The Paley Museum Announces Its Next Blockbuster Exhibit: 45 Years of PAC-MAN
Monday, January 12, 2026
The Can’t-Miss Exhibit of the Iconic Game to Include Gameplay, Rare Artifacts, and More!
A Fun-Filled Family Day on January 31 Featuring Meet & Greets with PAC-MAN, Giveaways, Raffles, and PAC-MAN Themed Arts & Crafts
The Exhibit Will Run at The Paley Museum Friday, January 16 to Sunday, May 31, 2026 Paley Members Receive Free Admission to the Exhibit
New York, New York, January 12, 2026 – The Paley Museum announced today its next blockbuster exhibit, 45 Years of PAC-MAN™. This exciting and entertaining exhibit for visitors of all ages, will open on Friday, January 16 and run until Sunday, May 31, 2026, at The Paley Museum in Midtown Manhattan at 25 West 52 St. Paley Members receive free admission to the exhibit.
45 Years of PAC-MAN celebrates the origins and unstoppable legacy of one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable characters in gaming and interactive entertainment. From a simple yellow circle to a global pop-culture phenomenon, the exhibit invites fans to rediscover—and play—one of the most beloved games in the world. Created in Japan in 1980 by Namco (now Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.) and designed by Toru Iwatani, PAC-MAN™ broke the mold of early arcade games with its welcoming spirit, playful personality, and character-driven design, opening the world of gaming to a broader audience and first-time players everywhere. From its beginnings in arcades to its expansion into homes around the world, PAC-MAN helped shape the evolution of gaming—paving the way for the gaming and interactive entertainment industry as we know it today.
“For more than four decades, PAC-MAN has proven that a single idea can change the world, turning arcades into gathering places, pixels into personality, and a yellow circle into one of the most enduring and beloved icons of gaming and interactive entertainment,” said Maureen J. Reidy, President & CEO, The Paley Center for Media. “We look forward to welcoming visitors of all ages to this exciting new exhibit and thank Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. for their support.”
The exhibit brings the excitement to life with hands-on gameplay, including classic PAC-MAN™ Pixel Bash arcade cabinets, PAC-MAN™ Battle Royale Chompionship, and an unforgettable thrill of playing the World’s Largest PAC-MAN. Recently launched PAC-MAN titles such as PAC-MAN WORLD™ 2 Re-PAC will also be available for guests to play. It’s a chance to find out everything you ever wanted to know about your favorite yellow friend and his mischievous Ghost rivals—and then chase them yourself.
Visitors will journey through the evolution of PAC-MAN while discovering how this revolutionary game introduced Power-Ups, distinct Ghost personalities, animated intermissions, and emotional storytelling through sound, motion, and pixel art. From the instantly recognizable “Waka Waka” of each chomp to the memorable musical hook that lives in players’ brains and hearts, the game’s audio design pulls you back to the very first time you played. One of the first games to make players feel like the character—not just a vehicle—PAC-MAN established the maze-chase genre and proved that heart, humor, and identity could drive universal appeal. Forty-five years later, its influence stretches far beyond the arcade, powering a multimedia legacy across gaming, television, music, merchandise, and global culture.
On Saturday, January 31, The Paley Museum will turn the celebration up a notch with a fun-filled PAC-MAN Family Day, featuring meet-and-greets with PAC-MAN himself, exciting giveaways, raffles, PAC-MAN-themed arts and crafts, and hands-on PAC-MAN arcade gameplay throughout the Museum, marking an unforgettable experience for fans of all ages.
Visitors to the exhibit can also enjoy the PaleyGX Gaming Studio, which features the hottest video games and VR titles available to the public, coding classes, gaming tournaments, and more.
Paley Members receive free admission to the exhibit and other exclusive perks such as Member events, advance discounted tickets, and other once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Additionally, Members receive free admission year-round to the Museum, which also includes entry to the Paley Archive library featuring an international collection of more than 160,000 television and radio programs across genres, access to the PaleyGX Gaming Studio and VR Experience, and more. To learn more please visit Paley Membership.
For more information on 45 Years of PAC-MAN and all Paley programming, please visit paleymuseum.org, Paley’s Facebook page, and follow @PaleyCenter on X, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Threads, and on TikTok: @thepaleycenter.
Media Contacts:
Teresa Brady, The Paley Center for Media, 212.621.6757, tbrady@paleycenter.org
PMK Entertainment, paleycenter@pmkentertainment.com
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About The Paley Center for Media
Founded by media pioneer William S. Paley in 1975, and chaired by Frank A. Bennack, Jr. since 1991, The Paley Center for Media is the world’s leading nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to preserving media history and exploring media’s powerful shaping influence on culture and society. The Paley Center for Media, which owns the iconic Philip Johnson-designed Paley Museum, has proudly made its home in New York City for fifty years. The Paley Museum is where media, sports, gaming, and entertainment come together and has been recognized as New York City's "Best Museum" and "Best Children’s Party Place" for three years in a row.
During the year, the Paley Center produces unmatched programs and respected educational classes for the public and industry. Paley’s best-in-class public programming offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences and exclusive access to today’s most talked about names through memorable programs that are entertaining, educational, and captivate audiences across generations. On the industry side, programs educate, inform, and lead the conversation on the rapidly evolving media landscape. Paley’s unmatched convening power offers unparalleled access to top industry CEOs, world dignitaries, and global thought leaders. At the heart of the institution is the Paley Archive—the largest publicly accessible collection of its kind—with more than 160,000 programs. Often referred to as a national treasure, this invaluable resource is available at The Paley Museum in New York and at the Beverly Hills Public Library in California and plays a central role in Paley’s respected educational initiatives that serve K-12 educators and students throughout the year.