Ghostbusters

Stern Pinball, 2016 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open Ghostbusters in the Pinball Genie app →

Designed by John Trudeau, Ghostbusters is built around collecting Ghosts as its core currency, three parallel scene ladders themed to the movie, and a heavy emphasis on playfield multipliers. It ships in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition variants sharing an identical rule set — Premium/LE add a physical subway ball-lock, Ecto Goggles Pepper's-ghost effect, magnetic slingshots, and a harder-routed right ramp, but score identically to Pro shot-for-shot.

Skill Shot

Every ball offers two simultaneous, untimed picks: a P-K-E top lane (left flipper button) and one of six playfield shots shown as a blue arrow (right flipper button). Either successful shot pays roughly 1M + 5% of your current score plus its specific award (top-lane awards include Bonus X, playfield multiplier lighting, and Super Jackpot value; playfield-shot awards mostly start a scene or advance ghost/video-mode progress).

Ghosts and Milestones

Ghosts are captured at any of the game's lit-insert shots, by defeating Slimer, completing scenes, and via Storage Facility jackpots. Milestones unlock content automatically: 20 ghosts lights Tobin's Spirit Guide (a 3-5 prize mystery award), 40 lights the "Negative Reinforcement on E.S.P. Ability" video mode, ~49 lights an Extra Ball, 60 starts Loopin' Supers, 80 starts PKE Frenzy, and 100 starts Mass Hysteria Multiball.

Scene Ladders (9 "Scenes" total)

Three ladders, each started at a different shot, must be cleared scene-by-scene:

• Public Library (Left Scoop, 2 scenes): Spooked Librarian → Back Off, Man!
• Sedgewick Hotel (Left Ramp, 3 scenes): We Got One! → He Slimed Me! → The Ballroom
• Dana Barrett's Apartment (Right Orbit, 4 scenes): Okay, Who Brought the Dog? → Spook Central → Gozer the Gozerian → Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Completing a scene relights its ladder's start shot so you can chain immediately into the next one.

Multiballs

• Storage Facility Multiball — light via the Triple Newton Ball/Tobin's/Pop Bumpers, lock 3 balls at the Left Ramp, then recapture every released ghost for escalating Jackpots and three Super Jackpots.
• Mass Hysteria Multiball — auto-starts at 100 ghosts; a 6-ball multiball with flippers reversed for the entire duration (its biggest drain risk).
• We Came, We Saw, We Kicked Its... (mini-wizard) — qualifies by finishing any single ladder; a 2-4 ball multiball where literally every shot pays a flat Super Jackpot, farmed by hammering the Left Ramp.

Multipliers

Two standups flank the Left Ramp entrance: 2X and 3X Playfield, which stack multiplicatively to 6X on nearly all scoring — the single biggest scoring lever in the game, best saved for the start of a mode or multiball. Bonus X (end-of-ball multiplier) builds separately via the P skill-shot lane, Pop Bumpers, and Tobin's.

Combos and Farms

The Left Ramp is the hub of nearly every repeatable scoring pattern: Collecting Gear (loop the ramp, cash in at the Library standups), Loopin' Supers (continuously-lit Super Jackpots for ~21 seconds), and the We Came We Saw jackpot farm. On the right side, River of Slime (Right Orbit → Right Scoop) and PKE Frenzy (Right Ramp jackpots fed by a decaying switch-built multiplier) mirror the same build-and-collect structure.

Wizard Modes

Completing all 3 ladders (9 scenes) auto-starts "We're Ready to Believe You!" — a 4-ball multiball racing to collect 100 ghosts in 60 seconds across rising ranks (Junior → "Maybe a God?"). Reaching 100 ghosts inside it triggers the final "Are You a God?" — Level 1 runs two named 10-second two-shot combos (Left Ramp→Left Scoop, Right Orbit→Right Scoop), Level 2 runs a 7-link forced chain (Slimer → Librarian → Terror Dog → Gozer → both Scoleri Brothers → Right Orbit → Left Ramp), and Level 3 banks a 1-billion-point bonus before a 6-ball victory-lap multiball.

