🎅 Google Tricks · Santa Tracker · Christmas
Google Santa Tracker Tricks
(Games, Map and NORAD)
Every December, Google turns a corner of the internet into a small North Pole village. There are games, animated scenes and activities, and then the real attraction switches on at Christmas Eve: a live map of Santa’s trip around the world.
The map only wakes up on December 24, but the village is worth poking at well before that, especially if there are kids around. This guide covers how the tracker works, how to read the map, and how it differs from NORAD’s version. It sits inside our complete list of Google Easter eggs.
Quick answer: Google’s Santa Tracker lives at santatracker.google.com. It has run since 2004, fills December with games and activities, and switches on a live map on Christmas Eve that shows where Santa is, where he’s going next and roughly when he’ll reach you. NORAD runs a separate tracker with its own site and phone line.
What is the Google Santa Tracker?
It’s a free seasonal website and Android app that Google has put out every year since 2004. The 2025 season was its 21st, with the familiar village layout, games such as Elf Ski and Penguin Dash, and creative bits like Santa’s Canvas and Code Lab.
There’s a side story too. Google uses the project to try out new technology, and some features, such as View in 3D, were later added to other Google products. If you’re after the other holiday tricks, see our Google Easter eggs for Christmas.
How to use the live map
These details come from the 2025 season, so check santatracker.google.com for the 2026 timing.
- Open the site on a phone, tablet or computer on December 24, or use the Android app.
- Wait for the live map. In 2025 it began at midnight in the furthest-east time zone, which is 10:00 UTC, as Santa left the International Date Line.
- Read the panel. It shows Santa’s current location, his next stop, his distance from you and an estimated arrival time.
- Tap a city to see photos and short descriptions. The tracker covers more than 500 locations, using material from Google’s Local Guides and Wikipedia excerpts.
- Check back through the night. He covers the whole planet in one go.
Tricks for before Christmas Eve
The tracker isn’t only a Christmas Eve page. The games and activities stay open through December, so the village works as a countdown for kids.
- Open the village a week early so you know which games your kids actually like.
- Load the page once on the device you’ll use on Christmas Eve, so a slow connection doesn’t wreck bedtime.
- Keep a second tracker ready. If one is slow, the other might not be.
- Save NORAD’s phone number (below) for the kid who wants to talk to a real person.
Kids who finish the village can move on to the games in our hidden Google games list.
Google vs NORAD: what’s different
NORAD Tracks Santa is the older of the two. Search Engine Journal tells the origin story: in 1955 a misprinted phone number in a Sears ad sent children to NORAD’s predecessor instead of Santa, and the officer on duty, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff give every caller an update on Santa’s location. NORAD has kept it going ever since.
| Feature | Google Santa Tracker | NORAD Tracks Santa |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 2004 | 1955 |
| Where | santatracker.google.com and an Android app | noradsanta.org and mobile apps |
| Live map | Starts on Christmas Eve | Starts on Christmas Eve |
| Extras | A village with games, videos and activities | A phone line at 1-877-HI-NORAD, plus an AI chatbot called Radar added in 2025 |
| Cost | Free | Free |
They’re separate services, so they can show Santa in slightly different places at the same moment. Pick one and stick with it if you have a kid who notices.
What to skip
Skip lookalike “Santa tracker” sites that ask you to download an app, install an extension or allow notifications. The real ones run in your browser or come from official app stores, and both are free.
Once the festive part is done, our AI tool finder can point you to something for the less magical to-do list.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Coverage of the 2025 season describes Google’s Santa Tracker and NORAD Tracks Santa as free to use.
In 2025 the live map started on Christmas Eve at midnight in the furthest-east time zone, 10:00 UTC, while the village of games ran throughout December. Check santatracker.google.com for the 2026 schedule.
Google offers an Android app alongside the website. Check the app store listing for the current season before you install.
No. They are separate services from different organizations. NORAD started in 1955 and offers a phone line, while Google’s tracker began in 2004 and adds games and activities.
NORAD Tracks Santa has a hotline at 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723), which volunteers staffed on Christmas Eve in 2025. Check noradsanta.org for the 2026 details.
Sources checked
Facts here were checked against these sources on November 2, 2026. Gameplay and settings were not tested for this article, so try anything yourself before relying on it.
- Search Engine Journal, Christmas Eve 2025 coverage (updated January 2026) — tracker history, features and NORAD origin.
- The Spokesman-Review, December 24, 2025 — the 2025 NORAD season.
- GearBrain, 2025 guide — how the official trackers work and start.
The official site: Google Santa Tracker, where the village and the live map live.