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Google Home's secret superpower: It's really good for playing games

Bet you didn't know your Google Home smart speaker or display doubles as a casual game console, too.

Shelby Brown Editor II
Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also oversees Tech Tips coverage. Before joining CNET, she covered app news for Download.com and served as a freelancer for Louisville.com.
Credentials
  • She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Dale Smith Former Associate Writer
Dale Smith is a former Associate Writer on the How-To team at CNET.
Shelby Brown
Dale Smith
3 min read
 google-home-features-10

There's a lot of ways to have fun with Google.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Google Home has a ton of awesome features hiding in plain sight. It's a bluetooth speaker , for one. It's also a white noise machine. But maybe the coolest thing you can do with your Google Home smart speaker or display is play games with it.

No, we're not talking Call of Duty-caliber FPS games. But Jeopardy! and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? were just recently added to the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max repertoire, along with a handful of others. Don't fret if you don't have one of the Nest smart displays, either. There's plenty of fun voice-only games to play as well.

Here's our list of some of the most fun Google Home games we've discovered for both speakers and displays. If you've got a favorite we don't mention, let us know in the comments!

Trivia games

Trivia nights are a great way to spend a Friday out, but if you don't feel like leaving the house, you can still test your knowledge. For more traditional trivia game on either a speaker or display, just say, "Hey, Google , talk to Trivia Crack." 

Watch this: 5 underappreciated features of your Google Home

Otherwise, you can preface any of the names of these trivia games with, "Hey, Google, talk to..." and test your pop culture knowledge on any of these topics:

jot-google-home-mini-1

Bored? Your Google Home can be your entertaining companion.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Visual games for Nest Hub and Hub Max

In July, Google raised the bar on entertainment with the company's Nest Hub and Hub Max smart displays, announcing seven additions to its game library. If you have a Nest smart screen and some idle time on your hands, try out one or more of these great visual games (just say, "Hey, Google, talk to..."):

  • Jeopardy!: Hint: A daytime TV gameshow staple since 1964 you can now play on a Google Nest smart screen. 
  • Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Three lifelines and a (pretend) $1 million prize bring this early 2000s sensation back to life.
  • Trivia Crack: This popular mobile game has solo and multiplayer options on Google Home as well.
  • Guess the Drawing: Like Pictionary, with single and multiplayer modes.
  • Escape the Room: Experience an escape room-like challenge without leaving home.
  • Puzzle of the Day: A new crossword to tease your brain daily.
  • MadLibs: Craft a silly story with this road trip classic.

Quick games  

  • "Hey, Google, talk to Did Thanos Kill Me" might poke a sore spot if you're not over Avengers: Endgame. It's more of an Easter egg. Google will tell you whether or not you survived the snap heard round the world.
  • Big Bang Theory fans should try, "Hey, Google, I want to speak to Lizard Spock about a challenge." Instead of Rock-Paper-Scissors, you get to play Sheldon Cooper's Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock against Google Assistant. 
  • Harry Potter fans can get sorted into their Hogwarts house by saying, "Hey, Google, talk to the wizard world." 

Mystery games 

If you're into stories or a longer game, Google has several choose-your-own-adventure games that might pique your interest. If you fancy yourself an armchair sleuth, say, "Hey, Google, talk to Sherlock Mysteries." For fans of the Netflix series, "Hey, Google, talk to Dustin from Stranger Things" combines trivia with a mystery adventure game for an immersive adventure game experience. 

Here's everything that works with Google Home and Home Mini

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Longer games are best played through a Google Home display like the Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max (the Google Home app works too), so you can read the text and better understand what's happening. 

For more ways to fend off boredom while stuck at home, try these 12 ways to entertain yourself with Google Home. If you find yourself zoning out during Zoom calls, try livening them up with entertaining virtual backgrounds. Bored with all this fun you've been having? Maybe you need to de-stress with some relaxing activities instead.