In honour of its 25th anniversary, Google has created an interactive 'playground' that spotlights the most searched terms throughout its lifetime. The playable Doodle invites you to hunt out the top trends, from Barbie to Beethoven, in a charming (and oddly nostalgic) time capsule of the internet age.
On scale alone, it's arguably one of the best Google Doodles that we've been graced with in recent years, with over 1,700 detailed characters, and 25 unique searches to spot. The game is free and easy to play, so as long as you've got a good eye and 10 or so minutes to spare, you're sure to spy them all.
Most Searched Playground celebrates the diversity of search trends, from horoscopes to nuclear fusion, proving that the internet remains both inquisitive and a little silly. The illustration is bright, playful, and packed with clever details, great and small. As a whole, we've been on the hunt for Chicago-style pizza, beach holidays and Minecraft. BTS is our most searched boyband and we've been obsessed with Barbie long before the great Barbenheimer invasion of 2023.
There's even a hidden treasure hunt for the Swifties to "fill in the blank space" but you'll need a keen eye to spot all 10 easter eggs (watch out for those snakes, that's all I'll say). When all secrets are found you're presented with a mysterious letter to share with fellow T Swift fans to crack the code. It's safe to say that Swifties are just as confused as me.
Google's user experience and engineering team devised the game as an "accessible experience" that would appeal to a wide audience. In an update post, the company claims that the game is "a sound-first, guided experience that was only enhanced — not completed — by a visual layer," making it accessible to those who may be visually impaired. As well as the thoughtful game design, the illustrations feature an array of characters that inject the doodle with a welcome dose of diversity.
You can play Most Searched Playground here, but be warned that the game is slightly addictive and you can easily get sucked in. For more news from the world of Google, check out the new domain feature that instantly banished my mind to the gutter.
