My fellow 1980s children, our old pal Pac-Man is back. And how in the world is he 45 years old already? The new Halloween Google Doodle is here to challenge us with a spooky version of the classic arcade game on our computers and other devices, with some fun twists.
Pac-Man himself shows up dressed in various Halloween costumes, and the power pellets he chows down are bloodshot eyeballs. The reanimated version of the game celebrates Pac-Man's 45th anniversary, which cannot be true, because that would mean I am no longer 12 years old, but... uh, forget I said anything.
Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
When I first played Google's Halloween 2025 doodle game, Pac-Man was dressed as a mummy, but when I played again later, he was in a frog costume and later still showed up wearing a strawberry hat. Keep refreshing -- you might see additional Halloween costumes. He's probably getting them all at Spirit Halloween.
Read more: Best Games of 2025 So Far
Back in the day, I plunked plenty of quarters into the arcade at Minnesota's Maplewood Mall, but I never excelled at Pac-Man, much as I loved it. I'm not much better at the Google Doodle version. It is a real challenge on desktop, where you have to use the arrow keys to keep Pac-Man on the move.
My CNET colleague Jon Skillings was relieved to find an easier way to play.
"On a phone or iPad, the Pac-Man doodle just needs you to move your finger on the touchscreen," he said. "Much better!"
Eight levels? I didn't even finish one!
The Pac-Man Google Doodle features eight levels, four of which are unique haunted-house mazes. I didn't even get through one, but your mileage may vary.
... continue reading