This article is about the different types of ghosts you can encounter. For information involving ghost activity, see Ghost Activity.
Ghosts are the main focus of Phasmophobia. A ghost is the incorporeal spiritual essence of a dead person that lingers on Earth, often having been killed from sudden and violent deaths. It is the main objective of the player(s) to enter and explore abandoned haunted locations to gather evidence and search for Ghost Activity and come to a conclusion about a Ghost's presence and classification. Ghosts will not remain passive and, once agitated or threatened, will begin initiating Hunts in which they become corporeal, seeking out to kill any player they can find. Ghosts feed off of players' Sanity, draining it and making them more likely to Hunt. During a hunt a ghost will flash, appearing for 0.08 to 0.3 seconds every 0.3 to 1 seconds (except Phantoms which only appear every 1 to 2 seconds).
It is important to note that certain phenomena often isn't limited to one single type of Ghost. For example, all Ghosts can make dirty water appear in sinks and can throw objects around in a room. However, certain Ghosts are more likely to exhibit certain behaviors than others; a Poltergeist will be more likely to throw objects and can affect several at once, and a Jinn will oftentimes interact with electronics such as telephones and lights. Also, no singular Ghost Model is tied to a type of Ghost, meaning that their appearance should not be used to judge the type of Ghost.
Ghost will have a randomly generated unique identity consisting of gender, name, death length, age, shyness, favorite room, and a physical model that is determined at level start.
Types of Ghosts
These are the types of ghosts currently in the game, along with their in-game descriptions.
Banshee
- Main article: Banshee
"A Banshee is a natural hunter and will attack anything. It has been known to stalk its prey one at a time until making its kill.
Unique Strengths: A Banshee will only target one person at a time.
Weaknesses: Banshees fear the Crucifix and will be less aggressive when near one.
Evidence: EMF Level 5, Fingerprints, Freezing Temperatures"
Demon
- Main article: Demon
"A Demon is one of the worst Ghosts you can encounter. It has been known to attack without a reason.
Unique Strengths: Demons will attack more often than any other Ghost.
Weaknesses: Asking a Demon successful questions on the Ouija Board won't lower the users sanity.
Evidence: Freezing Temperatures, Ghost Writing, Spirit Box"
Jinn
- Main article: Jinn
"A Jinn is a territorial ghost that will attack when threatened. It has also been known to be able to travel at significant speed.
Unique Strengths: A Jinn will travel at a faster speed if its victim is far away.
Weaknesses: Turning off the locations power source will prevent the Jinn from using its ability.
Evidence: EMF Level 5, Ghost Orb, Spirit Box"
Mare
- Main article: Mare
"A Mare is the source of all nightmares, making it most powerful in the dark.
Unique Strengths: A Mare will have an increased chance to attack in the dark.
Weaknesses: Turning the lights on around the Mare will lower its chance to attack.
Evidence: Freezing Temperatures, Ghost Orb, Spirit Box"
Oni
- Main article: Oni
"Oni's are a cousin to the Demon and possess extreme strength. There have been rumours that they become more active around their prey.
Unique Strengths: Oni's are more active when people are nearby and have been seen moving objects at great speed.
Weaknesses: Being more active make the Oni easier to find and identify
Evidence: EMF Level 5, Ghost Writing, Spirit Box"
Phantom
- Main article: Phantom
"A Phantom is a ghost that can possess the living, most commonly summoned by a Ouija Board. It also induces fear into those around it.
Unique Strengths: Looking at a Phantom will considerably drop your sanity.
Weaknesses: Taking a photo of the Phantom will make it temporarily disappear.
Evidence: EMF Level 5, Freezing Temperatures, Ghost Orb"
Poltergeist
- Main article: Poltergeist
"One of the most famous Ghosts, a Poltergeist, also known as a noisy ghost can manipulate objects around it to spread fear into its victims.
Unique Strengths: A Poltergeist can throw huge amounts of objects at once.
Weaknesses: A Poltergeist is almost ineffective in an empty room.
Evidence: Fingerprints, Ghost Orb, Spirit Box"
Revenant
- Main article: Revenant
"A Revenant is a slow but violent ghost that will attack indiscriminately. It has been rumoured to travel at a significantly high speed when hunting.
Unique Strengths: A Revenant will travel at a significantly faster speed when hunting a victim.
Weaknesses: Hiding from the Revenant will cause it to move very slowly.
Evidence: EMF Level 5, Fingerprints, Ghost Writing"
Shade
- Main article: Shade
"A Shade is known to be a Shy Ghost. There is evidence that a Shade will stop all paranormal activity if there are multiple people nearby.
