Play Google Zerg Rush
Quick Facts
- Summary
- Defend search results from waves of “o” characters by clicking or tapping each attacker repeatedly.
- Creator
- Launched
- 2012-04-27
- Status
- Restored
(Discontinued by Google)
Try the Easter Egg
The Original Easter Egg
How It Started
In April 2012, Google added Zerg Rush as a wink to the strategy game StarCraft and its famous “zerg rush” move, where you attack with a huge swarm all at once. Typing “zerg rush” into Google sent a wave of tiny “o” characters to attack the results page.
What It Did
Small, colorful “o”s poured in from the sides and the bottom of the page and started eating through the lines of text. The only way to fight back was to click them again and again before they did too much damage. More and more kept coming, until the results page finally gave way and the swarm lined up to spell “GG,” gamer talk for “good game.”
Impact and Reach
The Easter egg connected Search to StarCraft through a swarm attack and the final “GG.” Its kill counter and APM display — actions per minute — also used familiar strategy-game statistics. The original Google+ sharing option let players pass along their results.
Its Discontinuation
Zerg Rush was gone from Google Search by December 2019 at the latest.
The Restored Experience
What’s Different Here
The swarming “o”s return to chew through the results, while the kill counter and APM display track your defense. When the page is overwhelmed, the swarm gathers into the original “GG” formation.
The Easter Egg Experience
Click the button above to start. Groups of “o” characters approach from several directions and attack the results. Click or tap each one repeatedly to remove it before it destroys more of the page. Once the results are gone, the swarm gathers into “GG.”
How to Try It
- Click the button above to start the game.
- Watch for “o”s arriving from the page edges, including the sides and bottom as the attack continues.
- Click or tap each “o” several times to destroy it.
- Go after the ones that are already eating your results first.
- Hold out as long as you can. Once the results are gone, the “o”s gather into the final “GG.”
Press “Clear” during the attack or at the final “GG” to remove the swarm and restore the results page. To start another round, return to the introduction and enter the Easter egg again.
Final Thoughts
The “o”s are attacking again in this restored 2012 Easter egg. Click or tap to defend the results for as long as you can, then watch the swarm gather into its final “GG.”
Try the Easter Egg
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Google Zerg Rush?
Google Zerg Rush is an interactive Easter egg from 2012 that nods to the Zerg in StarCraft and their famous rush attack.
When you searched for “zerg rush,” small, colorful “o”s swarmed in from the sides and the bottom of the page to “eat” your results. Your job was to click them away for as long as you could. If the swarm broke through, the page was eaten up, and the game ended with the “o”s spelling “GG.”
What does “Zerg Rush” mean in gaming?
The term comes from StarCraft. It means attacking very early with lots of quick, cheap units, usually Zerglings, to win before the other player can build strong defenses or collect resources.
How do I play Google Zerg Rush?
Click the button above to start, then defend your results:
- Click the attacking “o”s several times to destroy them before they eat your results. The counter at the top keeps track of how many you’ve beaten.
- Stay alert as more “o”s arrive from different directions.
- Try to hold out for as long as you can. If the swarm takes over the page, the round ends with the “o”s spelling “GG.”
- Go after the “o”s that are already eating important results first, because saving the page buys you the most time.
