Type three words into Google. "Do a barrel roll." Hit enter.
Watch your whole screen flip upside down, spin a full circle, and snap right back to normal. No download. No app. No virus. Just Google having a little fun with you.
This trick has been around since 2011, and it still works today — and it's just one of dozens of hidden tricks Google has buried inside its search engine over the years. Let's dig into where it came from, why Google built it, then run through a giant list of the other tricks you can try right now. This is the practical, no-fluff version — grab your laptop and follow along.
What Happens When You Search "Do A Barrel Roll"
Go to Google.com, type do a barrel roll, and press enter. Your results page spins a full 360 degrees, like a coin flipping on a table. It takes about a second, then everything returns to normal — links and all. You can even click things while it spins.
If you get motion sickness or dizzy easily, maybe sit this one out — some people genuinely find it queasy-making. Want to go again? Just refresh or search the phrase again.
There's also a secret shortcut: instead of "do a barrel roll," type z or r twice and you get the exact same spin. That phrase isn't random — and once you know where it comes from, it clicks into place.
Where the Trick Came From
In 1997, Nintendo released Star Fox 64. In it, a character named Peppy Hare gives you flying tips as you pilot a spaceship through space battles. His most famous line? "Do a barrel roll!" — shouted to help you dodge enemy lasers. To actually perform the move in the game, you pressed the Z or R button twice. That's where "z or r twice" comes from.
The line became a huge meme — a joking way to say "good luck with that impossible task," or just a nostalgic callback to a game a lot of people grew up with.
In November 2011, a Google engineer turned that meme into a real, working Easter egg inside Google Search. The stated goal was simple: show off what a then-new web technology called CSS3 could do, and entertain people while doing it. CSS3 is the styling language that controls how websites look and move; before it became common, making a page spin like that would have been a serious headache. Google essentially used "do a barrel roll" as a fun demo of "look what browsers can do now."
The trick spread across social media and blogs almost overnight. People phoned friends and family just to tell them to try it, and for a few days it was one of the biggest trending topics online — all thanks to a goofy spinning animation. More than a decade later, it's still live, surviving redesign after redesign of Google's search page. That's rare: most old internet jokes get quietly killed during updates. This one endured.
Why Companies Like Google Bother With This
Why would a company this size spend any time on a spinning page that does nothing useful? A few real reasons:
- It builds goodwill. A hidden joke makes a giant, corporate company feel human — like there are real people behind the curtain who enjoy their work.
- It's free marketing. When "do a barrel roll" went viral, it put Google in headlines, posts and group chats with no ad budget.
- It rewards curious users. People who dig around and find these tricks feel like they're in on an inside joke — and that feeling breeds loyalty.
- It shows off technical skill. The CSS3 angle was genuine. Engineers like showing off new tools, and a spinning search page was a low-stakes way to do it.
- It costs almost nothing. A small animation snippet doesn't slow servers or cost much to build. Low cost, high payoff.
This is exactly why so many other companies copy the idea — hidden jokes, secret menus and little animations show up all over the web because they work. (More on why that matters for your own website at the end.)
The Big List: Google Search Tricks to Try Right Now
Once people found "do a barrel roll," they started hunting for more. Here's a practical list you can actually test — just open Google and type these into the search bar.
1. Askew
Type askew. Your entire results page tilts slightly to one side, like someone bumped the table. It's subtle — and the joke's in the word itself, since "askew" means crooked.
2. Tilt
Same idea. Type tilt and your page leans. Try it back to back with "askew" to compare the angles.
3. Z or R Twice
As above, this triggers the same spin as "do a barrel roll" — the secret-password version, straight from the Star Fox controls.
4. Anagram
Type anagram. Google's "Did you mean?" suggestion replies "Did you mean: nag a ram" — an anagram of "anagram" itself.
5. Recursion
Search recursion (a programming term for something that refers back to itself). Google's "Did you mean?" says "recursion" — sending you in an endless loop if you keep clicking.
6. Google in 1998
Search Google in 1998 to see what Google's homepage looked like when the company started — a fun blast from the past, long before the modern features.
7. Zerg Rush
Type zerg rush. A swarm of Google "o" characters attacks your results, eating the letters and links one by one. Click them fast to destroy them before they take over. It's a nod to StarCraft, where a "zerg rush" means overwhelming your enemy with a wave of cheap units.
8. Atari Breakout
Search Atari Breakout, then click Images. The thumbnails turn into a playable version of the classic brick-breaking arcade game.
9. Pac-Man
Search Pac-Man and look for the game box that appears. You can play a full version right in your browser — no download needed.