Notable Hazards

This is a physically unforgiving Trudeau design: a wide flipper gap, a center GHOST target that can send airballs straight down the middle, Scoleri Brothers drop targets that can fling the ball over the flippers, and double-inlane geometry that turns near-misses into drains. Play controlled, not desperate, around the multiplier standups and center targets.

Goals in Ghostbusters

Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.

• Two-Part Skill Shot skillshot · Easy

  Select a top-lane P-K-E award with the left flipper and a playfield shot with the right flipper before you plunge — both can pay out on the same plunge.

  Reward: 1M + 5% of score per successful pick (both can pay out) + starts a scene immediately if the ladder-start shot lands

• Right Scoop Skill Shot (Don't Cross the Streams) skillshot · Medium

  Set the blue-arrow skill shot to the Right Scoop every ball to light the 'Don't Cross the Streams' video mode — a near-guaranteed ~60M score floor used by tournament players.

  Reward: 1M + 5% of score + lights 'Don't Cross the Streams' video mode, a near-guaranteed ~60M score floor

• Collecting Gear (Gear Combo) combo · Easy

  The game's most repeatable combo: loop the Left Ramp as many times as you want to inflate a pending Gear award, then cash it in at the Library standups before it times out.

  Reward: One of 5 Gear pieces + points at the Library standups, plus ~300 PKE per Left Ramp loop while building

• River of Slime combo · Easy

  Build a hurry-up at the Right Orbit, collect it at the Right Scoop — collecting relights the same award so you can repeat it.

  Reward: Banks the River of Slime hurry-up value at the Right Scoop, which relights the award for repeat farming

• Loopin' Supers combo · Medium

  Once lit (60 ghosts, or a Tobin's award), Super Jackpots are continuously lit at the Left Ramp for roughly 21 seconds — loop it as many times as you can before the timer runs out.

  Reward: 5M+ Super Jackpot per Left Ramp loop (boosted by spinner level) for ~21 seconds; best stacked under 6X

• Symmetrical Book Stacking combo · Medium

  Hit the right captive ball (Single Newton Ball) to arm a feature, then hit it again within 10 seconds to start it — first in the cycle is the Scoleri Brothers drop-target duel.

  Reward: Dropping both Scoleri Brothers within the 10-second window lights 3 Super Jackpots

• PKE Frenzy Farm combo · Medium

  A 40-second frenzy where every switch scores and an uncapped jackpot sits lit at the Right Ramp — trivially farmable on Pro since the ramp kicks straight back to the right flipper.

  Reward: Jackpot = 1,000 x PKE level x multiplier (caps at 12x) per Right Ramp hit during the 40-second frenzy

• Storage Facility Multiball multiball · Medium

  Light the lock at the Triple Newton Ball, lock three balls at the Left Ramp, then recapture every ghost for three Super Jackpots.

  Reward: Scaling Jackpot per ghost recaptured, then 3 Super Jackpots at the Left Ramp once every ghost is back

• Mass Hysteria Multiball multiball · Hard

  Auto-starts at 100 ghosts collected — a 6-ball multiball with flippers reversed for the entire mode.

  Reward: 6-ball multiball; conventional jackpot shots build toward a Super Jackpot, played with flippers reversed

• We Came, We Saw, We Kicked Its... (Mini-Wizard) multiball · Medium

  Complete any one ladder (Library, Sedgewick, or Apartment) to qualify a 2-4 ball multiball where every shot pays a flat Super Jackpot.

  Reward: Every shot is a flat Super Jackpot: ~6.25M rising 750K/shot to a 30M cap, plus a 100M Super Jackpot

• Spooked Librarian mode · Easy

  First scene of the Library ladder — 3 shots to any combination of four lit shots clears it fast.

