Volkswagen owners in Europe now have the chance to play Pac-Man through their car’s infotainment system using their smartphone as the controller.
Pac-Man (Waka-Waka-Waka), the epochal Japanese character brought to the mainstream in 1980 by Namco and to North America by Midway Manufacturing, returned to handheld consoles in 2007 with the titular ‘Pac-Man Championship Edition.’ The game, now made available to players online via Steam, is also the latest addition to Volkswagen Group’s AirConsole In-Car App, the first gaming platform designed specifically for passengers to play games through their vehicle’s infotainment system via the app on their smartphones. It’s a move, Volkswagen states, intended as a “new social experience” to “connect generations” through class computer games. And, we’re guessing, shuts down any hint of “are we there yet?” pretty quickly too.
Volkswagen Icons Included For Pac-Man Championship Edition, Including Golf Wheel Rims
The AirConsole app, developed by Swiss firm N-Dream, eatures up to 137 different games, many of which are educational and/or word games, though classics like Tetris have also been licensed. Pac-Man, Namco’s legendary… pizza? (original creator Toru Iwatani was apparently inspired by a pizza with a slice missing), is the app’s latest acquisition.
“Volkswagen-inspired icons, like the VW logo and the silhouette of the classic Beetle, have been added to Pac-Man Championship Edition.”
Pac-Man Championship Edition retains the original 1979 gameplay, whereby the player guides the aforementioned pixelated Japanese-Italian through a labyrinthine maze, eating PAC-DOT and fruits whilst trying to avoid being cornered by each level’s ghosts. In a neat twist on the original gameplay, VW has added additional icons to the game for players to earn more points. These include silhouettes of the classic Volkswagen Beetle, the VW Bus and the high-performance ‘R32’ Mk.IV Golf. Wheel trim designs from the ‘GTI,’ ‘GTX’ and ‘R’ sub-brands have also been included, as have additional ‘power pellets’ in the shape of the VW logo (interested in hearing the story behind that…?) which increase the player’s health.
Moreover, alongside the individualized gameplay, Volkswagen has also incorporated “dynamic background lighting” into the experience depending on what’s happening on the screen. Whether this means the entire cabin will flash green, blue or red when you wake up members of the Ghost Gang remains to be seen.
Available Only On Select 2025MY Volkswagens; North America Launch Imminent
Only select models on VW’s line-up are compatible with AirConsole, which is also available on the new BMW 5 Series, including Volkswagen’s all-electric I.D. range from 3 through to 7 (excluding the Buzz), as well as 2025 model year variants of the Tayron, the Tiguan (with specific packages installed), the Passat, the Golf and the Golf Variant station wagon.
The system is currently only available in Europe as part of the software’s pilot program. While no confirmed launch date in North America was specified when the app was first revealed last August, it’s highly likely the United States, an enormous gaming market, will have access from 2026 onwards.
And yes, before you get too excited, AirConsole can only be used when the vehicle is stationary. We’re not sure though if you need to put a stack of quarters on the dash to bank your turn…
TopSpeed’s Take
Unsurprisingly, the AirConsole app has gone down pretty well at the TopSpeed offices. On the off-chance N-Dream’s coding department is reading this, we’d personally like to request AirConsole versions of Out Run, Track & Field, and Rampage, and, when you’ve got the 2D-platforming software down, Sonic Mania, TMNT: Hyperstone Heist, Super Mario World (look, it’s just better than Super Mario 3, okay!), and Castlevania. Also, we’d like to offer a timely apology to the editor-in-chief, as some of the team, especially those of us already eyeing a new I.D.4, might accidentally end up missing in-house meetings, coffee with the editor, auto show invites, and the occasional flight to an international car launch. When you get to level 200, you’re in for the long haul, right?!
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