Last Updated on July 19, 2026 by Maurya
Few movie licences carry as much nostalgic firepower as Ghostbusters, and IGT has gone back to the franchise well more than once. Ghostbusters Plus is the studio’s most ambitious attempt yet — a sequel to its 2011 original that swaps a straightforward branded slot for something closer to an arcade adventure, complete with ghost battles, ten unlockable levels, and an RTP that climbs the longer you play.
Having spent considerable time testing this game across desktop and mobile, we can say up front: this is not a typical spin-and-forget slot. It rewards persistence in a way very few online slots do, and that design choice will delight some players and frustrate others. In this in-depth Ghostbusters Plus slot review, we break down the mechanics, maths, features, and strategy so you know exactly what you’re strapping a proton pack on for.
Ghostbusters Plus Slot Specification
| Attribute | Details |
| Developer | IGT (International Game Technology) |
| Licence | Columbia Pictures (based on the 1984 film) |
| Reels / Rows | 5 reels, 3 rows |
| Paylines | 20 fixed, paying left to right |
| RTP | 93.99% – 98% (increases as you level up) |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Bet Range | 0.25 – 750 per spin |
| Max Win | Up to 5,000x your stake |
| Key Features | Ghost Battles, Ghost Wilds, Level Up system, Equipment upgrades, Zuul Free Spins |
| Platforms | Desktop, iOS, Android |
First Impressions: Theme, Graphics and Sound
Load the game and you’re dropped into a dark, rain-slicked New York street at night, flickering streetlights and all, with the iconic firehouse headquarters looming in the background and the Ecto-1 parked outside. It’s atmospheric without being genuinely scary — much like the film itself, the tone is more playful spookiness than horror.
The four original Ghostbusters — Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston — appear as photographic symbols on the reels, each given a distinctive colour tint. It’s an unusual visual treatment, but it works, and it firmly anchors the game in that beloved 1984 aesthetic rather than any of the later reboots. Card royals (J, Q, K and A) fill out the low-paying positions, while the Ghostbusters logo serves as the wild and the game’s most valuable symbol.
One note for purists: depending on the version and platform you play, you may not hear Ray Parker Jr.’s legendary theme tune in the base game. The original soundtrack IGT composed does a solid job of building eerie tension, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t miss the classic hook. It’s a small blemish on an otherwise lovingly crafted licensed product.
How to Play Ghostbusters Plus
Getting started is simple, even if the feature set isn’t:
- Set your stake. Bets run from a very accessible 0.25 per spin up to a high-roller-friendly 750, making the game workable for almost any bankroll.
- Spin the reels. Wins land when you hit three or more matching symbols on one of the 20 fixed paylines, always from the leftmost reel.
- Battle ghosts. This is where Ghostbusters Plus separates itself from the pack — and where our review gets interesting.
The Ghost Battle Feature: The Heart of the Game
The signature mechanic in Ghostbusters Plus is the Ghost Battle. On any base game spin, one of nine different ghost symbols can land on the middle reel (reel three). When it does, one of the Ghostbusters steps forward and fires up to three proton blasts at the spectre.
Every successful hit does two things:
- Awards Ghost Wilds — special wild symbols, often carrying multipliers of x3, x5 or x10, which are stored in a Ghost Queue at the bottom of the screen and deployed onto the reels on subsequent spins.
- Chips away at the ghost’s health meter. Deplete the meter entirely and you level up, permanently unlocking new features and better rewards for the rest of your session.
This creates a genuinely compelling loop. Even on spins that don’t pay directly, you’re making tangible progress — filling your wild queue, draining ghost health, edging toward the next level. In our testing, this “always advancing” feel is the single biggest reason the game is so easy to lose hours to.
The Level Up System: Ten Tiers of Escalating Rewards
Ghostbusters Plus is structured around ten levels, and this is where the game borrows heavily from video game design. Each level you clear unlocks either a new feature or an upgrade to an existing one. The journey starts at Level 1 with x3, x5 and x10 multiplier Ghost Wilds and the Proton Pack equipment feature, and by the time you reach Level 10, every feature in the game is live and can trigger on any spin.
The equipment upgrades deserve special mention. As you progress, your ghost-hunting gear improves, which translates into more wilds per battle and stronger modifiers. New, tougher ghosts also appear at higher levels, but defeating them yields correspondingly better rewards.
Crucially, this progression system isn’t just cosmetic — it directly affects the maths of the game, which brings us to the most important section of this review.
RTP and Volatility
Here is where Ghostbusters Plus does something almost unheard of in the slot world: its RTP increases as you level up.
- At Level 1, the theoretical return to player sits at roughly 93.99% — below the industry average of around 96%.
- By Level 2, it rises to about 94.33%, and by Level 4 you’re at roughly 95.18%.
- Reach Level 10 and the game plays at a remarkable 98% RTP — a figure that puts it among the highest-paying online slots available anywhere.
