There are so many uses for Google Nest devices (Google Home, Nest Hub, Nest Mini, Nest Hub Max, et cetera) that while you may have been busy using it to control your smart home, answer questions, and stream music, you may have overlooked more of the fun features. Google Home has a great selection of games that are fun for both adults and children.
Based on user ratings and popularity, we’ve picked the games you really need to try out, including in-depth experiences and kid-friendly options. Keep in mind that any game that needs a screen must be used on a display device like the Nest Hub. To keep our list compatible, we’ve primarily chosen games that don’t need a screen, or that work with phone apps if necessary.
Important note: Some games may be restricted based on region.
Ding Dong Coconut
In this wacky memory game, the speaker plays you a sound. It then tells you to associate a word with a sound that has nothing to do with that sound. For instance, it may play a dog barking and tell you to associate the word “ocean” with the dog barking sound. After several sounds and random word associations, the game gets pretty difficult.
Math Logic
Appropriate for older kids and adults, this math trivia game combines logic and mathematics. Some questions are more difficult than others, but many of them are designed to trick you. It’s not your normal “what is nine times eight” type of thing. For instance, it may ask you what you’d get if you add 1Mbps plus 1Gbps.
The game does have some issues understanding commands. On a few questions, we had to repeat our answers. But, overall the game was interesting and entertaining.
Riddle Room
Love riddles? In Riddle Room, you navigate through different rooms by solving riddles. It’s fun for kids and adults, but it appears to be more of a kid’s game. It does a good job of understanding your answers and commands, and it has a pretty decent variety of riddles. Dr. Riddle is another riddle game that works well, and the riddles are a bit more difficult than they are in Riddle Room.
Song Pop
The object of this game is to name the artist or song title after you hear a portion of a song. You can choose the genre of music you want to play (pop, rap, rock and roll, country, et cetera.), which makes the game more fun. Plus, the game does an excellent job of picking up your answers.
Star Wars Trivia Challenge
Star Wars Trivia is exactly what it sounds like. It asks you trivia questions about the Star Wars movies. It starts with a round of trivia on A New Hope and moves through the movies from there. The questions are pretty challenging, but not impossible.
Some of the other themed trivia games on Google Home worth playing are Star Trek, Game of Thrones, The Voice, and Pokémon.
Animal Trivia
Does your desire for trivia tend more toward the real world? There are plenty of more grounded trivia options as well, including sports trivia by Sports Illustrated. But our favorite is probably animal trivia because there’s nothing like testing your knowledge of the animal world and learning some cool new facts about it at the same time.
Freeze Dance
Looking for something silly and fun to play with the family? Try, “Hey Google, play Freeze Dance.” The rules are simple: Dance until the music stops, then freeze where you are. For a more party-friendly option, Google also supports musical chairs, although of course, this takes a little more preparation.
Sub War
With Sub War, you’re the captain of a submarine in the Acton Straits, and you have to fight other submarines in the water. The game tells you the location of your submarine, and you can ping the sonar to find out the locations of the other submarines. You can fire on the other subs, but you don’t have a lot of ammo. The game makes you feel like you’re a real submarine captain, and it does well in terms of understanding your commands.
Lucky Trivia
Lucky Trivia is a game show trivia game. Between one and five people can play Lucky Trivia at a time. The questions are moderate in difficulty and the game has a wide variety of questions about all sorts of topics to keep your interest. The game also has a family-friendly version: Lucky Trivia for Families.
Akinator
Akinator is a 20-questions game, but in reverse. You say, “Hey Google, let me talk to the Akinator,” and then pick a person. Akinator has 20 questions to try and figure out which person you are thinking of — and it can be pretty good at its job! You can choose from any real or popular fictional character, but you better be prepared to answer Akinator‘s questions honestly and accurately!
Mystery Sounds
This game is just what it sounds like. Mimicking the famous radio station game of yore, Google will play you a mystery sound and encourage you to guess what it is (one at a time, please). The sounds aren’t too weird, and it’s an easy way to pass the time and get your family or friends involved in a fun little challenge. You can start it at any time by saying, “Hey Google, let’s play Mystery Sounds.”
Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!
If you’re a huge fan of NPR’s “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” segment, Google’s Home/Nest devices allow you to play a version whenever you want. This interactive quiz features the voices of the Wait Wait stars, and like the original game, it will test you to fill in the blanks on headlines and quotes from this week’s news. It only takes around five minutes or so to play, and it’s a nice way to keep up on all the important news while still having some fun. Plus, each week you get entered into a lottery to win a voicemail voice. Start any time by saying, “Hey, Google, talk to the Wait Wait Quiz”
The Vortex
The Vortex is an addictive interactive “voice-first” game designed by Doppio (founded by BioWare alumni) — an adventure game that you play with your voice and a little help. You start waking up on an empty and forgotten spaceship, hunted by an alien menace and left with only a collection of various A.I.s and robots still aboard. This isn’t just some easy 10-minute session, either: The gameplay is deep and rich, featuring colorful personalities that you can develop friendships with, a variety of tasks to repair the ship and find out what happened in the past, and much more.
You can download the game on Google Assistant and start whenever you want. The Vortex is compatible with all Google Home devices, but there are some UI components to the game that show up via Google Assistant, making this game work best on a hub that includes a smart display, such as the Nest Hub Max.
Who Invented
This fun trivia game takes you on a journey through amazing inventions throughout history and quizzes you about who actually created them. It’s a fun game if you want to learn more about the world while testing your knowledge of history in a unique way.
Fortnite Quiz
We know some of you out there won’t be able to resist testing your Fortnite knowledge with this Google Home quiz. Jump in and see just how much you know. On a side note, this is far from the only Fornite-related activity Nest/Home can support. You can also ask Nest devices to pick a landing zone for the game, along with other information.
The Darkness at Innsmouth
If you’re already a Lovecraft fan, you can tell where this game is heading. Those who haven’t experienced Lovecraft’s eldritch horrors before will be even more surprised with this journey, where you use your voice to role-play as a professor investigating mysterious events. This is only the first chapter in an ongoing saga, and the second interactive novel is also available.
Editors’ Recommendations