Unique Strengths: Being shy means the Ghost will be harder to find.
Weaknesses: The Ghost will not enter hunting mode if there is multiple people nearby.
Evidence: EMF Level 5, Ghost Orb, Ghost Writing"
Spirit
- Main article: Spirit
"A Spirit is the most common Ghost you will come across however it is still very powerful and dangerous. They are usually discovered at one of their hunting grounds after an unexplained death.
Unique Strengths: Nothing
Weaknesses: Using Smudge Sticks on a spirit will stop it attacking for a long period of time.
Evidence: Fingerprints, Ghost Writing, Spirit Box"
Wraith
- Main article: Wraith
"A wraith is one of the most dangerous ghosts you will find. It is also the only known Ghost that has the ability of flight and has sometimes been known to travel through walls.
Unique Strengths: Wraiths almost never touch the ground meaning it can't be tracked by footsteps.
Weaknesses: Wraiths have a toxic reaction to Salt.
Evidence: Fingerprints, Freezing Temperatures, Spirit Box"
Yurei
- Main article: Yurei
"A Yurei is a Ghost that has returned to the physical world, usually for the purpose of revenge or hatred.
Unique Strengths: Yurei's have been known to have a stronger effect on people sanity.
Weaknesses: Smudging the Yurei's room will cause it to not wander around the location for a long time.
Evidence: Freezing Temperatures, Ghost Orb, Ghost Writing"
Evidence
Please see Evidence or a Ghost's page for detailed information about identifying different ghost types.
👻Ghost | 🥶Freezing | 🚥EMF 5 | ✨ Orbs | 📟 Spirit Box | 🕮Writing | 🖐️ Fingerprints | 👻Ghost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phantom | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Phantom |
Banshee | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | Banshee |
Mare | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Mare |
Yurei | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Yurei |
Demon | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Demon |
Wraith | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | Wraith |
Jinn | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Jinn |
Shade | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Shade |
Oni | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Oni |
Revenant | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Revenant |
Poltergeist | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | Poltergeist |
Spirit | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Spirit |
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.
Identifying Traits of Ghosts
Jinns, Yurei, Phantoms, and Poltergeist can all quickly drain Sanity, although they accomplish this by different means.
The following traits may help to identify the ghost:
- Poltergeist: If there is evidence of Fingerprints and Ghost Orbs then it must be a Poltergeist; the third piece of evidence, Spirit Box, is not needed. Poltergeist are the only ghost that can be identified by only two pieces of evidence.
- Poltergeist tend to interact with objects much more frequently than other ghosts. They also can move multiple objects at once, which will decrease a player's Sanity when witnessed (the decrease is by twice the number of objects moved).
- Jinn tend to interact with electronics (e.g. phones, radios, light switches, TVs, car alarms) more frequently than any other ghost. Being within 3 meters of a Jinn can instantly decrease your Sanity by 25%.
- Oni are more active when people are nearby. They are more likely than other ghosts to move objects at great speed.
- If the Ghost could possibly be an Oni and if the Ghost is being very inactive, then consider increasing the number of players inside the Ghost Room.
- Shades rarely perform actions in the presence of 2+ people. It will also not initiate a Hunt if this is the case.
- If the Ghost could possibly be a Shade and if the Ghost is being very inactive, then consider decreasing the number of players inside or near the Ghost Room to only one (unlucky) player.
- Mare tend to turn lights, and especially the Fuse Box, off more than any other ghost. What distinguishes it the most from other ghosts is that it rarely turns lights, and especially the fuse box, back on. If the ghost switches lights, and especially the fuse box, back on then it is much more likely to be a Poltergeist or Jinn.
- Yurei: If the ghost (1) never speaks on the Spirit box, and (2) it never gives EMF Level 5, then it must be a Yurei.
- Phantoms
- Drains Sanity 2x faster than other ghosts when they are looked upon.
- Taking a photo of a Phantom will make it isntantly and temporarily disappear (although this will not stop a hunt if one is already in progress).
- During a hunt, a phantom will flash visible every 1 to 2 seconds as opposed to every 0.3 to 1 seconds for other Ghosts.
- Demons Hunt more frequently than other ghosts. This is much less useful as a distinguishing feature if the team's average sanity is very low (for example, if all players' Sanities are very low) because in this case, all ghosts will Hunt very frequently.
- If a Ouija Board was found: Have one player ask the Ouija Board a question while another monitors the questioner's Sanity from inside the van. If the question is successfully answered (i.e. the planchette spells out a response on the board) and if the questioner's sanity does not decrease then the Ghost must be a Demon. However, if the question was not successfully answered (in which case the room's lights will flash and the board will turn off) then the questioner's sanity will decrease, even if the Ghost is a Demon.
