Where's Waldo, the classic puzzle game where players look for Waldo and his iconic red and white stripes within usually chaotic sceneries, will be available on Google Maps for the next few days.
Waldo is the latest cartoon character to be integrated into Google Maps, which also recently rolled out some less exciting but very useful updates to make the service more accessible to users.
Where's Waldo On Google Maps: How To Play
Google launched Where's Waldo on Google Maps right before April Fool's Day, but the mini-game is not just a gag. It will be available for the whole week, giving users several days to find Waldo and his crew.
The addition of Where's Waldo to Google Maps was announced through a Google Blog post written by Waldo himself. He said that to start searching for him, users will simply have to visit the Google Maps website on their desktop computer, update to the latest version of the mapping service's app, or ask "Hey Google, Where's Waldo" to the Google Assistant.
Upon accessing Google Maps through any of the platforms, users will see Waldo waving at them. Tap on him, and the Where's Waldo mini-game will start. Waldo icons will be seen across Google Maps, and tapping them will bring up a page from one of the books in the classic series. Things are easier because users will have access to the zoom feature in their search for Waldo.
Upon finding and tapping on Waldo, the mini-game will load the next place and puzzle. Compared to previous cartoon character integrations, this may be considered a disappointment. This is because the Where's Waldo game is not as interactive compared to the Mario on Google Maps integration for Mar10 Day, for example.
Nevertheless, playing Where's Waldo on Google Maps is still a fun experience, especially for users who spent lots of time on the game in the past.
Google Maps Updates
Where's Waldo is not the only notable recent addition to Google Maps, as two recent updates have made the mapping service more accessible to millions of users.
In mid-March, Google added wheelchair accessible routes to Google Maps to help people with disabilities. If the feature is activated, wheelchair ramps and elevators across the city will be shown.
Near the end of March, Google also added support for 39 languages in Google Maps. The mapping service is estimated to be used by over 1 billion people worldwide, and the additional languages will allow it to reach up to 1.25 billion more people.
