Phasmophobia: Complete Ghost Hunting Guide

This guide covers evidence, equipment, ghost identification, surviving hunts, cursed possessions, and progression in Phasmophobia, updated for the 2026 map reworks and Quality of Life updates.

Researched September 2026. Current as of v0.19.0.2 (Quality of Life Part 2 hotfix, September 16, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Phasmophobia is still in Early Access and updates often. Kinetic Games has said the next update (planned for November 2026, slipped from October) moves the game to Unity 6. The Crimson Eye event is still scheduled for October 2026, so expect changes to visuals and possibly performance.

Quick Start

Your job is to identify the ghost type, not to survive at all costs. Correct answers pay out, and optional objectives and photos pay extra.
Find the ghost room first. Look for freezing breath, cold thermometer readings, EMF spikes, and moving objects. The ghost has a favorite room.
Set up evidence equipment in the ghost room. Put down the DOTS Projector, Ghost Writing Book, and a Video Camera, then check for freezing temps, fingerprints, and orbs.
Watch your sanity. Low average sanity makes hunts more likely. Sanity Medication restores it.
When a hunt starts, hide or break line of sight. Lights flicker and the exit door locks. Hide in a closet or locker, or loop around furniture.
Carry Incense and a Crucifix. Incense blinds the ghost during a hunt and delays the next one. A Crucifix placed in the ghost room prevents hunts from starting nearby.
Talk to the ghost. Saying its name or using the Spirit Box can trigger interactions. Some ghosts react to voices differently.
Use the journal to track evidence and cross off ghosts as you learn their behavior.
Start on Amateur on small maps like 6 Tanglewood Drive or 42 Edgefield Road.

The Evidence Types

There are seven evidence types. Each ghost has three.

Evidence	Equipment	What you're looking for
EMF Level 5	EMF Reader	Needle hits level 5 on interaction
Spirit Box	Spirit Box	A response to a question, with lights off
Ultraviolet (Fingerprints)	UV Light	Handprints or footprints on doors, switches, windows
Ghost Orb	Video Camera (night vision)	Small floating lights in the ghost room
Ghost Writing	Ghost Writing Book	The ghost writes in the book
Freezing Temperatures	Thermometer	Below 0 C (32 F) in the ghost room
D.O.T.S Projector	D.O.T.S Projector	A silhouette moving through the laser grid

Difficulty changes evidence. Nightmare hides one of the three evidences and Insanity hides two. Some ghosts always show a specific evidence even then, like the Goryo's D.O.T.S, the Hantu's freezing temperatures, and the Obake's fingerprints. The Mimic shows fake Ghost Orbs on top of its three evidences.

Ghost Identification Table

This table covers the 24 long-standing ghost types. Newer ghosts, including the Gallu, Dayan, Obambo, and the Deildegast (added in v0.18.0.0 on July 21, 2026), are listed in the in-game journal with their evidence and tells. Check the journal rather than guessing on these.

Ghost	Evidence	Key tell
Spirit	EMF, Spirit Box, Writing	Incense stops hunts for much longer
Wraith	EMF, Spirit Box, D.O.T.S	Never steps in salt
Phantom	Spirit Box, UV, D.O.T.S	Disappears when photographed, less visible in hunts
Poltergeist	Spirit Box, UV, Writing	Throws many objects at once
Banshee	UV, Orb, D.O.T.S	Targets one player, screams on the Parabolic Microphone
Jinn	EMF, UV, Freezing	Fast at range with the breaker on, never turns the breaker off
Mare	Spirit Box, Orb, Writing	Prefers darkness, turns lights off quickly
Revenant	Orb, Writing, Freezing	Very slow when searching, very fast when chasing
Shade	EMF, Writing, Freezing	Shy. Rarely active with players nearby.
Demon	UV, Writing, Freezing	Can hunt very early, larger crucifix range
Yurei	Orb, Freezing, D.O.T.S	Slams doors, trapped in its room by Incense
Oni	EMF, Freezing, D.O.T.S	Very active, more visible in hunts
Yokai	Spirit Box, Orb, D.O.T.S	Talking near it provokes hunts, hears poorly in hunts
Hantu	UV, Orb, Freezing	Faster in cold rooms, freezing breath in hunts
Goryo	EMF, UV, D.O.T.S	D.O.T.S only visible on camera with nobody in the room
Myling	EMF, UV, Writing	Quiet footsteps during hunts
Onryo	Spirit Box, Orb, Freezing	Blowing out flames can trigger a hunt. Lit flames act like a crucifix.
The Twins	EMF, Spirit Box, Freezing	Interactions in two places
Raiju	EMF, Orb, D.O.T.S	Fast near active electronics
Obake	EMF, UV, Orb	Six-fingered prints, shapeshifts in hunts
The Mimic	Spirit Box, UV, Freezing	Fake Ghost Orbs, copies other ghosts
Moroi	Spirit Box, Writing, Freezing	Curses through the Spirit Box, faster at low sanity
Deogen	Spirit Box, Writing, D.O.T.S	Always finds you, very slow when close. Heavy breathing on the Spirit Box.
Thaye	Orb, Writing, D.O.T.S	Ages: very active early, slower and calmer over time

Equipment

Equipment comes in three tiers (I, II, III). Higher tiers are more effective and unlock with level. Core kit:

Evidence gear: EMF Reader, Spirit Box, UV Light, Video Camera, Ghost Writing Book, Thermometer, D.O.T.S Projector.
Support gear: Flashlight, Photo Camera, Parabolic Microphone, Sound Sensor, Motion Sensor, Head Gear (head camera), Tripod, Sound Recorder.
Survival gear: Crucifix, Incense, Igniter, Firelight, Salt, Sanity Medication.

