# Pac-Man Vs.

**Pac-Man Vs.** (パックマン vs.) is a 2003 asymmetric multiplayer remake of Pac-Man for the Nintendo GameCube, designed by [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://www.edgepedia.org/shigeru-miyamoto) in collaboration with Namco, in which one player controls Pac-Man on a linked [Game Boy Advance](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-boy-advance) while up to three others control the ghosts on the television screen<sup>[1](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)</sup>. The game has no single-player mode and requires two to four players<sup>[2](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/pacman/index.html)</sup>. It was never sold as a standalone GameCube product; Namco distributed it as a bundle with other titles, including Pac-Man World 2, R: Racing [Evolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/evolution), and I-Ninja<sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup>.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform and setup | GameCube with one Game Boy Advance connected by the GameCube Game Boy Advance cable, plus one to three GameCube controllers<sup>[2](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/pacman/index.html)</sup> |
| Players | 2 to 4; no single-player mode<sup>[4](https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/r/pacmanvs/index.html)</sup> |
| Designer | Shigeru Miyamoto, with Namco; original Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani was involved in discussions<sup>[1](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:LevelX_January_7th_2004)</sup> |
| Win condition | First player to a chosen target of 7,000, 10,000, or 15,000 points wins<sup>[6](https://www.gamingalexandria.com/highquality/gc/Pac-Man%20Vs/Pac-Man%20Vs%20-%20Manual.pdf)</sup> |
| US release | Began shipping December 2, 2003, bundled with Pac-Man World 2 (Player's Choice) at an MSRP of $19.95, rated E for Everyone<sup>[1](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)</sup> |
| Critical reception | Metascore 78 (Generally Favorable) from 31 critic reviews; user score 8.3 from 10 ratings<sup>[7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/pac-man-vs/)</sup> |
| Later releases | Namco Museum for Nintendo Switch, July 28, 2017, at $29.99, plus a free multiplayer-only eShop download<sup>[8](https://www.bandainamcoent.com/news/pac-man-vs-coming-to-namco-museum-on-nintendo-switch)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/namco-museum-pac-man-vs-free-multiplayer-only-ver-switch/)</sup> |

## Gameplay

The two sides of the match see different things. The player holding the Game Boy Advance controls Pac-Man on a classic top-down 2D view of the entire maze, able to see at a glance where the ghosts are moving and where uneaten food remains<sup>[2](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/pacman/index.html)</sup>. The ghost players use GameCube controllers to move 3D versions of their characters across an isometric maze on the television, and each of them sees only a small chunk of the playing area on a TV screen split three ways<sup>[10](https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/15/pac-man-vs-details-official)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://www.gamesindustry.biz/multiplayer-pac-man-bundled-with-namco-cube-games)</sup>. The ghosts' limited field of vision against Pac-Man's full-maze view is the core of the asymmetry<sup>[12](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3420983.stm)</sup>.

**Scoring and role swaps.** The Pac-Man player eats Pac-Dots, fruit, and power pellets to score, and after a power pellet can eat the ghosts for points in the familiar escalating chain of 200, 400, 800, and 1,600<sup>[6](https://www.gamingalexandria.com/highquality/gc/Pac-Man%20Vs/Pac-Man%20Vs%20-%20Manual.pdf)</sup>. Clearing every Pac-Dot in a maze earns a 1,600-point bonus and lets that player continue as Pac-Man<sup>[6](https://www.gamingalexandria.com/highquality/gc/Pac-Man%20Vs/Pac-Man%20Vs%20-%20Manual.pdf)</sup>. When a ghost catches Pac-Man, the capturing player earns 1,600 points, the caught player loses 1,600, the two swap controllers, and the captor becomes the hunted Pac-Man<sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)</sup>. Whoever reaches the predetermined scoring cap first wins<sup>[1](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)</sup>.

**Balancing devices.** Ghosts that eat fruit gain increased range of vision, and when fewer than 25 Pac-Dots remain the Pac-Dots vanish from the TV screen, hampering the hunters<sup>[6](https://www.gamingalexandria.com/highquality/gc/Pac-Man%20Vs/Pac-Man%20Vs%20-%20Manual.pdf)</sup>. With fewer than four humans, vacant ghosts are computer-controlled and colored gray, safe for Pac-Man to touch; a human ghost who touches a gray ghost converts it to that player's color<sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup>. Computer ghosts cannot hurt Pac-Man unless they have first been touched by a human-controlled ghost<sup>[13](https://www.mobygames.com/game/12065/pac-man-vs/)</sup>. The ghost role therefore mixes cooperation and rivalry: the three hunters must work together to keep Pac-Man from scoring, but each wants to be the one who actually makes the catch and inherits the GBA<sup>[14](https://nintendoworldreport.com/review/4187/pac-man-vs-gamecube)</sup>.

## Development

Miyamoto, a long-time Pac-Man fan, drove the project: he had a team at Nintendo EAD build a demo and then showed it to Namco<sup>[10](https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/15/pac-man-vs-details-official)</sup>. The development team described the goal as reviving a classic for current gamers by using GameCube-Game Boy Advance connectivity, which began discussions with Toru Iwatani, the creator of the 1980 original<sup>[5](https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:LevelX_January_7th_2004)</sup>.

