Admit it, we've all been tricked before when opening Google For a simple search, you might stumble upon a hidden animation or an interactive Doodle. And suddenly you've wasted a good fifteen minutes playing instead of working. That was the charm of those little surprises slipped in over the years by the developers of searchThe problem, as you've probably noticed, is that these finds are ephemeral. Google updates its interface, cleans up its catalog, and poof, the animation disappears. This is probably what prompted a group of enthusiasts to create elgooG, an independent website that finds, restores, and re-uploads these web gems.
elgoog.im, the site that revives Google's Easter eggs
The name elgooG leaves little room for doubt. It's simply "Google" spelled backward. In the early 2000s, the site was actually much simpler. You landed on a parody mirror page that reversed the display from right to left.
Since then, the project has evolved considerably. elgooG has become an open-source community project, active for over a decade. It's important to note that it has no official affiliation with Google LLC. It's a volunteer project, conceived and maintained "by fans, for fans."
When you arrive on the site, you will discover three main categories:
- Official Easter Eggs – Restored (29 experiences) brings together faithful copies of deleted official modules such as Thanos, Star Wars, Batman, and Squid Game.
- Official Easter Eggs – Enhanced (9 experiences) brings together classic Easter Eggs enriched with 3D, a Dark Mode, or AI assistance.
- Unofficial Easter Eggs (11 experiments) features original creations from the team, such as the Google Matrix, a retro terminal inspired by the 80s with its dial-up modem, or a black hole sucking up the screen
Everything works directly in your browser, with no account to create or file to download.
4 must-try gems
If you're looking for something to unwind during a break, elgooG has plenty to offer. With so many experiences to explore, it's hard to try them all at once. So here are four games and surprises to try first. Some have made their mark on Google Easter egg history, while others have become true classics.
The Dino Game and its bot mode
You're surely familiar with Chrome's little dinosaur. Created in 2014 to keep internet users entertained when the connection drops, it's played simply with keyboard keys or a tap on mobile. On elgooG, you'll find several variations, including the anniversary edition with its cake and balloons, Christmas and Olympic versions. There's even a T-Rex Run 3D version. The most fun is the "AI/Bot Mode." Activate it, and the algorithm plays for you, avoiding the cacti. All you have to do is watch how far it goes.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and his retro jump into the 90s
Launched in September 2020 to celebrate the sitcom's 30th anniversary, this tribute disappeared from search results around 2022. Originally, a search for the series displayed a yellow license plate with the word "FRESH." Clicking on it caused a yellow taxi to cross the screen and transform the interface into a 90s-themed display. On elgooG, you can still find the graffiti-covered walls, the fake results, and the nods to Carlton, Hilary, and Jazz.
Google Pac-Man, the first interactive Doodle
Google Pac-Man is historically the very first interactive Doodle for the search engine. It features the maze formed by the logo, the four ghosts, and the two-player mode with Ms. Pac-Man. The original version was designed for computers, so elgooG adapted the code for touchscreens and added a Dark Mode.
Google Tetris, a relaxing break in animated bricks
Launched in April 2023, this original project is more of an atmospheric animation than a scoring game. Blocks fall and automatically fill lines in a loop. Built with the blockrain.js library, it still allows for some interaction. Click on the Google logo to rotate it or on "I'm feeling lucky" to speed up the falling pieces.
Our review of elgooG
After a few tries, what immediately stands out is its simplicity. The site loads quickly, without requiring an account or being intrusive with ads. That's a welcome feature for a platform of this kind.
We also appreciate the information sheets that accompany the experiments. They explain their origin, creation date, how they work, and sometimes their context. The interactive museum aspect works quite well.
However, it's important to keep one nuance in mind. Not everything is necessarily playable. Some original Easter eggs cannot be reproduced in a Sailor and elgooG then simply offers an explanatory sheet.
On mobile, comfort also varies. Pac-Man and Dino are very easy to play with a finger. For Google Gravity or Underwater, which rely on physics, a mouse remains more practical.
In conclusion, we think elgooG is primarily a good place for a short break of a few minutes.
