Google is taking you back to your childhood with the release of a game that could leave you feeling nostalgic.The tech giant has released an online version of Pinball, called I/O Pinball, that can be played in your browser.This guide will tell you what to expect from the game, as well as how to play it.

Google Releases I/O Pinball Ahead of Google I/O

Google released a pinball game, I/O Pinball, ahead of its annual developer conference, Google I/O. The game is based online and is free for anyone to play on their phone and desktop browser.

The release of the game is in keeping with Google's release of an app every year to promote its conference and its products. For instance, in developing I/O Pinball, Google used Flutter and Firebase, both of which are used to build apps.

Google broke down how it built I/O Pinball in a Flutter blog post on Medium, for those who are curious about the coding of it all. In case you missed it, here are the biggest announcements made at Google I/O 2022.

How to Play Pinball I/O

screenshot of io pinball game character selection

To play the game, go to the I/O Pinball website in your browser. First, you’ll be asked to choose from four characters—Sparky, Dash, Dino, and Android Jetpack.

The character you choose will change the display colors of the game, like the carpet and the machines surrounding the game, so play around with each character before proceeding, to see which color display you like best.

Whether you play on your phone or your laptop, the controls are straightforward. You just need to launch the ball and use the flippers to keep it from falling away. On your phone, tap the rocket to release the ball, and the sides of your screen to use the relevant flippers.

screenshot of io pinball game by google

On your computer, press, hold, and release the space bar, the down arrow, or the "S" key to launch the ball. You can control the flippers either by pressing the "A" and "D" keys, or the left and right arrows on your keyboard.

The whole point, of course, is to keep the ball in play as long as possible. The longer you do that, the more points you earn. When the game is over, you'll see your final score. Next to it, you'll have to enter your initials.

After you press enter, you can share your score with your friends and challenge them to beat it. We found that the game loads faster on the computer than on your phone. Apart from that, we didn't notice any major issues.

I/O Pinball Is a Great Choice From Google

Google is pulling at our heartstrings with I/O Pinball. It's a fun way to pass time playing a game that you're probably familiar with, but can't get enough of. We can't wait to see what Google comes up with in 2023.