Play Pac-Man online
2 players online · taking turns · everyone on their own device How online multiplayer works
One yellow hero, four ghosts and the waka-waka sound that filled every arcade in America.
Play nowFree, right in your browser, nothing to install.
- Year
- 1980
- Manufacturer
- Namco
- Players
- 2 players, alternating turns
- Genres
- Maze games, Vintage classics
- Decade
- '80s arcade games
Pac-Man isn't just a video game, it's the arcade. If you grew up in the 80s, you know that sound from across the pizza place, with a crowd of kids around the cabinet and quarters lined up on the control panel.
At UsuArcade you can play Pac-Man online, free and right in your browser, sitting down at a cabinet in our virtual arcade. Hit INSERT COIN, press START and you're back in that blue maze with four ghosts on your tail and a high score table waiting for your initials.
History
Namco released the game in Japan in 1980 as Puck-Man. Designer Toru Iwatani wanted something that wasn't about shooting aliens, a game anyone could walk up to and enjoy. As he tells it, the character's shape came from a pizza with one slice missing.
When Midway brought it to the U.S., the name became Pac-Man and it turned into a full-blown phenomenon, with a Saturday morning cartoon, a hit novelty song and lunchboxes everywhere. Gamer or not, everybody knew that face.
How to play
You steer Pac-Man around the maze with a four-way joystick and try to eat every dot on the board. Clear them all and you move on to the next round, which runs a little faster. The tunnels on each side wrap around to the other edge and are your best escape route.
The four ghosts, Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde, each chase you in their own way. Get caught and you lose a life. Grab one of the four power pellets in the corners and the ghosts turn blue for a few seconds, so you can turn the tables and eat them for big points, more for each one you chain. Bonus fruit shows up under the ghost house for extra points.
Fun facts
- The original Japanese name was Puck-Man.
- Every ghost has its own personality; Blinky, the red one, is the most relentless chaser.
- Past round 255, a bug scrambles half the screen and makes round 256 impossible to finish, the famous kill screen.
In the arcade
Pac-Man was a take-turns game, and that's how it plays on UsuArcade, just online: invite your friend to your cabinet once they're in the lobby and trade turns, each on your own phone or PC. While one plays, the other watches live.
Nothing to install: it runs in your browser, gamepad supported, and every game starts with INSERT COIN, free. Everyone else in the lobby can watch and chat, and scores go up on the arcade's high score board.
FAQ
Can I play Pac-Man online with a friend?
Yes, taking turns online, each on your own device: just like the original arcade, you alternate turns in the same game of Pac-Man, you on your phone or PC and your friend on theirs. While one plays, the other watches.
What year did Pac-Man come out?
Pac-Man came out in 1980. Namco made it in Japan, where it was first called Puck-Man, and Midway brought it to the U.S.
How many players can play Pac-Man?
The original arcade game supports up to two players taking turns. In our arcade, other players can also watch your game live and compete for the high scores.
How do you play Pac-Man?
Eat every dot in the maze while avoiding the four ghosts. Power pellets turn the ghosts blue for a few seconds so you can eat them for bonus points.
Can I play Pac-Man on my phone?
Yes. It runs in your phone or computer browser with touch controls, keyboard or a gamepad, with nothing to install.
