The Chrome dino game is the small endless runner that appears in Google Chrome when your connection drops: a pixel T-rex runs across the screen and you jump over cacti for as long as you can. When you want the same idea with more to look at, Rex Run on Mayavoo turns that run into a 3D world you can play free in a browser tab.
What the Chrome dino game is
Google added the game to Chrome's offline page in September 2014, and by December of that year it ran on every platform Chrome supports. It was built by members of the Chrome design team, Edward Jung, Sebastien Gabriel and Alan Bettes. The dinosaur is a joke about going back to a "prehistoric age" without Wi-Fi.
The rules fit in one line. The dino runs on its own, obstacles come at it, and you jump or duck to stay alive. The pace rises the longer you last. According to Google's own write-up, the team built it to stop at roughly 17 million years, which is about how long the T-rex lived on Earth.
How to open it
You do not have to cut your internet to play. There are two ways in:
- Offline: when Chrome shows the no-connection page, press the space bar.
- Online: type
chrome://dinoin the address bar, press Enter, then press space. Google says this page also has an arcade mode that fills the window.
Space or the up arrow jumps, and holding the up arrow longer gives a higher jump. The down arrow makes the dino duck.
Where Rex Run fits in
Rex Run is a game on Mayavoo, a site for browser games made by independent creators. It is not made by Google and it is not the Chrome game. Its creator describes it as the offline-page dino run crossed with Subway Surfers, set in a 3D world. You steer with the arrow keys, and the game page lists desktop and tablet as its devices.
That makes it a good next step once the 2D run starts to feel the same every time. You keep the core loop of running and dodging, but the camera sits in a 3D scene instead of a flat strip.
| Chrome dino game | Rex Run on Mayavoo | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Built into Chrome | Rex Run game page |
| Look | 2D pixel art | 3D world |
| Controls | Space, up and down arrows | Arrow keys |
| Devices | Wherever Chrome runs | Desktop and tablet |
| Needs a connection | No | Yes, to load the page |
| Price | Comes with Chrome | Free |
Why play it on Mayavoo
Mayavoo is free to use, with nothing to download or install, and you can play without an account. Signing in with Google or GitHub only adds likes and comments. Before a game goes live, the Mayavoo team plays it and checks its files and network behaviour, and every game runs in a sandboxed frame. A game may show a short Google ad before it starts and when you leave, but none while you play.
If you like Rex Run, the endless runner category is the place to look for more of the same.
When the original is the better pick
If you are offline right now, stay with Chrome's own game. Mayavoo is a website, so you need a connection to load Rex Run, and its page does not list phones. The original is also the one to play if you care about the classic 2D look or comparing scores with friends on the same game.