There have been plenty of Ghostbusters games across all platforms in the years since Egon, Ray, Winston, and Peter first busted onto screens in 1984, and they run the gamut from classic licensed cash-in to carefully constructed homage.
The first Ghostbusters game Nintendo fans got their hands on was a NES port of the David Crane-designed 1984 home computer game, but in the decades since there has been a good selection of spooky emissions on Nintendo platforms, several of which rank among the very best Ghostbusters games anywhere.
Below you'll find a full list of every Ghostbusters game that has come to Nintendo systems — including the recently released (on Switch) Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed — as ranked by you, Nintendo Life readers. We're ready to believe you.
Remember: The order below is governed by each game's User Rating in our games database and is subject to real-time change depending on its score, even as you read this! Something weird and it don't look good? No need to call anyone — simply click the star rating and assign a score from 1-10 to exert your personal influence on the ranking. (You'll have to refresh the page to see any changes take effect.)
Before we begin, it's worth noting that while Nintendo platforms have arguably cleaned up the town when it comes to the best Ghostbusters games, we also have a lot of affection for the 1990 Genesis / Mega Drive Ghostbusters which, sadly, doesn't appear below as it has never been released on a Nintendo platform. Feel free to let us know in the comments if there are other games in the series that you've enjoyed elsewhere.
So, let's strap on a Proton Pack, heat 'em up, and make our way through the mass hysteria to take a look at the best (and worst) Ghostbusters games ever to grace Nintendo systems...
11. Ghostbusters (NES)
Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light. That would be more enjoyable than playing Ghostbusters on NES.
This was a deeply unattractive and unsatisfying NES port of David Crane's Ghostbusters: The Computer Game. With a heavy emphasis on resource management (including equipment, fuel, and finances), it sees you driving around New York City cleaning up spook-infested buildings for cash to buy upgrades and, eventually, take on Gozer after an ultra-tedious stair-climbing section which apparently, hilariously, adapts the jump cut in the movie when they're crawling to the top of Dana Barrett's building — you know, the bit where the Ghostbusters are exhausted by the unending staircase. This game may not make you throw up, but it tries.
10. Extreme Ghostbusters (GBC)
Only ever released in Europe, this GBC game was based on the 1997 follow-up series to The Real Ghostbusters. 2001's Extreme Ghostbusters is a side-on platformer which has you switching between 'busters and zapping ghosts as you complete missions assigned to you by Egon and Janine. It's got some decent character animation, but repetition and turgid controls make this one for GB — be that Ghostbusters or Game Boy — completionists only.
9. Ghostbusters II (NES)
Compared to the first film's NES iteration, Activision's Ghostbusters II isn't total dump, but it is the very definition of a disappointing licensed game. Released many months after the film it was based on, Imagineering's tie-in is a fairly basic side-scrolling platformer/shooter with visual echoes of David Crane's original home computer Ghostbusters. You blast ghosts shooter-style in various settings; on foot, of course, but also while driving Ecto-1 (which can 'jump' over hurdles and holes) and piloting Lady Liberty herself just as in the film, although a NES Advantage stick isn't a requirement this time.
Far from the worst 8-bit licensed game in the world, it's just incredibly repetitive and exceptionally dull. Definitely the second-best Ghostbusters II game on NES.
8. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (DS)
A loose, cartoon-y adaptation of the game that appeared on home console platforms, Ghostbusters: The Video Game on DS has more of an action RPG flavour and is the only version where you actually play as one of the four original Ghostbusters and not the rookie recruit. Played from a top-down perspective, you command the other three 'busters you're not directly controlling and wander around NYC upgrading the team and generally doing what makes 'busters feel good.
Driving sections have you negotiating the foggy streets of Manhattan and offer some variety, but the DS game starts to grate after a while. It's passable paranormal fare, but certainly not a patch on its home console brethren.
7. Extreme Ghostbusters: Code Ecto-1 (GBA)
Unlike its GBC predecessor, Extreme Ghostbusters: Code Ecto-1 did get a US release, where it lost the subtitle. It added Ecto-1 driving sections and the GBA's additional power meant this run-and-gun platformer looked a lot better, too. The animation of Eduardo and Kylie (Garrett and Roland have been kidnapped in this one) was pretty good, but it's still an inessential entry in the Ghostbusters' video game canon.
