We all get bored sometimes, and we find it hard to do anything about it. In moments like these, you realize how little there is to do to kill time, in a fun way. Unless you know about Google games.
These games are offered through Google’s search engines or other Google applications. They’re very interactive and simple, without any need for sophisticated firmware for them to run. Some are usually released on special occasions, but most have been around for a while.
- 1. Solitaire
- 2. Pac-Man
- 3. Minesweeper
- 4. T-Rex
- 5. Snake
- 6. Tic Tac Toe
- 7. Quick Draw
- 8. Puzzle Party
- 9. Atari Breakout
- 10. Pony Express
- 11. Slalom Canoe
- 12. Hurdles
- 13. Champion Island Games
- 14. Cricket
- 15. Celebrating Pizza
- 16. Basketball
- 17. HipHop
- 18. Baseball
- 19. Soccer
- 20. Crossword Puzzle
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In this article. I’ll explore the top 20 Google games you can indulge in on your devices when bored. So read on to find out more.
Cool Games To Play When Bored On Google
1. Solitaire
This popular card game has been around for ages, especially on old Windows computers. Most people who ended up playing card games in their adulthood started with this game at some point in their childhood.
The Google version of Solitaire follows the same rules, played with a standard deck of 52 cards.
The first thing you see when you search and open the game are options to choose between easy and challenging levels.
You are dealt the cards, face-down, in seven piles to begin the game. The cards increase in the amount from left to right. Each pile’s top card is turned face-up once dealt.
There is a draw pile created from the remaining cards. The main goal for the player here is to construct four foundation piles, one for each suit, from Ace to King.
You can move cards between the piles based on the provided rules. The game is only won when all cards are transferred to the foundation piles following the correct order.
There are buttons at the bottom for creating a new game and one to undo a move. There’s a timer at the top, right next to the scorecard.
2. Pac-Man
This old classic game was widely available on old versions of Windows and is now available on Google. To find it, just search Pac-Man on Google; it will be the first thing that appears at the top.
There’s a “Play” button under the game. Once you click on the game, it begins immediately. Like in the original game, the main aim is for the player to take control of the yellow blob with a large mouth called Pac-Man.
They’re supposed to navigate the maze while eating pellets, ghosts, and other bonus items to avoid being caught by the ghosts patrolling the labyrinth.
The game becomes more challenging as you move through the various stages. The architecture of the maze may vary, making it harder to avoid the ghosts as they get faster and more aggressive.
To achieve the highest score, the player must complete each level of pellets, eat ghosts, and obtain extra goodies.
This version can be navigated using the arrow keys and even comes with game sounds that make it more immersive.
3. Minesweeper
This is another well-known puzzle video game that was very popular in the early years of personal computers. While it has disappeared from modern-day PCs, the game has found a home on Google and still attracts many players.
The game tests players’ reasoning and deduction skills to locate buried mines on a grid-based playing field.
Minesweeper’s playing field is a grid of cells, some of which contain hidden mines. The game’s main objective is for the player to find every cell that isn’t a mine while expertly avoiding detonating any of the covert mines. When you left-click on cells, anything hidden underneath it is revealed.
Once the player reveals all the non-mine cells, they win the game. You can choose the game level you can handle, and you’re shown a timer near the top.
4. T-Rex
Sometimes, when you run into internet connection issues and try searching for something on Google, a page with a tiny dinosaur appears.
You tap the screen on a mobile device or use the spacebar on their keyboard if you’re using a PC to move the T-Rex. The T-Rex may hop over the cacti barriers by tapping the screen or pressing the spacebar. The T-Rex jumps higher the longer the player holds down the spacebar or keeps pressing the screen.
The best part of the game is how the T-Rex speeds up the more obstacles you beat, making it more challenging. Once you cannot escape an obstacle and the T-Rex collides with a cactus, the game ends, and your score is displayed. The score accounts for the T-Rex’s distance traveled.
This is one of the most addictive games on this list and a very entertaining way of beating boredom.
When I attempted to play this, there was a player with a high score of 9,857. I couldn’t get past 200.
5. Snake
When you search “Snake Google,” you‘re met with a colorful blue snake going after a red apple. This is one of the most familiar games from the past generation available on most early mobile devices.
The game is straightforward; you’re supposed to make the snake eat the apple, which keeps switching places every time the snake takes a bite.
But that’s not all; you must ensure you don’t hit the four walls surrounding the playing field. Furthermore, the snake becomes longer and longer with every bite of the apple, and you have to make sure you don’t hit yourself either.
Crashing into yourself or the wall ends the game.
