Elgoog: I’m Feeling Lucky Tricks and Retro Google Games

Elgoog (elgoog.im) is an independent fan site, not run or endorsed by Google, that recreates classic Google Easter eggs such as Google Gravity, Google Underwater and the backward elgooG mirror, plus a menu of retro Google games. The “I’m Feeling Lucky” trick simply means typing a trick’s name into Google and pressing that button, which jumps straight to the top result, often Elgoog’s recreation. dinogame.gg is a separate site; this guide explains what Elgoog offers and which tricks still work.

Long-time Google users remember when typing a strange phrase and pressing “I’m Feeling Lucky” could make the whole homepage collapse, flood, or flip backward. Most of those jokes no longer live inside Google Search, but Elgoog keeps them running. This guide explains what Elgoog is, which famous tricks it recreates, which ones still work on real Google, and the retro games worth playing.

What is Elgoog?

Elgoog is “Google” spelled backward, and the site started from that joke: a mirror-image version of the Google homepage where the logo, the search box, and the text all read right to left. Over time it grew into a collection of recreated Google Easter eggs, browser experiments, and small games, most commonly found at elgoog.im.

The key fact is that Elgoog is a third-party fan project. Google does not run it, endorse it, or host its pages. It recreates things Google once did, plus experiments that independent developers built around the Google look, and puts them in one menu.

If you want the longer backstory, our explainer on what Elgoog is and how it started covers the site’s history in more depth. This page focuses on the tricks and games people search for.

How “I’m Feeling Lucky” fits in

Google’s homepage has long had two buttons under the search box: “Google Search” and “I’m Feeling Lucky.” The second one skips the results page and sends you straight to the top result for your query.

That is the whole connection. When you typed “Google Gravity” and pressed I’m Feeling Lucky, Google sent you to whatever page ranked first for that phrase, which was the Gravity experiment itself. The button never had special Easter egg code for most of these tricks. It was just the fastest route to the right page.

Today, the elgoog im feeling lucky trick works the same way when it works at all. Results for “Google Gravity” or “Google Underwater” often point to Elgoog’s recreations, so pressing the button can land you there. Because Google’s interface changes often, and autocomplete can bypass the button, the most reliable method is to visit the trick directly.

For a while around 2012, hovering over the button also made it spin to alternate labels such as “I’m Feeling Playful” or “I’m Feeling Curious.” That small animation is part of why the button became shorthand for Google’s playful side.

The famous Elgoog tricks

These are the pages most people go looking for. For each one, we note whether it is an Elgoog recreation of an older experiment or something that has run inside Google Search.

Google Gravity

Google Gravity makes every element of the Google homepage drop to the bottom of the screen as if the page had lost its supports. The logo, the search box, and the buttons pile up, and you can grab them with the mouse and throw them around.

Origin: It was a 2009 browser experiment by developer Ricardo Cabello, known online as Mr. doob, built to show off what modern browsers could do. It was never a Google Search feature. Elgoog hosts a recreation, and on many versions you can still type a query into the fallen search box.

Google Sphere

Google Sphere arranges the homepage elements into a rotating ring that spins around your cursor. Move the mouse and the whole thing swirls.

Origin: Also a Mr. doob experiment from the same era, not a Google feature. Elgoog keeps a recreation running.

Google Underwater

Google Underwater floods the homepage. Water rises, the logo and buttons bob on the surface, and fish swim through the page. You can still search, and the results drift around as well.

Origin: It is a fan-made effect in the same family as Gravity, not something Google built into Search. Elgoog’s version is the one most people find today.

Google Mirror (elgooG)

Google Mirror shows the Google homepage flipped left to right. The logo reads “elgooG,” the text runs backward, and typing in the search box feels deliberately awkward.

Origin: This is Elgoog’s signature page and the reason for the site’s name. It is a fan creation, not an official Google mode. If you search “google mirror,” this is almost always what people mean.

Do a barrel roll

Type “do a barrel roll” into Google Search and the results page spins a full 360 degrees. It is a nod to the classic line from Star Fox 64.

Origin: This one is Google’s own, added to Search in 2011. It has stayed one of the longest-lived Search Easter eggs, though Google can change or remove any trick at any time. Elgoog also offers a version where you can spin the page more than once.

Askew

Search “askew” on Google and the results page tilts slightly to one side. It is subtle enough that some people think their screen is broken.

Origin: A Google Search Easter egg, introduced around the same time as the barrel roll. Elgoog’s menu covers it as well.

Zerg Rush

Zerg Rush turned Google results into a tiny shooter. Small “o” characters swarmed onto the page and ate your search results unless you clicked them to death. It was named for a StarCraft tactic.

Origin: Google added it to Search in 2012. Searching the phrase today generally returns normal results, so the playable version people find is usually Elgoog’s recreation.

Atari Breakout

For a while, searching “Atari Breakout” in Google Images turned the image grid into a playable Breakout wall, with the thumbnails as bricks.

Origin: An official Google Image Search Easter egg from 2013. It no longer runs in Google Images, and Elgoog keeps a recreation. If you just want the game itself, you can play Breakout here.

Google in 1998

Searching “Google in 1998” once restyled the results page to look like the early Google homepage, complete with the old logo and layout. Google added it for its 15th birthday in 2013. It is no longer reliable in Search, and Elgoog’s version recreates the look.

