Pac-Man
Pac-Man is a maze arcade game developed and released by Namco in 1980 and designed by Toru Iwatani. Players guide the round, yellow Pac-Man through a walled maze, eating every dot while avoiding four coloured ghosts - Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde - each of which chases in its own distinct way. Eating one of the four large power pellets briefly turns the ghosts blue and vulnerable, letting Pac-Man eat them for bonus points.
Conceived to appeal to a broader audience than the space shooters that dominated arcades at the time, Pac-Man became a worldwide sensation and one of the highest-grossing and most recognisable video games ever made, inspiring merchandise, a hit song and an animated television series. Its simple, tense, pattern-based play is instantly readable yet endlessly replayable.
Today you can play it through the official free Pac-Man mobile app or through collections such as Pac-Man Museum+ on PC and consoles.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Pac-Man, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
| Alternative | Price | Steam Deck | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vampire Survivors Indie | € 4,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Pac-Man World Re-Pac | € 29,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Pac-Man Museum+ | € 19,99 | Steam Deck Playable | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 | € 12,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
Vampire Survivors Indie
€ 4,99A wildly addictive indie arcade survival hit in pick-up-and-play spirit.
Vampire Survivors runs on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Linux.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac
€ 29,99A full remake of the 3D Pac-Man platformer, with maze levels tucked in for purists.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Pac-Man Museum+
€ 19,99A collection of classic and modern Pac-Man games.
Pac-Man Museum+ runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
€ 12,99A neon, score-attack reinvention of the maze formula with ghost trains and five-minute high-speed runs.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Switch.
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