This is a double-edged sword, and any honest Ghostbusters Plus review needs to say so plainly. Casual players who dip in for twenty spins will experience a below-average game mathematically. Dedicated players who grind through the levels are rewarded with one of the most generous theoretical paybacks on the market. In effect, IGT has built a loyalty mechanic directly into the game’s maths.
Volatility is medium, which fits the design well. You’ll see frequent small interactions — ghost hits, queued wilds, minor line wins — punctuated by bigger moments when multiplier wilds stack up or the free spins land. The advertised maximum win is up to 5,000x your bet, a solid ceiling for a medium-variance title, and at max stake that’s a serious sum.
Zuul Free Spins: The Big One
Progression is fun, but let’s be honest — most players are ultimately hunting the Zuul Free Spins Bonus, triggered by landing three scatter symbols. The free spins round is where the Ghost Wilds you’ve banked and the multipliers you’ve unlocked can converge for the game’s biggest payouts.
Because your accumulated level and equipment upgrades carry into your session’s feature quality, free spins hit noticeably harder at higher levels. It’s another way the game incentivises the long haul: the same bonus round is simply more potent for a Level 8 player than a Level 2 player.
Our Hands-On Experience: What It’s Actually Like to Play
Numbers only tell half the story, so here’s our honest experience from extended play sessions.
The first few levels fly by quickly, even at minimum stake. There’s a steady drip of dopamine from every ghost blast, and the queue of stored wilds waiting to deploy gives every spin a sense of anticipation that standard slots simply don’t have. We found ourselves genuinely not minding modest early returns because the game constantly dangled the next unlock in front of us.
The flip side: reaching the upper levels takes patience and budget. If your sessions are short, you may repeatedly experience the least generous version of the game. Players who prefer instant gratification — big features from spin one — may find the slow build frustrating. Know which type of player you are before you commit.
On mobile, the game runs beautifully. The interface scales cleanly to smaller screens, ghost battles remain crisp and readable, and the low 0.25 minimum bet makes it a natural fit for casual mobile sessions on iOS and Android alike.
Ghostbusters Plus vs. the Original Ghostbusters Slot
How does the sequel stack up against IGT’s 2011 original? In almost every way, it’s an upgrade. The original was a competent branded slot with Slimer wilds and a Stay Puft bonus, but it played like a product of its era. Ghostbusters Plus adds genuine depth: persistent progression, a battle mechanic, equipment upgrades, and a climbing RTP. If you enjoyed the first game’s theme but wished it had more substance, the Plus edition is exactly that.
Pros and Cons
What we loved:
- Innovative Level Up system that makes every session feel like progress
- RTP that climbs to an exceptional 98% at Level 10
- Engaging Ghost Battle mechanic that breaks up standard spinning
- Faithful 1984 movie theme with the original cast on the reels
- Huge bet range (0.25 – 750) suits all bankrolls
- Excellent mobile optimisation
What could be better:
- Sub-average RTP (~94%) at early levels punishes short sessions
- Reaching Level 10 demands real time and patience
- The classic theme song is absent from some versions
- Feature complexity may overwhelm players who want simple gameplay
Verdict
Rating: 4.3 / 5
Ghostbusters Plus is one of the most inventive branded slots IGT has ever produced. By blending arcade-style ghost battles and a ten-level progression system with a genuinely meaningful RTP curve, it turns a familiar licence into something that plays unlike almost anything else in the casino lobby. The medium volatility, 5,000x win potential, and 98% ceiling RTP make it mathematically attractive for committed players, while the theme work will charm anyone who grew up with the film.
Our advice: treat it as a marathon, not a sprint. Play at stakes you can sustain across longer sessions, level up before judging the game’s generosity, and save your expectations for the Zuul Free Spins once your equipment is upgraded. Do that, and Ghostbusters Plus becomes one of the most rewarding movie slots money can buy.
Who you gonna call? On this evidence — IGT.
FAQs
What is the RTP of Ghostbusters Plus? The RTP ranges from 93.99% at Level 1 up to 98% at Level 10. The theoretical return improves as you progress through the game’s level system.
How many paylines does Ghostbusters Plus have? The game uses a 5×3 grid with 20 fixed paylines that pay from left to right. (Some casino listings display it with 25 lines depending on the market version, so check the paytable in your lobby.)
What is the maximum win? Ghostbusters Plus can pay up to 5,000x your total bet, with multiplier Ghost Wilds and free spins driving the biggest results.
Can I play Ghostbusters Plus for free? Yes. Most licensed casinos and review sites offer a free demo mode, which is a smart way to learn the Ghost Battle and Level Up mechanics before wagering real money.
Is Ghostbusters Plus available on mobile? Yes, the game is fully optimised for iOS and Android as well as desktop play.
Who developed Ghostbusters Plus? The game was created by IGT under official licence from Columbia Pictures, and it serves as the sequel to IGT’s original 2011 Ghostbusters slot.