My fellow 1980s children, our old pal Pac-Man is back. And how in the world is he already 45 years old?
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 is impossible, because that would mean I am no longer 12 years old, but... uh, forget I said anything.
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When I first played Google's Halloween 2025 doodle game, Pac-Man was dressed as a mummy. When I played it again later, he was in a frog costume, and later still, he 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 a 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.
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