This is a list of maze video games by type.
Top-down maze games
While the character in a maze would have a limited view, the player is able to see much or all of the maze.
Maze chase games are a specific subset of the overhead perspective. They're listed in a separate section.
First-person maze games
These are games where the player moves through a maze while attempting to reach the exit, sometimes having to avoid or fight enemies. Despite a 3D perspective, the mazes in most of these games have 2D layouts when viewed from above. Some first-person maze games follow the design of
Pac-Man, but from the point of view of being in the maze.
First-person maze games are differentiated from more diversified first-person party-based RPGs, dungeon crawlers, first-person shooters, and by their emphasis on navigation of largely abstracted maze environments.
Maze chase games
This subgenre is exemplified by
Namco's
Pac-Man (1980),
[ where the goal is to clear a maze of dots while being pursued. Pac-Man spawned many sequels and Pac-Man clones which, in Japan, are often called "dot eat games". Other maze chases aren't about getting all the dots or items, and the goal is to clear the maze of the pursuers themselves (e.g., Pengo, Guzzler, Jungler).
]
Grid capture games
In grid capture games, also called line coloring games, the maze consists of lines, and the goal is to capture rectangular areas by traversing their perimeters. The gameplay is not fundamentally different from Pac-Man (players still have to navigate the entire maze to complete a level) but enough games have used the grid motif that it is a distinct style. One unique element is that it is possible to capture multiple rectangles simultaneously, usually for extra points. Amidar established the model for this subgenre.
