Google experimenting with Search game that lets users win 'badges' for trivia across shopping, food & more

Google is quietly testing a new gamification feature within Search that transforms everyday queries into trivia challenges, complete with collectible badges and milestone rewards. The feature, dubbed “Search badges,” appears to be rolling out as a limited experiment, turning the search giant’s core platform into an unexpected gaming destination (sort of).

We stumbled upon this feature completely by accident while searching for something on Chrome running on a Pixel 8 Pro. A small flame icon suddenly appeared in the bottom-right corner of the search results page, which led us down a rabbit hole of discovery. It’s worth noting that this doesn’t appear for everyone yet, suggesting Google is testing the waters with a select group of users.

The mini-game invites users to explore four distinct categories: Shopping, Culinary, Football, and Showbiz. Each category promises its own set of trivia questions designed to test knowledge while simultaneously encouraging more searches within Google’s ecosystem. The company appears to be banking on the addictive nature of badge collection to keep users engaged with their platform longer than typical search sessions would allow.

Once activated, the game presents users with multiple-choice questions related to their chosen category. For instance, the Culinary section might ask about historical spice trading routes, while Shopping could quiz users on brand origins or product specifications. The questions feel substantial rather than throwaway, suggesting Google has put genuine effort into creating educational content that goes beyond simple product placement.

The badge system operates on multiple tiers, with milestone achievements unlocking as users play across consecutive days. Players can earn 1-day, 2-day, and 5-day milestones, with each milestone opening new trivia challenges. There are reportedly eight badges available per topic, creating a total of 32 possible achievements across the entire game.

What makes this experiment particularly interesting is how seamlessly it integrates with Google’s existing search infrastructure. Players don’t need to download additional apps or create separate accounts. The game lives directly within the search experience, making participation feel natural rather than forced. Users can access the game at any time by typing “Search badges” into Google Search, though the feature needs to be initially discovered through the flame icon appearance.

That said, the company hasn’t made any official announcements about the Search badges game just yet. But I suspect we’ll see a blog post sooner rather than later. This gamification seems like a clever approach to maintain engagement with its core search product. It’ll turn routine searches into entertainment while gathering valuable data about user preferences and search patterns.

The feature can be disabled through the menu options, but for those curious about mixing education with their daily searches, it presents an unexpectedly engaging way to learn random facts while accomplishing routine online tasks.

Are you seeing this game on your account? Let us know in the comments below.

We stand out from the tech-media crowd because we break news stories; we mainly bring you stuff that you won’t find anywhere in the mainstream tech media. Our stories have been picked up by some of the world’s most popular websites and media outlets—more info is available here.