Google Chrome has a very addictive hidden game that you unlock by switching WiFi off
THERE'S a secret game hidden inside Google Chrome that you can unlock by turning the internet off.
It's called Dino Runner – an "endless runner" game that involves sprinting and hopping over obstacles to earn a high score.
The Google Chrome web browser is packed with neat tricks – but this boredom-squashing game is one of the best.
It's designed to give phone and laptop users something to do when the WiFi is down.
First, you need to lose access to both WiFi and mobile internet. Turn off your internet on a computer, or switch to Airplane Mode on a phone.
Then load up Google Chrome and try to launch a website – which should fail.
You'll then see a "No internet" page with a dinosaur at the top.
On a computer, simply press the space bar and the game will active.
Then slam the space bar to jump over obstacles to earn a higher score.
For mobile users, tap on the dinosaur with your finger – then tap the screen to make the dinosaur jump.
The highest possible score is 99,999 – but it's a hard target to hit unless you're a dedicated gamer.
The little-known game was actually first added in September 2014.
But it's not obvious that the game exists, making it relatively secret.
Google Chrome's Sebastien Gabriel recently revealed that the dinosaur was inspired by going back to the "perhistoric ages" – befoire WiFi.
Early designs for the dinosaur character were codenamed Project Bolan.
That was a reference to the late Marc Bolan, who sang for the English glam-rock band T-Rex in the '70s.
According to Google Chrome engineer Edward Jung, 270million Dino Runner games are played each month.
And most of the players come from countries with unreliable internet, like India, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico.
If you don't want to turn the internet off, there is still a way to get the game.
Simply type chrome://dino in to your web browser (just like entering a web page) and you'll be taken to the game.
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