Retro Google games you can still play

Beyond the visual tricks, Google has released real, playable games over the years, mostly as interactive Doodles. These are Google’s own work, and many still run from Google’s Doodle archive. Elgoog’s menu also points to several of them. For the full list of what is worth your time, see our guide to the best Google games you can play in a browser.

Pac-Man Doodle (2010)

Google marked Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary in May 2010 with a fully playable Pac-Man Doodle, made with Namco. It was Google’s first big interactive Doodle and was so popular that Google kept it online after the anniversary. A time-tracking company famously estimated that it cost millions of hours of office productivity. If you prefer a version without the Google logo, try our Pac-Man.

Doctor Who Doodle (2013)

For the show’s 50th anniversary, Google released a side-on puzzle game where you pick one of the Doctors and guide them through levels to collect the letters of “GOOGLE.” It is short, charming, and a good pick for fans.

Pony Express Doodle (2015)

Released for the 155th anniversary of the Pony Express, this one has you ride across the American West collecting mail bags. It plays like a light endless runner, closer in feel to the Chrome Dino than most Doodles.

Magic Cat Academy (2016)

Google’s Halloween 2016 Doodle casts you as Momo, a student cat, who defeats ghosts by drawing the symbols above their heads. It has a proper difficulty curve and boss fights, and it is often called one of the best Doodle games. A sequel followed for Halloween 2020.

Coding for Carrots (2017)

This Doodle celebrated 50 years of kids’ coding languages. You snap together simple instruction blocks to guide a rabbit to its carrots. It is a gentle programming puzzle that works for kids and adults alike.

Snake

Google has offered Snake in a few forms, including a 2019 April Fools’ version that ran inside Google Maps. You can also play a version from Google Search by searching “snake game.”

The Chrome Dino

The T-Rex Runner arrived in Chrome in 2014 as the game you see when your connection drops, and you can still open it at chrome://dino. Elgoog hosts copies and variants. Because the original code is open source, sites like ours can host a faithful version, and you can play the T-Rex Runner on our homepage any time.

Pirate, Klingon, and other joke languages

Some of the old jokes were not tricks at all. Google’s interface language settings once included novelty options such as Pirate, Klingon, Elmer Fudd, and “Bork, bork, bork” in the style of the Swedish Chef. Picking one translated the Google interface into that voice.

These were real Google settings rather than I’m Feeling Lucky results. Their availability has shifted over the years, and Elgoog’s menu includes takes on several of them. If you are wondering why Google stopped shipping so many jokes, our piece on how Google Doodles became a genre traces how the company moved its playful side into Doodles.

Is Elgoog safe to use?

Elgoog runs in a normal browser tab and does not ask you to install anything or create an account to try the tricks. That keeps the risk low compared with sites that push downloads.

• It is not Google. Anything you type into an Elgoog search box goes through a third-party site. Do not enter personal or sensitive information.
• Expect ads. Like most free fan sites, it may show advertising. Close pop-ups rather than clicking them.
• Check the address. Copycat sites use similar names. Look for elgoog.im in the address bar.
• School and work filters. Some networks block Elgoog. That is a network decision, not a sign the site is harmful.

For a reference list of what Google itself has shipped, the Wikipedia list of Google Easter eggs is a useful way to tell official tricks from fan creations.

Quick reference: official or recreation?

Trick or game	Who made it	Where to try it now
Google Gravity	Mr. doob (independent experiment)	Elgoog recreation
Google Sphere	Mr. doob (independent experiment)	Elgoog recreation
Google Underwater	Fan-made	Elgoog
Google Mirror (elgooG)	Elgoog	Elgoog
Do a barrel roll	Google	Google Search, plus an Elgoog version
Askew	Google	Google Search
Zerg Rush	Google (2012)	Mostly Elgoog recreation
Atari Breakout	Google Images (2013)	Elgoog recreation
Pac-Man Doodle	Google with Namco (2010)	Google Doodle archive

Frequently asked questions

Is Elgoog owned by Google?

No. Elgoog is an independent fan site that recreates Google Easter eggs and experiments. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google, even though it uses Google-style designs.

What is the elgoog I’m Feeling Lucky trick?

You type the name of a trick, such as “Google Gravity,” into Google and press “I’m Feeling Lucky.” The button sends you straight to the top result, which is often Elgoog’s recreation of that trick. If the button does not appear, open the trick directly instead.

Does Google Gravity still work?

Yes, as a web page. Google Gravity was always an independent browser experiment rather than a Google Search feature, and Elgoog keeps a working recreation where the homepage falls apart and you can toss the pieces around.

Which Google Easter eggs still work in Google Search?

Search tricks such as “do a barrel roll” and “askew” have been the most durable, though Google can change them at any time. Others, including Zerg Rush and the Atari Breakout image trick, are mostly gone from Search and now live on as recreations.

Can I still play the Google Pac-Man Doodle?

Yes. Google kept its 2010 Pac-Man Doodle online, and you can find it in Google’s Doodle archive. It is Google’s own licensed version, made with Namco.

Keep the jokes running

Elgoog is a fan-built time capsule: Gravity, Sphere, Underwater, the backward mirror, and a stack of retro Google games in one place. Use it for the recreations, use Google itself for the tricks that still run, and keep your personal details out of any third-party search box. When you want a quick game with no tricks at all, the Chrome Dino is ready to run.

Related: How to Customize Chrome Dino (Browser Tricks) · Best Browser Arcade Games: Classic and Retro Picks · 10 Best Browser Games for Nostalgia (Retro Picks)