Gen-X rejoice: you can now play Pac-Man in your VW!

Damien O'Carroll

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Do you own a Volkswagen and are also rather old? Then how would you like to relive your glory days at the top of the High Score screen on the spacies machine at your local fish and chip shop? Ask your parents what that means, kids.

Well, now you can* thanks to the optional AirConsole app that now features Pac-Man Championship Edition for playing on the infotainment display in a parked vehicle and, unlike a lot of in-car games, doesn't rely on awkward touchscreen or steering wheel button inputs, rather it uses a connected smartphone as the controller.

@volkswagen @PAC-MAN Official is back with the new @AirConsole feature! 🚗🎮 Enjoy this iconic game in your car. Grab unique Volkswagen power-ups for extra points! Experience immersive ambient lighting* and challenge your high score. Connect your smartphone, scan the code, and let the fun begin! AirConsole is available for all ID. models with ID. Software 4.0 or higher (except ID. Buzz). Available for the Tayron, Tiguan, Passat, Golf Variant, and Golf models from the 2025 model year in many European countries. #Volkswagen #airconsole  #gamingonthego  #innovation  #vwid #pacman ♬ Originalton - volkswagen

And just to make things even more immersive (although how immersive can a yellow dot eating smaller dots and being chased by blocky little ghosts actually be?),Volkswagen is also claiming to be the first carmaker to dynamically combine a game with the vehicle’s interior ambient lighting. The company says the game uses both the ambient lighting and, if equipped, the optional full dash-wide ID. Light system to respond to the game content and inputs by the players.

Of course Volkswagen couldn't resist messing with the classic Pac-Man format, so the fruit icons for bonus points have been replaced by silhouettes of the VW Beetles, Kombis and Golf IV R32s, as well as GTI, GTX and R logos, and Volkswagen wheel rims. Power pellets that turn the tables on those pesky ghosts are now represented by the Volkswagen brand logo.

A young person presumably not understanding why this is "fun"

AirConsole says its app is the world’s first gaming platform specifically designed for cars and can transform compatible vehicles into a gaming station by using the infotainment, sound and background lighting systems. The company says its portfolio of games is "tailored to casual players of any age", and its partnerships with N-Dream and Bandai Namco make in-car gaming "become a new social experience that connects generations".

But we do have some bad news for Kiwi VW owners - did you notice that sneaky little * earlier on? Well here is the nasty caveat it represents for us - while the AirConsole in-car app is available "in many European countries" for the ID.7, ID.5, ID.4 and ID.3 EVs, as well as Tayron, Tiguan, Passat and Golf models from the 2025 model year, it must be downloaded from the In-Car Shop. Which we can't do here because there is still no online connectivity in any of the VW models sold here...