Google’s repertoire of hidden games and Easter eggs stretches across all its platforms – from Google Search to Assistant and the Google Android app. This list brings together Google’s best secret games wherever it can find them.

1. Quick, Draw!

There’s something a little dystopian about playing a kind of Pictionary-type game with a robotically-voiced AI, but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating. In Quick Draw, Google gives you 20 seconds to doodle a drawing of a specific object – be it a bee, snowflake or hockey puck – and as you’re drawing the AI will keep guessing what it is you’re drawing. I was pretty impressed that Google managed to work it out every time, even though in the back of my mind the game is rigged because of course Google already knows the answers. Still, it’s a fun way to waste some time!

2. Soccer (Google Doodle Archive)

You can’t go too wrong with a casual game of football, and it doesn’t get any more idle and casual than this Doodle, dating all the way back to 2012. You simply control a goalie as an AI player pelts shots in the direction of your goal. You move left and right in the goal using the mouse, then click to jump for those aerial shots. There is no end to the amount of shots that come your way, so you can spend anywhere from seconds to hours (though, more realistically, minutes) idling away in this enjoyable footy-inspired clicker.

3. Champion Island Games (Google Doodle Archive)

First launched as the Google Doodle on 24 August 2021, Champion Island Games is one of the most in-depth secret Google Search games to date. It’s pretty much a condensed form of an old-school RPG in the Pokemon style, as you wander around an island participating in sports, taking on legendary opponents, and getting involved in all manner of strange sidequests. The intro cinematic is particularly beautiful! This Doodle was originally launched to commemorate the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 but was re-released at the start of the Paralympics with extra side-quests and secrets to discover.

4. Atari Breakout

For a while, it looked like one of the best Google Doodle games was lost forever, but it’s been reinstated to our list after it was discovered that you can still play this Atari classic. Breakout was previously played by simply typing it into Google images, but that is no longer possible. Instead, you can head over to this site and get started with the game immediately.

5. Tic-Tac-Toe

An oldie but a goody, Tic Tac Toe (or noughts and crosses, as we quaintly call it here in the UK) is believed to have existed for quite literally thousands of years. And here it is on Google by simply typing “tic tac toe” into the search engine. Sure, there are only so many possible outcomes in this game, and it’s not too hard to reach a point where you can neither win nor lose, but it’s a nice easy way to waste some time and solve some disputes.

6. Stadia Pro Free Trial (Chrome)

It’s a bit of a technicality here, but the two-month trial of Google’s cloud gaming platform is really something of a steal. Provided you have a good Internet connection, you can stream games for free, including Destiny 2, Metro Exodus and the Serious Sam Collection right from your browser. You can also purchase additional games if you wish, though you’ll need to keep paying a subscription to play them (until the expected free tier launches). To be clear, you don’t need a powerful PC to play these games because they’re powered by Google’s servers and stream to you via HD video. You can then play them directly through your browser or a phone app, which is pretty impressive! The length of the trial usually varies between one and two months. Sign up using your Google account at Stadia.com.

7. Marshmallow Land (Nova Launcher)

Way back when Flappy Bird was still a craze, Google got in on the fun by releasing its own twist on the game – complete with pretty Google graphics and a more polished look. Since Android Nougat, the game has been made inaccessible through the stock Android UI but still exists buried in the system. To unlock it, you need to install Nova Launcher and enable it as your default home screen launcher. Once you’ve done that, hold down on an empty home screen space, tap Widgets, then hold down the Activities icon until it appears on your home screen. Let go of the icon, then in the Activities list, scroll down until you reach System UI. Tap it, then tap Marshamallow Land to open the game. An independent developer has also made the game available for free on the Play Store, but this list is about Google’s hidden games, and there’s none quite as well hidden as Marshmallow Land!

8. Google Assistant Games (Android)

One of the best-kept secrets of Google’s AI assistant on Android is that it can direct you to a veritable treasure trove of games if you just ask it the right question. To do this, open Google Assistant (OK, Google), then when it’s listening, say “Play game.” Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to choose from a fairly sizable list of games to play, including quizzes; word games; and rock, paper, scissors.

9. Basketball Game (Google Doodle Archive)

If you’ve been Googling for a while (and let’s face it, most of us have), then you may remember this little hidden gem from 2012. This simple basketball game was released to celebrate the 2012 Summer Games and involves shooting hoops from various distances. Just hold down your mouse button to increase the power of your throw – it’s about finding that sweet spot to get the ball in the hoop. You have a limited amount of time to score as many points as possible, and as the game progresses, you have to throw from further and further away.

10. Magic Cat Academy (Google Doodle Archive)

Taking us all the way back to Halloween 2016 is this beautifully hand-drawn fun Google game about a spellcasting cat fending off an endless swarm of incorporeal ghosties. Magic Cat Academy is super-simple, as you stand in the middle of various levels drawing lines that correspond to the symbols above ghosts’ heads to banish them. The action picks up very quickly, and before long, you’ll be swept up in a relentless flow of spectral destruction. There are five levels in total, and you can also regenerate health by swiping a heart shape anywhere on the screen. Good luck!

