Pac-Man anniversary celebrations

This page details promotional anniversary celebrations held for Pac-Man, generally based on the game's original test-market date in Japan (May 22nd, 1980).

Pac-Man 20th Anniversary[]

The first major Pac-Man anniversary celebration was for the 20th anniversary of the series. Various video game releases and other promotions were held for the event, beginning in 1999 and continuing into 2000.

Pac-Man World was the main video game release for the event, which was subtitled "Pac-Man World: 20th Anniversary" in its original release. Pac-Man World's story also surrounds Pac-Man's "birthday", further tying the game into the anniversary. Other titles released for the 20th anniversary include Pac-Man: Adventures in Time and Microsoft Return of Arcade: Anniversary Edition.

Shortly before the 20th anniversary, a "perfect Pac-Man game" was reportedly set by Billy Mitchell in 1999. Mitchell's score received a large amount of publicity, and Mitchell was invited by Namco to attend several promotions for the 20th anniversary.

It has been noted that - despite Pac-Man's original test-market date being May 22nd, 1980 - the majority of 20th anniversary celebrations were held in 1999 rather than 2000. Strangely, this seems to have been due to Namco of Japan believing an incorrect date of "October 10th, 1979" was Pac-Man's initial release date.

Ms. Pac-Man 20th Anniversary[]

Following Pac-Man's 20th anniversary, celebrations would also be held for the 20th anniversary of Ms. Pac-Man. The main release for the occasion was the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga arcade machine; celebrating the anniversary of both Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga, the machine was dubbed both "20 Year Reunion" and "Class of 1981". Additionally, Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness and Ms. Pac-Man: Quest for the Golden Maze were released around this time; though neither game is known to have been promoted with 20th anniversary branding.

Pac-Man 25th Anniversary[]

Pac-Man 25th Anniversary logo

Pac-Man's 25th anniversary was held in 2005, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the original game. The 25th anniversary is noted to have had a large focus on new video games, with roughly seven major new releases for the event.

Similarly to the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga machine, a Pac-Man 25th Anniversary arcade machine was released, which features Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Galaga. Pac-Man World 3 was also released for the 25th anniversary; similarly to the original Pac-Man World, the game takes place on Pac-Man's birthday. Additional releases from around this time include Pac-Pix, Pac 'n Roll, and Pac-Man Pinball Advance; as well as the Namco Museum 50th Anniversary and Namco Museum Battle Collection compilations. Super Pac-Man Pinball was also planned to be released for the anniversary, though this game was canceled before release.

Several merchandise pieces were released for the 25th anniversary, including a Pac-Man plush set by Toy Factory (based on the Pac-Man World character designs). An obscure single known as the "Pac-Man Jam" was also recorded and released on CD in 2005; the song specifically refers to "25 years of Pac-Man".

Pac-Man 30th Anniversary[]

Pac-Man 30th Anniversary logo

Pac-Man's 30th anniversary was held in 2010. Following the anniversary, the Pac-Man's Arcade Party machine was released in 2010, acting as the "anniversary machine" for the thirtieth.

On May 21st, 2010, the Pac-Man Google Doodle was displayed on the Google homepage; a fully-playable Pac-Man game designed around the Google logo. The Google Doodle was incredibly popular, in large part due to Google's immense userbase. Several other free online games - including Pac-Match Party, World's Biggest Pac-Man, and the Facebook game Pac-Man S - were also released for the anniversary.

Multiple other 30th anniversary games would follow thereafter; the Wii game Pac-Man Party - as did Pac-Man World 1 and 3 - is themed around Pac-Man's "birthday" celebration. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, Pac-Man Pizza Parlor, and Namco Museum Megamix would also release for the anniversary. Several mobile games were also produced (such as Pac-Man Reborn, Pac-Chain, and Pac-Man Kart Rally), as well as the obscure Pac-Man E1 Grand Prix machine. While released in mid-2011, Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions was also advertised as being a Pac-Man 30th anniversary title.

Another major announcement of the 30th anniversary was a then-unnamed Pac-Man TV series. The "pilot" for this series was presented at several trade events in stereoscopic 3D, and would serve as what eventually became 2013's Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures.

Following the "25th" set, Toy Factory released a Pac-Man 30th anniversary plush set (using designs similar to Pac-Mania). Two Japanese singles, "Pac is Back" and "Warp Tunnel", were also released in commemoration of the 30th anniversary. A few canceled games were likely intended to be 30th anniversary releases; namely, the canceled Pac-Man World project and the Unknown Soosa Kim game.

