Google Maps adds a Snake game to mobile and desktop applications

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Google has never shied away from pranking people on April Fools’ Day – in 2016, the tech giant added a ‘mic drop’ button to replace ‘Send and Archive’ which, when clicked would send everyone in the conversation to a GIF of a Minion.

While that gag may or may not have been funny (depending on whether you thought Minions were ever funny), the tech giant has taken a different tack this year and has added a fun version of the classic Snake game to Google Maps, adding a sense of wanderlust and directions to the 1990s.

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Image: Google

The Easter Egg is rolling out to both iOS and Android apps globally today, and will be available to play for the rest of the week. If you happen to be one of the few who doesn't use Google Maps on your smartphone, there’s also a standalone site set up where you can play on desktop.

Hop on the fast train

To play the game, either head to Google’s Snake site or look for the ‘Play Snake’ option in the settings pane of your Google Maps app on your smartphone (as shown in the GIF below).

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Image: Google

Instead of a snake, though, you’ve got to move a train around the location of your choice. You can choose between Cairo, Tokyo, Sydney, San Francisco, London, São Paulo or the entire world.

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Image: Google

The objective of the game is to pick up as many passengers as you can on your train while not hitting yourself or the side of the map. 

You control the movement of the train using the arrow keys on your keyboard, and each passenger you pick up makes the train longer which, in turn, makes it harder to maneuver the train around the screen.

For extra points, you can pick up famous landmarks in each city (like the Sydney Opera House, London Bridge or the Golden Gate Bridge).

Unlike the original Snake game, the train starts off moving quite quickly, so you’ll need to be rather deft at controlling its movements.

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