11. Text Adventure (Google Chrome)

Want to be transported back to the late 70s to get a feel for what gaming used to be like in the days before conveniences like graphics and UIs? You can. Right there in your Google Chrome browser, in fact, where a quirky little text adventure lies in rest, waiting to be uncovered. To access this well-hidden Google Chrome game, open Google in Chrome, then type “text adventure” into the search box. Next, press Ctrl + Shift + I, then type “yes” in the Console that appears. The text adventure will then begin. As with every great text adventure, play simply by typing commands which unfold the action and move you through the game world.

12. Great Ghoul Duel (Google Doodle Archive)

Google has many games in its bottomless box of tricks, but none until now have been a full online multiplayer experience. Great Ghoul Duel has shades of a hyperactive Pacman, as you and your teammates glide around a moody library, graveyard and other spooky locales, collecting little flames to take back to your base. The team with the most flames wins! The extra hook is that when you collect the flames, they give your ghost a tail, which the opposing team can then glide into, steal, and take back to their own base. You can host games and invite your friends and family to join. It’s no longer on the Google homepage, of course, but you can play it in the Google Doodle archive.

13. Garden Gnomes (Google Doodle Archive)

On June 10, 2018, Google celebrated Garden Day in Germany (no, we’ve never heard of it either) by releasing a Google Doodle themed around garden gnomes. (Did you know they originate from 13th-century Anatolia?) Clicking this Doodle will start a deviously addictive game where you catapult gnomes as far as you can using a sort of trebuchet. It sounds a bit cruel, but it’s a bit like Angry Birds really, and you never heard them complaining. The Doodle is now gone, but you can find it in the Google Doodle archive and play it whenever you like.

Did you know you can play Solitaire on Google? The first game many of you will ever have played on a computer, the classic card-matcher, is available to play directly through Google Search. Just type “solitaire” into Google Search and hit Enter. It’s the same old game you’ve always remembered: stacking cards in descending order and in alternating colors. It looks nice, too, with a dash of Google’s design swagger.

15. Flight Simulator (Google Earth)

It’s been around for years, but Google Earth is still kind of mind-blowing, letting you whiz around the planet and zoom in on just about anything, anywhere in the world (apart from military bases, North Korea, and the usual sketchy stuff). Better still, Google Earth has a built-in flight simulator that lets you travel around the world using an actual plane. You can even choose whether to fly an SR22 or F-16 jet and play using a joystick, if you have one. Our advice is to turn on 3D buildings as well, which means you’ll get to experience cities like San Francisco (pictured) in its murky-textured but nonetheless 3D glory. To access it, you need to download and install Google Earth on your Windows, Mac or Linux computer, then from the menu, click “Tools -> Enter Flight Simulator” at the top.

16. T-Rex Run (Google Chrome)

Google knows the absence of the Internet can make people lose their minds. Luckily, Google hopes to stave off violent reactions with this cute and addictive game. One of the more well-known hidden Google Chrome games. Starring a lone T-Rex in 8-bit glory, jump over cacti and evade flying pterodactyls in this endless runner. To play, shut off your device’s Wi-Fi or fire up Chrome when you have no access to the Internet. When presented with the “Unable to connect to the Internet” screen (featuring the aforementioned T-Rex), hit the Space bar (or tap on your screen if you’re on a tablet or phone). Get ready, because the deceptively-easy game is about to begin. Just keep hitting that space bar to jump.

This custom Pac-Man Google game appeared as a “doodle” on May 21, 2010. This playable version of Pac-Man was made to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the incredibly popular arcade game. To start munching on pac-dots, simply Google “pacman,” and you can get down to the timeless business of avoiding Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde.

Prepare to feel like Marty McFly and go back in time. The Google Doodle snake game commemorating the 2013 Chinese New Year features a classic game from Nokia-era mobile phone dominance. That’s right, a version of Snake is playable within Google’s search engine. To play, punch in “snake” and click Play.

Honorable Mention: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

In a 1994 interview with Premiere Magazine, actor Kevin Bacon made an offhand comment about how he had worked with everyone in Hollywood or someone who’s worked with them. This spiraled into a game based on the six degrees of separation between him and other actors. This concept suggests that any two people on Earth are six, or fewer, links apart. In Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, a player names any actor and attempts to connect him or her to Bacon in six or fewer people. Google technicians must have a lot of free time on their hands since they integrated the game into the Google search engine. Simply type in any actor’s name followed by “Bacon number” to see how far removed that actor is from Kevin Bacon. Still don’t have your gaming fix? Here’s how to play Steam games on your phone with Steam Link, and we also have a list of the best Apple Arcade games you can play on macOS.