How to Play Penguin Dash on Google’s Santa Tracker

Last Updated: December 25, 2021

Google’s “Santa Tracker” is a fun site that you can use to track Santa’s flight path around Christmas time. Launched in 2004^{[1]
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Research source}, it features many fun and entertaining games—although these games are mainly intended for kids, you can play them at any age, regardless of whether Santa Claus still comes to your bedroom or not. Some games are tricky, while others are just a piece of cake. In this wikiHow, you’ll learn how to play one of the games known as “Penguin Dash.”

Method 1

Method 1 of 13:
Open up Penguin Dash.

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Go to https://santatracker.google.com/penguindash.html in a web browser. This is the official site where you can play Penguin Dash. You can use any browser to play the game. Once you enter the link, Mr. and Mrs. Claus will wave their hands and welcome you to the game. Keep in mind that it may take some time to load.
- Alternatively, you can head to https://santatracker.google.com/, scroll down and pick “Penguin Dash” from there.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 13:
Understand how the game works.

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A penguin tries to get from start to end over snow blocks while collecting presents. There are a total of ten levels in the game. Each level has a green starting and a red ending point. There are snow or ice blocks lined up, floating on water, on which your penguin needs to move. There will be some trees and rocks around. As you go to higher levels, the game becomes trickier—and there may be moving floating blocks on which your penguin needs to hop on to reach the end.
- Make sure you know how to move your penguin, too! You use the arrow keys to make your penguin move up, down, left, or right. When you first open the game, you’ll see a cloud-like shape that explains how you can move your penguin. Click on it to continue.

Method 3

Method 3 of 13:
Decide what you’d like to achieve.

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Choose whether to work on increasing scores or moving to higher levels. Because Penguin Dash has no time limits whatsoever, you can choose if you’d like to collect as many presents as possible or just move on to the next level. Ask yourself, “What matters to me more, my scores or level?”
- If you answered “level,” then try to focus on moving ahead, not get distracted by presents, and use short paths when possible.
- If you answered “scores,” then try to go slow, consider taking longer/more difficult paths, and be observant for any presents tucked away somewhere.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 13:
Consider turning on the music if you’d like to.

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You have an option to keep the volume on or off. If it’s off and you’d like to have it on, look for the volume button
on the top left-hand corner of the page and click on it. Relax and enjoy the Christmassy music while you play the game.
- If you’d prefer to have it off, that’s fine, too! But if you’re looking for a more Christmassy feel, it can help.

Method 5

Method 5 of 13:
Aim for the presents.

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You’ll find many presents on the blocks—try to get them! Presents come in various shapes and colours. Some may be round, while others may be square or rectangle-shaped. Regardless of a present’s shape or colour, each present will increase your score by 10. Even if you’re aiming to reach the next level, you probably don’t want to miss your gifts!
- You’ll notice some presents that are tucked away under trees or rocks. You probably don’t need to try to go fetch them, especially if they’re very difficult to reach. If you would like to spend time gathering them, though, that’ll be fine too.
Tip: You’ll sometimes see several presents in one place. Take advantage of these to increase your scores quickly!

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Method 6

Method 6 of 13:
Keep off the waters.

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Keep in mind that your penguin can’t swim. Stepping on the water in Penguin Dash is never the best idea. Remember that your penguin can’t swim (yes, real-life penguins can, but just remember that Santa’s penguins can’t). Although your penguin won’t drown, it’ll turn into ice in an instant, and it’ll be sent back to its starting point.
- Even though you won’t lose your scores or any of your presents collected, you’ll have to go all the way again.
- Touching the waters only a little bit probably won’t have such an effect, but it’s best to stay off the waters anyway.

Method 7

Method 7 of 13:
Step on ice blocks carefully.

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Moving on ice isn’t bad, but it’s worth being careful! Ice, just like in real life, can be very slippery, and your penguin will pick up speed as soon as it touches ice a little bit. While moving on ice won’t freeze your penguin or anything, it’s very easy to lose control over—which means when there isn’t anything around, it’s easy to have your penguin slide into the water. Otherwise, ice blocks are safe, as long as you’re careful.
- As you go to higher levels, you’ll start to notice the number of ice blocks increasing. That’s the challenge; you just need to be more careful.
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Method 8

Method 8 of 13:
Use trees and rocks to your advantage.

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As you play, you’ll come across trees or small rocks lying around. Instead of worrying about them blocking your path, use these to your advantage! These can be particularly helpful to help your stay away from accidentally sliding down into the water.
- When you can, try not to go straight bump into a tree or rock. Bumping into them can push your penguin behind a little, so try to go around them when possible.

Method 9

Method 9 of 13:
Know that both ways are usually safe when there’s an option.

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You may come across places where there are two or more ways to go. Usually, it’s okay to go both ways, and both paths will often lead to the same place in the end — one might be quicker and simpler, while another may be more tricky and take longer. Do keep in mind, though, that this isn’t always true. You may sometimes end up on a dead-end, in which case you’ll have to go back and go the other way. But feel free to go whichever way you want to!
- If you’re trying to get to the next level quicker, feel free to take the path you think is quicker and easier! On the other hand, if you’re trying to gather as many presents as possible, you can definitely go around both ways if you’d like.
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Method 10

Method 10 of 13:
Get onto moving blocks cautiously.

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As you go to higher levels, you’ll often have to use moving blocks to get to the other end. These are generally snow blocks that move between two blocks or just move a bit from side to side. It’s important to be particularly careful when you get on and off one of these. Because of a moment’s delay, you could end up with your penguin in the water and have it frozen. Remind yourself that patience is key. If you rush, it only makes it easier to have your penguin fall into the water.
- Wait until the block you’ll get onto is directly in front (and nearly touches the block you’re currently on), then carefully hop on by pressing the arrow keys.
- Once you’re on one of the moving blocks, don’t try to get off until your moving block is very close to (and nearly touches) the block you’ll get off on.

Method 11

Method 11 of 13:
Don’t go to other floating bodies other than snow or ice blocks.

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There will be some other floating objects other than snow or ice blocks. Remember that you do not have anything to do with them. Don’t try to get to them. Firstly, they’re normally surrounded by water, and you’d have to hop in the water to reach such floating bodies (which will turn your penguin into ice). Secondly, you won’t find any presents on them anyways. So it’s not worth getting your penguin frozen and moving along what you have already yet again.

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Method 12

Method 12 of 13:
Pause the game if you need a break.

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If you’ve been playing for a while, go take a break! Looking at the screen for too long can strain your eyes. It’s generally advised to look away from your screen for a minute every 15-30 minutes.^{[2]
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Trustworthy Source
Harvard Medical School
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Go to source} Or you may need to move away from the game for some other reason. Consider pausing the game while in the meantime.
- To do so, simply click the pause button
  top left-hand corner of the page.

Method 13

Method 13 of 13:
Try to reach the ending point.

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The ending point is marked red, just as the starting point was green. You’ll also see some happy, smiling figures near the ending point. Reaching the ending point not only takes you to a new level but also increases your score by 50.
- After you reach the next level, you can continue playing as you otherwise would. The first eight levels are relatively easy, but it can get really challenging with the ninth and tenth levels. After you complete the tenth level, the game will be over.
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