- AirConsole launches on six Volkswagen models with 20 games.
- Smartphones become controllers while the vehicle is parked.
- Gaming requires VW’s $149-per-year In-Vehicle Premium subscription.
Cars are increasingly becoming computers on wheels, so perhaps it was inevitable that we’d eventually start treating them like game consoles, too. Volkswagen is taking that next step for 2027, adding N-Dream’s AirConsole gaming to several of its U.S. models. The system lets you play everything from Tetris to Pac-Man on the car’s infotainment screen. There is, naturally, a subscription involved, because how could these games work without an internet connection?
AirConsole will be offered on the 2027 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan, Golf GTI, Golf R, and ID. Buzz. Volkswagen says that makes it the first volume-market automaker to offer the gaming platform in the United States. Notably, AirConsole is already available through premium brands including BMW. Tesla has also offered gaming in its cars for years via a different method.
More: Porsche’s Electric Crossover Just Got A Lot More Fun And Capable
The setup here is interesting, as players scan a QR code on the infotainment display and use their smartphones as controllers. Multiple occupants can then play together, although Volkswagen stresses that the vehicle has to be parked. At launch, there will be 20 games available, including Tetris, UNO Car Party!, and PAC-MAN Championship Edition. Some compatible models will even tie the car’s ambient lighting into the games, allowing the cabin lights to react to what’s happening on screen.
VW has also commissioned some appropriately shameless branded content. Its custom version of Pac-Man replaces power pellets with Volkswagen logos and swaps the traditional bonus fruit for iconic VW vehicles. Other games, including Golazo! and Memory Match, will receive Volkswagen-specific content as well.
The catch is that AirConsole isn’t simply another feature baked permanently into the car. It’s part of Volkswagen’s In-Vehicle Premium connected-services package. Buyers of the 2027 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan, and Golf models get three months included, while ID. Buzz owners receive a year. Once that complimentary period expires, the service costs $149 annually.
That subscription also covers other connected features, including Wi-Fi hotspot capability, Premium Navigation, and Premium Speech, depending on the model. Still, anyone primarily interested in turning their VW into a giant Tetris machine will effectively be staring at another significant recurring charge.
Whether that’s worth $149 a year probably depends on how much time you spend sitting around in your parked car. For parents waiting through soccer practice, EV owners killing time at a charger, or anyone otherwise stuck in their car for a while, having a multiplayer game console already built into the dashboard might not be the worst thing in the world.
