Ghost

Ghosts are the main focus of Phasmophobia. Each ghost will have a set of unique characteristics, including personal identifiers, abilities, and evidences. Players must investigate some of these aspects to correctly identify the ghost. The ghost can interact with its environment or cause ghost events, and even attempt to kill the player by initiating hunts.

Characteristics

Each ghost in a contract has a randomly generated unique identity consisting of the type of the ghost, gender, name, age, length of death, shyness (with respect to the Spirit Box), and a physical model that is determined at the start of the contract. Most of its general behavior (such as movement speed, hunting patterns, activity etc.) is based on the type of ghost, except for its willingness to respond to the spirit box in the presence of multiple people in the room, which is randomly set.

Behavior

Each contract, one ghost will spawn within the map in a certain room. This room is very often the favourite room, and the ghost will wander back to it if not the case. After an exit door is opened for the first time, the ghost will be "activated" and be able to interact with the environment or the player. The ghost may stand still, roam or walk to another place, interact with objects and doors, use its abilities, and initiate ghost events or hunts. If a player attempts to enter the house without unlocking the exit door, the ghost will not be "activated" and cannot do interactions, ghost events, nor hunt, though some types of evidence (most notably Ghost Orbs) can be obtained. The ghost can however still be forced into initiating a cursed hunt using cursed possessions. Ghosts cannot exit the investigation area; they cannot walk out of the exit doors even if they are wide open. The following is a non-exhaustive list of "states" or "phases" that the ghost can enter (these terms are conjectural and may not be official):

• Idling: The ghost stays still
• Roaming: The ghost chooses to perform either a short roam or a long roam, which are both defined by a smaller or larger spherical area, respectively. It then randomly picks a waypoint within that sphere, then checks the path distance to that waypoint. If successful, the ghost walks to that point, else it repeats the steps if the path distance is too long. Short roams have a maximum of 3 metres, and long roams have a maximum of 12 metres
• Favorite room: The ghost returns to its favorite room
• Interaction: The ghost interacts with an object nearby
• Ghost event: The ghost performs a ghost event
• Hunt: The ghost initiates a hunt
• Ability: The ghost uses a specified ability, if any
• D.O.T.S: If the ghost has D.O.T.S Projector evidence, it will occasionally enter this state, and be visible via a D.O.T.S. Projector if it passes through its light

It is important to note that certain phenomena often are generally not limited to one single type of ghost. For example, all ghosts can throw objects around in a room, manipulate doors, make Dirty Water appear in sinks, and present itself in any form. However, certain ghosts are more likely to exhibit certain behaviors than others, or have unique abilities. For example, a Poltergeist will be more likely to throw objects and can throw several at once.

Visibility

In normal gameplay, ghosts are usually invisible, and will only physically appear during (manifestation) ghost events and hunts. In a hunt, the ghost will flicker, repeatedly appearing and disappearing at a variable rate. For ghost events, the ghost can be fully visible, appear as a shadow, or have a dark translucent-like appearance. While the possible models a ghost can appear as depends on whether they're a female or male ghost, the ghost's specific model does not matter in determining what type of ghost it is.

Ghosts with the D.O.T.S Projector evidence can be visible while passing through a D.O.T.S Projector's light during a D.O.T.S state.

Interference

When a ghost manifests or hunts, all electronic equipment (brought in from the van), such as flashlights and global chat, will malfunction within a 10 meter radius for most ghosts (15 for the Raiju). Room lights may also flicker at the same distance.

Sounds

When a ghost event or hunt occurs, the ghost will produce a vocalization that may differ between ghost events (but not hunts). If it is walking during such events (or walks after stepping in salt), it will also produce footstep sounds. For most ghosts, these sounds can be heard from up to 20 meters away by the player.

Ghosts will also occasionally produce footstep sounds and "paranormal sounds" that can only be heard through a Parabolic Microphone. These paranormal sounds are different from ghost event/hunt vocalizations, while the footstep sounds are the same.

There are at least eight male and five female sounds produced by the ghosts during manifestations. There may be more that are not listed here:

For males:

• Male "death rattle" (raspy gurgling) which is a semitone lower than the original;
• A heavy moaning sound typical to zombies;
• Three variants of breathing sounds: one deep (almost horn-like), another heavy and another one accompanied by words like "help me", "run", etc.;
• Two variants of growling-croaking: one very low and tubular, another echoing.

For females:

• Female "death rattle" (raspy gurgling) which is a semitone higher than the original;
• Two variants of the ghost humming certain tunes;
• A choking and wheezing sound reminiscent of someone's heavy cough;
• A weeping sound;
• Child-like laughter.

Every contract, the ghost gets a random but specific hunting sound. In every following hunt it will use the very same sound again. Remembering this sound from a former hunt can help the player tell a hunt apart from a ghost event.

