Pac-Man World Games: Every Game in the 3D Platformer Series, 1999–2022
Pac-Man World is the series that took the yellow circle out of the maze and into 3D platforming. It ran for four games between 1999 and 2006, went quiet for sixteen years, and came back with a full remake in 2022. Here's every entry, what it did differently, and where you can play something similar for free.
The games, in order
Pac-Man World (1999, PlayStation)
Released for Pac-Man's 20th anniversary, this is a 2.5D platformer: Pac-Man moves through six themed worlds (pirates, ruins, space, a funhouse, a factory and a mansion) rescuing his family from the ghost Toc-Man. The moveset — butt-bounce, rev roll and throwing pellets — became the series' identity. Each world also had a classic-style maze level, and the original arcade game was unlockable. A Game Boy Advance version followed in 2004.
Pac-Man World 2 (2002, PS2 / GameCube / Xbox)
Fully 3D with a free camera. A ghost named Spooky is freed when the ghosts steal the Golden Fruit from Pac-Village, and Pac-Man chases them across snow, volcano and underwater levels. The GameCube version let you unlock Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Attack and Pac-Mania in an in-game arcade. It was later ported to PC and GBA.
Pac-Man World 3 (2005, PS2 / GameCube / Xbox / PSP / DS / PC)
Timed for the 25th anniversary and darker in tone: Pac-Man can punch, team up with ghosts Pinky and Clyde, and the villain Erwin is draining the Spectral Realm. It's the most combat-focused entry and reviews were mixed.
Pac-Man World Rally (2006, PS2 / GameCube / PSP / PC)
A kart racer rather than a platformer, with characters from across Namco's catalogue. Eating pellets charges a power-up; a Pac-Dot lets you chomp rival drivers. The Xbox version was cancelled.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac (2022, Switch / PS4 / PS5 / Xbox / PC)
Bandai Namco's remake of the 1999 game with modern graphics, a redesigned Pac-Man, a less frustrating camera and small balance changes. It's the only Pac-Man World game on current consoles and the easiest way to play the series today.
What makes a Pac-Man World game
- Collect fruit and letters spelling P-A-C-M-A-N in each level to unlock extras.
- Pellets work as both ammo and fuel for the rev roll.
- Every game includes at least one "maze" stage that plays like the arcade original.
- Ghosts are enemies but also, increasingly from World 3 on, characters.
Is there a Pac-Man World 2 remake?
As of this writing, Bandai Namco has not announced a Re-Pac for World 2 or World 3. Re-Pac's reception was positive enough that fans keep asking; we'll update this page if anything is confirmed, and we track official releases in New Pac-Man games in 2026.
Free browser games in the same spirit
The Pac-Man World series is console-only, so there's no browser version. For the platformer feel, Pac Adventure is a side-scrolling jump-and-collect game and Captain Pacman Adventure adds level objectives. For 3D exploration, Pacman's Sky and Pacman 3D RTX are the closest things on this site. All free, no download — see every 3D Pac-Man game for the full comparison.