SEGA released a 30-second teaser trailer on January 5, 2026 confirming what fans already suspected from previous leaks: Pac-Man is joining the absolutely bonkers crossover roster of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. The DLC drops tomorrow, January 7, bringing the iconic yellow circle, his Ghost rivals, a Pac-Village racing track that incorporates the classic arcade maze, and a Pac-Man Mobile vehicle. Because if Sonic can race alongside SpongeBob, Ichiban from Like a Dragon, and Minecraft’s Steve, why shouldn’t gaming’s original icon get a turn behind the wheel?
What’s in the Pac-Man Pack
The Pac-Man Pack adds the yellow pellet-eater himself as a playable racer along with the Ghost squad (Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde presumably, though SEGA’s announcements just say “Ghosts”). You’ll also get the Pac-Village track, which visually references Pac-Man’s arcade origins while incorporating the iconic maze that defined the 1980 original. The teaser shows colorful environments mixing 3D racing with 2D maze aesthetics.
The Pac-Man Mobile vehicle comes included, designed to look like Pac-Man’s spherical form transformed into a racing machine. Additional cosmetics include sounds, emotes, and decals themed around Pac-Man’s 44-year legacy. It’s worth noting this isn’t just slapping Pac-Man into an existing track; SEGA built an entire themed environment celebrating one of gaming’s most recognizable IPs.
Pricing hasn’t been officially announced in SEGA’s promotional materials, but the pack is part of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ Season Pass, which has been releasing waves of DLC content since the game launched September 25, 2025. Individual character packs typically run around $5-10 depending on what’s included.
The In-Game Festival Event
SEGA is also running a Pac-Man Festival event from January 8 at 4:00 PM PT through January 11 at 3:59 PM PT (that’s 7:00 PM ET to 6:59 PM ET for East Coast players). The interesting detail is that you can participate in the festival even without purchasing the Pac-Man Pack, suggesting there will be free event challenges, rewards, or temporary access to Pac-Man content.
These limited-time festival events have become a regular feature for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, giving players reasons to jump back in around major DLC launches. They typically offer exclusive cosmetics, time-limited challenges, and leaderboard competitions. The Pac-Man Festival will likely follow that pattern with themed rewards celebrating the collaboration.
The Reciprocal Crossover
What makes this collaboration particularly fun is that it’s bidirectional. When SEGA announced the partnership at Gamescom 2025 in August, they revealed Pac-Man would join Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds while Sonic would simultaneously appear as DLC in Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac, Bandai Namco’s remake of the PlayStation 1 platformer sequel.
That Sonic DLC for Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac includes a Sonic hat cosmetic for Pac-Man and Sonic-themed levels like Green Hill Zone. The two games launched just one day apart (Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds on September 25, Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac on September 26), making the cross-promotion feel like a genuine partnership rather than one company paying licensing fees to use another’s character.
These kinds of reciprocal crossovers remain relatively rare in gaming. Usually one franchise guests in another’s game unidirectionally. Having both companies commit to featuring each other’s characters simultaneously suggests strong relationships between SEGA and Bandai Namco built through years of collaboration in arcade gaming and beyond.
The Absolutely Ridiculous Roster
Pac-Man joins what might be the most eclectic racing game roster ever assembled. At launch, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds featured characters from across SEGA’s history including obvious picks like Tails, Knuckles, and Amy alongside deeper cuts from franchises like Jet Set Radio, Space Channel 5, and Virtua Fighter.
Then the DLC started getting weird. Hatsune Miku, the virtual pop star Vocaloid character, arrived as a racer. Persona 5’s Joker brought style to the track. Ichiban from the Like a Dragon series showed up because why not. Then they partnered with Nickelodeon to add SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star with a Bikini Bottom track, followed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar: The Last Airbender characters.
Minecraft’s Steve, Alex, and Creeper joined in October with a Minecraft World track. NiGHTS from NiGHTS into Dreams showed up for Christmas. And there’s more coming: AiAi from Super Monkey Ball arrives later in January 2026, Tangle and Whisper from IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog comics drop in February, and a Capcom pack featuring Mega Man, Proto Man, and Dr. Wily’s Castle is planned for 2026.
Why Pac-Man Fits This Chaos Perfectly
In any other racing game, adding Pac-Man would feel bizarre. But Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has committed so thoroughly to being gaming’s equivalent of Space Jam that Pac-Man actually feels overdue. He’s arguably more iconic than most characters already on the roster, representing the foundational arcade era that established video games as mainstream entertainment.
Pac-Man also has weird history with racing games specifically. Pac-Man Kart Rally released in 2007, Pac-Man World Rally came out in 2006, and various mobile Pac-Man racing games have existed over the years. The character’s simple spherical design translates well to vehicle-based gameplay, and the Ghost rivals provide built-in racing antagonists.
The Pac-Village track specifically offers opportunities for creative track design that incorporates pellet collection mechanics, power pellet power-ups, and Ghost behavior patterns into racing gameplay. Imagine racing through the classic maze layout where eating a power pellet temporarily lets you destroy Ghost racers Pac-Man style. That’s the kind of cross-genre mashup that makes these collaborations fun.