Pac-Man 35th Anniversary[]

Pac-Man 35th Anniversary logo

Pac-Man's 35th anniversary was held in 2015. Unlike other anniversary celebrations, no new 35th anniversary arcade machines were released; though numerous other promotions were still held.

Shortly before the anniversary, a "Level 257" arcade - later rebranded as "Pac-Man Entertainment" - was opened in Chicago, featuring extensive Pac-Man branding. Additionally, while not directly 35th anniversary-affiliated, the movie Pixels was released in 2015; some Pixels promotional material was tied in to Pac-Man's 35th anniversary.

On May 22nd, 2015, an event was held at Level 257 detailing information on Pixels and for Pac-Man's 35th anniversary; attendees included Toru Iwatani, Billy Mitchell, and Jerry Buckner (of "Buckner and Garcia").^[1] At this event, the game Pac-Man 256 was announced, which would release on mobile devices later that year. Another mobile game, Pac-Man Bounce, was also released for the anniversary, once again themed around Pac-Man's birthday.

On April Fool's Day 2015, Google added a Pac-Man game to Google Maps. A reissue of the Pac-Man Connect & Play system was released with 35th anniversary branding, though was otherwise unaltered in content. The Japanese Namco Catalog IP program was also launched in 2015, with numerous Pac-Man titles being released through it.

Pac-Man 40th Anniversary[]

Pac-Man 40th Anniversary logo

Pac-Man's 40th anniversary was held in 2020. Prior to the anniversary, a Pac-Man's Pixel Bash arcade machine was released in 2018. While predating the anniversary, this machine is commonly considered the "40th anniversary" counterpart to the preceding anniversary machines.

One of the first major announcements for the 40th anniversary was an online game dubbed Pac-Man Live Studio; however, the game greatly missed its planned release window, and ended up launching as Pac-Man Community in late 2021. Several other Pac-Man titles did release in time for the 40th anniversary; including Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle, Pac-Man Geo, and Pac-Man 99, among others.

Additionally, the homebrew NES version of Pac-Man Championship Edition - originally a fan-made title from several years prior - was officially released for the 40th anniversary, as part of the Namco Museum Archives series. Numerous "special edition" 40th anniversary arcade machines were released; including Arcade1Up machines, as well as "toy" models from Quarter Arcades, My Arcade, and Basic Fun. Two Namco Museum titles for the Evercade were also released, featuring Pac-Man 40th anniversary branding.

There was a somewhat large focus on music for Pac-Man's 40th anniversary. An album known as "Join The Pac - Pac-Man 40th Anniversary" was released, with its first track recieving a music video; the album also includes a cover of "Pac-Man Fever". The soundtracks to the Pac-Man Championship Edition games and Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions were also digitally re-released for the anniversary.

While a large number of video games were released for the 40th anniversary, much of the event involved merchandising and cross-promotion with other products and brands. Several of these were tied to other game franchises; the Pac-Man Tamagotchi and Monopoly Arcade: Pac-Man were both released for the 40th anniversary, as well as Pac-Man DLC for Minecraft. Advertising promotions, with accompanying online games, were held with Pizza Hut in the United States, Morinaga in Japan, Sabritas in Mexico, and Alibaba in China, among numerous others. Various forms of clothing, watches, and even Sakes based on Pac-Man were released, often from "premium" brands.

Only a fraction of the Pac-Man 40th anniversary events are mentioned here, which are difficult to document in full. For all that was released during the fortieth, however, it has been observed (albeit unconfirmed) that the event was not particularly successful. By early 2023, numerous 40th anniversary Pac-Man titles - including Pac-Man 99, Pac-Man Geo, Mega Tunnel Battle, and even the later-released Pac-Man Community - were announced as being discontinued and delisted from digital storefronts. Several later Pac-Man titles, such as 2022's Pac-Man Museum + and Pac-Man World Re-Pac, appeared to recieve more attention and popularity than the various 40th anniversary promotions.

Likely due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and an (at-the-time ongoing) lawsuit regarding Ms. Pac-Man, several products planned for the 40th anniversary were canceled or delayed into 2021-22.

