5 secret Google Search Easter eggs I can’t believe still work

• “Do a barrel roll”
• “DVD screensaver”
• “Comic Sans”
• “Play Pac-Man”
• “Google in 1998”

Love it or hate it, Google Search has become the de facto tool for searching the web over the past 25 years. The search engine has gone through its fair share of controversies within the tech industry, ranging from accusations over monopolistic practices to hilariously incorrect AI-powered query results.

That being said, not everything is doom and gloom in the world of big tech search services: despite its cold and calculated nature, Google Search is also home to a plethora of charming Easter eggs, all hidden within specific search queries. Some of these Easter eggs are only available seasonally or on specific holidays or events, while others can be enjoyed year-round.

For a full database of Google Search Easter eggs, of both the currently available and discontinued varieties, check out the (non-Google affiliated) elgooG website.

Here are five currently-available Google Search Easter eggs that always put a smile on my face, and that reliably make for a rather great party trick.

“Do a barrel roll”

Search results with a side of disorientation

First up is a tried-and-true classic — “do a barrel roll.” By typing this command into Google’s search bar and then hitting the enter key, your entire search results screen will rotate a full 360 degrees in the same vein as a real-world barrel roll aerial maneuver. Aside from serving as a silly nod to aerial movement, this Easter egg can also be seen as a pseudo reference to Nintendo’s classic Star Fox video game series, in which barrel rolls are a common aircraft movement pattern.

“DVD screensaver”

An homage to the days of optical media

If you’re as old as I am, you’ll remember the days of the bouncing DVD logo screensaver. This particular animated screensaver was built into many DVD players in the 2000s and 2010s, and it would appear on-screen after a given period of inactivity. While no longer a living room movie time staple, the reign of the DVD screensaver lives on in meme infamy, with many swearing up and down that the DVD logo never perfectly hits any of the four corners of the TV display.

By typing DVD screensaver into Google Search, you’ll be inundated with an homage to the classic splash screen in the form of a dynamic Google logo that bounces around and that changes colors every time it hits any side of the display. It’s a small and quirky inclusion that’s sure to tickle the nostalgia strings of anyone who grew up in the DVD era.

“Comic Sans”

Everybody’s favorite computer font

Comic Sans is a highly-polarizing computer font that’s known for its quirky sans-serif typeface that mimicks the look of cartoon and comic book speech bubbles. Many revile the childish feel of text written in Comic Sans, while others find it to be a more approachable and ‘human’ alternative to other commonly used font styles. In any case, if you’ve ever wondered what Google would look like in an alternate universe where Comic Sans was large and in charge, simply type “Comic Sans” into Google Search and let your emotions flow free.

“Play Pac-Man”

The maze arcade game with a Google-y twist

Who doesn’t enjoy the odd game of Pac-Man from time to time? Widely regarded as one of the most successful and culturally significant arcade games of all time, 1980’s hit Pac-Man has been ported to everything from a TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator to, erm, Google Search on the web. As with other variants of the game, this Google tie-in tasks you with controlling Pac-Man through a maze to collect pellets, while evading a kooky cast of ghosts in the process. In this case, the maze itself has been adapted to resemble the Google logo itself, and the game can be played for free by simply typing “play Pac-Man” into any Google Search field.

“Google in 1998”

A blast from the internet’s past

Google, both as a brand and as an internet search tool, has truly entered the public consciousness unlike anything before it. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that the now $3 trillion dollar company (via Yahoo! Finance) was only founded back in 1998, as opposed to the 70s or 80s as is the case for many of its biggest big tech rivals. To commemorate its founding, and as a novel way to relive 90s-era online computing, you can type “Google in 1998” into Google Search to temporarily transform your search page into something that loosely resembles the product’s real-life aesthetic from back in the day.