Short answer: For more than a decade, Google has been hiding working games and programmers’ jokes in its search engine and Chrome — from the dinosaur in offline mode, through Pac-Man and Zerg Rush, to Thanos’s “snap” animation. Most of them start simply by typing the right phrase into the search engine. Some of them, like the famous “Google Gravity,” were never an official Google product — a common myth that we debunk later in the article.
What easter eggs actually are and where they came from
The term “easter egg” in computing dates back to 1979 — Atari programmer Warren Robinett hid his name in a secret room in the game “Adventure” without telling his superiors. No one gave him permission — he just did it, and players found it themselves. Since then, hidden surprises in software have become a tradition across the entire tech industry, and Google has gone further with it than anyone else.
Games you can really play today (verified, August 2026)
The table below contains only easter eggs that actually work at the time of writing — some of the lists circulating online contain outdated or never-existing entries (more on this in the “Myths” section below).
| Command | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
chrome://dino | The classic running dinosaur. It also starts automatically when you lose your internet connection in Chrome. Space = jump. | ✅ Works |
pacman | A full-fledged, playable Pac-Man directly in Google search results. | ✅ Works |
snake game | The classic snake — controlled with the arrow keys, right in the results panel. | ✅ Works |
zerg rush | Little letters “o” attack the search results. You have to click them quickly before they destroy the page. | ✅ Works |
solitaire | A full game of solitaire, opened right away in the browser, with no installation. | ✅ Works |
tic tac toe | Tic-tac-toe with an adjustable difficulty level for the opponent (AI). | ✅ Works |
minesweeper | Minesweeper — exactly like in old versions of Windows, only in the browser. | ✅ Works |
Visual effects: when Google does something funny with its own page
| Command | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
do a barrel roll | The entire results page rotates a full 360 degrees. | ✅ Works |
askew | The results page tilts slightly to one side — “by accident,” of course. | ✅ Works |
thanos | The Infinity Gauntlet appears in the knowledge panel. Clicking it turns half of the results to dust, like in the Marvel movie. A second click restores everything. | ✅ Works |
recursion | Google asks “did you mean: recursion?” — clicking leads to the same question, forever. | ✅ Works |
Myth or truth? Easter eggs that aren’t what they seem
This is one of the most important parts of this article — because the internet is full of lists of “Google tricks” that are either outdated or were never true. Here’s an honest accounting:
“Google Gravity”
Google Gravity was never an official Google product. Google Gravity is a fan project hosted on the external website elgoog.im, often wrongly presented online as a hidden feature of the Google search engine.
Atari Breakout
Atari Breakout was a real, official Google Images easter egg, but Google retired it around 2020. Today, Atari Breakout works only on fan mirror sites (e.g., elgoog.im), not on the real Google.
Why does this matter? Because a website devoted to reliable information searching can’t recommend “tricks” to its readers that actually redirect them to external, unverified sites impersonating Google. This is exactly the same critical thinking mechanism we write about throughout our guide — check the source, even for something as innocent as a bit of trivia.
How to discover new easter eggs yourself
Look around big releases and events
Google regularly adds temporary easter eggs tied to movie premieres, the Olympic Games, or popular music releases — they usually disappear after a few weeks.
Type the names of pop culture characters and titles directly
Searches like “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” or the names of popular bands sometimes trigger unique animations in the results.
Check official sources before you believe a “50 tricks” list
As we showed above, many lists online mix real Google features with fan projects. Check before you pass such a list on.
Bonus: hidden Google tools that aren’t games but are just as useful
Built-in calculator
🛠️ ToolType any math operation directly into the search bar — Google will show a full, interactive calculator with the result.
Timer and stopwatch
🛠️ ToolType “set a timer for 10 minutes” — Google will start a working countdown clock directly in the browser.
Coin flip and die roll
🛠️ Tool“Flip a coin” and “roll a die” trigger a fully animated, random throw — useful when you really can’t decide.
Metronome
🛠️ ToolMusicians will appreciate it: typing “metronome” starts a working metronome with an adjustable tempo, without installing a separate app.
Frequently asked questions
Not on the official Google — the feature was retired around 2020. It works only on external mirror sites run by fans, e.g., elgoog.im.
No. It was never an official Google product — it’s a fan project hosted on an external website, even though many online lists wrongly present it as a hidden search engine feature.
From 1979 — Atari programmer Warren Robinett, without his superiors’ permission, hid his name in a secret room in the game “Adventure.” Since then, the term has meant any deliberately hidden surprise in software.
Type the address chrome://dino into the Chrome browser and press Enter — the game will start immediately, whether or not you’re connected to the network.
Did you enjoy these fun facts?
Buy the “How to Search?” guide
Beyond fun facts — concrete, practical methods for searching and verifying information, step by step.
See the guide → ☕Support us on Suppi
We create these materials in our free time. Every bit of support helps us write more and more often.
Support → ▶️Watch us on YouTube
The same topics in a shorter video format — with concrete on-screen examples.
Subscribe →More from our blog
Sources: ChromeStory, “50+ Google Search Easter Eggs” (2026); BrandClickX, “Google Hidden Games: What Actually Still Works in 2026” (an analysis distinguishing official from unofficial features); elgooG.im (an archive of retired Google easter eggs); AboutChromebooks.com, “Google Easter Eggs List”; the history of the term “easter egg” — the game Adventure (Atari, 1979, Warren Robinett).