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Pac-Man Is Now Playable in an Unusual Place

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On April 15, 2025

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Summary

Pac-Man Championship Edition is now available to play in select Volkswagen cars via the optional AirConsole app.
Players can use their smartphones as controllers, transforming the car into a gaming station.
This version reimagines the game’s power pellets, replacing them with the car’s logo.

Bandai Namco has announced that Pac-Man Championship Edition, a modern reimagining of the classic 1980 arcade game, can now be played in European Volkswagen cars. Pac-Man is one of the most iconic and recognizable characters in the video game industry, and now, select Volkswagen owners will have the opportunity to feature the game in their vehicles.

Pac-Man has a long history, dating back to just about the very beginning of the video game industry, and it also represents one of the best Namco arcade classics. The game, with quite a simple premise—eating all the dots in a labyrinth while trying to avoid some colorful ghosts—turned into a smash hit both critically and commercially. In addition to resonating with players of different ages, the yellow guy inspired a whole bunch of merchandising, songs, and an animated TV show, and helped the industry break into pop culture. In 2007, Namco Bandai Games, in collaboration with the original creator of Pac-Man, launched Pac-Man Championship Edition, a new version of the game that introduced some modern features and better graphics. Now, this version of the game has made it to an unusual place.

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Shadow Labyrinth is putting a wildly different spin on a classic video game franchise, and it might pave the way for other revivals like it.

Bandai Namco and Volkswagen are bringing Pac-Man Championship Edition to a select range of European cars, including the 2025 Golf, Golf Variant, Passat, Tayron, Tiguan, Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, and ID.7. Pac-Man has been ported many times, and now it will be available through the optional AirConsole (an app that can be used on the car’s infotainment display). Users can use their smartphones as controllers, turning the car into a gaming station with sound and even a background lighting system.

Pac-Man Championship Edition Now Playable in Select Volkswagen Cars

This particular reimagined version of the old Pac-Man game includes some neat details, such as power pellets being swapped out for the car’s logo. To gain points, players can touch the silhouettes of the Volkswagen Beetle, VW Bus, and Golf 4 R32, as well as brands such as GTI, GTX, R, and Volkswagen wheel rims.

While Volkswagen adds the iconic game to its AirConsole in-car app, the Pac-Man franchise is gearing up for the release of Shadow Labyrinth on July 18. This new entry, developed by Bandai Namco, introduces a fresh take on the well-known game, offering a 2D action-adventure experience that retains some Pac-Man “concepts” but looks more like a Metroidvania instead. In the trailer revealed by the developer, Pac-Man can be seen exploring a maze and battling different kinds of enemies, with an aesthetic that resembles games like Ori and the Blind Forest.