How to Play Google's Emoji Scavenger Hunt

Google's Emoji Scavenger Hunt is a free browser experiment that asks you to find real objects matching emoji before a timer expires. It was released in 2018 and is now hosted in Google's archive, but the experiment remains playable on compatible phones.

What you need

• A phone running a recent version of Android or iOS
• Chrome on Android or Safari on iPhone
• Permission for the browser to use the camera
• A well-lit, safe space with several everyday objects nearby

You do not need to install an app or create an account. The game is intended for players over 13.

How to play Emoji Scavenger Hunt

1. On your phone, open Google's Emoji Scavenger Hunt archive.
2. Select Let's Play and allow camera access when the browser asks.
3. Look at the emoji shown on the screen and find a real object that matches it.
4. Point the camera at the object and move close enough for it to fill a useful part of the frame.
5. When the model recognizes the object, continue to the next emoji. Successful finds add time; the run ends when the timer reaches zero.

Sound provides spoken prompts, but the visual instructions are enough to play with the phone muted.

Tips for better object recognition

• Use bright, even lighting and avoid a strongly patterned background.
• Show one object at a time and hold the phone steady for a moment.
• Try another angle or a simpler example if the model does not recognize the first object.
• Move around carefully. Do not stare through the camera while walking near stairs, roads, or fragile objects.
• Remember that this is an old experiment, not a general-purpose object detector. Some correct items may not be recognized.

How the game uses machine learning

The experiment uses TensorFlow.js to run a neural network in the phone's web browser. The model analyzes camera frames and compares what it sees with the requested object category. According to Google, this processing happens locally on the device and camera images are not collected or stored on its servers.

The project's source code is available on GitHub. Google archived the repository in May 2026, so it is read-only, but developers can still inspect how the experiment was built.

If the game does not work

1. Confirm that the page was opened on a phone rather than a desktop browser.
2. Update Chrome or Safari and reload the page.
3. Check the site's camera permission in the browser or phone settings.
4. Close other apps using the camera, then try again.
5. If the page still reports an unsupported device, the older experiment may not be compatible with that browser or hardware.

For more lightweight browser entertainment, see TipsMake's guide to replaying Google Doodle games and its collection of hidden games in Google Search.