Google has ushered in the New Year with a sparkling and interactive Doodle on its homepage. The special artwork, live on December 31, 2025, celebrates the global transition into the year 2026 with a vibrant party theme.
A Glittering Midnight Celebration
The design transforms the classic Google logo into a festive spectacle. The company name is written in shimmering, glittery gold letters. Taking centre stage are large, shiny silver balloon numbers spelling out 2025. The interactive magic happens when a user hovers their mouse over these numbers—they instantly change to 2026, mimicking the moment of midnight. These numerals float above the logo like giant helium balloons.
Completing the celebratory scene are two gold-and-white striped party poppers at the bottom centre of the Doodle. They are shown bursting open, releasing a shower of purple and gold streamers, tiny stars, and confetti. The entire artwork captures the essence of a midnight celebration, filled with sparkle and flying decorations.
Google's official description states, "This annual Doodle celebrates New Year’s Eve across the world, when billions of people gather with friends and family to reflect on the past year and welcome the new one. Soon, the clock will strike midnight to officially mark the start of 2026!"
The Evolution of Google Doodles
The tradition of Google Doodles began humbly in 1998 as a simple out-of-office message. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin used it to inform users they were at the Burning Man festival. Over the past 25 years, Doodles have grown into a respected global art form, honouring significant people, cultures, historical milestones, and events. To date, Google has created more than 5,000 Doodles.
The journey saw many firsts. An early series whimsically told a story of aliens taking the Google logo to Mars. The first international Doodle was released in 2000 for France's Bastille Day. That same year, the Halloween Doodle introduced animation, with the 'O's becoming flashing jack-o'-lanterns.
Innovation continued with the first live-action video Doodle in 2011 for Charlie Chaplin's birthday. In 2018, Doodles entered virtual reality with a 360-degree video for Georges Melies. A year later, in 2019, the first AI-powered Doodle allowed users to compose melodies harmonised in Johann Sebastian Bach's style.
Major Highlights from Google Doodles in 2025
The year 2025 was a significant one for Google Doodles, featuring interactive games and marking major cultural moments. A key feature was "Rise of the Half Moon," a strategic monthly browser game linked to the lunar calendar where players competed against an AI moon.
Google also updated its popular Halloween PAC-MAN Doodle and introduced a new AI Mode “Super G” logo on July 1. The year's festive Doodles included celebrations for Lunar New Year (January 29), Earth Day (April 22), and India’s Independence Day (August 15). December featured inclusive seasonal holiday designs.
Google celebrated its own 27th birthday on September 27 and revived the Doodle for Google contest. The company concluded the year with its 2025 Year in Search video on December 8, released in the UK and US. This video highlighted top searches, including Lady Gaga’s world tour, the Labubu craze, League of Kingdoms Arena (LOKA) trading, Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner tennis matches, and the Indian women’s cricket World Cup victory.
