Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick: Release Date, Shop Dates and How to Get It

Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick is arriving in the Item Shop with the new PAC-MAN arcade collection, and the important timing detail is that the global shop reset crosses two calendar dates. PAC-MAN has advertised the shop launch for September 18 in North America, while Bandai Namco press material lists the limited shop window as September 19 to September 25. For UK players, the global reset lands at 1:00 a.m. BST on September 19.

The Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick is a companion cosmetic rather than an Outfit. It runs beside your character, cannot be damaged, and includes its own Sidekick Emote plus familiar arcade music and sound effects. The exact V-Bucks price is still the one detail worth waiting for: until the live Item Shop card appears, any precise price circulating online is an estimate rather than a confirmed purchase cost.

How to get the Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick

Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick Image Epic Games.

To get the Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick, open Fortnite after the PAC-MAN shop section goes live, head to the Item Shop, find the PAC-MAN collection and purchase the companion from its live offer. It is not an unlock for defeating a Mecha Ghost, clearing Mega Maze or completing a Cheat Panel task. Those systems belong to the gameplay half of the crossover.

That distinction matters because Fortnite currently has two different PAC-MAN companions in circulation. The shop Sidekick is cosmetic. The PAC-MAN Sprite, which is based on Blinky from PAC-MAN: Snack Breaks, is a gameplay companion obtained through the in-game Cheat Panel and has a passive effect that can cloak its player and provide a brief invincibility effect after taking damage.

Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick release date and UK time

The Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick reaches the shop at the global Fortnite reset associated with September 18 in North America. Fortnite shop data resets at 00:00 UTC, which means the same rotation appears at 1:00 a.m. BST on September 19 in the UK. That explains why one official promotional post can say September 18 while Bandai Namco material describes the shop run as September 19 to September 25.

Players do not receive the crossover later in the UK. It is one worldwide rotation happening at the same moment, with the local calendar already past midnight in Britain and much of Europe.

What is included in the PAC-MAN Item Shop collection?

The Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick is only one part of the limited arcade collection. Bandai Namco has confirmed a PAC-MAN Back Bling, PAC-MAN Gloves Pickaxe and new Kicks alongside the companion, with more arcade-themed cosmetics also referenced in the rollout.

Item	What is confirmed
PAC-MAN Sidekick	Invincible animated cosmetic companion with a Sidekick Emote, arcade jingles and sound effects
PAC-MAN Back Bling	Reactive design that cycles from Cherry to Orange to Galaxian as eliminations are earned
PAC-MAN Gloves Pickaxe	PAC-MAN themed harvesting tool
Kicks	New PAC-MAN themed footwear

The older PAC-MAN cosmetic set is also relevant because the franchise previously appeared in Fortnite in 2022. The current collection expands that collaboration instead of replacing it, so check the live shop carefully before buying if you already own an older PAC-MAN item.

How much does the Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick cost?

The exact Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick price has not been confirmed in a live Epic shop card at the time of this update. It is better to leave that number open for a few more hours than publish an estimated V-Bucks amount as fact. Once the offer is active, the Item Shop itself will settle both the standalone cost and whether Epic has bundled the companion with the other new cosmetics.

If a bundle appears, compare the live bundle total against any pieces you already own. Fortnite normally adjusts bundle pricing when an account owns included cosmetics, but the only reliable figure for this specific collection is the amount shown to your account in the shop.

Is PAC-MAN a skin in Fortnite?

No. The Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick does not turn PAC-MAN into a normal playable Outfit. The yellow arcade character is being used as a Sidekick, which avoids stretching him into a humanoid skin and lets him keep his familiar shape while following the player around.

The wider crossover is much bigger than the shop item. Mecha Ghost mini bosses are active around the island, with higher spawn rates around the PAC-MAN themed islands, while the PAC-MAN Sprite has its own gameplay effect. Our Fortnite Pac-Man Ghosts guide covers the combat side separately.

How long is the PAC-MAN collection available?

Bandai Namco lists the Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick and the new arcade cosmetics as a limited Item Shop run from September 19 through September 25. That makes this a shorter window than the gameplay crossover, because the Mecha Ghosts and PAC-MAN Sprites are scheduled to remain in Fortnite through October 31.

If you only want the Sidekick or cosmetic collection, do not use the October date as your buying deadline. The gameplay content lasts longer than the shop window.

What should you check when the shop resets?

• Confirm the standalone Sidekick price before spending V-Bucks.
• Check whether the full PAC-MAN collection has a discounted bundle.
• Look for the PAC-MAN Gloves Pickaxe, reactive Back Bling and Kicks alongside the companion.
• If you already own the older PAC-MAN cosmetics, check whether the bundle price adjusts for owned items.

The useful answer for the Fortnite Pac-Man Sidekick is now much clearer than it was before v42.20. The companion has a confirmed limited shop window and a confirmed cosmetic lineup around it. The only buying detail still worth holding back is the exact V-Bucks price until the live Fortnite offer appears.

You can also check the official Fortnite website and the official PAC-MAN website for first-party crossover material.