10. Solitaire & Tic-Tac-Toe
Type solitaire or tic tac toe. A playable board pops up at the top of your results — solo solitaire, or tic-tac-toe against the computer or a friend.
11. Roll a Dice / Flip a Coin
Search roll a dice or flip a coin for an animated die or coin to settle small arguments and quick decisions.
12. Google Gravity
Search Google Gravity — now mostly living on fan-made mirror sites like elgooG. Once loaded, everything on the homepage collapses and falls to the bottom of the screen, and you can drag the pieces around.
13. Google Sphere
Another mirror-site classic: the homepage elements form a giant ball of letters and buttons you can spin with your mouse.
14. Green Hill Zone
Search Green Hill Zone (the first level of the original Sonic the Hedgehog). A small Sonic icon may appear beside your results — click it repeatedly, up to 25 times, and Sonic powers up with a special animation and sound effects.
15. Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet
Search Thanos and look for the Infinity Gauntlet glove beside the info box. Click it — the glove snaps and half your results turn to dust and vanish. Click again to bring everything back.
16. Friends (25th Anniversary)
Search Friends (the TV show). Depending on region and timing, Google sometimes adds interactive tributes — like Chandler's recliner you can click to recline, complete with the chick and the duck.
17. Find Chuck Norris
Type Find Chuck Norris and hit I'm Feeling Lucky. Google plays along with the old Chuck Norris jokes and serves a humorous "error" message instead of real results.
18. The Loneliest Number
Search the loneliest number. The calculator widget pops up showing 1 — because "one is the loneliest number."
19. Bletchley Park
Search Bletchley Park (where WWII codebreakers worked). Some versions encode part of the results page in a code-like style as a tribute.
20. Festivus
Search Festivus (the made-up holiday from Seinfeld). Around late December, Google sometimes adds an aluminium pole graphic — a nod to the Festivus pole.
21. Blink HTML Tag
Search blink html tag in an older browser like Firefox. The words may actually blink on and off — a nod to <blink>, a long-dead piece of HTML that made text flash.
Why Some of These Might Not Work for You
Honest truth: Google changes its results constantly, and some tricks come and go depending on:
- Your browser. Some animations need specific features; older browsers may not show the spin or tilt.
- Your location. Google rolls features out by country, or only during certain events.
- Timing. A few — like the Festivus pole or TV tributes — are seasonal and appear only for a short window.
- Random testing. Google constantly tests features on small groups, so you might see something a friend doesn't.
If a trick doesn't fire, refresh, try a different browser, or come back later. And when an official trick is retired, fan-made mirror sites often keep old versions alive.
How to Try These (Step by Step)
- Open a normal browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge.
- Go to Google.com.
- Click into the search bar.
- Type a phrase from the list exactly as written (no quotation marks needed).
- Press enter.
- Watch — some trigger instantly; others need you to click an icon that appears.
- If nothing happens, refresh once and try again.
- For games like Pac-Man, Solitaire or Atari Breakout, you may need to scroll down slightly or click Play.
That's it. No setup, no hidden menus — just type and see what happens.
Why This Actually Matters (Beyond the Fun)
It's easy to dismiss "do a barrel roll" as a throwaway joke from 2011. But there's a real lesson here for anyone who builds websites, apps or products.
People remember how something made them feel far more than they remember a features list. A spinning search page doesn't help anyone find information faster. It doesn't make Google more useful in any practical sense. But it made millions of people smile — and, more importantly, made them talk about Google.
That's the takeaway. Little surprises, thoughtful details and small moments of delight build an emotional connection with the people using your product. You don't need a massive budget — you need one good idea and a bit of code. It's the same principle behind a genuinely good website: the details are what people remember, and they're often what separates a site that converts from one that doesn't. (We dig into that in our guide on web design that increases sales, and in what makes a genuinely good responsive experience.)
Google has kept "do a barrel roll" alive for over a decade through massive redesigns, AI overhauls and constant updates. Even one of the biggest companies in the world understands that a little fun goes a long way.
So go ahead — open a new tab, type do a barrel roll, and watch your screen spin. Then work through the rest of the list. A few will make you laugh (Zerg Rush and the Thanos snap especially). And next time someone asks, "did you know Google can do a barrel roll?", you can say yes — then show them twenty more they had no idea existed.
At NetTrackers, we build fast, delightful, search-optimised websites for UK businesses — the kind where the details are sweated so your visitors remember the experience. Want a site that works beautifully and gets found on Google? Book a free strategy call.