Google Doodle games: the best and most popular interactive Doodles, including Pacman, Olympics and Halloween

The recent Halloween Google Doodle was a new version of 2018’s The Great Ghoul Duel with enhanced features.

The game’s updated edition included more tricks and power ups, as well as new characters and maps, and remains available to players in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and South East Asia via the Google Cloud Platform.

Google has previously provided us with several very enjoyable 'games’ in recent years. Sure, they don't necessarily have the blockbuster scope that ‘triple-A’ titles released on the popular consoles do, but they're wonderful for passing the time when you're bored.

Previous playable Doodles even made a comeback in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, with Google's own library allowing fans to experience any Doodle from history. As people's lockdown boredom grew, they dug out the 'classics.'

Here are some of the best playable Google Doodles that are still available to play through your web browser right now.

Pac-Man 30th anniversary (21 May 2010)

Google's first-ever playable Doodle celebrated the 30th birthday of one of gaming's most recognisable characters, brightening the day of office workers worldwide.

Play it here

Robert Moog’s 78th birthday (23 May 2012)

This Doodle, while not a ‘game’ as such, did allow you to 'play' music in your browser, as a suitable tribute to Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer. Users could record and save songs on an animated copy of his iconic creation to commemorate his 78th birthday.

Play it here

Doctor Who 50th anniversary (23 November 2013)

To commemorate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, Google designed a simple but striking game Doodle featuring all 11 Doctors (up to that point) and, of course, Daleks.

Play it here

100th Anniversary of the Crossword Puzzle (21 December 2013)

To mark the 100th anniversary of crossword puzzles, Google created their own with the assistance of Merl Reagle (one of the best and most well-known crossword constructors) full of clues that also offer light on the puzzle form's history.

Play it here

Rubik’s Cube (19 May 2014)

Rubik's Cubes are a terrific fidget toy, but if you don't have one on hand, this 2014 Doodle delivers all the fun of the famed puzzle, though it doesn’t feature the ability to peel off and rearrange the coloured stickers for a cheat win.

Play it here

155th anniversary of the Pony Express (14 April 2015)

This game celebrated the 155th anniversary of the Pony Express, the pioneering American postal service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It allows you to act as a courier who picks up mail and delivers it to the nearest town. Think of it like a reimagining of Frogger, but with horses instead of frogs.

Play it here

Halloween 2016 (31 October 2016)

Play as a mystical black cat and destroy an army of ghosts before they get to you, transforming ghouls into dust by swiping your keyboard in the direction over their heads. A word to the wise though, this one is really quite addictive.

Play it here

Oskar Fischinger’s 117th birthday (17 June 2017)

Google released an interactive, full-screen design to honour musician and animator Oskar Fischinger, allowing people to create and share their own pieces of music.

Play it here

44th anniversary of Hip-Hop (11 August 2017)

This Doodle includes bespoke artwork by acclaimed graffiti artist Cey Adams, interactive turntables on which users can mix samples from great tracks, and a dose of Hip Hop history.

Play it here

50 years of Kids Coding (4 December 2017)

This interactive Doodle commemorated 50 years of coding languages for kids by allowing you to aid a fuzzy pet across six levels in a mission to obtain its favourite food by snapping together coding blocks based on the Scratch programming language.

Play it here

Doodle Champion Island Games (24 July 2021)

Google released a fully-fledged sports game in honour of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It is without a doubt Google's most complex game to date, so make sure you have some time before diving in.

Play it here