In 2010, Google celebrated 30 years of PacMan with a Google Doodle, but it wasn't the only game they created.
Beginning in 1998, Google began periodically replacing the logo that appears on the home page of a site with a stylized "doodle" created in honor of a specific person or event. These "Google doodles," as they came to be called, were a highlight of the site's user interface even in its early years. However, they didn't become a part of pop culture until the wildly popular Pac-Man 30th Anniversary Doodle came out in 2010, the first Google Doodle to be a game as well.
10. The Great Ghoul Duel (2018)
Great Ghoul Duel, Google's first online multiplayer doodle, was unveiled for Halloween 2018. Players are divided into two teams of four and try to collect as much "spirit flame" as possible before the time runs out. By collecting more flames, you can get bonuses like boosters and magnets. The game also includes several different cards to increase replayability.
9. Pangolin Love (2017)
A four-part doodle set for Valentine's 2017, Pangolin Love is a side-scrolling adventure in which players control a pangolin to visit his "scaled sweetheart." Along the way, he collects various items to create gifts inspired by four different types of pangolins. Doodle was created in collaboration with WWF to raise awareness of the illegal pangolin trade.
8. Magic Cat Academy (2016)
The Halloween 2016 Google Doodle puts players in the role of Momo, a freshman at the Fairy Cats Academy. When ghosts attack the school, Momo has to defend it by "drawing" spells, symbolized by the player drawing various shapes with the cursor. The game includes five levels, each of which ends with a boss battle.
7. Ludwig Van Beethoven's 245th Year (2015)
In 2015, the Google Doodle team released a puzzle game for the 245th anniversary of Beethoven's baptism. According to the plot of the game, Beethoven faces various obstacles on his way to the symphony hall, which forces him to reassemble the sheet music for his greatest works.
6. Halloween Global Candy Cup (2015)
Google's first interactive Halloween Doodle challenged players around the world to collect candy for one of four teams: Red, Yellow, Green or Blue, each of which was personified by a witch of the same color. The team with the most candy at the end of Halloween 2015 was named the winner of the Global Candy Cup. Even though the competition has ended, the game can still be played online, and while the controls are fairly straightforward, getting 500 points isn't as easy as it might seem.
5.15th Anniversary Of The Pony Express (2015)
For the 155th anniversary of Pony Express, Google has created a doodle dedicated to the equestrian mail carriers who made this possible. Players control one of these racers, collecting letters on a side-scrolling map full of obstacles and traps. The game proved to be popular; although only 100 letters can be collected at a time, more than 1 billion letters have been collected in the world today.
4. Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary (2013)
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the hit TV series Doctor Who, Google released a Point and Click adventure game, which aims to recover all six letters of the word "Google" from the Daleks, who stole them while playing one of eleven doctors. The game has five unique levels and many Easter eggs. In addition, since the game is time-based, players can go back and try to complete each level faster than before.
3. Zamboni Doodle (2013)
A game centered around an old man driving an ice-cleaning machine might sound boring, but Google proved the opposite with a 2013 Zamboni-themed doodle. Dubbed the "ice adventure that puts you in the heart of the action," Zamboni Doodle challenges players to clear the ice with the arrow keys before running out of fuel. Like many other Doodle games, it also includes several unique bonuses and obstacles.
2.2012 Summer Olympics (2012)
Google has released four separate interactive doodles for the 2012 Summer Olympics, each dedicated to a different sport. In the "Basketball" doodle, players are asked to throw as many balls into the basket as possible in 24 seconds, and in the "Football" doodle, they are asked to block as many shots on goal as possible until three strikes are received. In the "Hardles" doodle, you need to overcome 10 barriers as quickly as possible, and in the "Slalom by Canoe" doodle, you need to overcome the obstacle course as quickly as possible by canoeing.
1. Pac-Man 30th Anniversary (2010)
The Google Doodle that started it all - an interactive 30th anniversary version of Pac-Man - was introduced in 2010. It was originally a disposable Easter egg, but positive reviews for the game have pushed the Google team to create more interactive logos. It is estimated that over a billion people have played Doodle in the first three days alone.
