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How to find and play Google.com’s secret adventure game

How to find and play Google.com’s secret adventure game

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Easter comes early

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Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

Before it was a smartphone manufacturer, an email provider, and smart home company, Google was just a single website and a search box. However, even this seemingly simple service still has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. Users have discovered that there’s a full text adventure hidden within Google.com (via RockPaperShotgun), and it’s available to anyone who knows the secret method required to find it. 

In order to gain access, you’ll first need the correct browser. Google’s own browser, Chrome, naturally supports it, as does Firefox and Edge (although we found the text wrapping wasn’t quite right on Microsoft’s browser). Unfortunately, Safari doesn’t appear to support this particular Easter egg. 

Using your browser of choice, you’ll first need to Google the term “text adventure.” 

Next, right click on the page and click “Inspect” (the Windows shortcut Ctrl + Shift + I, or Cmd + Option + I for Macs will also work) and from the menu that pops up select the “Console” tab. 

You should now see a small note asking “Would you like to play a game?”

Type “Yes” next to the prompt, and you’ll embark upon a light-hearted adventure as you explore the Google campus trying to find the letters of the company’s name. 

Bring up the developer console on the search results page and you’ll be asked, “Would you like to play a game?”
Bring up the developer console on the search results page and you’ll be asked, “Would you like to play a game?”

If you’ve never played a text adventure before, you control your character by typing in simple commands to progress through the puzzles and story. Typing “north,” “south,” “east,” or “west” will move you through the world, while other commands like “grab” and “use” will let you interact with items in the world. 

It sounds complicated, but it’s actually fun. I found it far too easy to get sucked in and lose track of time while I was supposed to be writing an article about how to find this very Easter egg.