Best Google Easter Eggs and Hidden Tricks to Try

Type the right word into Google and the page might spin, tilt, or correct you with a joke. Google easter eggs have been hiding in Search for well over a decade, and some of them still work today. This guide lists the best ones, exactly what to type, what happens, and which tricks are retired or only survive on recreation sites.

How these Google tricks work

Most Google easter eggs are triggered by a search query. You type a word or phrase, press Enter, and the results page reacts. A few need a click on a special panel, and some only appear on desktop.

Google adds, changes and removes these jokes without notice, so anything below may change. We flag every entry below as still in Search, retired, or recreation only. For a running record of what Google itself has released, the Wikipedia list of Google Easter eggs is a handy reference.

One more note: we are a games site, not Google. Where we host our own version of a classic, we say so plainly.

Google easter eggs still in Search

These are the tricks you can try right now in a regular Google search. Results can differ by country, device and browser, so if one does not fire, try it on a desktop browser.

1. Do a barrel roll

Type: do a barrel roll. What happens: The whole results page spins a full 360 degrees and settles back into place. The phrase comes from Star Fox 64, where a wingman shouts it at the player.

Status: Still in Search. Google added it in 2011, and it is one of the most durable tricks on this list. Searching “z or r twice” has triggered the same spin in the past.

2. Askew

Type: askew. What happens: The results page tilts a few degrees to the right and stays crooked while you scroll. It is subtle enough that people often think their monitor is the problem.

Status: Still in Search. “Tilt” has produced the same effect at times, though that version has been less consistent.

3. Recursion

Type: recursion. What happens: Google shows a “Did you mean: recursion” suggestion. Clicking it just runs the same search again, which is the joke: an endless loop that explains the word by doing it.

Status: Still in Search. It is a favorite among programmers and one of the oldest Google tricks that never went away.

4. Anagram

Type: anagram. What happens: Google asks “Did you mean: nag a ram,” which is itself an anagram of “anagram.” Like recursion, it is a quiet wordplay joke rather than an animation.

Status: Still in Search, as far as we know. If you like this kind of wordplay, our guide to the best Google games covers more of Google’s lighter side.

5. Blink HTML

Type: blink html. What happens: The words “blink” and “html” flash on and off across the results page. It pokes fun at the old blink tag, which made text flicker on 1990s web pages and was later dropped by browsers.

Status: Has worked in Search for years, but it is one of the less reliable tricks and may change.

6. Flip a coin, roll a die, and spinner

Type: flip a coin, roll a die, or spinner. What happens: Each one opens a small tool at the top of the results. The coin lands heads or tails, the dice roller lets you pick dice from four sides up to twenty, and the spinner opens a fidget spinner you can flick, with a switch to a number spinner.

Status: Still in Search. These are less hidden than the rest, but they are some of the most used Google secret games. If you want a bigger coin and a running tally, try our coin flip.

Retired Google tricks and where they live now

These easter eggs were once official, or once passed as official, but no longer run in Google Search. Fan sites have rebuilt most of them. Our guide to Elgoog’s I’m Feeling Lucky tricks covers the recreation side in more depth, so here we keep each entry short.

7. Google in 1998

Type: google in 1998. What happened: For Google’s 15th birthday in 2013, this search restyled the results page to look like the early Google, with the old logo, a plain layout and a dated feel.

Status: Retired from Search. Recreations of the look exist on fan sites.

8. Zerg Rush

Type: zerg rush. What happened: Small “o” characters swarmed in from the edges and ate your search results one by one. You clicked them to fight back, and when they won they spelled out “GG.” The name comes from a StarCraft tactic.

Status: Added in 2012 and, as far as we can tell, retired from Search. The playable version most people find today is a fan recreation.

9. Atari Breakout

Type: atari breakout, in Google Images. What happened: The image grid turned into a wall of bricks, and a paddle and ball appeared so you could smash the thumbnails.

Status: Launched in 2013 and since retired. Recreations exist, and the original arcade game is easy to find in browser form.

10. The Thanos snap

Type: thanos. What happened: In 2019, as a tie-in with Avengers: Endgame, an Infinity Gauntlet appeared in the knowledge panel. Clicking it made the glove snap, and about half the search results crumbled into dust. Clicking again brought them back.

Status: Retired. It was a promotional easter egg and was removed after its run.

11. Google Gravity

Type: google gravity, then visit the top result. What happens: Every element of a Google-style homepage falls to the bottom of the screen. You can grab the logo and buttons and toss them around.

Status: Never an official Google feature. It began as a 2009 browser experiment by developer Mr. doob, and it now lives on third-party recreation sites. It is one of the most searched Google tricks precisely because so many people assume Google made it.

Hidden Google games you can play in Search

These hidden Google games open in a panel at the top of the results. Type the name, press Enter, and click Play. They work on desktop and on phones.

