Play Space Invaders: Google Style
👇 Scroll down to start the experience!
Quick Facts
Google logo letters become your shields in this fan-made Space Invaders tribute.
elgooG,
N. Landsteiner
2019
Available on elgooG
Try the Easter Egg
How It Was Made
The Core Idea
Created by Tomohiro Nishikado in 1978, Space Invaders became a worldwide phenomenon with a simple, gripping loop — stop the descending aliens before they reach the bottom. Its chunky pixels and iconic beeps turned into pop-culture touchstones and helped bring video games to the mainstream.
Inspiration and Development
We built Google Space Invaders as a lighthearted homage with a clever twist: the letters of the Google logo double as your shields. It’s a nostalgia boost with a wink. This tribute builds on the excellent open-source work by N. Landsteiner (masswerk.at), who also contributed to our popular Google Terminal project.
The Easter Egg Experience
What Stands Out
Your laser cannon, the descending alien rows, and the Google letter shields keep the classic pressure intact. As G, o, o, g, l, e takes damage and breaks apart, the whole front line changes shape under fire.
How It Works
Command your laser cannon through tightening waves of pixel invaders. Duck behind letter-shields for cover, time your shots, and push the swarm back before it reaches the bottom.
How to Try It
- Click “Play” to start defending Google.
- Desktop: move with ←→ or AD; press Space to fire.
- Mobile: use the three arcade buttons below the game for left, fire, and right.
- Each wave speeds up and hits harder — stay sharp.
- Use the Google letter shields wisely — they won’t last forever.
Like official Google Easter eggs — such as Zerg Rush (swarms of “o”s attacking your results), Atari Breakout (Google Images turned into bricks), and the Google Zipper — this project celebrates classic game ideas with a playful Google spin.
Final Thoughts
Google Space Invaders shows how timeless mechanics still spark new fun. It’s unofficial, but it captures the spirit of Google’s Easter eggs: familiar, cheeky, and instantly pick-up-and-play.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Space Invaders: Google Style?
It is an unofficial Google-style arcade game inspired by Space Invaders, the 1978 Taito classic designed by Tomohiro Nishikado.
The page keeps the familiar laser-cannon battle, then changes the shield line into Google logo letters. Those letters take hits from both sides, so the logo slowly breaks apart as the wave moves in.
This website preserves the fan-made version as a playable tribute. Google-style is the right label here, because the page was made by fans and was not released by Google.
How do I play it?
Use the left and right arrow keys, or A and D, to move the cannon. Press Space to fire. On touch screens, use the three arcade buttons below the game for left, fire, and right.