Google’s latest Doodle transforms the classic Pac‑Man arcade into a playful Halloween experience. The titular character sports a pixelated purple witch hat (and several alternate outfits), while the familiar ghosts pursue him through spooky, themed mazes adorned with cobwebs, jack‑o’‑lanterns and a creaky haunted house.
PAC‑MAN: Halloween 2025 Edition — playable for free here — includes eight progressively tougher levels. Traditional Power Pellets have been reimagined as eyeballs: when Pac‑Man eats one, the screen flips to a purple-and‑black palette and he gains the ability to turn the tables on his ghostly pursuers. The Doodle preserves the iconic sounds and music of the original Pac‑Man arcade release.
Controls support mouse, trackpad and arrow keys. Note that laptops with compact arrow keys (many slim MacBook models, for example) can make directional input awkward — a full‑size keyboard or a mouse provides the smoothest experience.
This isn’t Pac‑Man’s first appearance as a Google Doodle. In 2010, Google and Bandai Namco released a Doodle celebrating Pac‑Man’s 30th anniversary — the first Doodle to include sound and interactivity — which you can view here.
Although the seasonal Doodle won’t stay on Google’s homepage indefinitely, it will remain playable in Google’s Doodles archive after Halloween ends.
Source: Polygon
