Phasmophobia News

Phasmophobia took the co-operative horror experience by storm when it first launched, and as Kinetic Games continually update the game, things have only got creepier for budding paranormal investigators. The latest update is perhaps one of the most needed for those who like to get up close and personal with Phasmo’s ghouls in virtual reality.

On April 7, at 11am UTC, Kinetic launched the VR Overhaul update for Phasmophobia. With an entirely new VR system now in place, gameplay and ghost hunts should go much smoother for the VR enthusiasts out there. This, however, is probably going to make things all the more terrifying, and you certainly won’t catch me trying to counter an Obake or Banshee in VR.

https://twitter.com/KineticGame/status/1512033562521968648

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• Added Velcro to the small tent doors to help you see where to grab them in VR
  
• Added up and down scroll arrows to the item store for VR to replace the scroll bar. Other scroll bars will be replaced in another update
  

• Lowered the delay for taking photos in quick succession from 3s to 1s
  
• Sanity pills are no longer a consumable when used
  

• Fixed a bug where you couldn't place DOTS Projectors and Motion Sensors on walls
  
• Fixed a bug where some of the controls image during training was misaligned
  
• Fixed a bug where text in some languages in the truck were overlapping
  
• Fixed the splash screen text overlapping in some languages
  
• Fixed a bug where the Edgefield Garage light bled upstairs
  
• Fixed a bug where the glowstick rendered incorrectly from far away
  
• Fixed a bug where having toggle mute on would mute you by default
  
• Fixed a VR bug where some items were rotated wrong when held
  
• Fixed a VR bug where the belt would disable when you died, making it impossible to use the Journal
  
• Fixed a VR bug where you couldn’t pick up the bone with Teleport Grab enabled
  
• Fixed several cabinets and doors so that you can’t rip them off of their hinges in VR
  
• Fixed a VR bug where several cabinet and door highlight circles were in the incorrect position
  
• Fixed a VR bug where the DOTS Project ghost would show on the smooth spectator camera
  
• Fixed a VR bug where push to talk and toggle mute wasn’t working on most headsets
  
• Fixed a VR bug where you couldn't teleport onto most floors with teleport movement
  

If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord : https://discord.gg/phasmophobia
Thanks,
[h3]The Kinetic Games Team [/h3]

Welcome back, we’ve got an update for you.

Finally, the VR update is amongst us! Rejoice!

There's loads to unpack here for our VR players, as well as some little nuggets of content for everyone else. But fear-not ghost hunters, the 'Custom Difficulty' update will be soon approaching, and it's a big one... There's also a small update coming even sooner than that! Now, onto the patch notes:



An entirely new VR system has been incorporated into Phasmophobia!

This means better VR performance, smoother interactions and input, as well as fixing all bugs and issues caused by the old VR implementation.

• All major headsets are now officially supported, and in the future as more are released they should work by default
  
• VR players will now see a small cursor when attempting to grab objects
  
• There are 2 options for grabbing objects
  
  • Toggle - Press the button to grab, press it again to release
    
  • Hold - Requiring you to keep the button pressed down to keep hold of things
    Index users note: you can change from squeeze to grab in your SteamVR settings, to replicate grabbing in other games
• Equipment belt and head camera slots in the truck will now highlight when attempting to slot something into them
  
• 'VR Seated Mode' and 'Left Handed Mode' have been added to the options
  
• Height Calibration has been added to the options, allowing you to align your player character model with your real-life body
  
• New hand poses and animations have been added for better visual feedback, such as using a light switch and opening doors
  
• You can now swap objects between your hands by grabbing
  
• You can now simulate crouching in VR by pressing the right thumbstick/ trackpad
  
• You can snap turn 180 degrees by pressing down (if snap turning is enabled)
  
• The walkie-talkie and journal are now placed on the belt to make them easier to grab and use
  
• Improved VR throwing physics so you can now accurately throw objects
  
• Smooth Camera mode has been improved for better recording and streaming of VR gameplay
  
• Improved character walking animations for VR players in multiplayer
  
• New model and textures for the VR belt
  
• All OpenXR runtimes are now supported eg. Oculus / Mixed Reality Portal etc.

Due to these changes, we recommend that you revisit the in-game VR options and adjust anything necessary for the best experience.





We’ve been keeping a watchful eye through our employee hidden cameras and have found that a lot of our ghost hunters love hiding behind doors (hell, even we’ve done it!). However, this has caused several major issues;

• Some spots are so good, you can’t be killed at all
  
• It negates the hiding spot blockers in higher difficulties
  
• It neglects the initial scout of the location to find places to hide, as you can just go to the same door every time

While we don’t want to make hiding impossible, as it’s a key part of gameplay, we have made some changes to help encourage hiding in designated spots instead of behind doors, improved some spots that weren't working consistently, and added new ones.

