New historic landmarks feature coming to Google Maps looks like time travel in AR

Summary

• Google continues to build immersive AR experiences into Google Maps, today showcasing a new feature made with help from video game studio Ubisoft.
• Users will soon be able to explore landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in historically accurate recreations through augmented reality, with plans to expand to more historical Parisian sites soon.
• Interactive info cards provide additional context, with Google expected to offer similar experiences for more locations in the future.

Google’s own gaming ambitions died with the Stadia in early 2023, but that is not stopping the tech giant from working on immersive experiences with video game publishers and developers.

The tech company announced a new AR feature for Google Maps today that it developed alongside Ubisoft, which lets users explore landmarks in a unique way.

Building on top of its recent AR-focused features, which allow developers and creators to offer engaging AR experiences within Google Maps, the platform is introducing a new way for users to explore iconic Parisian landmarks like the Eiffel Tower or the Exposition Universelle country pavilions.

Maps’ AR experience lets you explore landmarks in augmented reality by simply raising your device and moving it around in front of the landmark. Those at home can also access the experience via Street View, which now includes a trip through landmark history.

“With AR, you can transport back to the 1900s to experience architectural concepts of the Eiffel Tower that were never realized or see the Exposition Universelle country pavilions that were temporarily built along the Seine for the 1900s World Fair,” wrote Google in its press release.

Expect similar experiences for more landmarks soon

Once you check out the AR experience, you can also dive into additional context with interactive info cards, as seen in the GIF above.

In addition to the Eiffel Tower, and the Exposition Universelle country pavilions, Google aims to expand the feature to offer historical AR views and context for 18th century Paris, offering users a “historically accurate” look into the city’s past, complete with the Notre-Dame Cathedral and its surroundings as it existed in 1789 to the Bastille Saint-Antoine, and more. These experiences are expected to land “later this summer,” according to Google. Additionally, it is not a question of if, but when, similar experiences will land for North American landmarks.