Pac-Man 99, A Battle Royale-Like Pac-Man Game, Out Now On Nintendo Switch

Nintendo and Bandai Namco have released a new battle royale-style Pac-Man game for Switch called Pac-Man 99. Much like Tetris 99, the title is available as a free download exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, with offline modes offered as optional paid DLC.

As with the aforementioned Tetris 99, Pac-Man 99 is a 99-player take on the classic arcade game. Each player will vie to be the last Pac-Man remaining as they navigate a maze and avoid the pursuing ghosts. Any ghosts that you defeat will be sent to other players' screens as a "Jammer Pac-Man." Bumping into one of these will reduce the player's movement speed, making them more vulnerable.

Another new wrinkle in Pac-Man 99 is Sleeping Ghosts. As explained in the announcement trailer, chomping these ghosts will cause them to multiply and form a "ghost train," setting you up to chomp them all in one fell swoop after you grab a Power Pellet. You can watch the full trailer for Pac-Man 99 below.

Pac-Man 99 officially launched at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on April 7. As previously mentioned, the game is a free download for Nintendo Switch Online members, so you'll need a subscription to download and play it. Individual memberships cost $4 for one month, $8 for three months, and $20 for one year, while an annual family plan runs for $35 and covers up to eight different Nintendo Accounts across multiple systems.

There are also various paid DLC packs for Pac-Man 99 that add offline modes and themes based on other Namco games, such as Galaga and Dig Dug. The offline modes pack costs $15 USD, while the various themes each cost $2 USD. All of the DLC is also being bundled together into one Deluxe Pack for $30 USD. The offline mode DLC is available to all players, but you'll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play the game online with others. You can read more on Nintendo's website.

Pac-Man 99's announcement comes shortly after Nintendo delisted Super Mario Bros. 35, another battle royale-style take on a classic game. Super Mario Bros. 35 was one of the special titles that the company offered as part of its Super Mario 35th anniversary celebration, and it was similarly only available for Nintendo Switch Online members, but was taken offline after March 31.