Pac-Man Day: why 22 May matters and how fans celebrate it
Every 22 May the game turns a year older, and every decade brings a bigger party. Here is the date's history and what the anniversaries have produced.
Why 22 May
Puck Man went on sale in Japan on 22 May 1980, the date Bandai Namco treats as the game's birthday (the full chronology is in pacman release date history). Google ran its 30th-anniversary doodle a day early, on Friday 21 May 2010, because the anniversary fell on a Saturday when fewer people would see the homepage, which is why many articles still give the wrong date.
Anniversary milestones
- 1990, 10th Namco marks the decade with new merchandise and the Game Boy port.
- 2000, 20th Pac-Man World, the 3D platformer, is positioned as the anniversary game.
- 2005, 25th Guinness World Records certifies Pac-Man as the most successful coin-operated game; Pac-Man World 3 releases.
- 2010, 30th The playable Google doodle, compared with the arcade in google pacman compared to arcade, and Championship Edition DX.
- 2015, 35th Pac-Man 256 and the film Pixels.
- 2020, 40th Pac-Man Live Studio on Twitch, an anniversary theme by producer Ken Ishii, and the announcement of Pac-Man 99 for the following year.
- 2025, 45th Pac-Man Museum+ updates and the Chomp Champs online game continue the series.
How fans celebrate
- Play the original. Many arcades run free-play on the day, and emulated releases are listed in pacman console versions ranked.
- Attempt a milestone: a first 50,000, a first board 10, or a full chain on every pellet of board 1, using board by board score plan.
- Share a score screenshot with the anniversary year.
- Read the history. The story from a Namco office to a Guinness record is in full pacman timeline explained.
Other dates in the calendar
October 1980 marks the North American launch, early 1982 the arrival of Ms. Pac-Man, and 3 July 1999 the first verified perfect game. Bandai Namco also occasionally runs promotions around 10 October, written 10/10, which resembles two Pac-Men. On any of those days the free games on the mr pacman maze games homepage are a fitting way to join in.
More from the guides
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Frequently asked questions
When is Pac-Man Day?
22 May, the anniversary of the 1980 Japanese release.
Why was the Google Pac-Man doodle on 21 May?
Because 22 May 2010 was a Saturday; Google launched a day early for more visitors.
How old is Pac-Man?
The game turned 46 on 22 May 2026.