- If the Ouija Board is turned on (i.e lit up) and it is in the middle of spelling out a response with the planchette, then it is possible to ask it another question (usually accidently) and have that second quesiton fail. In this case, the room's lights will flash, the Ouija Board will turn off, and the questioner's Sanity will decrease but the planchette on the Ouija Board will continue to spell out the answer to the first question. Be careful to not wrongly conclude from this situation that the Ghost is not a Demon. This situation can be avoided by turning the Ouija Board off after it starts spelling out an answer to the (first) question.
- If a Ouija Board was found: Have one player ask the Ouija Board a question while another monitors the questioner's Sanity from inside the van. If the question is successfully answered (i.e. the planchette spells out a response on the board) and if the questioner's sanity does not decrease then the Ghost must be a Demon. However, if the question was not successfully answered (in which case the room's lights will flash and the board will turn off) then the questioner's sanity will decrease, even if the Ghost is a Demon.
- Wraiths: Footstep walking sounds from a Wraith are (supposed to be) rare to non-existent. Wraiths are not supposed to leave Footprints (Wraiths leaving Footprints is a bug that is being worked on).
- Banshees: If a Hunt starts very soon after the Setup Phase has finished (this depends on the Difficulty) and at a time when all players have high Sanity, then this may indicate a Banshee.
- A Banshee will target only a player at a time until that player is dead, with all other players being ignored. So if the Ghost ignores players that are much closer to it than its target, then this may indicate a Banshee.
- Changed in the beta: If the Banshee's target is not in the building then the Banshee will hunt just like any other ghost (for example, like a Spirit).
- A Banshee will teleport to its target at the start of a Hunt if the target is not outside, no matter how far away its target is from the Ghost Room. So the Ghost suddenly appearing near a player who is far away from its Ghost Room may indicate that it is a Banshee, especially if this happens repeatedly to only one player. However, Ghosts are allowed to 'wander' away from their Ghost Room (which happens especially often at the start of the game, before the first Hunt) so a single such occurrence is not a guarantee that the Ghost is a Banshee. Information about its location (for example, by seeing it visually manifest in a particular room, or seeing the Ghost move items in a room) can be used to more confidently conclude that the Ghost did in fact teleport far away and consequently, that it is in fact a Banshee.
- The Total Activity (as seen on the Site Activity Monitor in the Van) of a Banshee usually increases when its target enters the building.
Random Characteristics
These characteristics are not dependent on the type of ghost, but are randomized for every ghost.
Gender
There is about a 50/50 chance of the Ghost being either male or female each time you begin a contract.
Death Length
The length of death of a Ghost is a randomly generated number between 50 and 1000 years.
Age
The age of the Ghost is a randomly generated number between 4 and 90 years.
Shyness
Whether a Ghost is shy or not determines how it behaves around multiple players. If a Ghost is indicated as shy, it will only respond to people who are alone. This characteristic is not indicated on Professional difficulties and require players to determine the Ghost's shyness on their own.
Ghost's name
The name of the Ghost consists of a name and a surname. Their first name is determined randomly by their gender, unlike their surname. Speaking the Ghost's full name aloud via local push-to-talk will alert the Ghost and cause it to attack more frequently. It is not recommended to say their names multiple times, especially in a room with any noticeable evidence or proof that one is nearby. Some ghosts, however, are more likely to kill you instantly when you say their name with low sanity.
Possible Male Names
- Charles
- Christopher
- Chuck
- Daniel
- David
- Donald
- George
- James
- Joe
- John
- Joni?
- Jordan
- Joseph
- Joshua
- Kenneth
- Mark
- Maxwell
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Nick
- Paul
- Phillip
- Richard
- Robert
- Rory
- Ryan
- Steve
- Thomas
- William
Possible Female Names
- Barbara
- Betty
- Carol
- Donna
- Dorothy
- Elizabeth
- Emily
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Joni
- Karen
- Kiera
- Libby
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Marge
- Maria
- Mary
- Nancy
- Nicole
- Paige
- Patricia
- Ruth
- Sandra
- Sierra
- Susan
Possible Surnames
- Anderson
- Baskin
- Borlo
- Brown
- Clark
- Davis
- Foster
- Garcia
- Gavaldon
- Glover
- Hall
- Harris
- Jackson
- Jerman
- Johnson
- Jones
- Marrow
- Martin
- Martinez
- Miller
- Moore
- Norris
- Oliveros
- Robinson
- Smith
- Stone
- Sultan
- Taylor
- Telecanos
- Thomas
- Thompson
- Williams
- Wilson
- White
- Wood
- Zimmerman