12. Snake

Type: snake game or play snake. What happens: A green board opens with a snake and an apple. Eat apples to grow, avoid the walls and your own tail, and use the settings to change speed, board size and apple count.

Status: Still in Search. Want a no-frills version outside the results page? Our classic Snake runs in any browser.

13. Pac-Man

Type: pac-man or google pacman. What happens: The 2010 Pac-Man Doodle loads, with a maze shaped like the Google logo. Press Insert Coin a second time to add Ms. Pac-Man for two players.

Status: Still playable from Search. For the standard maze, try our Pac-Man.

14. Solitaire

Type: solitaire. What happens: A clean game of Klondike opens, with Easy and Hard settings and an undo button.

Status: Still in Search. We also host our own Klondike Solitaire if you prefer a full-page table.

15. Minesweeper

Type: minesweeper. What happens: A bright, friendly version of the logic classic appears, with difficulty levels that change the board size and mine count. Click to dig and right-click to flag.

Status: Still in Search.

16. Tic-tac-toe

Type: tic tac toe. What happens: A board appears where you play against the computer on Easy, Medium or Impossible, or switch to a friend on the same screen.

Status: Still in Search. The Impossible setting lives up to its name, so a draw is a good result.

Chrome and Google Maps extras

Not every Google trick lives in Search. Two of the best-known ones came from Chrome and Google Maps.

17. The Chrome Dino

Type: chrome://dino in the Chrome address bar, or simply lose your connection. What happens: A pixel T-Rex appears on the offline page. Press Space to start running, jump cacti, duck pterodactyls, and watch the screen flip between day and night as your score climbs.

Status: Still in Chrome. It was added in 2014 by designer Sebastien Gabriel and is probably the most played Google easter egg of all. Our homepage runs a faithful recreation, so you can play the Chrome Dino game without turning off your Wi-Fi. The dinosaur has secrets of its own, collected in our guide to Chrome Dino easter eggs.

18. Snake and Pac-Man in Google Maps

Type: nothing; these were April Fools’ features. What happened: In 2015, a Pac-Man button in Google Maps turned real city streets into a maze. In 2019, Maps ran a Snake game where you steered a train or bus through famous cities.

Status: Retired. Both were limited-time jokes, though the 2019 Snake game was briefly playable on a standalone page afterward.

Google Assistant has its own playful replies too. Ask it to flip a coin or roll a die and it will, and it has stock answers to famous movie lines. Those responses change often, so we have left them off the numbered list.

Google easter eggs at a glance

#	Easter egg	What to type	Status
1	Barrel roll	do a barrel roll	Still in Search
2	Askew	askew	Still in Search
3	Recursion	recursion	Still in Search
4	Anagram	anagram	Still in Search
5	Blink HTML	blink html	Usually works, may change
6	Coin, dice, spinner	flip a coin / roll a die / spinner	Still in Search
7	Google in 1998	google in 1998	Retired, recreations only
8	Zerg Rush	zerg rush	Retired, recreations only
9	Atari Breakout	atari breakout (Images)	Retired, recreations only
10	Thanos snap	thanos	Retired
11	Google Gravity	google gravity	Third-party recreation
12	Snake	snake game	Still in Search
13	Pac-Man	pac-man	Still in Search
14	Solitaire	solitaire	Still in Search
15	Minesweeper	minesweeper	Still in Search
16	Tic-tac-toe	tic tac toe	Still in Search
17	Chrome Dino	chrome://dino	Still in Chrome
18	Maps Pac-Man and Snake	None (April Fools’)	Retired

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous Google easter egg?

“Do a barrel roll” is the best-known Search trick, and it still spins the results page. If you count games, the Chrome Dino is probably the most played, since millions of people see it every time their connection drops.

Does Zerg Rush still work on Google?

Not in Search, as far as we can tell. Zerg Rush ran on Google from 2012, but searching it now returns normal results. Fan sites host recreations if you want to play it.

Is Google Gravity made by Google?

No. Google Gravity is an independent 2009 browser experiment by developer Mr. doob that copies the Google homepage. It has never been a Google Search feature, and the versions people use today are third-party recreations.

What hidden games are in Google Search?

Search “snake game,” “pac-man,” “solitaire,” “minesweeper” or “tic tac toe” and a playable game opens at the top of the results. Search also has quick tools such as “flip a coin,” “roll a die” and “spinner.”

Why did my Google easter egg not work?

Google changes or removes tricks without notice, and some only run on desktop or in certain regions. Try a desktop browser, check your spelling, and turn off extensions that alter search pages. If it still fails, the trick may have been retired.

Keep searching, then keep running

The best Google easter eggs are a few keystrokes away: spin the page, tilt it, loop it, or open a game of Snake between tasks. The retired ones live on as recreations, and Gravity was always a fan experiment. When you want the most famous hidden game of all, jump straight into the T-Rex Runner right here.