Phasmophobia is a co-op horror game that launched on PC in early access in 2020. Its online multiplayer drew considerable attention, similar to other 2020 hits like Among Us and Fall Guys. Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 releases will come in August 2023. Kinetic Games, the indie studio that created Phasmophobia, was founded by one man who released the original version entirely by himself. Kinetic games has grown in subsequent years, and updates have expanded the game with new ghost types and haunted locales to explore.
Phasmophobia Premise
In Phasmophobia, your task is to hunt ghosts. You and up to three friends will arrive at a haunted location with some basic information about the ghost who is haunting it. Using a variety of tools and gadgets, you must gather evidence, record spectral manifestations like ghost orbs and cold spots, and eventually identify what kind of ghost is haunting the building. The more time you spend in the ghost’s territory, the more likely it will be to turn hostile and attempt to hunt you down. There is no way to fight back against a hostile spirit, so when a ghost hunt turns deadly, you’ll need to hide or run.
The biggest draw of Phasmophobia is its multiplayer. Using an in-game push-to-talk system, players can communicate with each other and coordinate their efforts throughout whatever haunted building they’re exploring. To more accurately simulate the high-stakes horror of your situation, the push-to-talk system isn’t perfect. Like a real two-way radio, it’s subject to interference and static. When a ghost becomes hostile and starts hunting down ghost hunters, your radios are liable to stop working altogether, leaving you completely isolated and unable to determine if your friends are even still alive. Getting trapped in a haunted house with your closest friends can make for some hectic and terrifying adventures. Particularly brave ghost hunters can also opt to play Phasmophobia in VR, adding an extra layer of immersion to the hunt.
Phasmophobia Main Characters
Phasmophobia doesn’t have any structured narrative. Players can choose their appearance from a roster of pre-built characters, but this choice has no impact on gameplay or story and is solely a matter of personal preference. While they’re not characters in the traditional sense, the various types of ghosts in Phasmophobia carry a lot of the game’s personality, and the differences between them are what most of the game revolves around. Here are the 24 types of ghost present in Phasmophobia at the time of this writing.
- Banshee: Banshees are distinct in that they will only ever hunt one person, relentlessly pursuing their prey until death. You can also identify them using a distinct shriek that the parabolic microphone can pick up.
- Demon: Demons are one of the most aggressive ghosts in the game, and will hunt players down much more frequently than other ghost types.
- Deogen: This ghost type will always be able to find a player while hunting, making it a terrifyingly hard foe to evade.
- Goryo: This elusive ghost is difficult to spot using the game’s D.O.T.S. projector, but it also tends not to wander very far from its preferred room.
- Hantu: The Hantu prefers colder temperatures, and will sometimes produce a freezing mist.
- Jinn: The Jinn is a territorial and aggressive ghost who can quickly pursue unlucky players.
- Mare: This sinister spirit prefers darkness, and is less likely to attack when the lights are on.
- Moroi: The Moroi can place a curse on players, causing them to swiftly lose sanity. This, in turn, makes it more likely for the ghost to attack.
- Myling: This ghost is more talkative than other spirits, but it moves quietly while hunting, letting it sneak up on players more easily.
- Obake: The Obake is a shape-shifting ghost, changing forms while manifesting in order to disorient players. It can leave unique fingerprint patterns around the building it haunts.
- Oni: Oni are extremely strong and tend to be more active when players are nearby.
- Onryo: This ghost fears fire, and thus players can keep it at bay using open flames.
- Phantom: The Phantom is a particularly terrifying ghost, and will massively reduce a player’s sanity if they look at it.
- Poltergeist: In keeping with the Poltergeist’s pop culture reputation, this ghost is especially good at throwing objects.
- Raiju: This ghost gets significantly more powerful and more aggressive when exposed to electrical power.
- Revenant: When the Revenant hunts players it can move extremely fast if it knows where its prey is. However, it’s very slow when there’s no victims in sight.
- Shade: The Shade is one of the most elusive ghosts in the game. It won’t manifest much spectral activity or start hunting players if people are too close.
- Spirit: One of the most common ghost types, the Spirit doesn’t have much in the way of unique strengths. It is especially weak to smudging sticks.
- Thaye: This is a distinct type of ghost which becomes extremely active and aggressive when players first approach, then diminishes in activity the longer players spend in its vicinity.
- The Mimic: As the name suggests, the Mimic will copy the traits of other ghosts. This can confuse and mislead players during ghost hunts.
- The Twins: A ghost hunt against the Twins will have players dealing with two ghosts at once. Either of them can initiate hunts and cause spectral activity independently of the other.
- Wraith: The Wraith is hard to track as it does not leave reliable footprints and can teleport around the space.
- Yokai: Yokai respond to human voices and will become hostile if someone talks near them, increasing their chance to attack.
- Yurei: The Yurei is a particularly menacing ghost that can swiftly drain the sanity of nearby ghost hunters.
Phasmophobia Cheat Codes
Since Phasmophobia has such a strong online component, it does not support any formal cheat codes. Using cheats to give yourself a massive advantage over other players would trivialize the hunts. This, in turn, would take a lot of the tension out of encounters with the supernatural. That said, third-party trainers are available and they can manipulate the game in numerous ways. These are not recommended, however. The sources of these hacks tend to be less than reputable, and downloading third-party software to give you an edge in Phasmophobia could severely impact your PC.
If you’re looking for less risky ways to bend the rules, Phasmophobia is also known for having its fair share of bugs and glitches. Any exploitable bugs you might find are liable to be patched out eventually, of course, but they’re worth a try while they last. For example, one commonly reported glitch that can give you an edge in a ghost hunt is the Flashlight Glitch. Non-VR players who aren’t holding a flashlight can press T to activate a flashlight anyway. This gives them all the advantages of the flashlight while keeping their hands and inventory space free for other tools. When things get hectic, having that much extra flexibility could be the difference between light and death.
Phasmophobia Cheat Codes FAQ
Can you get banned for using cheats on Phasmophobia? Kinetic games does not tolerate third-party hacking software. Founder DKnighter has stated that anyone caught using this software risks a permanent ban from all multiplayer games in Phasmophobia. This is another reason you should avoid such programs. Practice and study are much safer ways to become a top-tier ghost hunter than hacking the game.
What is the maximum player limit in Phasmophobia? Phasmophobia supports up to four players in its ghost hunts. As development on the title continues, the team has added much larger maps to the roster. The size makes it much harder for a small team of four ghost hunters to locate a ghost and assemble the evidence needed to identify it. Unfortunately, bringing in additional help is not an option.
What gives the most money in Phasmophobia? When players arrive at a haunted locale in Phasmophobia, they have a list of objectives to complete. These include photographing certain pieces of evidence, detecting the ghost with certain tools, and witnessing supernatural events. The primary goal in each level, however, is identifying what type of ghost is haunting the level. If you’re looking for the highest possible payout, this main objective is the one that will grant the most money. If you’re not using illicit hacking software to inflate your cash amounts, identifying the ghost should be your top priority.