The v0.18.0.0 update (July 21, 2026) added PC keybinds 1 to 4 for equipment slots and an H key to check your Watch. The v0.18.0.1 hotfix (July 28, 2026) made items fill slots 1 to 3 in pickup order, removed the flashlight lock on slot 1, and set Igniters to slot 4 by default. The v0.19.0.0 update (August 25, 2026) made the Video Camera, Photo Camera, and Sound Recorder show when a capture is duplicate evidence, and the journal now shows other players' evidence and ghost selections.

Surviving Hunts

Warning signs: flickering lights and electronics, ghost footsteps, and the front door locking.
Hide properly: go into a closet or locker, close the door, and don't look at the ghost. Turn off electronics near you.
Loop: on big maps, run around furniture or a room loop to break line of sight, then hide.
Incense: light it at the ghost during a hunt to blind it briefly and make it wander.
Crucifix: place it where the ghost spends most time. It burns and stops a hunt from starting in range.
Don't talk during hunts. Ghosts can hear your voice. The Yokai especially reacts to it.
Sanity: darkness and ghost events drain it. Stay in lit areas when possible and bring Sanity Medication.

Maps

The game has small, medium, and large maps. The houses and farmhouses are the easiest place to learn.

Houses and small sites: 6 Tanglewood Drive (reworked March 2026), 42 Edgefield Road, 10 Ridgeview Court, 13 Willow Street (reworked July 2026), Grafton Farmhouse, Bleasdale Farmhouse, Camp Woodwind, Nell's Diner (added November 2025).
Bigger sites: Maple Lodge Campsite, Prison, Point Hope, Brownstone High School, Sunny Meadows Mental Institution.
Restricted variants: Sunny Meadows Restricted, plus restricted versions of Prison, Brownstone High School, and Point Hope (August 2026). These shrink the playable area and are much better for new players.

Cursed Possessions

One cursed possession may spawn per contract. There are seven: Music Box, Haunted Mirror, Tarot Cards, Summoning Circle, Voodoo Doll, Ouija Board, and Monkey Paw.

They give information fast (like the ghost room from the Mirror, or answers from the Ouija Board) but cost sanity or risk cursed hunts.
Cursed hunts from these items often last longer than normal hunts.
Custom difficulty can disable them.

Progression and Money

XP unlocks equipment tiers and new maps, and prestige resets progress in exchange for cosmetics.
Money comes from correct ghost guesses, objectives, bone and cursed item photos, and good ghost media.
The Chronicle update (June 2025) added a media system. Good photos, videos, and audio recordings earn rewards. Use the Photo Camera, Video Camera, and Sound Recorder on interesting events.
Weekly Challenge Mode gives set rules with a bonus reward.
Custom difficulty lets you tune ghost speed, evidence count, sanity, and more. Rewards scale with difficulty.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Sprinting everywhere. Sprint makes noise and you run out of stamina when you need to escape.
Leaving the ghost room empty of gear. Set up evidence items early and let them run.
Talking into voice chat during a hunt. The ghost hears you through push-to-talk.
Guessing with two pieces of evidence on normal difficulties without checking behavior. Several ghosts share two.
Forgetting the ghost's name. Saying it increases activity. Pull it from the whiteboard in the truck.
Running into a dead end. Know an escape path before you trigger anything risky.

Advanced Tips

Speed tells: time the ghost's footsteps during a hunt. Revenant, Jinn, Hantu, Raiju, Moroi, Thaye, and Deogen all have distinctive speeds.
Line-of-sight speed-up: most ghosts accelerate when they can see you. Break line of sight early.
Salt and UV confirm footprints, and a ghost that never steps in salt is a Wraith.
Smudge timing: Incense on a Spirit delays the next hunt much longer than on other ghosts.
Parabolic microphone: Banshee screams and other ghost sounds can confirm identities.
Solo play: carry a Crucifix, Incense, and Sanity Medication. Bring the Video Camera plus tripod to watch the room from the truck.

FAQ

Is Phasmophobia still in Early Access? Yes, as of September 2026. It's on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S (consoles since October 2024). Kinetic Games' June 2026 roadmap moved the 1.0 release to the second half of 2027, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version launching alongside it.

How many ghost types are there? More than two dozen, and the count keeps growing (the Deildegast arrived in July 2026). The in-game journal always has the current full list.

What's the best map for beginners? 6 Tanglewood Drive or 42 Edgefield Road on Amateur.

How do I stop a hunt? You can't end a hunt early, but Incense blinds the ghost briefly and hiding breaks pursuit. A Crucifix prevents hunts from starting in range.

Is it better solo or in a group? Groups find evidence faster and split the risk. Solo play is harder but teaches ghost behavior well.

Does voice chat matter? Yes. Local voice is heard by the ghost, and it responds to its name and questions.

What's the Unity 6 update? Kinetic Games announced the November 2026 update will move Phasmophobia to Unity 6. Check patch notes after release for performance and settings changes.