Bandai Namco’s arcade icon drifts into Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds with a new DLC pack and a free PAC-MAN Festival that keeps the post-launch roadmap buzzing.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is picking up another heavyweight guest driver, as Sega confirms that Pac-Man is joining the grid this week alongside a free, time-limited PAC-MAN Festival event.
The paid Pac-Man Pack DLC arrives on 7 January 2026, adding Pac-Man as a fully playable racer complete with a themed vehicle and track that lean into classic maze-chasing nostalgia. Sega is positioning this as the third major character drop in the game’s Season Pass, following earlier crossovers and setting the stage for upcoming collaborations with Mega Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar: The Last Airbender later in the year. The ghosts are along for the ride too, appearing as part of the new course theming and visual flourishes that give Pac-Man’s corner of CrossWorlds a distinctive arcade glow.
If you are not ready to pick up the DLC immediately, the game still has something for you. From 8 January at 4pm PT / 7pm ET / 9 January at 12am GMT until 11 January at 3:59pm PT / 6:59pm ET / 11:59pm GMT, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will run the PAC-MAN Festival, a free in-game event that is open to all players regardless of whether they own the new pack. Festival races fold Pac-Man themed objectives and rewards into standard play, turning the track list into a celebration of fruit-chomping arcades without locking anyone out behind a paywall.
This approach is becoming a clear pattern for CrossWorlds. The game has already experimented with free add-ons like the NiGHTS DLC, and Pac-Man’s arrival continues that balance of paid character packs and no-cost events. For a racer built around wild, dimension-hopping circuits, bringing in guest stars keeps the roster feeling fresh while also giving players reasons to check back in on a regular basis.
It also underscores how Sega is treating Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds as a live racing platform rather than a one-and-done kart spin-off. Post-launch support has layered in new drivers, themed tracks and periodic festivals that temporarily change the tone of online lobbies, which helps the game feel more like an evolving theme park of Sega and partner IP. With Pac-Man’s debut, the Season Pass hitting its stride and several more crossovers already announced, CrossWorlds looks set to stay unusually lively for a Sonic racer long after its initial release.