Phasmophobia Ghost Types And Evidence Explained

Phasmophobia is a hit cooperative horror game that has up to four players assuming the role of a ghost hunting team tasked with finding and identifying ghosts across several haunted locations, and it’s seldom an easy task.

At the moment, Phasmophobia has a total of 14 types of ghosts, each with its unique strengths, weakness, and a set of evidence it leaves behind that the players can use to identify it, and we’ll be going over all of that in this guide.

Ghost	Evidence	Strength	Weakness
Spirit	– Fingerprint – Ghost Writing – Spirit Box	None	Smudge Sticks are effective for twice as long
Wraith	– Fingerprint – Spirit Box – Freezing Temperatures	Can travel through closed doors, no audible footsteps, can teleport to players	Interacting with Salt prevents them from attacking
Phantom	– EMF Level 5 – Freezing Temperatures – Ghost Orbs	Seeing it causes a big Sanity drop	Taking a photo of it will cause it to disappear temporarily
Poltergeist	– Fingerprint – Spirit Box – Ghost Orbs	Can affect many objects at once	Ineffective in empty rooms
Shade	– Ghost Writing – EMF Level 5 – Ghost Orbs	Won’t interact with groups of people	Won’t hunt groups of people
Revenant	– Fingerprint – Ghost Writing – EMF Level 5	Moves quickly when hunting, can switch targets during a hunt	Moves slowly when target is hiding
Banshee	– Fingerprint – EMF Level 5 – Freezing Temperatures	Will focus on hunting a single player	More susceptible to the Crucifix
Jinn	– EMF Level 5 – Spirit Box – Ghost Orbs	Travels faster if its target is farther away from its target	Turning off the power will disable its special ability
Mare	– Spirit Box – Freezing Temperatures – Ghost Orbs	More aggressive in the dark	Turning lights on will reduce its aggression
Demon	– Ghost Writing – Spirit Box – Freezing Temperatures	Highly aggressive	Using the Ouija board won’t drop Sanity
Oni	– Ghost Writing – EMF Level 5 – Spirit Box	More active when people are nearby	Territorial behavior can make them easier to identify
Yurei	– Ghost Writing – Ghost Orbs – Freezing Temperatures	Greater passive Sanity drain	Smudge Sticks cause them to stick to their favorite room
Hantu	– Fingerprints – Ghost Orbs – Ghost Writing	Fast movement in cold areas	Slow movement in warm areas
Yokai	– Spirit Box – Ghost Orbs – Ghost Writing	Made more aggressive by people talking nearby	Cannot hear voices over long ranges during a hunt

How To Find Evidence

Each of the six types of evidence can be detected in a number of ways, which you’ll find listed below. Keep in mind that ghosts might not leave all types of evidence behind immediately and might only do so as time passes and they become more active.

One of the most common types of evidence left behind by ghosts is them communicating verbally with the player through a Spirit Box. This is the small handheld radio that a ghost will talk through when asked questions, though it might sometimes talk on its own without being prompted.

In order for the Spirit Box to work, the lights must be turned off and the ghost must be relatively close to the player. Moreover, some ghosts will only respond if the player is alone in the room. The ghost can also talk through the Spirit Box if it’s turned on and left on the ground.

When there’s ghost activity nearby (or if there was activity recently), the EMF reader will light up and beep at various levels (2-5), depending on the intensity and type of activity. Much like the Spirit Box, the EMF reader will work when placed on the ground.

A level 5 reading is found in the presence of the ghost, usually found close to or in the ghost’s favorite room, though it might not register immediately, and you may need to wait for it to become more active or simply provoke it.

Gathered with the help of a Ghost Writing Book, ghost writing can be gathered simply by leaving the book inside the ghost’s room. What the ghost writes (or draws) in the book is random and not indicative of the ghost type. As before, a ghost might not interact with the book immediately, and time might need to pass before it becomes more active.

Ghost Orbs are small, floating white orbs that indicate a ghost’s presence, and they can be seen in the darkness when viewed through a Video Camera, a Head-Mounted Camera, or one of the surveillance cameras on larger maps.

As such, ghost orbs can easily be spotted in or near the ghost’s room, but if the ghost is wandering around a larger location, using the surveillance cameras can help catch this clue.

Temperatures will always drop in the presence of a ghost, particularly in its room, although it takes time for the ghost room to cool down over the course of a game. On top of that, all of the rooms will cool down if the power is turned off, which constitutes an additional challenge on Professional difficulty that starts with the power off.

Moreover, while a thermometer is a very useful tool for finding rooms with lower than average temperatures, freezing temperatures can easily be detected simply due to the fact that the player’s breath will be visible.