6. The Real Ghostbusters (GB)
A Ghostbusters game in name only, this entry in Kemco's convoluted Crazy Castle series starred Mickey Mouse in Japan and Garfield in Europe, but US players got to control Peter Venkman as he negotiated its puzzle-platforming with yet another 8-bit rendition Ghostbusters theme blasting out of the handheld's tinny speaker.
So, ironically, this Real Ghostbusters game isn't a real Ghostbusters game at all. In fact, it's a rip-off of P.P. Hammer and his Pneumatic Weapon for the Amiga and Commodore 64. You can check out our feature on the Crazy Castle series for more details, if you're interested:
Conglaturation!!! You have completed a great list. Spooked by that ranking? Who ya gonna call? Us for a multi-hour discussion about how Ghostbusters II (the film) is an underrated, more-than-worthy follow-up to the original?... Oh, not us. Ghostbusters. Figures.
Let us know below where your favourite falls, and don't forget that, even now, you can influence the ranking above by clicking on the stars and rating any of the games. Happy bustin'!
About Gavin Lane
Gavin loves a bit of couch co-op, especially when he gets to delegate roles, bark instructions and give much-appreciated performance feedback at the end. He lives in Spain (the plain-y bit where the rain mainly falls) and his love for Banjo-Kazooie borders on the unhealthy.
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Comments 28
Luigi's Mansion is the best Ghostbusters game.
Ghostbusters The Video Game Remastered is way too low on this list. I haven’t gotten to play Spirits Unleashed yet so I can’t say if it’s better than that or not but I remember when this game first came out it was hands down the best game ever offered in the franchise. So what if it’s not really much of a remaster the game already looked great when it first released. It’s still the same great game and should easily have been in the top 3
Ah I recently played through the 2009 Ghostbusters for the first time in years. As a huge fan of the films, it’s a real treat just wandering around the fire house and interacting with the ghostbusters, (and Vigo). It’s a small wonder they got them all back to record the dialogue for this, and it’s a decent game to boot.
I really oughta give the wii ghostbusters a chance. I remember at the time I kind of resented it, all I had was a wii, and was missing out on the ghostbusters game on ps3/xb360, with the shinier realistic graphics.
Showing my age a bit here, but I haven't played a ghost busters game since I had it on my zx spectrum in 1984, digitised speech and a at the time, rocking rendition of ray parker juniors theme tune in 8 bit chip tune were the highlights. "He slimed me", brilliant
The only Ghostbusters games I've played are the original on the Spectrum (which was excellent for it's time and must have been substantially different to the NES port for the latter to be so reviled) and the Switch remaster of the 2009 which I thought was absolutely brilliant. Apart from finding the new proton pack variants a bit gimmicky and gamey it was really well done. Definitely made me feel like a Real Ghostbuster.
Luigi all the way. Such a good series
If there’s any franchise that’s had a rough go as a video game IP, despite the fact that it should theoretically work as a video game IP, it’s Ghostbusters. New Ghostbusters 2 does deserve a second chance among the living and, as I said in the comments for Spirits Unleashed, it’s got the bones for a better single player title.
I do wish I liked the 2009 game more. The story is a lot of fun, but, man, the gameplay is clunky at the best of times and frustrating at the worst. It’s a wonder they got the four of them back together in an era before video games had many celebrities attached to them.
But, man, there are some baaaaad Ghostbusters games… That first NES game, man, I remember renting that one and feeling like my parents got ripped off for their $1 rental.
This list is just sad.
I wonder if we'll get a Ghostbusters Collection like we did with TMNT and Jurassic Park?
Go SEGA and try the Mega Drive game, it' quite good! The 2009 remaster is the best for me of those I've played, I played it first on PS3, followed by the Wii version. The NES version isn't as good as the C64 version in my opinion, which is the one I played back in the 80s.
I had no idea there were two Ghostbusters II's on the NES, which is why I was scratching my head reading entry #9 and thinking 'Wait, Ghostbusters II on the NES was a sidescroller?' Good to know I had a copy of the actual enjoyable version.
