How To Win In Pac Man: 5 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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How to Win in Pac Man Download Article Tactics & strategies for beating the classic arcade game Explore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Video Questions & Answers Tips and Warnings Things You'll Need Related Articles Author Info

Last Updated: May 21, 2025

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 46 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 318,015 times. Learn more...

The rules of Pac Man are simple, but winning against the game? That’s a bit trickier, but not if you know what you’re doing. Pac Man was invented in 1980, and the computer intelligence in the game isn’t very advanced. Once you know how to outsmart it, you can start advancing to higher levels and score more points!

How to Beat Pac Man

Keep a close eye on nearby ghosts and avoid them as you make your way around the board. Concentrate on getting as many points as possible by eating the fruits and white dots on the screen. When you power up, eat the ghosts to increase your points and clear your path. Use these tactics for each level you complete.

Steps

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1. 1 Keep an eye on all your opponents; there are only four ghosts in the game. Keep your closest watch on the nearest ones. Also keep an eye on Blinky (Red) and Pinky (Pink) as they are the fastest and the most skilled. In most Pac-Man versions, you will move faster than the ghosts, which means the only way they can catch you is for you to make a wrong turn, or for them to corner you.
2. 2 Realize that you're probably smarter than the game. The artificial intelligence in Pac-Man is very crude. Ghosts may appear to chase you, but many times they will turn off onto different paths when they're right behind you. If it looks like you're going to be cornered, move in the direction of the ghost that has to make a "choice" of whether to pursue you or take a different route. Many times you will get lucky. Try also to stay in areas with multiple turn offs and routes; it's much easier for you to lose your pursuers here. Advertisement
3. 3 Once you have the basics down, concentrate on amassing as many points as possible. Clearing the map is a start, but also try to collect the fruit that will occasionally appear, as well as stalking ghosts when "powered up". It's generally a good idea to clear the map in quarters, using the "power-up" dots when 2 or more ghosts begin to congregate in your area. Ideally, you should wait until there are at least 3 ghosts in your area to use a "power-up", since you collect an increasing amount points for every ghost you devour. If you can nab all 4 ghosts on one power-up, you'll earn 200, 400, 800, and 1600 or 3,000 points (in most versions). Don't waste your time chasing ghosts, but remember that every ghost you devour has to travel back to the map's center and then back to your area again to be a threat. Therefore, you should make a decent effort to eliminate the threats in your area when powered-up. Don't just try to send them in the opposite direction.
4. 4 When you eat a ghost on a power-up, it becomes a pair of eyes, which gradually work their way to the center of the maze (the jail area) to regenerate. If you are clearing an area near the center of the map, watch these eyes! Don't get caught at the "jail's entrance" when a ghost regenerates!
5. 5 Learn how the ghosts think. There movements aren't actually random; instead, there's a pattern to how they move around the map. They start off each level aiming for their respective "home corners": Blinky (red) heads to the top-right, Pinky (pink) to the top-left, Inky (blue) to the bottom-right, and Clyde (orange) to the bottom-left. After a few seconds, they start chasing you-- you'll know they've changed tactics when they make a 180 degree turn. Blinky heads straight for your position, Pinky heads for a spot just in front of you (unless you're facing up, due to a glitch), Inky heads for one end of a line that has a spot just in front of you as its center and Blinky as its other end, and Clyde chases you if he's far away but heads back to his home corner when you're nearby. They'll alternate between these two strategies throughout the level, but eventually settle on chasing you.
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• Question What about level 256? Delta Community Answer 8 bits can at max hold up to 256. When you get to this number, the game glitches. It was a problem with the console it originally released on, not the game itself. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 12 Helpful 44
• Question Why is screen 256 impossible? Delta Community Answer Because you need to get all the dots to complete the level. Since half of the level is blocked off, you can't finish. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 26 Helpful 52
• Question What is the aim of the game in Pac-Man? Lugia2453 Top Answerer Get as many points as possible. The game doesn't end until you lose all your lives or get to screen 256, which is the game's "kill screen" that can't be completed. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 17 Helpful 58

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Tips

• Don't trust the ghosts to go the way they look like they're going. They may make a sharp turn in another direction. Thanks Helpful 33 Not Helpful 4
• Level 21 is the last unique board-- every level after that is identical. Once you learn a pattern to beat that level, it's just a test of endurance to reach level 256, at which point the game promptly becomes unplayable. Thanks Helpful 86 Not Helpful 17
• You move faster when you're not eating dots so if you're trying to lose a ghost, don't be eating dots. Thanks Helpful 86 Not Helpful 17

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

• The ghosts you need to watch for are Blinky (red) and Pinky. Blinky is the ghost that will stay on your tail, so often you'll need to trick him to get away, although it's hard. Pinky does the same, but will also try to ambush in front of you. Inky (blue) is hard to figure out, but will stay on your tail too if Blinky isn't around, but is slower than Blinky.
• If there is a ghost behind you, they are obviously going up, and will keep going. But, the ones that are in front of you who are going to cross you horizontally might not make a turn. So, do not turn back.
• In the first few levels, go to each corner and get the pill to keep the ghosts away. Also, the ghosts slow down before going through the tunnel that leads from one side to the other.
• If you lure a ghost near the power pellet and then wait until it gets close, then eat the power pellet and chase the ghost you have a 100% chance of catching the ghost.

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Warnings

• Don't neglect friends, family, girlfriend, boyfriend etc. to get a high score. Thanks Helpful 44 Not Helpful 11
• Don't break computer components. Thanks Helpful 58 Not Helpful 22
• Don't get addicted to this game. Thanks Helpful 52 Not Helpful 21

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 46 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 318,015 times. 125 votes - 74% Co-authors: 46 Updated: May 21, 2025 Views: 318,015 Categories: Arcade Games In other languagesJapanese

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125 votes - 74% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 46 Updated: May 21, 2025 Views: 318,015

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