Google is a serious bit of kit. It answers billions of questions a day, runs our maps, our inboxes and half of our working lives. But hidden inside it is a surprisingly playful side. Type the right words into the search bar and the page will spin, tilt, bounce or turn into a game.

These hidden surprises are known as Easter eggs, and Google has been tucking them away for more than 20 years. We have brought our two most popular Easter egg guides together into one list, checked every entry, and sorted them so you can find the good stuff quickly.

How to use this list

Open Google in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox, type the search term exactly as shown (no quote marks) and press enter. A few tips before you start:

• Most Easter eggs work on desktop and mobile, but the animations usually look best on a laptop or desktop screen.
• If nothing happens, scroll up to the top of the results page or refresh it. Some effects only play once.
• Google changes these regularly, and a handful are only switched on in certain countries or at certain times of year.

Screen tricks that move the page

1. Do a barrel roll

The most famous Google Easter egg of all. Search do a barrel roll and the whole results page spins a full 360 degrees. It is a nod to the Nintendo game Star Fox 64. Try z or r twice for the same effect.

2. Askew

Search askew and the results page leans slightly to the right, just enough to make you check whether your screen is wonky. It used to work with “tilt” too, but “askew” is the one that still does the job.

3. DVD screensaver

Anyone who remembers waiting for the bouncing DVD logo to hit the corner of the TV will love this one. Search dvd screensaver and the Google logo drifts around the page, changing colour each time it hits an edge.

4. Google in 1998

Search google in 1998 to see your results in the style of Google’s very first homepage, complete with the old logo and early web design. A lovely bit of internet history.

5. Chicxulub

Named after the asteroid crater linked to the end of the dinosaurs. Search chicxulub and a small asteroid crashes into the results, giving the page a good shake.

6. Googly eyes

Search googly eyes and the two letter Os in the Google logo turn into wobbly cartoon eyes. Simple, silly and guaranteed to make someone in the office laugh.

7. Blink HTML

The old blink tag was one of the most annoying features of the early web. Search blink html and Google brings it back for a moment, with words flashing on and off on the results page.

8. Kerning

One for the designers. Search kerning and the spacing between the letters of the word gets wider. Search keming and the letters squeeze together, a nod to what happens when kerning goes wrong.

9. Bletchley Park

Search bletchley park and look at the name in the information panel. It appears to decode itself letter by letter, in honour of the codebreakers who worked there during the Second World War.

Games you can play straight from Google

10. Snake

Search snake or play snake and click Play. It is the classic game you remember from old Nokia phones, with extra modes, fruits and colour themes.

11. Pac-Man

Search pac-man to play the interactive doodle Google released in 2010 for the game’s 30th birthday. It is a full, playable version and still one of the best ways to lose a lunch break.

12. Solitaire

Search solitaire for a clean, ad-free game of patience with easy and hard modes.

13. Minesweeper

Search minesweeper and pick a difficulty. Same rules as the Windows classic, without needing to find an old computer.

14. Tic tac toe

Search tic tac toe to play noughts and crosses against Google or against a friend on the same device.

15. Spin a dreidel, flip a coin and roll a die

Need to settle an argument? Search flip a coin, roll a die or spinner and Google will make the decision for you. Spin a dreidel works too.

16. Conway’s Game of Life

Search conway’s game of life and watch the side of the results page fill up with tiny cells that grow, move and die according to the rules of the famous mathematical simulation.

17. The Chrome dinosaur game

Not strictly a search trick, but too good to leave out. When Chrome loses its internet connection, press the space bar on the error page to start the T. rex running game. You can also play any time by typing chrome://dino into the address bar.

Clever answers and in-jokes

18. The answer to life, the universe and everything

Fans of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will already know the answer. Search the answer to life the universe and everything and Google’s calculator simply replies 42.

19. Recursion

Search recursion and Google asks “Did you mean: recursion”, which takes you straight back to the same page. A programmer’s joke that never gets old.

20. Anagram

Search anagram and Google suggests “nag a ram”, which is, of course, an anagram of anagram.

21. Once in a blue moon

Search once in a blue moon and the calculator shows the answer as a tiny number, roughly how often a blue moon happens per second.

22. Friends characters

Search the name of a Friends character, such as Rachel Green, Joey Tribbiani or Phoebe Buffay, then click the small icon in the information panel for a nod to their best-known moments in the show.

23. Festivus

Search festivus and a plain aluminium pole appears down the side of the results, a nod to the holiday invented in Seinfeld.

24. 67

One of the newest additions. Search 67 and the screen gives a quick wobble, a playful nod to the viral trend.

Useful tools hiding in plain sight

Not every Easter egg is just for fun. These ones are handy enough to bookmark:

• 25. Breathing exercise: a one-minute guided breathing animation to help you reset between meetings.
• 26. Metronome: a working metronome with adjustable tempo, ideal for music practice.
• 27. Colour picker: pick any colour and get its HEX, RGB and other values, which our design team uses all the time.
• 28. Timer or stopwatch: a quick countdown or stopwatch right in the results.
• 29. I’m feeling curious: a random fun fact with a button to get another one.
• 30. Calculator: search calculator for a full scientific calculator, no app needed.

Retired classics that no longer work

Google regularly switches off older Easter eggs. If you remember these, you are not imagining things:

• Zerg Rush: little Os used to swarm across the results and eat them. It has since been retired from Google Search, although fan-made versions still exist on other websites.
• Google Gravity: the homepage that collapsed into a pile of falling pieces was always a separate fan-made project rather than part of Google itself, and the old I’m Feeling Lucky shortcut to it no longer works.
• Thanos snap: the Infinity Gauntlet that made half of the results disappear was a promotion for Avengers: Endgame and was removed after the film’s release.
• Atari Breakout: the image search that turned results into a brick-breaking game has also been switched off.
• Tilt: replaced by “askew”, which still works.

Seasonal Easter eggs to look out for

Some surprises only appear at certain times of year, so it is worth trying these when the time is right:

• Halloween searches often bring animated ghosts and spooky surprises.
• Pride searches in June usually fill the page with rainbow confetti.
• Major sporting events, such as the world cup, often come with fireworks or celebratory animations.
• Google Doodles on the homepage regularly include mini games for anniversaries and events.

Why does Google hide Easter eggs?

Easter eggs started as in-jokes between Google’s engineers, but they have become a clever bit of brand building. They show personality, get people talking and are shared millions of times on social media every year. Each one is a reminder that a huge tech company can still be human, curious and fun.

There is a lesson in that for any business. People share what makes them smile. A playful touch on your website, a well-timed reply on social media, or a surprise in your packaging can do more for your brand than another sales message. Some brands even take the idea offline, turning favourite icons and in-jokes into merchandise such as custom keyrings that keep the fun going long after the screen is switched off.

Want even more? Have a look at our guides to hidden Google Easter eggs and hidden tricks, games and search secrets on Google.

Frequently asked questions

Do Google Easter eggs work on mobile?

Most do. Search tricks such as do a barrel roll, askew and the games work in the Google app and mobile browsers, although some animations are smoother on a desktop screen.

Why is a Google Easter egg not working for me?

Check the spelling, remove any quote marks, and refresh the page. Some Easter eggs are only available in certain countries or languages, and Google retires older ones from time to time.

Are Google Easter eggs safe?

Yes. The ones on Google’s own search pages are completely safe. Be a little more careful with fan-made copies on other websites, which may carry heavy advertising.