The team deliberately kept production small. They did not plan a game in which 30 to 50 people spend several hundred million yen, reasoning that on a larger scale each task gets divided and the game designer's originality gets lost in the process<sup>[5](https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:LevelX_January_7th_2004)</sup>. They also refused to add power-ups or items on the open buttons, to preserve what they saw as the beauty of Pac-Man being playable with only the control pad; they credited Miyamoto with keeping the game simple while still making it a party game<sup>[5](https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:LevelX_January_7th_2004)</sup>.

The game was first unveiled on May 13, 2003 at Nintendo's media briefing at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, demonstrated by Miyamoto and Iwatani together<sup>[4](https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/r/pacmanvs/index.html)</sup>.

## Release and distribution

Namco Hometek announced that Pac-Man Vs. began shipping to US retail on December 2, 2003<sup>[1](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)</sup>. MobyGames lists a November 27, 2003 GameCube release date, and the two dates differ in the record; the Namco press release date of December 2 is the one its publisher stated<sup>[13](https://www.mobygames.com/game/12065/pac-man-vs/)</sup>.

**Bundle-only distribution.** The game was never sold standalone on GameCube. Copies went out with Pac-Man World 2 in the Player's Choice library at $19.95, with R: Racing Evolution (available December 9, 2003 at $49.95), and free with purchases of I-Ninja starting December 4, 2003<sup>[1](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup>. The BBC reported it as a freebie with upcoming Namco GameCube games<sup>[12](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3420983.stm)</sup>. It was later re-released on DS in [Namco Museum](https://www.edgepedia.org/namco-museum) and on Switch<sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup>.

## By the numbers

- Players: 2 to 4, with one GBA and one to three GameCube controllers<sup>[2](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/pacman/index.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/r/pacmanvs/index.html)</sup>.
- Winning score targets: 7,000, 10,000, or 15,000 points<sup>[6](https://www.gamingalexandria.com/highquality/gc/Pac-Man%20Vs/Pac-Man%20Vs%20-%20Manual.pdf)</sup>.
- Ghost-eating chain: 200, 400, 800, then 1,600 points; maze-clearing bonus 1,600 points; capture bonus 1,600 points to the captor and minus 1,600 to the caught<sup>[6](https://www.gamingalexandria.com/highquality/gc/Pac-Man%20Vs/Pac-Man%20Vs%20-%20Manual.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup>.
- Bundle price: $19.95 MSRP for Pac-Man World 2 Player's Choice with the game included<sup>[1](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)</sup>.
- Reception: Metascore 78 from 31 critic reviews<sup>[7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/pac-man-vs/)</sup>.

## Reception

Pac-Man Vs. was met with generally favorable reviews. Critics praised its interesting concept, multiplayer, and addictive gameplay, while criticism was directed at its small amount of content<sup>[15](https://gamegear.net/archive/games/gamecube/pac-man-vs-japan)</sup>. On Metacritic the GameCube version holds a Metascore of 78 (Generally Favorable) based on 31 critic reviews, with a user score of 8.3 from 10 ratings<sup>[7](https://www.metacritic.com/game/pac-man-vs/)</sup>.

Reviewers noted the limits of the package: it is multiplayer-only, with no AI competition or original Pac-Man mode, and the maze count could have been higher, perhaps including the [Ms. Pac-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/ms-pac-man) mazes<sup>[14](https://nintendoworldreport.com/review/4187/pac-man-vs-gamecube)</sup>. The hardware requirement also limited its reach. [Game Informer](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-informer) described the original release as a hassle to set up, requiring the Pac-Man player to system-link a Game Boy Advance, which limited its audience<sup>[16](https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/06/29/pac-man-vs-is-coming-to-the-nintendo-switch)</sup>.

## Comparison with Pac-Man and later asymmetric games

The 1980 original, created by Toru Iwatani and first released in Japan as Puck-Man, pits a single player against computer-controlled ghosts, with a reversal in which Pac-Man can turn the tables on the monsters after power pellets and eat them for extra points<sup>[17](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2016.1190439)</sup>. Pac-Man Vs. keeps that dot-eating and power-pellet reversal but replaces the computer hunters with human players, adds asymmetric information (full maze for Pac-Man, limited vision for ghosts), and adds a scoring economy in which captures move 1,600 points between players and roles rotate on every capture<sup>[17](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2016.1190439)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup>.

The design anticipated Nintendo's later asymmetric multiplayer. Nearly ten years before Katsuya Eguchi introduced Nintendo Land's Luigi's Ghost Mansion at E3 2012, Pac-Man Vs. offered the same pattern: one player with a private full-map screen against players who see only the area around their characters<sup>[18](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/07/feature_gamecube_gba_connectivity_and_wii_u)</sup>. It also sat within a broader GameCube-GBA connectivity program alongside [The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-legend-of-zelda-four-swords-adventures) and [Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles](https://www.edgepedia.org/final-fantasy-crystal-chronicles), which used linked GBA systems as controllers with distinct screen views<sup>[18](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/07/feature_gamecube_gba_connectivity_and_wii_u)</sup>.

