Boost your cloud skills — play The Arcade with Google Cloud to earn points and prizes

Are you ready to grow your cloud skills and earn Google Cloud swag? Game on! Head over to The Arcade to participate in games that feature hands-on learning labs. Complete labs and you’ll earn digital badges. These badges award you points that you can use to redeem great Google Cloud prizes from the prize counter, including backpacks, t-shirts, mugs, and more. You can even choose charitable donations. But take note: each game is available for a limited time only, so earn your digital badges and points while you can! Head to The Arcade to see what’s available to play today.

How does it work?

Two games, two levels

Every month, we will feature two new games: one that is an introductory “Level 1,” and another that is a more advanced “Level 2.” And no, you do not need a pocketful of quarters/credits! There is no cost to participate in The Arcade games. 

Throughout the year, games will span a variety of topics to get you comfortable working with Google Cloud products and technology, like BigQuery, Firebase, Kubernetes, MongoDB, and many others to test your knowledge and showcase your skills. 

Each game will include eight to 15 hands-on labs to build your cloud skills. If you’re new to the cloud, we recommend starting at Level 1, but you can play one or both games - it’s up to you! 

Certain labs included in The Arcade will offer the chance to earn skill badges, which are shareable Google Cloud credentials that recognize your ability to solve real-world problems with your cloud knowledge. For every three skill badges you earn, dated between April 1 and June 15, 2023, you're eligible for one additional Arcade point.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it…

Each game includes one or more challenge labs. Challenge labs are designed to test the skills you've learned. No instructions, no steps; just a scenario for you to solve. Didn’t get the solution on your first try? No worries. You'll notice pointers to skill badges that will help you gain the skills you need to successfully complete challenge labs. 

Test your knowledge with the Trivia Challenge

In addition to the games you can play on The Arcade, you can also participate in our monthly Trivia Challenges. These are structured as quests, which are collections of self-paced, hands-on labs about a specific product or tool, and associated trivia questions. Make sure to check back every month for our newest Trivia Challenge, and earn a point to use in the prize counter upon completion.

Collect badges and points to redeem for fun swag or charitable donations

So that's three ways to learn and earn: games, skill badges, and trivia. Every badge you earn can be added to your Google Cloud Skills Boost profile. Make sure to set it to “public,” then share on LinkedIn and add to your resume. Each arcade badge and set of three skill badges gets you a point in the prize counter. Redeem your points to get your choice of prizes! 

The prize counter will be open for specific dates during which you can claim your prize(s). Subscribe to The Arcade to understand the dates the prize counter is open. Points will expire after six months, so make sure you use your opportunity to redeem while you can! 

Subscribe to The Arcade and join the learning community today!

Remember to play as many games and trivia as you can: the more you learn, the more you earn. Game on! 

To get started with games, first subscribe to The Arcade to activate your account on Google Cloud Skills Boost. 

Share tips and engage with other Arcade players by joining the Google Cloud Learning Community, where you can ask questions, work together on game solutions, and grow your network. 

Are you new to Google Cloud Skills Boost? Take this no-cost Tour of Google Cloud Hands-on Labs to get acquainted.

So are you in? It’s time to start playing and earn points to get that swag. We can’t wait to see you in The Arcade!