• If a spot is blocked, sometimes Instead of adding objects, some spots will have items removed instead (e.g. a shelf you can hide behind no longer being there)
  
• The number of blocked hiding spots in all locations has been adjusted, and you will now always have a minimum number of hiding spots per difficulty
  
  • Amateur = All hiding spots
    
  • Intermediate = 3+ hiding spots
    
  • Professional = 2+ hiding spots
    
  • Nightmare = 1+ hiding spot(s)
    
• Door flaps have been added to the small tents within Maple Lodge Campsite, they will now work as normal hiding spots, similarly to closets in other locations
  
• Several doors, objects and walls have been added or moved to remove several unintended safe spots
  
• Willow Street House has received significant changes to make hiding spots much more consistent
  

• The screens in the Truck have been updated
  
• The sound sensor has received new visuals and functionality
  
  • Sound sensors now cover a spherical area of sound instead of a thin cube, and its size has been increased
    
  • Sound Sensors are now placed in the same way as candles and cameras, on tables, floors and other objects
    
  • Sounds are now displayed more accurately when shown on the monitor in the van
    
• You can now choose different options for how your voice is transmitted locally
  
  • Voice activation
    
  • Push to talk
    
  • On/Off Toggle
    
  • (Global/walkie-talkie transmission will always be push to talk)
    
• Obake can now leave unique evidence on light switches, keyboards and prison cell doors
  
  • A double fingerprint on light switches
  • Five fingerprints on prison doors and keyboards
• You can now cross off ghost types in the journal
  
• Dead players can now sprint infinitely
  
• New fingerprints have been added for light switches, keyboards and prison cell doors
  
• The amount of possible first and last names for ghosts has been greatly increased
  
• Ghosts can now knock on the patio doors in Ridgeview and Tanglewood (and leave fingerprints)
  
• New sounds have been added
  
• Added a light switch and ceiling light to the Edgefield basement
  
• Added several colliders to trees in Maple Lodge Campsite
  
• Ghosts can now interact with keyboards to turn on desktop computers in the house maps
  
• The Soft Shadows setting will now affect all lights instead of only equipment lights
  
• The previous game's photos in the lobby are now easier to see
  
• Added sounds to lockers
  
• Added a light switch to the cleaning closet in Maple Campsite
  
• Added eyelashes to the player models
  
• Added fingerprints to the toilet stall doors in Prison, Asylum and School
  
• Updated engine for better performance, increased stability and VR compatibility
  

• Volumetric Lighting has been temporarily removed and will return with the Foggy weather in a later update
  
• Fingerprints will now be placed on the light switch instead of next to it
  
• Several light switches have been moved to more intuitive positions
  
• Several assets have been moved (such as garden fences) to better align them with the environment
  
• Several floors have had their materials changed
  
• The Parabolic Microphone will now update faster
  
  • Every 1 second (previously 2 seconds)
    
• Audio effects have been adjusted to improve distinction of sounds between different floors
  
• Lighting has been adjusted in Ridgeview, Edgefield and Tanglewood to improve performance
  
• Thunder sound effects have been improved to be more dynamic during heavy rain
  
• Improved effects for sink taps
  
• Replaced sink tap audio
  
• Scrolling with the scroll wheel in the journal has been improved
  
• Some spotlights have been adjusted so that they also illuminate the ceiling (e.g. Willow kitchen, Tanglewood garage)
  
• The computer in Tanglewood is now turned on with the keyboard instead of the screen
  
• Placement holograms will no longer cast or receive shadows
  
• Replaced EU plug sockets with US ones
  
• Locker doors now have slots you can see through
  
• Prison doors are now much easier to slide
  
• Sanity pills price has been reduced to $20 (to accommodate for the bug fix below)
  
• Players talking, including using the walkie-talkie, no longer give readings on the parabolic microphone and sound sensor
  
• Reduced the polygon count of many objects, mainly the bed in Edgefield
  

• Fixed a bug where some ghost events didn’t play ghost sounds
  
• Fixed a bug where you could sometimes grab a tent door that was not visible (e.g., behind you)
  
• Fixed a bug where some lights in the farmhouses wouldn’t stop your sanity draining
  
• Fixed a bug where the Onryo wouldn’t interact correctly if you didn’t get the Summoning Circle Cursed Possession
  
• Fixed a bug where the ghost event objective would complete when there was no ghost event
  
• Fixed a safe spot in the Ridgeview garage
  
• Fixed a bug where sprint stamina wasn’t re-generating if you had your journal open
  
• Fixed a bug where the journal brightness setting was higher than the main menu setting
  
• Fixed a bug where after a hunt; the ghosts audio would fade out and back in briefly
  
• Fixed a bug where Sanity Pills were not being removed from your inventory if used or if you died
  
• Fixed a bug where the mist ghost event wasn't working correctly
  
• Fixed a bug where the ghost would not walk towards you during some ghost events
  

[h2]VR Known Bugs[/h2]

• Scrollbars in the main menu are hard to use
  
• You will need to grab objects twice if you were not the last player to grab them
  
• Applying settings whilst crouched resets your height
  
• Can't grab some cabinet doors
  

If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please join the official Phasmophobia Discord : https://discord.gg/phasmophobia

Thanks,
[h3]The Kinetic Games Team [/h3]

Welcome back, we’ve got an update for you.

