulation with realistic animation and physics, Dice roll simulating rolling up to six D6 dice for use in tabletop games. These are easter eggs that go one step further; they’re really interesting and enjoyable. However, these handy easter eggs demonstrate how Google can combine utility with fun.
Conway’s Game of Life
Cellular automation comes to your search results with “Conway’s Game of Life“. Tiny blue squares pop into being, and then change according to Conway’s mathematical rules as part of a pattern that blooms, fades, and morphs across your screen. This Google Easter egg offers an exciting yet educational experience, showcasing computational concepts within a visual context.
Google in 1998
As an example, type “Google in 1998” and you will be returned a search results page that features a nostalgic interface reminiscent of Google’s early days.
Doodle-Based Games That Celebrate Global Culture
Google’s doodle-based easter eggs showcase how the company celebrates cultural events, historical anniversaries, and global holidays through interactive experiences.
Doodle Theme | Release Year | Cultural Significance | Interactive Elements |
---|---|---|---|
Pac-Man 30th Anniversary | 2010 | Gaming history | Full playable game |
Olympic Games | Various | International sports | Multiple mini-games |
Halloween | Annual | Global celebration | Spell-casting game |
Earth Day | Annual | Environmental awareness | Educational quizzes |
These google easter eggs games often feature elaborate storylines, character development, and educational components that extend far beyond simple entertainment value.
Batman Graph Easter Egg
Enter the mathematical equation 2*sqrt(-abs(abs(x)-1)*abs(3-abs(x))/((abs(x)-1)*(3-abs(x))))(1+abs(abs(x)-3)/(abs(x)-3))sqrt(1-(x/7)^2)+(5+0.97(abs(x-.5)+abs(x+.5))-3(abs(x-.75)+abs(x+.75)))(1+abs(1-abs(x))/(1-abs(x))),-3sqrt(1-(x/7)^2)sqrt(abs(abs(x)-4)/(abs(x)-4)) into Google’s graphing calculator to reveal the iconic Batman logo. This sophisticated google easter egg combines mathematics with pop culture in an unexpected way.
Bubble Level
Type “bubble level” into your iOS or Android search box, and you can turn your phone into a real tool, a spirit level, at least. This is a useful and practical Google Easter egg & it showcases the creativity of mobile sensors.
Pride Easter Egg
Put P, R, I, D, E in cells A through E in a Google Sheet and then click cell F1. The spreadsheet changes to a rainbow effect, showcasing diversity with this colourful Google Easter egg.
Easter Egg Type | Examples | Purpose |
---|---|---|
Classic | Do a barrel roll, Askew | Screen manipulation |
Gaming | Snake, Solitaire | Full playable experiences |
Interactive | Conway’s Game of Life | Educational entertainment |
Cultural | Pride colors, Wizard of Oz | Social awareness |
Mathematical | Batman equation | STEM education |
The Cultural Impact of Google Easter Eggs
Google Easter eggs are more than just fun; they tell a story of how internet culture and user experience have evolved. These covert attributes can have multifunctional potentials:
- Building Community: Users become connected when they discover the same Google Easter eggs, games, or tricks in common.
- Brand Personality: All of the easter eggs built into Google’s search page serve to remind us that while Google is an extremely useful and efficient tool, the company has a fun-loving side.
- Viral Advertising: All the latest google easter eggs create natural social media shares without the need for traditional advertisements.
- Technical Showforce: Many of Google’s Easter eggs demonstrate highly sophisticated web technology, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in-browser.
How to Discover New Google Easter Eggs in 2025
The curiosity of Google Easter eggs 2025 continues to evolve as Google engineers come up with new treats. Recent additions focus on:
- AI Integration: ML-powered easter eggs change based on how you use the keyboard
- Accessibility: Google easter eggs developed for differently abled users
- World Diversity: Local secret google easter eggs for regions of the world celebrating local culture.
- Cross-platform compatible: Easter eggs that are compatible across devices and on most platforms.