But the icing on the cake is how the snake becomes faster and longer, making the game even more challenging and fun. You should try this game on any device if you’re bored.
6. Tic Tac Toe
The traditional board game tic tac toe is played on a grid with squares that are three by three. I say classic because, like most other games on this list, it’s been around for many years in the early digital devices.
The game’s primary goal is for a player to be the first to arrange three of their markers in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line.
The game involves two players, typically referred to as “X” and “O,” with a blank square grid at the start of the game.
It begins with the first player, typically “X,” setting their mark on the grid in an open square. This is followed by the second player, usually “O,” who places their mark in an additional empty square.
As they take turns, the players continue placing their marks on open squares.
When a player eventually successfully lines up three of their own markings horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, the game is over. Alternatively, the game of Tic Tac Toe finishes in a draw if all the squares are filled.
I almost got lost playing this game; that’s how much fun it was.
7. Quick Draw
I had a good laugh when playing Quick Draw, mainly because of the funny voice that kept shouting random words whenever I drew something wrong.
The principle of this game is simple. You’re given instructions on what to draw, and you’re given 20 seconds to do it. Anytime you draw something that doesn’t resemble what’s described in the instructions, the voice makes fun of you.
This is a very addictive drawing game and one of the best on this list. At the top of the page, you can see the number of games you have left. You also get an eraser when you start drawing, which you can use to make corrections as you draw.
This game would work better on a device with a touch screen because controlling the cursor on a regular PC using a mouse was quite challenging.
8. Puzzle Party
Puzzle Party would be a hit if you enjoyed playing jigsaw puzzles as a kid.
When you hit the Play button, you’re directed to a page with a collection of primarily abstract images that you have to choose from. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a lot of famous paintings from well-known artists like Kahlo.
Once you select the image, you must choose whether to play solo or with others. The system then scatters around the image, and you have to start putting it back together, piece by piece.
You’re given ample space to arrange your pieces until you complete them, with the option of changing the color, zooming in and out, and even moving the pieces as a group.
But unlike most of the other games we’ve covered so far, there’s no timer on this, so you can take your time to enjoy the game without feeling any pressure.
9. Atari Breakout
Atari Breakout is modeled on the Breakout game that has also been available on old devices, especially gaming ones like the Brick Game.
It has a straightforward game plan. The goal of the game is for the player to break a wall of colored bricks at the top of the screen while expertly controlling a slider at the bottom of the screen, almost like a goalkeeper who has to keep balls from going into the net behind him.
The player must manipulate the paddle to deflect a bouncing ball to strike and break down the bricks at the top. The bricks vanish each time the ball hits one, awarding the player points.
The biggest challenge here is speed. The game keeps getting faster, forcing players to be more keen and increase their reflexes. Sometimes, the bouncing ball hits the bricks at the tip at acute angles, sending it into a different trajectory that can catch you unaware.
But that’s the game’s beauty, and I’m sure it will keep you busy for a long time.
10. Pony Express
This game follows a pattern that’s similar to T-Rex. It features a horse rider who’s tasked with the responsibility of delivering mail to another part of the country using a horse.
The mail is displayed on the screen as envelopes, and you must use the arrow keys to move the horse up and down to pick up the letters.
However, just like in T-Rex, there are obstacles on the way that you have to navigate past to avoid falling or stalling the rider.
Common pitfalls include hills, trees, fences, houses, huge clumps of snow falling from the sky, and even traps laid out by robbers who grab you from the horse and steal the mail. It’s a fun way of passing the time, and you can even keep track of your scores as you race across the land to deliver mail.
11. Slalom Canoe
Slalom Canoe is the most straightforward Google game on this list, and it involves riding a canoe down a stream while escaping obstacles. It’s not as engaging as some of the ones we’ve covered, but it still packs the fun you’d need to deal with severe boredom.
The game starts with a simple canoe ridden by one person with two rowing oars. The aim of the game is for you to ride it downstream while passing through checkpoints and abiding obstacles like stones, swirls, frogs, and alligators.
The arrow keys on the keyboard control the canoe. You can go up and down using any of the four keys. If you hit the sandbanks, the game is over.
A timer also keeps track of the speed the canoe goes and how fast you go past the obstacles and the checkpoints.
12. Hurdles
As you can deduce from the title, this is a game where a runner has to jump over hurdles, much like the ones we see in athletic competitions.
When you hit the spacebar, the athlete starts running with hurdles coming after every few seconds. You can jump by using the arrow keys or the space bar.
There’s a timer that records how fast you complete the race, getting three stars if you complete it faster. However, if you want something that isn’t too challenging to pass the time, then Hurdles would be an excellent fit.
