Pac-Mania
Pac-Mania — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Pac-Mania on?
- Pac-Mania was released on Arcade, Wii, Sega Master System/Mark III, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Atari ST/STE, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment System.
- When did Pac-Mania release?
- Pac-Mania was first released on November 30, 1987.
About Pac-Mania
Pac-Mania is a variation on the game Pac-Man. You need to guide Pac-Man around a maze and eat all of the dots on the board in order to proceed on to the next round. Numerous, multi-colored ghosts also roam the maze trying to stop you. If you eat one of the power pellets in the maze, the ghosts will temporarily turn blue and run from you. Pac-man can earn bonus points by eating the ghosts when they are in this state. The maze is now in 3-D and is larger than screen which will scroll to follow the action. To help get out of tight spots, Pac-Man now has the ability to jump. But be careful, because some of the ghosts have learned this trick as well and you could end up in a mid air collision!
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, Wii, Sega Master System/Mark III, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Atari ST/STE, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment System
- Developer
- Namco
- Publisher
- Namco
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action, Educational
- Series
- Pac-Man
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Built by | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Master SystemDetails ↓ | 1991 | $6 | $24 | — | 2 reviews | TecMagik | Low (look-alike) |
| Sega GenesisDetails ↓ | 1991 | $17 | $27 | — | 2 reviews | Westwood Studios | Low |
The cheapest way to own it loose is the Sega Master System version ($6).
Also released on: Arcade · Wii · Sega Master System/Mark III · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Amiga · Commodore C64/128/MAX · Atari ST/STE · ZX Spectrum · Nintendo Entertainment System. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about 2 times a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $16.49 in Oct 2009, $8.38 five years ago, and $6.16 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $16.49 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $8.95 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $12.95 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $12.95 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $8.27 | $30 |
| Jan 2015 | $14.00 | $30 |
| Jan 2016 | $14.00 | $21 |
| Jan 2017 | $14.00 | $22 |
| Jan 2018 | $8.11 | $10.69 |
| Jan 2019 | $5.98 | $12.68 |
| Jan 2020 | $4.51 | $10.41 |
| Jan 2021 | $6.20 | $13.10 |
| Jan 2022 | $6.37 | $13.97 |
| Jan 2023 | $7.55 | $11.93 |
| Jan 2024 | $6.07 | $14.39 |
| Jan 2025 | $6.37 | $14.09 |
| Jan 2026 | $7.80 | $15.51 |
| Oct 2026 | $6.16 | $24 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number |
|---|---|---|
| Europe / PAL | July 1991 | 25010-50 |
- Region
- EU
- Released
- 1991
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Master System version
A European-only port of the Namco arcade game that is cheap to pick up.
Pac-Mania is Namco's 1987 arcade maze game. TecMagik developed and published the Master System port, which was released in Europe in July 1991.
What the press said at the time
| Zero | 90% | |
| Console XS | 88% |
“Isometric view dot munching is the order of the day in Pacmania. The graphics are great, there's lots of levels, it's playable, addictive and packs something of a challenge. Make this cart your own and never look back.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Sega Master System version.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · Amiga · Commodore 64 · Genesis · Atari ST · ZX Spectrum · NES
| Sega Master System | TecMagik |
| Genesis | Sculptured Software |
| Amiga | Teque Software |
| ZX Spectrum | Teque Software |
- Amiga. The Amiga version arrived in Europe in October 1988, published by Grandslam Entertainment.
How the other versions reviewed
| Amiga | ACE | 775 |
| Atari ST | ACE | 727 |
| Amiga | Amiga Computing | 85% |
| ZX Spectrum | Crash | 82% |
| Atari ST | Computer and Video Games | 83% |
| ZX Spectrum | Computer and Video Games | 87% |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair User | 79% |
| Amiga | The Games Machine | 92% |
| Atari ST | The Games Machine | 89% |
| Commodore 64 | The Games Machine | 87% |
| ZX Spectrum | The Games Machine | 86% |
| ZX Spectrum | Your Sinclair | 8/10 |
| Amiga | Zzap!64 | 93% |
| Arcade | Commodore User | 9/10 |
| Amiga | ST/Amiga Format | 80% |
| Atari ST | The One | 84% |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
This came out in Europe, so buy the European cart. The loose price sits well below the middle of the European-only group, and the look-alike risk is low. Check the manual if you want a complete copy.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $9 | $21 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about 2 times a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $2.50 in Oct 2008, $19.11 five years ago, and $16.86 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $7.70 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $8.47 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $1.98 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $6.33 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $9.75 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $5.97 | $9.50 |
| Jan 2015 | $5.99 | $18.53 |
| Jan 2016 | $7.99 | $11.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $10.00 | $15.92 |
| Jan 2018 | $9.57 | $14.65 |
| Jan 2019 | $9.13 | $18.16 |
| Jan 2020 | $9.09 | $16.09 |
| Jan 2021 | $11.74 | $28 |
| Jan 2022 | $18.21 | $27 |
| Jan 2023 | $17.98 | $24 |
| Jan 2024 | $14.36 | $29 |
| Jan 2025 | $14.88 | $26 |
| Jan 2026 | $15.42 | $27 |
| Oct 2026 | $16.86 | $27 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America | September 1991 | 031763018506 |
| Europe / PAL | 1991 | — |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1991
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Genesis version
A well-regarded Tengen port of Namco's Pac-Man follow-up, with a cheaper European cart.
Pac-Mania is Namco's 1987 arcade maze game, a Pac-Man follow-up in which you eat dots and avoid colored ghosts. Tengen published the Genesis port in North America in September 1991 and in Europe in 1991, and outsourced the work to Sculptured Software.
Sega Force recalled in a later review round-up that the Mega Drive game scored very highly with its reviewers when it appeared.
What the press said at the time
| Entertainment Weekly | B− | |
| MegaTech | 70% |
“There’s no denying Pac-Mania will appeal more to old-timers’ than to today’s younger set, despite efforts to convince otherwise.”
“If you’re after something simple, addictive and different, Pacmania fits the bill perfectly. … One of the simplest games available on the Megadrive - but it’s also very challenging and highly addictive!”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
How the Sega Genesis version differs
Tengen's Genesis port came out in 1991 in North America and Europe.
Sega Force scored the Mega Drive game 93%, a score it counted among the issue's 90-and-over ratings.
Also on other platforms
Master System · Arcade · Amiga · Commodore 64 · Atari ST · ZX Spectrum · NES
| NES | Westwood Studios |
| Sega Master System | TecMagik |
- NES. The NES version, published by Tengen in late 1990, was exclusive to North America.
How the other versions reviewed
| Amiga | ACE | 775 |
| Atari ST | ACE | 727 |
| Amiga | Amiga Computing | 85% |
| ZX Spectrum | Crash | 82% |
| Atari ST | Computer and Video Games | 83% |
| ZX Spectrum | Computer and Video Games | 87% |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair User | 79% |
| Amiga | The Games Machine | 92% |
| Atari ST | The Games Machine | 89% |
| Commodore 64 | The Games Machine | 87% |
| ZX Spectrum | The Games Machine | 86% |
| ZX Spectrum | Your Sinclair | 8/10 |
| Amiga | Zzap!64 | 93% |
| Arcade | Commodore User | 9/10 |
| Amiga | ST/Amiga Format | 80% |
| Atari ST | The One | 84% |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits above the middle. The European cart usually costs noticeably less than the US one, loose or complete. A complete US copy means the case, cartridge and manual.
Pac-Mania screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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