Welcome to our Ghostbusters NES section. Activision’s original 1984 Ghostbusters game had a long, strange life across the Apple II, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, IBM PCjr and Tandy 1000, MSX, Sega Master System, and eventually the Famicom and NES. The Nintendo version came later and has its own feel, but it is still very much part of that early wave of Ghostbusters game history.
If you are here because this game always seemed a little confusing, you are in the right place. This section pulls together the main walkthrough, the support guides, the typed-up instruction booklet, the back-of-the-box text, and a way to try the earlier Apple II version online. In other words, this is the place to get your bearings before you start driving around New York, buying gear, and trying not to turn a shaky run into a Zuul problem.
Release, developer, and credits
This NES version of Ghostbusters was developed by Bits Laboratory and published in North America by Activision in October 1988. In Japan, the Famicom version was published earlier by Tokuma Shoten on September 22, 1986.
The game traces back to David Crane‘s original 1984 design for Activision. For the NES branch specifically, the credited composer is Tadashi Sou, which helps explain why this version has its own musical personality compared with some of the earlier computer releases.
- Developer (NES): Bits Laboratory
- Publisher (North America): Activision
- Publisher (Japan/Famicom): Tokuma Shoten
- Original designer: David Crane
- NES composer: Tadashi Sou
- Players: 1
- Genre: Action
How long to beat Ghostbusters (NES – 1984)
Ghostbusters on the NES is a short game once the map loop and equipment economy click. Most players can expect a run of around an hour for the main story, with a longer session if they are learning the systems, experimenting with purchases, or replaying it to clean up their strategy.
- Main Story: About 1 hour 6 minutes
- Main + Extras: About 3 hours 16 minutes
- Completionist: About 21 minutes*
*That completionist number is based on a single user submission, so treat it more like a curiosity than a serious benchmark.
Source: HowLongToBeat – Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters (NES) Walkthrough and Strategy Guide
If you want the clearest place to start, head to the main walkthrough and strategy guide. That page covers the full run from the opening shop visit through the endgame, and the support pages break out the parts of the game players usually need the most help with.
- Ghostbusters (NES) Walkthrough and Strategy Guide – The main guide for shopping, routing, building captures, headquarters timing, PK pressure, Zuul, and Gozer.
- Ghostbusters (NES) Equipment and Shop Items – What to buy first, what can wait, and what matters most near the endgame.
- Ghostbusters (NES) City Map and Building Guide – How to route the map, choose buildings, manage gas, and know when to head back to HQ.
- Ghostbusters (NES) Ghosts, Enemies, and Bosses – A practical look at the threats that actually shape the run.
- How to Beat Zuul and Gozer in Ghostbusters (NES) – The focused page for the final push.
- Ghostbusters (NES) Instruction Booklet – A typed-up version of the manual that came with the game.
Description from the back of the box
Contents of this box:
- Paranormal activity.
- Ghostbusters Headquarters.
- One Marshmallow Man.
- Ghost-catching gear.
- One hit song.
- Slime.
- Laser Stream Throwers.
- One ectomobile.
- One street map.
- One Temple of Zuul.
- And a zillion ghosts.
Play Activision’s Ghostbusters (1984) video game online
If you want to mess with the earlier computer-era version in your browser, we have that here too.
- Ghostbusters for Apple 2 – A browser-play option for the Apple II version of Activision’s original 1984 game.