You Can Now Play Pac-Man In Your VW

One of the biggest annoyances with electric car ownership remains the fact that they can take a while to charge up. Even in the fastest-charging cars, on the speediest of chargers, you’re still looking at 20-ish minutes to go from nearly empty to nearly full, and that’s 20 minutes you could be spending doing better things. Things, reckons VW, like playing Pac-Man.

The company has just partnered up with developer Bandai-Namco to bring the arcade classic that sees you take on the role of the titular dot-crazed maniac to navigate your way around a labyrinth, all the while avoiding those nasty ghosts, to its cars.

Specifically, it’s the Championship Edition of Pac-Man, originally launched in 2007, and is playable in various VWs thanks to the optional AirConsole app that uses the car’s infotainment screen to run games, with your phone acting as a controller. Only when the car’s parked, obviously.

Unsurprisingly, the game’s had a bit of a VW-ification for its inclusion in the company’s cars. While you still play as the same rotund dot-gobbling maze enthusiast, the special icons that grant bonus points are now VW-themed: there are silhouettes of cars including the classic Beetle, T1 Transporter and Mk4 Golf R32; the logos of the GTI, GTX and R performance lines, and various VW wheel rims.

Meanwhile, the power pellets that allow you to get your own back on those pesky eight-bit poltergeists are now – what else? – VW logos.

Now available on AirConsole across much of Europe, you can get your Pac-Man fix in the electric ID3, ID4, ID5 and ID7, which should save you from the horror of aimlessly wandering around Hilton Park Services while you top up your battery.

If you don’t have an EV, meanwhile, but for some reason enjoy your gaming most when using a car as a giant console, you can also play Pac-Man in the Golf, Passat, Tiguan and Tayron. It all sounds like good fun, really, but let us know when we can experience Red Dead Redemption 2 on a 12.9-inch infotainment screen. Thanks.