Volks-‘waka waka’: you can now play Pac-Man in your VW

Cancel your pre-order for the Nintendo Switch 2, because your Volkswagen will now offer you all the gaming fun you need. A new update will allow drivers (and passengers) to play Pac-Man from the comfort of their Peoples’ Car.

One of the many features of modern VWs (as well as rival models from the likes of BMW) is AirConsole. This essentially enables you to download games to your car, and play them using your smartphone as a controller.

Now available exclusively on over 300,000 Volkswagen models across the UK and Europe (specifically those with ID. Software 4.0 built-in, or from the 2025 model year onwards), Pac-Man Championship Edition is just like the arcade original – but with a handful of differences, such as a split maze layout, and it speeds up as you progress.

While you can play this version of Pac-Man on the likes of your Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, Volkswagen’s iteration includes several ‘easter eggs’; the ‘power pellet’ dots have been redesigned to look like VW logos, for example, while you get extra points for eating silhouettes of Volkswagen models such as the Beetle. Plus, cars specced with the ID. Light ambient lighting package will also react to whatever is occurring on the screen with “dynamic background lighting”.

Pac-Man Championship Edition is available to play now, with the AirConsole app downloadable from the in-car shop. To play, users must be parked and have an active VW Connect Plus subscription – this is typically offered for free for a short period of time after a new-car purchase, then available as a paid service.

Of course, this is not the first time a big-name title has been playable on a car’s infotainment system; Tesla has, for years, allowed drivers to play the farming-sim hit Stardew Valley, while Mercedes-Benz owners can play Angry Birds on their car’s giant Hyperscreen. Sony also recently revealed that its upcoming Afeela EV will have the capability to stream PS5 games to the car’s giant screens.

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