Skip to main content

Today’s Google Doodle is a full-fledged Olympics video game

Google has released its most ambitious interactive Doodle yet: A full sports video game inspired by the Olympic games. Champion Island Games stars a calico cat who competes in seven different sporting events on a colorful island.

Behind the Doodle: The Doodle Champion Island Games!

The Doodle coincides with the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Video games are already a large part of the event this year, as the opening ceremony featured music from Japanese video games like Dragon Quest.

Animals stand in a plaza in Champion Island Games.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Champion Island Games stars a female calico named Lucky who lands on a sport-filled island. There are seven different sports strewn around the island, each of which is presented as a unique minigame. There’s a Dance Dance Revolution-esque swimming rhythm game and a Tony Hawk-like skateboarding event, to name just two. Players get a scroll for winning in each event — you’ll have to play to see what happens when you get all seven.

There’s a surprising amount to do in the game. There are several little sub-quests scattered around the island. Players can complete tasks to fill a trophy room. All in all, it’ll take players at least a half hour to fully complete the game.

Notably, the game features gorgeous animated cutscenes that look like they arrived straight out of an anime. The animations were created by Studio 4°C, which made the game alongside Google.

According to Google, Champion Island Games is the largest interactive Doodle the company has ever made. A making-of feature notes that most Doodles are the size of one of the game’s sports, making it a surprisingly robust undertaking.

Champion Island Games is available to play right now by heading over to Google and tapping on the Doodle. It supports both mouse and keyboard controls, as well as mobile ones.

Editors' Recommendations

Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
Google Stadia shutting down in January and users are getting full refunds
Google Stadia controller.

After three years, Google Stadia is coming to an end. The Silicon Valley giant announced that the cloud-streaming platform will be going offline on January 18, 2023.

In a blog post published on Thursday, Phil Harrison, Stadia's vice president and general manager, said the company made the difficult decision to shut down Stadia because the cloud-streaming service hasn't "gained the traction with users" that it expected since its launch in 2019. This is despite the developed technology that allowed players to play demos from YouTube videos on their favorite games and then purchase them later, no console required.

Read more
The best Google Chrome games for 2022

When most people think about Google Chrome, the search engine itself or apps like Gmail and Google Docs are typically the first things to come to mind. Google Chrome’s extensive list of free in-browser games isn't well-known. 

Google Chrome, in fact, has a vast array of apps and games from different genres that users can play on their mobile devices or laptop. With standouts like 2048 or Spelunky, among many others, you’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy.

Read more
The best Google Stadia games for 2022
google stadia review rs 2

Google Stadia takes a quality-over-quantity approach to its library of games. There aren't a lot of titles available -- though that's been rapidly changing over the past few months -- but the few that are available are excellent. From massive RPGs like Red Dead Redemption 2 to indie horror adventures like Gylt, Google Stadia has a little something for everyone. Here are the best Google Stadia games you should start playing first.

Most of the games on our list cost some money, even if you're a Stadia Pro subscriber. There are a few, however, that are available for free through a Pro membership.

Read more