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Play AI-based games in our I/O Save the date
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The countdown to Google I/O 2026 has officially begun!
Google I/O is our company-wide moment to show the world what we’ve been building and to connect with the developer ecosystem that brings our platforms to life. This year, it’ll all go down from May 19-20 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View.
But before the keynotes begin, we have another tradition to uphold: the I/O Save the date puzzle. And this year, we decided to show how AI can be the ultimate power-up.
For this year’s Save the date experience, we turned to AI to help show how anyone can build incredible games with Gemini.
“The concept, ‘Make Build Unlock,’ was designed to welcome audiences of any technical level, entertaining everyone from casual gamers to developers who want to build their own,” says Kacey Fahey, a marketing manager on this year’s puzzle. “The experience allowed us to offer multiple ways to engage and varying levels of challenge.”
Players can choose from five games that span a spectrum of genres, each showcasing a different way Gemini can influence game design, from code generation to real-time content creation. For “Supersonic Bot,” the team used Gemini to brainstorm and prototype a twist on a familiar side-scrolling runner. The result is a game where you help the Android Bot reach safety by controlling its flight through the volume of your voice.
"In some of the games, Gemini capabilities are integrated directly into the gameplay and experience,” says Caio Avelar, who worked on this year’s puzzle. For instance, the mini-golf game “Hole in one” tees up the model to generate contextual tips and encouragement from an AI caddy based on your shots. And while the first level in the logic puzzle "Nonogram" is predetermined, levels 2 and 3 are dynamically generated by Gemini, providing a fresh challenge each time you play.
Complete all five games, and you unlock a personal reward: your own Chrome Dino. In "Dino Pal," Gemini brings your virtual pet to life, assigning unique personality traits that adapt to the way you play.
Players receive their very own virtual Chrome Dino pet as a reward for completing all five games.
To build this playground, the team started in the Google AI Studio sandbox. There, creatives and developers collaborated to rapidly prototype tons of different game ideas. “We looked for concepts that would evoke feelings of being fun, challenging, creative and rewarding,” Kacey says. “And much of the Gemini-generated code was directly usable in production.”
As they refined their ideas and the games grew in complexity, the team transitioned into Google Antigravity, bridging early concepts with the refined games launched today.
“The goal was to showcase Google AI model capabilities across a variety of formats,” Caio says. “By providing a diverse range of games, we can demonstrate how AI is a powerful toolkit for modern builders.”
This year’s puzzle includes familiar experiences with fresh twists.
A core feature of the project is an invitation to tinker. The games are available in AI Studio, allowing developers to explore the underlying code, remix it and build something new. “We know our developer audience loves to create and build. By making games remixable, we allow them to make them their own and even share online,” Kacey says.
As the community played levels and racked up high scores, the global progress bar climbed toward the ultimate unlock: the official reveal marking the calendar for May.
“We want to show people how AI can be woven seamlessly into both the creative process and the final experience,” Kacey says. “And we’re excited to share even more at I/O!”