Retired Google Easter Egg Games
Below are some Google Easter egg games and interactive features that have been deactivated by Google, but which are frequently still available to play on third-party mirror websites such as elgooG.
Easter egg (game) | Prompt / Trigger | What it did | Retired / status (short) |
---|---|---|---|
Underwater Search | Search “Google Underwater” (worked via Google.com or Google Gravity variant) | Made the whole search page sink and float underwater; results bobbed around like objects in water | Flash/JS-based experiment, not functional on modern Google (retired mid-2010s) |
Zerg Rush | Search “Zerg Rush” | Falling “O”s ate search results; you clicked to destroy them | 2012–2017, later removed |
Thanos / Infinity Gauntlet | Search “Thanos” and click the gauntlet icon | Snapped away half of the results | Avengers Endgame promo 2019; later removed |
Batman Bat-Signal | Search “Bruce Wayne” / “Gotham City” / “Bat-Signal” and click signal | Launched Batman animation overlay | 2022 promo, removed 2023 |
YouTube Lightsaber progress bar | Opt-in via Star Wars: Choose Your Side (2015); then play any YouTube video | Turned progress bar into a lightsaber | Dec 2015–Feb 2016 only |
YouTube hidden dog on progress bar | Long-press left/right arrow keys during playback (desktop) | The dog runs across the progress bar | Worked ~2015–2019, now gone |
YouTube Snake in Flash Player | Pause a video, hold ← + ↑ on keyboard | Play Snake over video | Flash retired in 2017 |
Google Maps Pac-Man (2015) | In the Maps app/web, the Pac-Man button appeared on April 1 | Turned streets into a Pac-Man maze | April Fools 2015 only |
Google Maps Ms. Pac-Man (2017) | In Maps app, Ms. Pac-Man button appeared on April 1 | Streets became Ms. Pac-Man | April Fools 2017 only |
Android 5.0 Flappy Droid | In Settings → About → Tap Android version | Flappy-Bird clone with Android mascot | Retired after Lollipop |
Android 6.0 Marshmallow Flappy | Same as above, on Marshmallow | Flappy variant with marshmallows | Replaced in Nougat |
Android 7.0 Nougat Neko Cats | In Nougat, tap Android version repeatedly → add “Neko” tile in Quick Settings | Collect virtual cats with treats | Present only on Nougat |
Google+ Snow Globe | Type “Let it snow” inside Google+ | Triggered falling snow and a snow globe | Removed with the Google+ shutdown |
Twosday 2/22/22 Confetti | Search “Twosday” or “2/22/22” | Triggered confetti animation | One-day event |
Other promo mini-games (movie tie-ins, Doodles, Knowledge Graphs) | Example: search “Friends cast” → clicked couch icon (2019) | Triggered interactive mini animations/sounds | All temporary, removed after promos |
Google’s Hidden Playground
Google easter eggs are an example of how technology and creativity can intersect, showing that some of the most serious digital tools out there aren’t necessarily humorless. However, these unsung games turn a regular search into an opportunity to discover the unexpected, surprise you, and let you have a great time.
The next time you pop open Google, think of it not just as a place to search for information but as your own virtual playground of sorts that contains secrets waiting for you behind every corner. Whether you’re spinning your screen with “Do a barrel roll,” or just typing “askew” for a little tilt, or working out math problems with the Batman equation, you are part of a massive game of Internet charades.
FAQs
“Do a barrel roll” is still the most popular google easter egg because it’s easy to trigger with a dramatic visual effect.
You can enjoy most google easter egg games and tricks across all platforms, but the only things that cannot be used on both platforms are some features, like bubble level, which are mobile-only.
Yes, a few seasonal google easter eggs are ephemeral and lost when they upgrade or redesign the platform.
Absolutely! Google easter eggs are sprinkled throughout Chrome, Google Sheets, YouTube, Android, and more products in the Google ecosystem.
There have been hundreds of easter eggs seen in Google searches (albeit unofficial, since Google does not document them) around the world and in everything from web results to breakaway searches.