How to Play the Google Dinosaur Game: A Quick Guide

Losing your internet connection can really put a cramp in your style, whether you’re trying to work from home, binge the new season of the Great British Baking Show, or just doing a little ol’ fashioned doom scrolling. Thankfully, Google has your back.

If your internet goes out and you have the Google Chrome web browser, you’ll have one way to endlessly distract yourself (like you need more distractions). You know that cute little dinosaur next to the “No Internet” message? Yeah, that guy turns into a little video game.

All you have to do is click the spacebar on your computer, and an animation will appear. It’s called The Dinosaur Game or Google Dino Run. And yes, it’s actually pretty fun.

We’ll go over everything you need to know about this little game, and we’ll talk about some ways you can troubleshoot your internet connection to get back online (and stay online for good).

The Google Dino Game is very simple. It’s kind of like that old 2D, side-scroller Mario game, except there aren’t any Koopas chasing you or mushrooms that make you grow. It’s just a dinosaur, some cacti, and a few birds. All you have to do is survive by jumping over the cacti, birds, and sometimes ducking.

Just press the spacebar to get the game started. Once you’re going, you can use the spacebar or the up arrow to make the dino jump. The longer you hold the spacebar or up arrow, the higher your dino will jump.

To make the dinosaur duck, press the down arrow on your keyboard.

Note that if you lose a couple of times in a row, a little toggle switch will appear below the game that says “Start slower.” You can switch it on to play the easy mode. But it will always get faster eventually.

While most people will only play the dino game when their internet is offline, you can play it online. Just visit the URL “chrome://dino/” to play the game in your Chrome browser.

Everyone’s a winner in the Dino Game. But you can’t exactly beat the game. When you hit a cactus or a bird, you will see a Game Over screen. If you manage to keep going and going, you’ll be rewarded with more of the game. It never actually ends.

The dino game is fun. But it’s not that fun. It’s definitely better to have working internet.

So, what can you do to get back online? While this isn’t a full DIY internet troubleshooting guide, here are some basic things to try:

• Reset your device. Turn it off, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on. It’s a classic, but it often works.
• Unplug your Wi-Fi router. Wait a few seconds, then plug your router back in and wait for the lights to start blinking again.
• Check for outages. If there’s a regional internet outage, then there’s not much you can do, but it’s nice to know that it’s not your fault. Use your phone or another device to check with your internet service provider to see if there’s an outage.
• Get better internet. We’re not being snarky here. If your internet is constantly going out, maybe it’s time for an upgrade.

Speaking of better internet, we have a few recommendations. These are the best providers in the U.S. right now. There are great options here for all kinds of households, from big families to college coops to serious gamers.