If a player is within 10 meters of the ghost and would be considered "visible" to the ghost when not considering furniture, the player will hear their own heartbeat. Note that this does not necessarily correlate with actual line-of-sight.

Types of ghosts

There are currently 24 types of ghosts in the game, appearing in the journal in the following order:

Spirit	Wraith	Phantom
Poltergeist	Banshee	Jinn
Mare	Revenant	Shade
Demon	Yurei	Oni
Yokai	Hantu	Goryo
Myling	Onryo	The Twins
Raiju	Obake	The Mimic
Moroi	Deogen	Thaye

All ghosts have an equal chance of being chosen per contract in all difficulties, except the Deogen, that will not be chosen if the host is below Prestige 0, Level 30. Otherwise, it is normal and expected for the number of ghosts encountered by type to vary, the sums of which will roughly be shaped like a bell curve graph with an increasing number of rounds played. Historically, newly added ghosts had an increased chance of being chosen during the first few weeks of their introduction.

Depending on its type, the ghost will have unique strengths and weaknesses. The following table summarizes these:

Ghost type	Strengths	Weaknesses
Banshee	Will target only one player at a time. Increased chance of performing a singing ghost event.	Has a distinctive wail on the Parabolic Microphone.
Demon	Incense is less effective, preventing a hunt for less time. Can rarely initiate a hunt at any sanity level.	Crucifix range is 50% larger than placement range indicator.
Deogen	Always knows where the player is during a hunt and moves very quickly toward its victim.	Moves extremely slowly once near its victim.
Goryo	Can only enter a D.O.T.S. state when nobody is nearby. Its D.O.T.S. silhouette can only be seen through a Video Camera.	Cannot wander far from its room, or change favorite rooms.
Hantu	Lower temperatures allow the Hantu to move faster during hunts.	Warmer areas slow the Hantu's movement while hunting. Will produce freezing breath during a hunt if the fuse box is off. Will never turn the fuse box on.
Jinn	Travels at a faster speed if a distant player is in line of sight while the fuse box is on. Can occasionally drain large amounts of sanity from a nearby player.	Cannot use its ability if the fuse box is off. Will never turn the fuse box off directly.
Mare	Has an increased chance to attack in the dark.	Turning the lights on will reduce the chance of an attack. Will occasionally turn lights off right away. Will never turn a light on.
Moroi	Moves noticeably faster at low average sanity. Can curse players, making them lose sanity quicker than usual while in the investigation zone.	Incense blinds the ghost for 50% longer during hunts.
Myling	Produces quieter sounds during a hunt.	Produces paranormal sounds more frequently on the Parabolic Microphone.
Obake	Has a chance to not leave fingerprints when interacting with things. May cause existing fingerprints to disappear sooner than usual.	Has a small chance of leaving special fingerprints. Can briefly shapeshift into another model during a hunt.
Oni	Increased activity when players are nearby.	More visible during hunts. Cannot perform the "airball" ghost event.
Onryo	A flame extinguishing can cause an Onryo to hunt regardless of average sanity.	A nearby lit flame will prevent the Onryo from hunting, just like a crucifix.
Phantom	Looking at a Phantom and hearing heartbeat sounds will drain the player's sanity. Will occasionally walk to a random player.	Taking a photo of the Phantom will cause it to disappear. Less visible during hunts.
Poltergeist	Capable of throwing multiple objects at once. Can throw objects at high velocities.	Becomes powerless with no throwables nearby.
Raiju	Moves faster near active electronic equipment.	Disrupts electronic equipment from further away when it hunts.
Revenant	Moves significantly faster if the player location is known during a hunt.	Moves very slowly when not chasing a player.
Shade	Less likely to perform interactions.	Cannot hunt if people are nearby.
Spirit	No strength.	Incense is more effective, preventing a hunt for longer.
Thaye	Much more active, aggressive and faster during hunts as soon as a player enters the location.	Becomes slower and less active over time when players are nearby.
The Mimic	Can mimic the abilities and traits of other ghosts.	Will present fake Ghost Orbs as secondary evidence.
The Twins	Either twin may start a hunt, though not at the same time. One twin is slow, the other is fast.	Will often interact with the environment at the same time but usually in different places.
Wraith	Cannot be tracked by footsteps. Will occasionally teleport to a random player.	Will not step in salt.
Yokai	Talking near the Yokai will anger it, increasing the chance to hunt.	Can only hear players within a short radius during a hunt.
Yurei	Can quickly drain sanity from nearby players.	Smudging the Yurei will temporarily trap it and reduce how often it wanders. Using its ability causes it to slam doors.

Evidence

Please see Evidence or a ghost's page for detailed information about identifying different ghost types.

👻Ghost	EMF 5	Orb	Spirit Box	Freezing	Ultraviolet	Writing	D.O.T.S
Banshee
Demon
Deogen
Goryo
Hantu
Jinn
Mare
Moroi
Myling
Obake
Oni
Onryo
Phantom
Poltergeist
Raiju
Revenant
Shade
Spirit
Thaye
The Mimic
The Twins
Wraith
Yokai
Yurei

The table above can be sorted by any column. It can then be sorted by a second column without making the first column go out of order (by holding down the shift key). This extends to consecutively sorting three or more columns.