But you may struggle to get the timing right when it comes to jumping when you play the game for the first time.
Also Read: Best Games Like Doodle Jump
13. Champion Island Games
While the graphics of this game may not be what modern games are modeled on, the retro look and gameplay give it an alluring look that should attract people who have played games like Minecraft.
To honor the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Google developed this interactive, immersive online game, Champion Island Games. It combines a narrative, pixel art with a retro feel, and seven sporting events, the highest on this list.
Players can explore different places and engage in various sports on the game’s vivid and vast virtual island.
As a player, you’re part of a team that can win the match if you earn the highest score across all of the sporting events. The game features seven distinct sports, each representing a separate island.
I tried playing the game but couldn’t get past the first one, table tennis. But it can be a very immersive game for a bored mind. You should try it.
14. Cricket
This is a bit more colorful than most other games and follows the same rules as cricket. I’m not sure about the type of animals used to represent players, but I could make out snails, a mole, and some variations of bugs.
The game starts with the opposing team bowling with you, the player, with the role of batting and making a run for it until you gain points. Missing the ball means you’re out, and the game ends. To begin a new game, simply tap on the redo button.
The game gets faster the more you win.
You can see how your points accumulate at the top as you play. The game has been gracious enough to add a crowd, making it more lively.
15. Celebrating Pizza
Celebrating Pizza is a fun game where you are given a pizza with instructions to cut it equally for a given number of people. While it may look easy at first, it gets challenging very quickly when you start playing it.
For example, I wasn’t aware of how hard it can be to slice the pizza into equal parts for three people. The more accurate the cuts, the higher the points you collect. The complexity keeps increasing the more you slice the pizza.
At some point, you’re required to balance out the ingredients, ensuring that each slice of pizza has the same amount of toppings for all the people.
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16. Basketball
This game may look simple at first, but you quickly realize that getting the timing right is more important. Making that shot is harder than it looks.
The game involves a single player trying to shoot three-pointer shots with the balls rolling in from behind.
You’re the shooter and should use the spacebar to make the shots. The longer you hold the spacebar, the stronger the shot will be, and vice versa. So finding that sweet spot that works takes time, which makes the game very interesting.
The more shots you make, the more points you collect and the further back you’re pushed, which makes shooting baskets a little harder. I didn’t get bored playing the game while testing, so you’re assured of fun.
17. HipHop
This game blew my mind, mostly because I am a huge fan of hip-hop music. It’s like a DJ set where you load hip-hop tracks and try mixing them to produce a coherent medley and earn points.
The game was created in honor of DJ Kool Herc, who was very popular in the late 70s for producing an iconic music mix that inspired generations of DJs. There’s a massive catalog of some notable hip-hop classics, and it was so easy for me to get lost in the game.
As expected, the game comes with clear sound to make you, the player, get the timing right.
You earn trophies for each mix that you get right.
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18. Baseball
This is almost similar to the cricket game we just reviewed. When you open the game, you’re taken to a baseball field with different characters, this time based on food items like peanuts, meat, fruits, and so on.
The game starts with the opposing team throwing the ball at you while you control your player using the spacebar to strike the ball as hard as possible. The further away the ball flies, the more time you have to make your runs, and the more runs you manage, the higher the points you score.
The game gets more complex the more you swing. For instance, at some point, the opposite team throws the ball at you using unconventional styles, like adding a spin, making hitting it almost impossible.
If you’re a baseball fan, this would be the perfect game to kill time and eliminate boredom.
19. Soccer
This list would be incomplete without adding soccer, one of the most popular sports in the world.
In this Google Doodle game, you’re the goalkeeper, and you have to stop penalty kicks taken by an opposing player from going in. You control your movements through the keyboard arrows. These include diving to the left and right, jumping up to stop a high shot, or crouching to prevent a low one.
Alternatively, you can use your mouse to move the goalkeeper from side to side. The more goals you stop, the harder the game gets.
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20. Crossword Puzzle
And finally, we have Crossword Puzzle. Everybody grew up watching their favorite uncle hunched over a newspaper filling out complex crosswords.
Like the classic crossword, you’re given questions and clues in this game and then use them to fill in the blank and numbered boxes with the correct answers. All words must make sense when read from left to right or top to bottom.
You win the game when you fill out all the boxes making this a mind-stimulating game to keep you busy when bored. The crossword becomes more complex as you complete it.
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Wrapping Up
Countless Google games online will keep you occupied for hours on end. The best bit about them all is that they’re free, and you can play them on any device, as long as you have a stable internet connection.
So, try any of these games next time you feel boredom creeping in.