Ms. Pac-Man 40th Anniversary[]

Ms. Pac-Man 40th Anniversary logo

Anniversary celebrations were not held for Ms. Pac-Man for the 25th, 30th, or 35th anniversaries of the game; likely due to the legal issues surrounding the Ms. Pac-Man property. However, Ms. Pac-Man's 40th anniversary was celebrated in 2021, with several Arcade1Up machines and a few merchandise pieces released in commemoration. Ironically, this anniversary celebration directly followed the AtGames conflict regarding Ms. Pac-Man; every 40th anniversary promotion utilized "loopholes" that would not require royalty payment towards AtGames.

A Ms. Pac-Man "S.H. Figuarts" action figure was announced for the 40th anniversary; however, this figure was ultimately never released.

Pac-Man 45th Anniversary[]

Pac-Man 45th Anniversary logo

Pac-Man's 45th anniversary is a currently ongoing anniversary, starting in 2024 and going through 2025. The anniversary's branding (which was officially revealed in December of 2024) uses a "stickerbomb"-like aesthetic as its main theme. The slogan for the anniversary is "Make Impact."^[2]

A handful of promotions surrounding the anniversary were announced in 2024. On November 6, Benesse Corporation announced a collaboration between Shinkenzemi, the branch of the company that develops learning materials for elementary school students and Pac-Man. In addition to Pac-Man-themed curricular material and learning programs, Bensesse launched a browser game on their website titled Kanji Keisan Batchiri! Paku Paku Run (漢字・計算ばっちり！ぱくぱくラン), an endless runner game designed to drill students on kanji and math problems.^[3]

On December 2 2024, Bandai Namco announced a pop-up event at Tokyu Plaza Harajuku, a shopping mall located in Shibuya, lasting from December 6 to December 25.^[4] During the event, customers were be able to buy Pac-Man-themed merchandise and greet Pac-Man along with other characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Don-chan.^[5] On the same day, Bandai Namco announced a collaboration with Muzik Tiger.^[5]

On August 14, 2024, Amazon announced the release of Secret Level, an anthology series adapting various video game franchises, with Pac-Man being one of them.^[6] The Pac-Man-themed episode—titled "Pac-Man: Circle"—debuted on December 10 as part of the series' first batch of episodes. Two days later, on December 12, Bandai Namco unveiled a new Pac-Man game, Shadow Labyrinth, during The Game Awards 2024's Opening Act. The game's producer, Segio Aizawa, has confirmed in interviews that the Secret Level episode was pitched as a piece of tie-in media while the game was still in development.^[7] The game released on July 17, 2025 in Japan, with an international release following the next day.

On November 14, 2024, an enhanced re-release of Pac-Man 256 was announced for the Apple Arcade service, known as Pac-Man 256+. It was released on December 5, 2024 and features various changes and additions to the gameplay.^[8]

On December 29, 2024, My Arcade teased a 45th anniversary-themed countertop cabinet on their Twitter account.^[9] Three days later, the company's Instagram account hinted towards a Pocket Player with the same branding.^[10] Both products would be displayed at CES 2025.^[11] Both the countercade and the pocket player contain the same lineup of six games; these games include the original Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, Pac-Land, the Genesis port of Pac-Mania, and Pac-Attack.

Although they do not feature the 45th anniversary branding, several other Pac-Man and Pac-Man-related products were shown off at CES. My Arcade unveiled a new portable game player, the Pixel Pocket Pro; among the devices on display were two models based on Pac-Man: one containing the original, and the other containing Ms. Pac-Man.^[12] The Atari GameStation Go, a handheld system containing various Atari games, including both the original Pac-Man and its Atari 2600 port.^[13] Several Pac-Man games are included in the GameStation Retro, which compiles various Bandai Namco and Capcom titles; in addition to all of the games from the 45th anniversary systems (with the Genesis port of Pac-Mania being replaced with the original arcade version), the GameStation Retro also includes Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures.^[14]

A live event called "Color Me Pac-Man in Shibuya" was announced on January 22. The event will be held from January 23 to February 11 at Shibuya Sakura Stage. The event allowed visitors to play Pac-Man Museum + on the venue's large LED screens. Other playable games at the event included World's Largest Pac-Man and several crane games that contained Pac-Man-themed prizes. As part of the aforementioned collaboration with Muzik Tiger, the event also included a café selling collaboration-branded products and a character greeting featuring Pac-Man and Muzik Tiger. Pac-Man-themed merchandise were also sold at the event.^[15]^[16]^[17]