Random characteristics

These characteristics are randomized for every contract and are unrelated to the ghost type.

Gender

There is a 50/50 chance of the ghost being either male or female.

Length of death

The length of death of a ghost (i.e. the age it would be today if it were still alive) is a randomly generated number between 50 (overlapping with their death age between 50 and 90) and 1000 years.

Age

The age of the ghost (at their time of death) is a randomly generated number between 10 and 90 years. Note that this is not correlated with the ghost model.

Spirit box responsiveness

If the ghost is indicated to respond only to "people who are alone", the ghost will only respond to the Spirit Box if there is only one player in the room when the question is asked. A ghost which responds to everyone means that the number of people in the room does not affect its ability to respond. This characteristic is not indicated if there is no setup time (e.g., on Professional and Nightmare difficulties). This characteristic is only relevant for ghosts with the Spirit Box evidence, and is not synonymous with ghost activity.

Ghost's name

The name of the ghost consists of their first (given) name and a surname. The first name is determined randomly according to their gender, while the surname is randomly chosen and not based on their gender. Saying the ghost's name near it has a chance of raising its activity level and cause it to interact with its surroundings.

Possible male names

• Alex
• Amit
• Andrew
• Anthony
• Benjamin
• Billy
• Bradley
• Brenden
• Brian
• Carlos
• Charles
• Christopher
• Corey
• Daniel
• Dave
• David
• Donald
• Edward
• Eric
• Gary
• George
• Grant
• Gregory
• Harold
• Hugo
• Jack
• James
• Jan
• Jason
• Jay
• Jerry
• John
• Joseph
• Justin
• Keith
• Kenneth
• Kenny
• Kevin
• Kyle
• Larry
• Leslie
• Luke
• Mark
• Michael
• Paul
• Peter
• Raymond
• Richard
• Robert
• Robin
• Ronald
• Russell
• Steven
• Thomas
• Ted
• Tim
• Walter
• William

Possible female names

• Ann
• April
• Barbara
• Becky
• Betty
• Borris
• Carla
• Carol
• Catherine
• Catiana
• Cora
• Donna
• Doris
• Dorothy
• Edie
• Elizabeth
• Ella
• Ellen
• Emily
• Emma
• Eva
• Georgia
• Gloria
• Heather
• Helen
• Holly
• Jane
• Jazz
• Jennifer
• Jennise
• Jessica
• Jo
• Josefine
• Judy
• Julie
• Karen
• Kate
• Kelly
• Kim
• Leslie
• Linda
• Lisa
• Livy
• Lori
• Lucy
• Marcia
• Margaret
• Maria
• Marie
• Mary
• Megan
• Michelle
• Nancy
• Nellie
• Patricia
• Robin
• Rose
• Ruth
• Sandra
• Sarah
• Shannon
• Sharne
• Shelly
• Sophie
• Stacey
• Susan
• Tricia

Possible surnames

• Alexander
• Anderson
• Bailey
• Baker
• Barber
• Barton
• Bellfield
• Birch
• Bishop
• Bowen
• Brock
• Brooks
• Brown
• Buckley
• Carey
• Carter
• Clark
• Clarke
• Cordero
• Corrigan
• Davis
• Dexter
• Dixon
• Doe
• Douglas
• Dyer
• Elliott
• Emmett
• Everly
• Gacy
• Garcia
• Gayton
• Halstead
• Hans
• Harris
• Hill
• Holland
• Holmes
• Huntley
• Jackson
• Johnson
• Jones
• Kemper
• Knight
• Kraft
• Kray
• Lancaster
• Lavender
• Lee
• Lewis
• Manson
• Marsh
• Martin
• Martinez
• Maudsley
• Miller
• Mills
• Moore
• Myers
• Nilsen
• Norris
• Pettit
• Phillips
• Ramirez
• Rhoades
• Roberts
• Robinson
• Rook
• Roswell
• Schelin
• Shawcross
• Sherman
• Shipman
• Skinner
• Smith
• Stevens
• Straffen
• Sweeney
• Taylor
• Thomas
• Thompson
• Todd
• Walker
• Watts
• West
• White
• Williams
• Wilson
• Winter
• Wright
• Young

Trivia

• The initial list of names in the game were included based on American name popularity in the past 100 years, making the same name frequency more realistic. The list of possible names have since been expanded to include mostly the names of the developers, as well as of various staff and content creators on the official Phasmophobia Discord server.
• The gurgle sound that ghosts make sounds very similar to Kayako Saeki's death rattle in the Ju-On/Grudge franchise.

See also

• Guides/Identifying ghosts
• Guides/Locating the ghost