What Systems Is Pac-Man On? Every Console, Computer and Platform, 1980 to Today
Pac-Man has been ported to more systems than almost any game in history — from the 1980 arcade cabinet to the Atari 2600, the NES, the Game Boy, every PlayStation and Xbox, and today's Switch and phones. Here's what's actually available on each platform right now, what each classic system got back in the day, and the one platform where it costs nothing: the browser.
Quick answer by platform (what you can play today)
| System | Main Pac-Man titles available |
|---|---|
| Web browser | Free recreations and variants — Classic Pac and 33 more on this site, no download |
| Nintendo Switch | Pac-Man Museum+ (14 games), Arcade Archives Pac-Man, Championship Edition 2 Plus, Pac-Man World Re-Pac, Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs, Shadow Labyrinth |
| PS5 / PS4 | Museum+, Re-Pac, Championship Edition 2, Chomp Champs, Shadow Labyrinth |
| Xbox Series / One | Museum+, Re-Pac, Championship Edition 2, Chomp Champs, Shadow Labyrinth |
| PC (Steam) | Museum+, Re-Pac, Championship Edition DX+ and 2, Chomp Champs, Shadow Labyrinth |
| iPhone / Android | Bandai Namco's official PAC-MAN app (free with ads), Pac-Man 256 |
| Plug-and-play / dedicated | Home cabinets and TV joystick units — covered in our buyer's guide |
Is Pac-Man an Atari game?
No — and this is the most common mix-up in Pac-Man history. Pac-Man was made by Namco (Japan) and distributed in US arcades by Midway. Atari never made it. The confusion comes from the Atari 2600 port of 1982, which sold over seven million copies and put "Pac-Man" and "Atari" in the same sentence for a generation. That port — flickering ghosts, wrong-shaped maze — is also one of gaming's most famous disappointments. Atari's own 5200 and 8-bit computer versions a year later were far more faithful. So: Pac-Man appeared on Atari systems, but it was never an Atari game.
The classic systems, one by one
- Arcade (1980) — the original Namco cabinet, a dedicated Z80 board. Still the reference version; our old-games guide covers the whole arcade era.
- Atari 2600 (1982) / 5200 (1983) — the infamous port and its much better fix.
- NES — Famicom in Japan (1984); in the US first as an unlicensed Tengen cartridge (1988), then a licensed Namco release (1993).
- Game Boy (1991) / Game Boy Color (1999) — straight ports; the Color edition was bundled with Super Pac-Man.
- SNES / Genesis (1993–94) — the puzzle spin-off Pac-Attack and the odd point-and-guide sequel Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures.
- PlayStation (1999) — Pac-Man World, the 20th-anniversary platformer, plus the Namco Museum collections.
- GameCube (2002–05) — Pac-Man World 2 and 3, and the cult multiplayer Pac-Man Vs., where one player plays Pac-Man on a linked Game Boy Advance while three friends play the ghosts on the TV.
- Nintendo DS (2005) — Pac-Pix (draw Pac-Man with the stylus), Pac'n Roll, and Pac-Man Vs. included with Namco Museum DS.
- Wii (2010) — Pac-Man Party, a board-game-style party title.
- Xbox 360 / PS3 (2007–2010) — Pac-Man Championship Edition and CE DX, the acclaimed modern remixes that revived the series.
Pac-Man on Nintendo Switch
The Switch has the deepest current line-up, which is why it's the first answer to "what console is Pac-Man on". Pac-Man Museum+ (2022) bundles fourteen titles — the 1980 original, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, Pac-Land, Pac-Mania, Pac-Attack, Pac-In-Time, Championship Edition and more — in a playable virtual arcade. Arcade Archives Pac-Man is the bare 1980 arcade ROM for purists. Pac-Man World Re-Pac is the remade 3D platformer, Championship Edition 2 Plus the score-attack remix with co-op, and Shadow Labyrinth (2025) the dark action reinterpretation. Pac-Man 99, the 99-player battle royale, was a Switch Online exclusive from 2021 until its online service was shut down in 2023 — its spiritual successor is Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs (2024), a 64-player version on all modern platforms.
Pac-Man on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series and Steam all carry the same modern core: Museum+, World Re-Pac, Championship Edition 2, Chomp Champs and Shadow Labyrinth. Steam additionally has Championship Edition DX+, which many fans still rate as the best single Pac-Man game ever made. There is no free official PC download — if a site offers "Pac-Man PC game free download", it's either a browser game dressed up or something you shouldn't install. In a browser you don't need one: Classic Pac runs on any computer, full screen, no installation.
Pac-Man on mobile (iPhone and Android)
The official PAC-MAN app by Bandai Namco is free with ads on the App Store and Google Play — the original maze plus weekly tournament mazes. Pac-Man 256, the endless-maze game, is also free to start; we cover it in detail here. On a phone browser, our Tapman is built specifically for touch — tap where you want Pac-Man to go.
Do you need to download Pac-Man at all?
Only if you want the official console releases. For the classic experience the honest answer is no: HTML5 versions run instantly in any browser on any system — school Chromebook, work PC, phone, tablet. That's the entire point of this site. Start with the homepage game or browse all 34 free games; if your network blocks game sites, read Pacman Unblocked.