We’ve been experimenting with some new methods of game design, and have decided that this will be the final update for Phasmophobia.

We will be swiftly moving on to work on a new project named ‘Phasmophobia 2’, entering Early Access March 31st 2025 and releasing April 1st 2025.

• [h3]Lighthouse [/h3]
  
  • Small location with 8 rooms
    
  • A lighthouse located on a remote island in the middle of a hazardous sea
    
  • Players can complete maintenance on the light and tower for bonus rewards
    
• [h3]Funfair [/h3]
  
  • A medium outdoor map featuring minigames, a house of mirrors and a completely interactive haunted fun house
    
  • You must buy a ticket for $100 to enter this location, per player
    
• [h3]Church [/h3]
  
  • A medium location with a large open main hall, perfect for losing ghosts and items
    
  • Graveyard with dynamically generated gravestones for every previous death on your account
    
  • Enter the crypts and choose which ghost model you’d like to scare you
    

Some ghost identities still aren’t quite right (wow, we’re really bad at this) so we’re making some final changes to help get them where they need to be

• [h3]Spirit [/h3]
  Spirits have developed a dependency on Smudge Sticks, and will stop all activity and leave the location unless you light them nearby
  
  • Increased smudge stick duration on Spirits to 5 minutes
• [h3]Revenant [/h3]
  The OG speed-demon has had enough of you all sprinting away and hiding, so we’ve put him back to his rightful top spot
  
  • Revenants now sprint when players sprint, setting them to their maximum speed
  • Revenant grace period is now always 1 second
• [h3]The Twins [/h3]
  
  • The ‘twin’ ghost will now join the team and help with the investigation
• [h3]The Mimic [/h3]
  
  • Mimics now mimic all ghosts at the same time, and always have every strength and weakness
• [h3]Raiju [/h3]
  
  • Raiju will now speed up as long as the fuse box is on, when near switched on lights and when players are using walkie-talkies
    
• [h3]Poltergeist[/h3]
  
  • Poltergeists can now throw players
• [h3]Obake [/h3]
  Obake were having some trouble changing forms as they were too shy, so we’ve given them an encouragement speech and now they think they’re ready to change in front of players
  
  • Obake will now change ghost models every second during events and hunts

• Added an open world area where you can drive back and forth to each location
  
• Added a shop location where you will have to drive to in order to buy your equipment
  
• You must now bring all equipment back to the truck or you will lose them
  

A brand new game mode where you can play as the ghost, in a 1v4 competitive fight to the death against other players

• The ghost player will have 1 minute to hide the bone and cursed possession before choosing a favourite room to stay in
  
• During hunts players that are talking or have equipment turned on will glow red through walls
  
• The ghost player will be able to talk to investigators through the spirit box
  
• Ghost players will steal the money of anyone they kill, and can use it to upgrade abilities in a new 3 tier skill tree
  

• [h3]Ghost-e-ball [/h3]
  A red and white sphere like item that can be used to capture the ghost, in exchange for additional rewards OR can be trained to "become the very best!"
  
  
• [h3]Teddy Bear[/h3]
  A fluffy toy that responds to ghost activity, but can also be placed to hug the nearest player for a 1% sanity increase
  
  
• [h3]Buddy [/h3]
  You can now ‘Use’ the bone to summon a dog that will follow you and will bark when near the ghost
  
  
• [h3]Wrist Watch [/h3]
  A watch that tells you the time
  

• You can now perform an exorcism to delete the ghost, this will be permanent and you will never get that ghost type again. The game is completed when you run out of ghost types to play against
  
• Added dust particles to each room to make finding ghost orbs harder
  
• Added batteries hidden around each location, unique to each flashlight
  
• Added an easter egg in an Asylum bedroom
  
• There is now a chance for no ghost to spawn in the location, players can select ‘None’ in the journal to receive rewards
  
• Added an optional objective after the contract to go back and clean the location for extra rewards
  
• Added room names above all doors in Prison
  
• Added an option to increase and decrease the maximum players in a server (Max 100)
  
• You can now go prone by pressing the ‘Z’ key to hide under beds
  
• You can now use the spray cans to draw graffiti
  
• You can now change your characters clothes by taking them out of wardrobes when in a location, this only works if you are the only player in that room
  
