Google has hidden hundreds of tricks in its products over the years. Some still fire today, some were quietly retired, and the best of the retired ones live on as rebuilt versions — including right here on SmashSquad. This is the working map for 2026: what to type, what happens, and where to play the ones Google took away.
Eggs that still work on Google today
| Search this | What happens |
|---|---|
| askew (or tilt) | Results page leans a few degrees — our adjustable version: Askew / Tilt |
| do a barrel roll | Page spins once — want 10x or 100x? Do a Barrel Roll |
| recursion | “Did you mean: recursion” — forever |
| the answer to life the universe and everything | Calculator says 42 |
| once in a blue moon | Calculator returns the moon’s actual frequency as hertz |
| google in 1998 | Results render as 1998-era Google (works intermittently) |
| play snake | Playable snake in results — our version: Snake |
| flip a coin / roll a die / spinner | Instant utility widgets |
| anagram | “Did you mean: nag a ram” |
| festivus | A Festivus pole appears beside the results |
The retired legends (and where to play them)
Thanos snap (2019) — the gauntlet that dusted half your results. Retired; rebuilt here: Thanos Snap. Zerg Rush (2012) — the O-invasion game, complete with the GG ending. Retired; playable here: Zerg Rush. Google Gravity (2009) — technically never on Google itself (it was a Chrome Experiment by Mr.doob), but it defined the genre: Google Gravity. Google Space, Underwater, Sphere — sibling physics experiments from the same era, mostly dead links now; our Gravity page’s Zero-G mode covers the space effect.
The dino deserves its own paragraph
Chrome’s offline dinosaur isn’t a search egg — it’s a browser egg, and the most-played hidden game ever shipped. You can trigger it without unplugging anything by typing chrome://dino, or play our always-available version: Dino Run.
Eggs beyond Search
Google Maps: Pegman occasionally becomes a rocket, a penguin or a Loch Ness monster depending on location and season. Google Assistant: ask it to “do a barrel roll” and it answers in character. Android: every version hides a mini-game behind repeated taps on the version number in Settings.
Why Google retires easter eggs
Licensed tie-ins (like the Marvel snap) have expiry dates; old experiments rot as browsers change; and every byte on the search page is fought over. Nothing sinister — but it does mean the retired classics only survive where fans rebuild them. That’s the point of this section of SmashSquad: every rebuilt egg is self-hosted, mobile-friendly, and adds the controls Google never offered.
What is a Google easter egg?
A hidden feature or joke that engineers tuck into a product — triggered by a specific search or action rather than any menu.
What's the most famous Google easter egg?
By search volume, askew and do a barrel roll lead by a wide margin, with the Chrome dino as the most-played hidden game.
Do easter eggs work in the Google app?
Inconsistently — many effects are built for the browser results page. A mobile browser is the reliable way to trigger them.
Why doesn't Google Gravity work when I search it?
Because it never ran on google.com — it’s a 2009 Chrome Experiment. Play it on our Gravity page instead.
How current is this list?
We re-test the live eggs monthly and mark anything Google retires — last verified for 2026.