About the game
The maze-runner that defined 1980s arcades, recreated faithfully for the browser. You steer the yellow blob through a looping maze, gobbling every dot on the board while four ghosts hunt you down. Eat a power pellet and the ghosts turn blue and vulnerable — for a few precious seconds, you become the predator.
What makes Pac-Man timeless is how readable it is: one goal, clear rules, and a maze designed so that every corner is a decision. This version stays true to the classic layout, ghost behavior, and fruit bonuses, with clean touch controls for phones.
How to play
- Click inside the game, then start from the main menu.
- Move Pac-Man around the maze to eat all the dots. Each dot is a point; each power pellet is a big score plus ghost-reversal powers.
- When a pellet lights the ghosts blue, chase them down to eat them for bonus points — but don't let them turn solid again while you're close.
- Grab the fruit that spawns for extra points, then clear the board to advance to the next, harder level.
- Lose all three lives and the game is over.
Controls
| Move | Arrow keys or WASD |
| Pause | Space or P |
| Sound on / off | M |
| Touch screens | Drag or swipe in the direction you want to go |
Five beginner tips players wish they knew
1. The ghosts have personalities — learn their homes
Each ghost behaves differently: some chase your current position, others aim ahead of you, and one wanders randomly. Watch which one is which for a few rounds and you'll stop getting cornered by surprise.
2. Always keep an escape route
Never enter a corridor with ghosts behind and no turn ahead. When you're committing to a row, know your exit before you need it — tunnel entrances make great escape hatches.
3. Power pellets change the whole round
A pellet near a cluster of ghosts flips the game instantly. Run a ghost patrol circuit, munch the pellet just as they begin to close in, and turn a near-death into a bonus streak.
4. Learn the classic circuits
Veterans loop the maze in a fixed route that visits every dot efficiently. Steal one: a big square around the middle covers most of the board and is easy to adjust on the fly.
5. Don't rush the fruit spawn
The fruit appears at set times and sits still while it's up. If it's over by a busy corner, take a safe loop and grab it on the next pass instead of diving into a ghost sandwich.
Why you'll like it
It's Pac-Man — instantly familiar, endlessly repeatable, and surprisingly tense. The maze reads in one glance, rounds fit in a break, and the thrill of turning the hunters into the hunted never gets old.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't my arrow keys work?
The game needs focus inside its window. Click into the playground once and the arrows take over.
Can I play with WASD?
Yes — this version maps the movement to both the arrow keys and WASD.
Is my score saved?
Yes, locally in your browser's storage on your own device.
Is this game free?
Yes. It's an open source (MIT) recreation by Tomás Malbran; game and license ship with the page.
Game credit: Pac-Man by Tomás Malbran (github.com/TomMalbran/games), open source under the MIT license. Built as a fan-made recreation of the original arcade game.