Pony Express is a Google Doodle game released on April 14, 2015, celebrating the 155th anniversary of America’s legendary mail delivery service. You play as a rider galloping through the Wild West, collecting letters while dodging cacti, boulders, bandits, and other obstacles that stand between you and delivering the mail on time.
The real Pony Express was founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell on April 3, 1860. It created a system of horseback mail delivery stretching nearly 1,900 miles from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. Riders would race across the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Sierra Nevada, switching to fresh horses at relay stations along the route. What previously took weeks by stagecoach now took just 10 days. The service only lasted 18 months before the transcontinental telegraph made it obsolete, but it became an iconic piece of American history.
Google’s Doodle team thought this was perfect for a game. The art direction and character animation came from Matt Cruickshank, with engineering by Mark Ivey, Kris Hom, and Brian Murray, plus sound design by Manuel Clément. The charming cartoon graphics capture the rugged beauty of the Old West, complete with changing terrain and weather as you progress through the route.
The game is split into three sections. You’ll stop at two relay stations where your rider dramatically flips through the air onto a fresh horse (mail bag and all), then finish at a town where a cheering crowd awaits. Your goal is to collect all 100 letters scattered along the trail while avoiding obstacles that get trickier as you go.
How To Play Pony Express
Use the Up and Down arrow keys on your keyboard to move your rider vertically across the trail. On mobile, tap the top or bottom of the screen to move.
Collect letters floating along the path — each one earns you 1 point. Watch for envelopes scattered at different heights.
Avoid obstacles like cacti, rocks, falling snow, boulders, rivers, and bandits. Each collision costs you 3 points, so dodging is just as important as collecting.
At each relay station, you’ll automatically swap to a fresh horse. Keep your focus through all three sections to reach the finish line with the highest score possible.