Update [Thu 1st Oct 2026, 4pm]:

Talk about a well-timed release!

Just in time for spooky season, BillyTime!Games has just released the eagerly anticipated third major update for their ROM hack of Ghostbusters for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, which is now available to download for free on the ROM Hack Plaza.

As mentioned below, the headline announcement here is the introduction of animated versions of the four heroes (Winston Zeddemore, Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, and Peter Venkman), based on their depictions in the cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters, but that isn't the only change included this time around.

There are also two other characters that have been introduced (Kylie Griffin from the Extreme Ghostbusters and the crossover character, Crash Test Dummy, based on the toy line and animated TV series, The Incredible Crash Dummies), new cheat codes (God Mode, Invisible Buster Shots, 2x Money, Infinite Traps), new costume colours, a new mini-game, and new rewards for beating the game on normal, hard, and nightmare difficulties.

You can grab the latest version of the hack here.

Original Story [Wed 10th Jun 2026, 1pm]: Released on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1990 and jointly developed by Sega and Compile, Ghostbusters was a unique release.

Rather than attempt to follow the plot of the movies – released in 1984 and 1989 – it presented an entirely new storyline complete with cute, 'super deformed' representations of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler.

One character who was missing was Winston Zeddemore, an unforgivable omission that would be rectified many years later by BillyTime!Games, a prolific modder and ROM hacker, in Ghostbusters: Special Edition. This version was later expanded with new modes and additional characters, such as Janine Melnitz and Louis Tully.

BillyTime!Games has announced that he's returning to the game to create "the single largest upgrade" it has ever had.

The headline news here is that Ghostbusters: Special Edition 3.0 will introduce the animated versions of the four heroes, lifted from the cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters, which ran between 1986 and 1991.

"Each character serves some purpose and brings something unique to the table," says the developer. "Expect The Real Ghostbusters to offer a highly different experience to their prime counterparts."

BillyTime!Games adds that he is "currently working on very large secrets for the game, which necessitates some custom hardware/software due to some limitations of the original hardware. The game will still be playable, but certain features will be locked out."

He also says that players will be "handsomely rewarded for completing the game on various difficulties," which is why he's being quite coy about the project. "We want players to stumble upon what we have planned rather than outright announce it."

It is also stated that, due to bank switching for "some hidden stuff", the game may not function properly on certain emulators or flash carts. "Genesis Plus GX, Mega Everdrives Pro and The Sega Channel Revival MiSTer core by @iequalshane will be supported," confirms BillyTime!Games. "You can still play GB SE without these still, just the extra features won't be accessible."

The modder reveals that Ghostbusters Special Edition 3.0 will be such an epic undertaking that he might "take a break from ROM Hacking for a bit when it's all said and done."