I always fancied giving the 2009 game a go due to it managing to reunite the original cast and at the time being treated as the closest we were ever likely to get to a proper sequel. Telltale's BTTF game had appeal for similar reasons and sadly I never got around to that either. Too many games and life's too short to play them all.
No. List is wrong. The people are wrong. A couple of decent games in the list the order is just wrong.
What, no mention of the NES game's main claim to fame: the ending?
"Conglaturation! You have completed a great game!"
@smoreon Go rest our heroes.
The Wii game is very underappreciated. There's not many Ghostbusters games that even come close imo. I wish the new VR Ghostbusters game was closer to that than what we got at least.
I just didn't remember there were two Ghostubsters 2 games on the NES, so I was shocked when I saw one of them ranked so low. I knew it was a great game back in the day! Now I understand it
The Wii game is really good (and I didn't know the European cover art was so nice! Very different from the American one). I've got the Remastered version on the Xbox One and it's so fun!
Now I need to play the Switch games, especially the new release
In summary, except for Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which I played on PS3, the list is rubbish.
It’s funny, till the Switch and the remastered 2009 game (which I loved) I only played Ghostbuster games on Sega consoles.
The Master System game was decent fun (I think that was a port of the David Crane game?), and I played and enjoyed the Genesis/MD game a lot.
The 2009 game was a real treat to play though, with the original cast reprising their roles, and writing the screenplay for the game. It was Harold Ramis’ curtain call, sadly.
I’ll actually try out Spirits Unleashed this weekend. Playing as a ghost and harassing the ‘busters sounds like it could be fun. We’ll see if it topples my favorite! 👻 🚫
New Ghostbusters II is so damn good. Such a shame we didn't get it here in the states.
The only such title I had ever played was for Sega Master System (I imagine a carbon copy of its NES counterpart). Would definitely consider playing ‘again’ if were added to the Online service.
Ghostbusters on the Wii is the best Ghostbusters game ever made in my opinion, I do like the HD version of the same game but the Wii version ironically was the best in my opinion. There were enemies and locations added in!
The pixel ghosts that jumped out of the arcade cabinets were a particular stand out
Just played the 2009 game on Switch, and it's just amazing how successful it is as a sequel to the originals compared to the misguided attempts to continue the franchise in film. It even managed to match the breezy, riffy humor that modern adaptations routinely fail to approximate.
That said, the age of the game is felt in its at-times cumbersome control scheme, and occasionally obtuse objectives. There were times when my Ghostbuster partner would repeat the same dialogue again and again indicating how to proceed, only for me having to look up a walkthrough anyway because the clue was too vague. Then there were the times the game glitched, preventing certain events from triggering and soft-locking the game, requiring a reset from the last checkpoint.
Is there a reason why the Wii/PS2 version of the game was ranked higher, like not having the problems described? Because the downgraded visuals were a HUGE turnoff for me back in the day.
I did not know there were more then like 4 Ghostbusters games
@dartmonkey What makes Ghostbusters NES even better is that poor Japanese players who played the port two years earlier who stuck through to see the ending, found out it wasn't even properly functional. The game had the same text scroll (though it had an extra English mistake or two), but a programming mistake made the font invisible. So they just got a black screen with the text "riri".
Unfortunately Europe got BOTH NES Ghostbusters II games (the 'good one' and the bad one). I wonder how confusing that was. No other region had that.
Didn't even know a New GB2 existed, wow. From HAL too? I'd definitely play it.
@KevynOnVideo That is because it was based on one of the three original scripts Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis wrote for 'Ghostbusters 3' and Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis were heavily involved in the creation of the video game even coming up with backstories for all the ghosts and items in it. The Ghostbusters originally crossed over to the Ghost World in Dan Aykroyd's original script for 'Ghostbusters' too which was going to be a serious Horror movie before they changed it and added the comedy elements.
I didn't mind 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' and I am looking forward to seeing the sequel to it next year but they should have based it on one of the other two scripts Dan and Harold wrote for 'Ghostbusters 3' or had Dan write the movie.
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