On March 4, an official trailer was released for the anniversary.^[18] Bandai Namco issued a press release for the anniversary that same day. In addition to the trailer, the press release announced the start of a blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross, the reveal of an exhibition at the Museum of Pop Culture, and the creation of an official Pac-Man Discord server. The article also mentioned games and products that had already been revealed, including Shadow Labyrinth and an official Pac-Man cookbook.^[19]

On March 24, Bandai Namco teased that a Pac-Man stage would be added to Tekken 8 as part of the game’s second season, slated for release in summer 2025.^[20] This stage—titled "Pac-Pixels"—would be officially unveiled on May 10. On that same day, Bandai Namco revealed that some of the in-game rewards for Round 6 of Tekken 8's Fight Pass would be Pac-Man-themed. Some of the rewards include a T-shirt branded with the 45th anniversary logo, a Pac-Man "ball" that can be used in Tekken Ball, and two emotes with the 45th anniversary branding that can be used in the Tekken Fight Lounge.^[21]

On March 25, Sega announced the inclusion of Pac-Man as a playable DLC character in Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble for release on the same day, following a teaser on the Pac-Man and Super Monkey Ball social media accounts one day earlier.^[22]^[23]

On April 7, PowerA released two Pac-Man-themed products for the anniversary: a protective case for the Nintendo Switch and an Xbox Series X/S controller.^[24] On April 11, a collaboration between Pac-Man and Club América, a Mexican football club, was announced. As part of the collaboration, Club América's players will wear special jerseys featuring the Pac-Man lettering, and celebrations are to be held at two games: one on April 13, and another on April 19. In addition, Pac-Man-branded jerseys were sold on Club América's storefront.^[25]

On May 10, the Museum of Pop Culture held an event to celebrate Pac-Man's 45th anniversary. Notably, episodes of Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures and Hanna-Barbera's Pac-Man were screened. Other activities at the event included a sing-along, a photo-op with Pac-Man, and a workshop for children to design spacesuits.^[26] Furthermore, the Museum exhibited the original concept drawings for Pac-Man until June 4.^[27]

On May 12, the city of Irvine announced the opening of a Pac-Man-themed exhibition called Journey Through the Maze: 45 Years of Pac-Man in collaboration with Bandai Namco Entertainment America. Located in the Great Park Gallery, the exhibit opened on May 18 and will run through September 28. Features of the exhibition include displays containing information on Pac-Man's history and various games in the series; a playable Pac-Man arcade cabinet; an exhibit featuring various pieces of Pac-Man merchandise; and a gallery comprised of artwork from various guest artists.^[28]^[29]

May 22 marked Pac-Man's 45th birthday. On that day, an official anniversary song titled "Pac-Maniac 45" was released.^[30] The track was arranged by Sasuke Haraguchi. An accompanying music video was released the same day.^[31] Additionally, two more things were announced on the following day: a sale on various Pac-Man games^[32] and a set of official LINE stickers along with an accompanying theme for the LINE app.^[33]

During a PlayStation State of Play on June 4, it was announced that Pac-Man would be appear as a playable character in Everybody's Golf Hot Shots.^[34] A release date trailer for the game, also featuring Pac-Man, was published on the same day.^[35]

On July 21, Atari announced the Atari 2600+: Pac-Man Edition, a new variant of their Atari 2600+ console. As its name suggests, the console is themed around Pac-Man; it has been recolored yellow, and artwork of Pac-Man and the Ghost Gang have been added to its front. The console is bundled with a Pac-Man-themed wireless joystick and Pac-Man: Double Feature,^[36] a new release that contains both the Atari 2600 port of the game and a new official Pac-Man port for the Atari 7800.^[37] Hiro Kimura, the original artist for 2600 Pac-Man, returned to produce artwork for Pac-Man: Double Feature. Atari also announced the release of additional products to coincide with the new console variant; these products include wireless joysticks themed around Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, and rereleases of the Atari 7800 ports of Galaga, Xevious, and Dig Dug.^[38] The console is set to release on October 31.^[39]

Additionally, on the same day, Atari unveiled The Namco Legendary Pack, a DLC pack for their compilation title, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. The DLC focuses on Atari's relationship with Namco during the 1980s. Among the games included in the DLC are the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, and Atari 8-bit ports of Pac-Man, marking the first time these three ports have been rereleased for consoles.^[40]

