Ghostbusters movies in order: How to watch in chronological and release order
Catch up before watching Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
The Ghostbusters series is in cinemas again with the release of new sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a follow-up to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
The new movie brings together the new characters from Afterlife and the OG Ghostbusters as they team up to save New York City from a deadly chill, as well as some familiar mischievous spirits.
While the timeline isn't as complex as, say, the Halloween, Saw or X-Men series, you might want a refresher of which Ghostbusters movies you need to rewatch before seeing Frozen Empire. So that's where we come in to help with the definitive guide of how to watch the Ghostbusters movies in order.
And to be extra helpful, we've even pointed out where you can watch each movie right now.
How to watch the Ghostbusters movies in release order
As with any long-running movie series, the easiest way to watch the Ghostbusters movies in order is in their release order.
You could extend this list by including the two animated TV series The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991) and Extreme Ghostbusters (1997).
If you want to do that, watch The Real Ghostbusters – retitled as Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters from season 4 onwards – after the first movie and then Extreme Ghostbusters after the sequel.
Ghostbusters (1984)
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes | Microsoft Store
The first – and still the best – Ghostbusters introduced us to Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson).
It marked their first, but not their last battle, with Gozer who is trying to bring about the apocalypse. Only the Ghostbusters, together with secretary Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), can stop it.
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes | Microsoft Store
The Ghostbusters might have saved the day in the previous movie, but at the start of Ghostbusters II, they're disbanded due to the sheer amount of destruction caused in New York City.
However, when Venkman's son becomes the target of a powerful spirit, the band get back together to save the day... again.
Ghostbusters (2016)
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes | Microsoft Store
27 years after the Ghostbusters last saved New York City, the team are back in Ghostbusters – but not as we saw them before.
The all-female reboot of the series introduced us to a new team – Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) – as they attempt to protect New York City from more than 1,000 spirits.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes | Microsoft Store
Legacy sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife shifted the focus back to the first two movies by centring on Spengler's daughter Callie (Carrie Coon) and his two grandchildren Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace).
When they inherit Spengler's farm, they discover his secret history and also unfortunately release one of Gozer's sentinels to pave the way for his return.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
Watch now: In cinemas
The Spenglers are back and teaming up with the OG Ghostbusters in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire which returns the series to where it started: the New York City firehouse.
When a deadly chill hits the city, the old and new Ghostbusters must learn to work together to save the world from a second Ice Age.
How to watch the Ghostbusters movies in chronological order
Rather than having to jump around the movies, you only need to omit a movie in order to watch the Ghostbusters movies in chronological order.
The 2016 reboot Ghostbusters – also known as Ghostbusters: Answer the Call – has no real connection to the other movies. The original Ghostbusters cast, except for the late Harold Ramis, all have cameo roles, but as different characters.
It means that the 2016 movie exists in its own Ghostbusters timeline which, sadly, looks like it'll just contain the one movie.
This makes the chronological order of the Ghostbusters movies as follows:
• Ghostbusters (1984)
• Ghostbusters II (1989)
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
As with the release order, you can include the two animated shows if you wanted, but they don't really have any impact on the main movies.
If you wanted to do this, watch The Real Ghostbusters after the first movie and then Extreme Ghostbusters after the sequel.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
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