  Reward: Clears the scene for ~18.5M via 3 Left Ramp loops; advances the Public Library ladder

• We Got One! mode · Easy

  First scene of the Sedgewick Hotel ladder — alternate left and right shots to move the Ecto-1 along.

  Reward: Completes the scene, advancing the Sedgewick Hotel ladder toward He Slimed Me!

• Okay, Who Brought the Dog? mode · Easy

  First scene of Dana Barrett's Apartment ladder — one hit each on three shots, themed around fleeing the Terror Dog.

  Reward: ~21M total for the scene; advances Dana Barrett's Apartment ladder toward Spook Central

• Stay Puft Marshmallow Man mode · Hard

  The Apartment ladder's climactic 4th scene — pick a multiplier, unload unlimited shots, then finish at the Right Orbit.

  Reward: 3.5M + 125K per shot x your locked multiplier in Phase 2, plus a final Right Orbit payout off everything accrued

• Playfield Multiplier (2X/3X/6X) multiplier · Medium

  Light both standups flanking the Left Ramp for a multiplicative 6X on nearly all scoring — save the cash-in for right before a mode or multiball.

  Reward: Up to 6X multiplicative on nearly all scoring while both the 2X and 3X targets are lit

• Bonus X (End-of-Ball Multiplier) multiplier · Easy

  Stack Bonus X across balls via the P skill-shot lane, Pop Bumpers, and Tobin's, then hold your bonus to cash a big multiplied payout at ball end.

  Reward: Stacks Bonus X from the P lane (+3 to +5), Pop Bumpers (+1X/+3X), and Tobin's (+3X) to multiply your end-of-ball bonus

• We're Ready to Believe You! (Main Wizard Mode) wizard · Hard

  Complete all 3 ladders (9 scenes total) to auto-start a 4-ball multiball racing to collect 100 ghosts in 60 seconds.

  Reward: 4-ball multiball racing to 100 ghosts in 60 seconds; each rank-up (Junior to 'Maybe a God?') adds a ball with ball-save

• Are You a God? (Super Wizard Mode) wizard · Hard

  Reach 100 ghosts inside We're Ready to Believe You! to trigger the final 3-level wizard mode, ending in a 6-ball victory-lap multiball.

  Reward: 1-billion-point bonus (x playfield multiplier) then a 6-ball victory-lap multiball with all shots lit for escalating jackpots

• Beginner: First 30 Seconds strategy · Easy

  The lowest-friction on-ramp: take whatever Start Scene shot is already lit, plunge into it, and let scene-chaining carry you.

  Reward: Starts a scene immediately off the plunge and keeps the ladder chain going; GHOST hits on a whiff give a second on-ramp

• Best Opener Shot Sequence strategy · Medium

  The concrete soft-plunge-and-backhand opener that banks the skill shot and starts a scene on the very first shot.

  Reward: 1M + 5% of score skill shot + starts the first scene in one hit; sets up 2X/3X readiness via Gear Combo loops

• Tournament Money Path strategy · Medium

  The highest-percentage scoring plan: rush one full ladder to light We Came We Saw We Kicked Its rather than grinding for ghost-count multiballs cold.

  Reward: Flat, predictable Super Jackpots via We Came We Saw We Kicked Its — one good run is enough for a good tournament score

• Right Captive Ball Cycle mode · Medium

  The right captive ball hands out features in a fixed order — Scoleri Brothers, Terror Dog twice, then Gozer. Arm it, restart it inside ten seconds, and work all the way through the cycle.

  Reward: Each stage of the cycle in turn: Scoleri Brothers duel, two Terror Dog features, then Gozer

• Tobin's Spirit Guide strategy · Easy

  The Left Scoop hands out a random award from a strong pool — bonus multiplier, lit playfield X, a queued multiball, a frenzy. Keep it lit and collect it whenever the scoop is free.

  Reward: One random award from the Tobin's pool: +3X bonus, lit 2X, Storage Facility lit, Loopin' Supers, PKE Frenzy, and similar