## Later releases and availability today

Bandai Namco included PAC-MAN VS. in NAMCO MUSEUM for Nintendo Switch, released July 28, 2017 in the Americas at $29.99, describing it as a four-player game originally developed by Nintendo in 2003 under supervision by Miyamoto with Iwatani<sup>[8](https://www.bandainamcoent.com/news/pac-man-vs-coming-to-namco-museum-on-nintendo-switch)</sup>. The Switch version requires two Switch consoles for the intended experience: up to three ghost players on one console and the Pac-Man player on the other, and it does not support the online ranking system<sup>[8](https://www.bandainamcoent.com/news/pac-man-vs-coming-to-namco-museum-on-nintendo-switch)</sup>. A free PAC-MAN VS. (Free Multiplayer-only Ver.) download from [Nintendo eShop](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-eshop), also dated July 28, 2017, lets owners of NAMCO MUSEUM play with another player who owns the game, supporting local wireless play for 2 to 4 players, with two consoles required for 4-player gameplay<sup>[9](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/namco-museum-pac-man-vs-free-multiplayer-only-ver-switch/)</sup>. A single-console option exists in which only three people play and the computer controls Pac-Man<sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup>.

## Legacy

Pac-Man Vs. was distributed only through bundles, and playing it required a Game Boy Advance, a link cable, and one of the bundled GameCube titles<sup>[16](https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/06/29/pac-man-vs-is-coming-to-the-nintendo-switch)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)</sup>. Its historical weight comes from the design it demonstrated. It paired a Namco classic with Nintendo's connectivity hardware under Miyamoto's direction, and its one-screen-versus-many-screens structure reappeared nearly a decade later in Nintendo Land's Luigi's Ghost Mansion and the [Wii U](https://www.edgepedia.org/wii-u)'s broader asymmetric multiplayer pitch<sup>[18](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/07/feature_gamecube_gba_connectivity_and_wii_u)</sup>. Within GameCube-GBA connectivity history it stands alongside Four Swords Adventures and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles as one of the clearest uses of a handheld as a private second screen<sup>[18](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/07/feature_gamecube_gba_connectivity_and_wii_u)</sup>.

## References

1. [Pac-Man Vs. Now Shipping, Namco Hometek press release (Nintendo World Report)](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9183/pac-man-vs-now-shipping)
2. [「パックマン vs.」, official Nintendo Japan product page](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/pacman/index.html)
3. [Namco Essentials: Pac-Man Vs., MoeGamer](https://moegamer.net/2018/01/25/namco-essentials-pac-man-vs/)
4. [『パックマン vs.』キャンペーン情報, Bandai Namco Games Japan](https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/list/r/pacmanvs/index.html)
5. [Interview: LevelX, January 7th 2004, Nintendo Dream interview with the Pac-Man Vs. development team (translation)](https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Interview:LevelX_January_7th_2004)
6. [Pac-Man Vs. Manual (official game manual)](https://www.gamingalexandria.com/highquality/gc/Pac-Man%20Vs/Pac-Man%20Vs%20-%20Manual.pdf)
7. [Pac-Man Vs. Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/pac-man-vs/)
8. [PAC-MAN VS Coming to NAMCO MUSEUM on Nintendo Switch, Bandai Namco Entertainment America](https://www.bandainamcoent.com/news/pac-man-vs-coming-to-namco-museum-on-nintendo-switch)
9. [NAMCO MUSEUM (PAC-MAN VS. Free Multiplayer-only Ver.), Nintendo store](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/namco-museum-pac-man-vs-free-multiplayer-only-ver-switch/)
10. [Pac-Man vs. Details Official, IGN](https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/15/pac-man-vs-details-official)
11. [Multiplayer Pac-Man bundled with Namco Cube games, GamesIndustry.biz](https://www.gamesindustry.biz/multiplayer-pac-man-bundled-with-namco-cube-games)
12. [Pac-Man freebie revives memories, BBC News](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3420983.stm)
13. [Pac-Man Vs. (2003), MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/12065/pac-man-vs/)
14. [Pac-Man vs. Review, Nintendo World Report](https://nintendoworldreport.com/review/4187/pac-man-vs-gamecube)
15. [Pac-Man Vs. (Nintendo GameCube), GameGear Archive](https://gamegear.net/archive/games/gamecube/pac-man-vs-japan)
16. [Pac-Man Vs. Is Coming To The Nintendo Switch, Game Informer](https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/06/29/pac-man-vs-is-coming-to-the-nintendo-switch)
17. [Mazes, monsters and multicursality. Mastering Pac-Man 1980-2016, Cogent Arts & Humanities](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2016.1190439)
18. [GameCube - GBA Connectivity and Wii U, Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/07/feature_gamecube_gba_connectivity_and_wii_u)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual Nintendo-platform game titles › Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Wii titles*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license