On July 31, Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac was announced during a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase.^[41] A separate trailer was posted to Bandai Namco's social media channels the same day, which teased the release of DLC containing three stages, twenty statues, and a costume based on another IP.^[42] Less than one month later, on August 19, that IP was revealed to be Sonic the Hedgehog.^[43] In addition, the trailer showcased a set of Ghost Gang-themed costumes that serve as the game's pre-order bonus, as well as a Toc-Man costume as a reward for also owning Pac-Man World Re-Pac.^[42] The same day, David Logan, the composer for the original Pac-Man World 2 announced that the soundtrack would be releasing on all major streaming services. The soundtrack released on August 7.^[44]

On August 19, during the pre-show for Gamescom Opening Night Live, a collaboration between Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was announced. For Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Pac-Man content was revealed for the game's season pass. The DLC pack includes two playable characters (Pac-Man and the Ghost Gang) and a stage based on both Pac-Village from World 2 Re-Pac and the original maze. It released on January 7, 2026. The aforementioned Sonic collaboration DLC for World 2 Re-Pac was also showcased, revealing the stage for the collab to be Green Hill Zone. It released on November 11, 2025.^[43]

On October 29, Pac-Man was announced to appear in the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as one of the parade's giant helium balloons. The design of the balloon depicts Pac-Man jumping forward while holding a cherry in his right hand.^[45]

On October 30, Google launched a Pac-Man: Halloween 2025 Edition doodle to commemorate both Halloween and the anniversary

"In-between" Anniversaries[]

"Be Pac-Tive!!" artwork for the 43rd anniversary

Following Pac-Man's 40th anniversary, smaller anniversary promotions were held as yearly events (unlike prior celebrations, which were only held in five-year intervals). Generally, these celebrations dictated the overall branding and "theme" of the Pac-Man IP for that year.

Pac-Man 41st Anniversary - This anniversary introduced the slogan "Be Pac-Tive!!", encouraging exercise and healthy living. The promotional Pac-Tive artwork was illustrated by Tadashi Yamashita, the artist for the original Japanese Pac-Man artwork; "Pac-Tive"-style artwork has continued to be produced into 2023. Due to its delay into late 2021, Pac-Man Community is sometimes considered a "41st anniversary" title.
Pac-Man 42nd Anniversary - The 42nd anniversary began with the release of a song (and accompanying music video), "We are PAC-MAN!". The games Pac-Man Museum + and Pac-Man World Re-Pac were released in 2022, the former being released very close to the actual anniversary date.
Pac-Man 43rd Anniversary - A promotional style known as "Pac-Man Shine On" was unveiled. A Pac-Man LEGO set was also announced for the anniversary.
Pac-Man 44th Anniversary - Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs was released a few days prior to the anniversary date. The game Picross S Namco Legendary Edition (which features Pac-Man) and several pieces of merchandise were announced for the anniversary.

Trivia[]

For Pac-Man's 10th anniversary, Tengen reissued the unlicensed NES version of Pac-Man; the back of the box refers to "[celebrating] 10 years of 'Pac-Fever'".
Likely due to confusion regarding the creation date of Ms. Pac-Man, anniversary celebrations for the game often do not have a set "date" (like Pac-Man's date of May 22nd). Technically speaking, the official anniversary for the game would be February 3rd, 1982; though the game was test-marketed in different forms throughout late 1981.
The original Pac-Man Championship Edition, released in June 2007, was reportedly intended to be released for Pac-Man's 25th anniversary. It is possible the game was pushed to 2007 due to the numerous other titles released for the 25th anniversary.
The Pac-Man 40th Anniversary logo was designed by freelance artist Abe Calendar.^[46] The logo was commissioned by Petrol Advertising, a marketing company who handled much of the 40th Anniversary branding.^[47]
On November 10th, 2024, Pollard Banknote announced lottery scratch-off tickets based on Pac-Man and Tekken; the Pac-Man ticket in particular features the 45th anniversary logo, predating its official unveiling by nearly one month.^[48]
The Pac-Man 45th anniversary logo is notably based on Pac-Man artwork originally created in 2005.
Prior to its discontinuation announcement following three weeks after the trailer was posted, Pac-Man + Tournaments was prominently featured in the Pac-Man 45th anniversary trailer.