n Pac-Man World Rally, up to four players race as characters from the Pac-Man series and other Namco games to be the first to win. On every track, there are Pac-Boxes containing items that the player can use to give themselves a boost or hinder their opponents. Players can perform powerslides to turn around sharp corners, receiving a quick boost of speed if performed successfully. As a player performs a powerslide, it will begin to fill their Guardian Meter; each time it fills, players will be granted a Guardian, which can be deployed to temporarily shield them from all attacks.[2]
By driving over a fruit button, that fruit will appear on the race track; players who collect a fruit will gain access to specific shortcuts on the track, giving them the opportunity to overtake their opponents.[3] Additionally, players can collect Pac-Dots on the track that fill their Pac-Meter; when it is full, the player can activate a temporary transformation into the Pac-Mobile, a vehicle that gives them a boost of speed and allows them to eat and temporarily incapacitate other racers.[2]
The main gameplay mode of Pac-Man World Rally is Circuit Mode, in which players race across four consecutive tracks for the most points; players will unlock new content through progression in this mode, including additional characters, tracks, and items. Players can also play single races in Quick Race mode, or play a Time Trial challenge to finish a track in the fastest time possible. A Battle mode allows players to compete in arenas in five different battle types: Deathmatch, in which players must achieve a set number of eliminations; Free For All, in which players must eliminate the most opponents within the time limit; Last Kart Driving, in which players attempt to be the last one eliminated; Binge, in which players attempt to collect the most fruit within a time limit; and Classic, in which players compete to collect the most Pac-Dots.[3]