Bill Murray is back as Dr. Peter Venkman, but this time the Ghostbuster’s latest ride is an electric SUV rather than the famously overworked Ecto-1. A new Rivian advertisement has Murray’s Venkman answering a Slimer-related call at a suburban home in the “Ecto-R1”: an R1S dressed to resemble the classic Ghostbusters ambulance/hearse.
The 70-second commercial is also a showcase for a limited Ghostbusters-themed Halloween software update for Rivian’s R1S SUV, R1T pickup, and R2 SUV. Rather than being a permanent physical conversion of the vehicles, the promotion centers on the screens, lights, sounds, and interface options already built into the vehicles. The result is a seasonal automotive tie-in that treats the dashboard as a small interactive Ghostbusters attraction.
What the Ghostbusters Rivian update includes
The core of the update is a Ghostbusters-themed user interface on the vehicle’s main center touchscreen. Drivers and passengers can activate a “’Mallow Mash” screen activity that has them squash Mini-Pufts as the little marshmallow creatures move across the display. There are also hidden Easter eggs to find within the themed experience.
In this context, an Easter egg means a concealed reference or interaction placed in software for users to discover. It is not the same thing as a new driving feature or a physical accessory. The supplied details do not specify how many secrets are included or what triggers each one, but their presence suggests Rivian has designed the theme as more than a static wallpaper and sound pack.
The update’s listed features include:
- A Ghostbusters interface for the central touchscreen.
- The Mini-Puft-focused “’Mallow Mash” touchscreen activity.
- Hidden in-car Easter eggs.
- Custom Ghostbusters sounds.
- A Slimer settings theme.
- Trick or Treat Mode, which can detect and greet costumed visitors using Ghostbusters sound effects and lights.
- Exterior light-bar, cabin-light, and overhead-light themes, including Proton Pack and Ghost Trap options.
Those lighting options are worth separating from the Ecto-R1 shown in the ad. The commercial vehicle’s Ecto-1-inspired exterior presentation is part of the advertisement, while the update itself is described as providing themed settings for a Rivian’s existing lights. Nothing in the available information says owners receive a physical Ecto-1-style body treatment, roof equipment, or replica livery as part of the software download.
A Halloween feature built around the vehicle’s software
The most practical family-facing element appears to be Trick or Treat Mode. Rivian says the mode can detect costumed guests and respond with Ghostbusters sounds and lighting. That positions the vehicle as part of a Halloween setup rather than merely transportation parked in the driveway.
The phrase “can detect” is important: the provided information identifies the outcome, but does not explain the technical method, detection range, whether the vehicle must be parked or unlocked, or which settings owners may need to enable. Prospective users should therefore view the description as a high-level outline of the feature rather than an instruction manual.
What is clear is the broader design idea. Modern vehicles with large displays, programmable lights, and software-delivered features can host temporary themes that would once have required aftermarket props, portable speakers, or a much more elaborate physical display. Rivian’s update uses that flexibility to turn familiar Ghostbusters imagery—Slimer, the Mini-Pufts, proton-pack styling, and ghost-trap styling—into a time-limited seasonal experience.
That software-first approach also makes the promotion distinct from a collector replica. An Ecto-1 replica is chiefly a physical object, dependent on bodywork and props. The Rivian version instead uses a vehicle platform’s interface and lighting systems to evoke the property. It is a branded digital theme with some real-world visual impact, not a newly announced production Ghostbusters vehicle.
Venkman’s return is central to the promotion
Murray’s presence gives the ad its key bit of continuity. He again plays Peter Venkman, the original Ghostbuster who is called in when Slimer is causing trouble. The R1S arrives as the Ecto-R1, making the vehicle itself the punchline and the product demonstration at once.
The appearance follows Murray’s most recent turn as Venkman in 2024’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. It is also another reminder that Ghostbusters has continued to work across formats beyond its films. The most recent Ghostbusters video game named in the available information is 2022’s Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, an asymmetrical multiplayer game.
Asymmetrical multiplayer describes a multiplayer structure in which opposing sides have different roles, powers, or objectives rather than competing on identical terms. For Ghostbusters, that format naturally fits a team of Ghostbusters facing a ghost player. Rivian’s Halloween update is obviously not a full game in that sense, but the “’Mallow Mash” interaction and hidden secrets borrow a little of gaming’s language of play, discovery, and repeat engagement.
There is a useful distinction here. The touchscreen activity should not be mistaken for a replacement for a console or PC Ghostbusters game. It is a small themed interaction within a vehicle interface. Its purpose is to extend the Halloween mood while parked or during the vehicle experience, not to establish a new standalone Ghostbusters game release.
Which Rivians are included?
The Ghostbusters Halloween theme is identified for the R1S, R1T, and R2. The R1S is the SUV used as the Ecto-R1 in the advertisement, while the R1T is Rivian’s pickup. The R2 is the newer SUV model, described as retaining a broadly similar design direction to the R1S while reducing both size and price.
Rivian launched the R2 earlier in 2026. Its stated base price is $45,000, although the supplied information notes that, during this early production phase, the available version is the tri-motor, fully equipped Performance model starting at $58,000. Those figures are vehicle pricing context, not a price for the Ghostbusters theme itself; no separate update price is provided.
For people following car-and-game crossovers, this is another example of a vehicle becoming a venue for a recognizable pop-culture experience rather than simply appearing in a promotional image. A different recent automotive nostalgia story put the spotlight on a real-world prize inspired by the famous bonus-stage car from Street Fighter II. Rivian’s Ghostbusters effort takes a different route: it makes the active vehicle software the crossover space.
Timing and limitations
The Ghostbusters Halloween theme is scheduled to be available through November 2. That fixed window matters for owners interested in the seasonal features, especially Trick or Treat Mode: the update is framed as a Halloween event rather than an always-on Ghostbusters package.
The available details do not state whether the theme will return in a future Halloween season, whether its individual features can be retained after the stated period, or whether every option works identically across the R1S, R1T, and R2. They also do not set out installation steps, regional availability, account requirements, or the precise conditions needed for each lighting and detection feature.
Still, the essentials are straightforward. Rivian has paired a limited Halloween vehicle-software theme with a new Ghostbusters ad, installed Bill Murray’s Venkman behind the concept, and made an R1S into the Ecto-R1 for the occasion. For a franchise built around haunted machinery, blinking warning lights, and a very recognizable emergency-vehicle silhouette, an EV touchscreen, sound system, and lighting package make an unusually fitting place to stage the next gag.
