Google unleashes a spooky treat: Pac-Man gets a Halloween makeover

This Halloween, Google has given one of gaming’s most beloved icons a playful, ghostly twist. The latest Google Doodle transforms the legendary Pac-Man into a festive arcade adventure filled with pumpkins, cobwebs, and pixelated chills. The new edition, titled PAC-MAN: Halloween 2025 Edition, invites players to relive the nostalgia of the classic game while diving into an eerie, candy-colored world that celebrates the spirit of the season.

The familiar cast of characters—Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde—are back, but this time they’re not just haunting the maze; they’ve got a haunted house of their own. Meanwhile, Pac-Man himself is dressed for the occasion, sporting a tiny purple witch hat and an assortment of Halloween costumes that add a lighthearted touch to the spooky atmosphere.

This special edition, available to play for free directly from Google’s homepage, offers eight distinct levels, each progressively more challenging than the last. The design embraces a rich purple and black color palette, instantly setting a Halloween mood that’s both playful and a little mysterious. Every maze is decorated with tiny seasonal details—glowing pumpkins, dangling cobwebs, and flickering lights that make the game feel like a miniature Halloween night.

One of the biggest changes from the classic version is the replacement of the traditional Power Pellets with, fittingly, eyeballs. When Pac-Man munches one, the entire maze shifts hues to deep purple and shadowy black, signaling that the tables have turned—Pac-Man can now chase down the ghosts that have been hunting him. It’s a clever twist that manages to preserve the tension and rhythm of the original arcade gameplay while embracing a more festive, thematic charm.

The sounds and music remain true to the 1980s classic, echoing the familiar blips and chimes that once filled arcades across the world. This nod to the original experience is part of what makes the Doodle so effective: it strikes a perfect balance between nostalgia and novelty. Fans of the old-school version will feel right at home, yet there’s enough freshness here to keep even veteran players entertained.

As with all Google Doodles, the game is designed to be quick, accessible, and intuitive. Players can control Pac-Man using a mouse, trackpad, or arrow keys, though laptop users might find themselves struggling if their keyboards are on the smaller side. For the best experience, a full-sized keyboard or a trusty mouse is recommended. Once you start, it’s easy to lose track of time as you navigate through the mazes, dodging ghosts and collecting every last piece of candy—or in this case, eyeballs.

While this spooky Doodle is taking over Google’s homepage for Halloween, it won’t vanish once the decorations come down. Like all interactive Google Doodles, PAC-MAN: Halloween 2025 Edition will find a permanent home in Google’s online Doodle archive, allowing fans to revisit the game long after the holiday season fades.

This isn’t Pac-Man’s first appearance on Google’s famous search bar. Back in 2010, Google celebrated the game’s 30th anniversary with an interactive Doodle that allowed users to play the original Pac-Man map right on the homepage. That edition marked a milestone for Google, becoming the first Doodle to include both sound and gameplay. It was a runaway success—so much so that companies reported a collective dip in productivity worldwide as millions of users spent their workday chasing ghosts instead of deadlines.