• Added raytracing support
  
• Added an option to replace all textures and geometry with white cubes to improve performance for those with old computers
  
• You can now play the game on mobile devices
  
• You can now press 'N' to dance
  

• The parabolic microphone will now play back all sounds at 500% volume, allowing you to hear things from further away
  
• Reduced sprint duration from 3s to 1.5s
  
• Reduced sprint cooldown from 5s to 2.5s
  
• Sanity Pills will now only spawn inside bathrooms and are no longer buyable
  
• You will now be fined by the home owners for every item that has been misplaced, dropped, broken or stolen
  
• You now have to lock the exit doors and place the key under the doormat when you leave, otherwise you will be fined
  
• Sinks and showers will now flood the house if you don’t turn them off
  
• You can now attach all equipment to tripods
  
• Replaced all Spirit Box audio with “E”
  
• The main key will sometimes be hidden outside the location instead of spawning in the truck
  
• Converted the entire game from Unity to Unreal Engine 5
  

• Fixed a bug where equipment and lights would flicker whenever the ghost appeared
  
• Fixed a bug where ghosts were flashing on and off during hunts
  
• Fixed a bug where the Newbridge Beech House contract could not be selected
  
• Fixed a bug where players could hide behind doors (by removing all doors in all locations)
  
• Fixed a bug where the ‘Death’ tarot card didn’t instantly kill you
  
• Fixed a bug where you could get EMF 5 by looking at the activity monitor
  
• Fixed a bug where voice recognition breaks when tabbing out
  
• Fixed a bug where you couldn’t jump
  
• Fixed a bug where the power would turn off if you turned on too many lights
  
• Fixed a bug where players could hold 3 items instead of 2
  
• Fixed a bug where flashlights were staying on even when in your pocket
  
• Fixed a bug where if two people grabbed an object at the same time, the item would duplicate
  
• Fixed a bug where you could glitch doors off of their hinges
  
• Fixed a bug where you could glitch yourself inside of walls
  
• Fixed a bug where you couldn’t see the ghost's relationship meter
  
• Fixed a bug where the ghosts looked like they wanted to kill you, instead of give you a cuddle
  
• Fixed a bug where ghosts were hugging your eye sockets instead of your body when they got to you
  
• Fixed a bug where “#BlameLavender”, “#BlameDK” and “#BlameCJ” categories weren’t visible in the bug reporter
  
• Fixed a bug where hackers weren’t able to hack everything
  
• Fixed a bug where the letter ‘H’ was found on keyboards when it shouldn’t be
  
• Fixed a bug where ghosts were being naughty
  

We're too busy making real content for the game, so we forgot to upload the build. Don't worry though, the upcoming VR update is just around the corner.

We hope you enjoyed these patch notes, and they didn’t fool you too much.
If you experience any issues or want to give feedback, please don’t. ːsteamsaltyː


Thanks, much love...
[h3]The Kinetic Games Team [/h3]

We've had great response from players about the last update, but we've found that Hantu were still not fast enough unless it was snowing. We've kept the lower speeds the same, but increased their speed when the fuse box has been off for some time during all weather.

• Hantu can no longer turn on the power, as this would stop them accelerating
• Hantu have received hunt speed changes
  
  • 1.4 = 15°C+
  • 1.75 = 12°C
  • 2.1 = 9°C
  • 2.3 = 6°C
  • 2.5 = 3°C
  • 2.7 = 0°C

• Fixed a bug where the tarot cards did not drop properly after drawing a hanged man, causing them to be in your inventory again after being revived
  
• Fixed a bug where the tarot card animation did not play when you used them again after drawing a hanged man
  
• Fixed a bug where the voodoo doll wouldn't start a hunt when used with no sanity
  
• Fixed a bug where the voodoo doll and tower card would sometimes require the lights to be off to get an interaction
  
• Fixed a bug where the weather particles wouldn't always be visible after you were revived
  
• Fixed an issue where it was hard to take a photo of the crawling ghosts
  
• Fixed a bug where the parabolic sounds could change sound while they were playing
  
• Fixed a bug where the Banshee parabolic sound volume was fading in and out
  
• Fixed a bug where Banshees would not be able to detect voices and equipment during hunts if the Banshee target was outside
  
• Fixed a bug where voice recognition, some ghost traits and events were not working in rooms after the light was blown
  
• Fixed a bug where multiple players were being revived during Nightmare hunts when the high priestess card was drawn
  
• Fixed a bug where the devil, hermit and death tarot card could stop the hunt if used as soon as a hunt started
  
• Fixed a bug where Phantoms were showing in ghost photos taken by other players
  
• Fixed a bug where the devil card would not work if you had high sanity with a Shade
  
• Fixed a bug where the ghost would sometimes move during the hunt grace period