The Switch 2 Connection
One interesting detail in the announcement is that the Pac-Man Pack launches on Switch 2 alongside all other platforms. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds received a digital Switch 2 release on December 3, 2025, with a physical cartridge version scheduled for early 2026. The game supports cross-progression, so Switch owners can upgrade to Switch 2 and carry their progress forward.
This makes Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds one of the few third-party titles confirmed for Switch 2 at launch, positioning it as a system showcase for Nintendo’s upgraded handheld. The Pac-Man collaboration carries extra weight on Nintendo platforms given Pac-Man’s long association with the company through Smash Bros. appearances and various Nintendo-exclusive releases over the decades.
Season Pass Structure
The Pac-Man Pack represents the third wave of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ Season Pass, following previous waves that added Minecraft, SpongeBob, and various SEGA characters. The Season Pass model allows SEGA to continuously expand the roster and track selection over months or years rather than delivering everything at launch.
This approach has pros and cons. On the positive side, it keeps the community engaged with regular content drops and gives late adopters reasons to jump in months after release. On the negative side, it fragments the player base between those with full access and those playing the base game, and it makes the true cost of “complete” ownership ambiguous.
SEGA hasn’t announced how many Season Pass waves are planned or when DLC support will end. Given the game only launched in September 2025, expect at least another year of regular character and track additions before they move on to other projects or potential sequels.
How It Compares to Mario Kart
The obvious comparison point is Mario Kart, Nintendo’s genre-defining kart racer that’s sold over 500 million copies across all entries. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe alone moved over 60 million units on Switch, making it one of the best-selling games ever. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds can’t compete with those numbers, but it offers something Mario Kart doesn’t: wild crossover insanity.
Mario Kart largely sticks to Nintendo characters with occasional guest appearances like Link from Zelda or the Inklings from Splatoon. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds throws that restraint out the window, creating a mashup that feels more like Super Smash Bros Ultimate’s “everyone is here” approach applied to racing. Whether that strategy translates to sales remains to be seen, but it certainly generates headlines and social media buzz.
The gameplay also differs. Mario Kart prioritizes accessibility and party-game chaos with items that can swing races at the last second. Sonic Racing emphasizes speed and team-based mechanics inherited from previous Sonic racing titles. Both approaches have merit depending on what you want from a kart racer.
FAQs About Pac-Man in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
When does the Pac-Man Pack release?
The Pac-Man Pack launches January 7, 2026 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.
What’s included in the Pac-Man Pack?
The pack includes Pac-Man as a playable racer, Ghost characters, the Pac-Village track featuring the classic maze, the Pac-Man Mobile vehicle, and additional sounds, emotes, and decals themed around the franchise.
Do I need to buy the pack to participate in the Pac-Man Festival?
No, SEGA confirmed players can join the Pac-Man Festival event running January 8-11 even without purchasing the DLC pack, though what content is accessible for free versus paid hasn’t been detailed.
Is this part of a Season Pass?
Yes, the Pac-Man Pack is the third wave of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ Season Pass. Individual pricing hasn’t been announced, but similar character packs typically cost $5-10.
What other DLC is coming to Sonic Racing CrossWorlds?
Confirmed upcoming DLC includes AiAi from Super Monkey Ball in January 2026, Tangle and Whisper from IDW Sonic comics in February, and a Capcom pack with Mega Man, Proto Man, and Dr. Wily’s Castle later in 2026.
Does Sonic appear in Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac?
Yes, as part of the reciprocal crossover announced at Gamescom 2025. Sonic DLC for Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac includes a Sonic hat for Pac-Man and Sonic-themed levels like Green Hill Zone.
Is Sonic Racing CrossWorlds available on Switch 2?
Yes, the game received a digital Switch 2 release on December 3, 2025, with physical cartridge version scheduled for early 2026. Progress carries over from the Switch version.
Who else is in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds?
The roster includes Sonic characters, SEGA franchises like Persona and Like a Dragon, Nickelodeon properties (SpongeBob, TMNT, Avatar), Minecraft characters, Hatsune Miku, and more with additional DLC planned.
Conclusion
The Pac-Man Pack dropping January 7 represents the kind of gloriously weird crossover content that defines Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. In a genre dominated by Mario Kart’s Nintendo-focused approach and serious sim racers, SEGA built something that feels like a celebration of gaming’s entire history crashing together at 200 mph. Pac-Man racing alongside Sonic, SpongeBob, Ichiban, and Minecraft’s Creeper through a track based on the 1980 arcade maze shouldn’t work, but the absolute commitment to the bit makes it charming. Whether you think crossover culture has gone too far or you’re here for every ridiculous collaboration, there’s no denying Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is swinging for the fences. And honestly? Adding gaming’s most iconic character feels less like jumping the shark and more like coming home. Pac-Man defined what video games could be for an entire generation. Seeing him race through Sonic’s world while Ghosts chase behind him creates a weird full-circle moment for anyone who’s been gaming since the arcade era. The DLC launches tomorrow alongside a four-day festival event, giving players immediate reasons to jump in and experience the collaboration. And with more characters confirmed for 2026 including Mega Man and Super Monkey Ball’s AiAi, SEGA shows no signs of slowing down the crossover madness. At this rate we’ll probably see Kirby, Master Chief, and Goku racing together by 2027. And you know what? That sounds amazing.