The album was originally released on LP, cassette, and 8-track tape in January 1982, and was later completely re-recorded for re-release on CD in 1999 and 2002.

The title song, "Pac-Man Fever", was released as a single in December 1981 and became a top 10 hit, peaking at #9 in March 1982 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] and earning gold certification by the RIAA for selling over one million copies;[3] the single sold 2.5 million copies in total as of 2008.

[4] It had been released independently earlier in the year on the BGO Records label, before being picked up by CBS.

The album's second single, "Do the Donkey Kong", peaked at #3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

When Buckner & Garcia re-recorded "Mousetrap" for the release, they were unable to find a copy of the arcade game anywhere, so they instead recorded dog and cat sounds at a pet store.