Fingerprints are the least common type of evidence at the moment, and they can be detected with the help of a UV flashlight or a glowstick. Fingerprints, along with handprints, can commonly be found around objects that the ghost interacts with.

However, keep in mind that, while all ghosts will interact with objects, they don’t all leave fingerprints. Moreover, the ghosts that do leave fingerprints won’t always do so after interacting with an object.

Ghost Types

Below, we will take a closer look at all of the above-listed types of ghosts and their abilities.

It’s important to keep in mind that ghosts’ personalities are always randomized, meaning that it can be difficult to identify them based on behavior alone. For example, Shades are always shy and won’t interact with players if more than one person is in the room, but any other type of ghost can be shy, too. Alternatively, a Spirit could easily rival a Demon in terms of aggressiveness, a Mare or an Oni could be unusually passive, etc.

Moreover, the ghost’s model is also randomized, and there are a total of 11 models in the game at the moment. That said, if a ghost manifests, you can’t identify it based on appearance alone.

So, unless the players manage to identify a ghost early on based on its distinct strengths and weaknesses, it’s probably not a good idea to make guesses about what type of ghost you’re dealing with until you have at least two pieces of evidence.

With that out of the way, let’s get to it!

Spirit

Spirits are probably the least intimidating ghost currently in the game, at least on paper. They have no standout strengths, but this can actually make them harder to identify if players haven’t gathered all three clues. Moreover, it also makes them easy to underestimate, so keep in mind that they can be as aggressive and as deadly as any other ghost.

Thankfully, Smudge Sticks can keep Spirits at bay, as they are effective for twice as long. Namely, they can keep the Spirit from hunting for 180 seconds, up from the standard 90 seconds for other ghost types. Note that Smudge Sticks won’t stop a hunt that has already begun, although they can cause a ghost to briefly stop pursuing the player and buy them a few precious seconds to hide.

Wraith

Wraiths are some of the trickier ghosts to deal with. They can fly, which means they can potentially hunt without causing audible footsteps, making it much more difficult to hide and keep track of them. As if this wasn’t bad enough, they can move around instantly by teleporting directly to a specific player, causing a burst of EMF activity.

On the flip side, if a Wraith interacts with a pile of salt, it will stop hunting immediately although it is likely to become more aggressive after this. Overall, it’s a good idea to place piles of salt at key choke points in order to cut a Wraith’s hunt short when it starts, or to keep it at bay with a Crucifix or with Smudge Sticks.

Phantom

Phantoms are a tricky type of ghost that likes to manifest before players, and looking at the Phantom drains Sanity faster than in the case of other ghosts. This applies both to hunts and to regular, harmless apparitions that appear outside a hunt. However, taking a photo of a Phantom with the Photo Camera will cause it to disappear instantly.

Overall, it’s important to keep Sanity levels high by keeping lights on and using Sanity Pills if needed, as this will help keep the ghost’s aggression in check. However, the ghost disappearing immediately after having its picture taken can be a good sign that you’re dealing with a Phantom.

Poltergeist

While all ghosts can interact with environment objects, Poltergeists are the only ones who can affect a large number of objects at once. Moreover, when a Poltergeist interacts with an object, the event can drain the player’s Sanity even if they are not viewing it directly, allowing Poltergeists to slowly sap the players’ Sanity without them even knowing it.

However, a Poltergeist’s reliance on environment objects also means they’re not very effective in empty-ish rooms. Just the same, their unique activity makes them fairly easy to identify early on, so if they stick to empty rooms, it just might be tougher to identify them.

Shade

While any type of ghost can be “shy” and refuse to interact with players if there is more than one person in the room with it, this always goes for Shades. As such, they can be more difficult to detect early on, as players will commonly stick together in order to boost morale and maintain a sense of perceived safety.

But while safety in groups is just an illusion when it comes to other types of ghosts, it most certainly holds true for Shades, as they will not hunt people who are in groups and will instead look for lone targets to pick off.

As such, it’s easy to stay safe when dealing with a Shade, but it can also be more difficult to find and identify if players don’t split up. This can make them particularly troublesome on larger maps, especially if players decide to split up later on as their Sanity drains and ghost activity increases.

Revenant

Revenants are highly aggressive ghosts that are virtually impossible to outrun, and unlike other ghosts, they can also switch targets mid-hunt. However, if its target is out of sight, the Revenant will move much more slowly and wander around, looking for a new victim.

That said, no one is safe when a Revenant starts a hunt, and since it will catch up to players with ease, it’s crucial to find a good hiding place as soon as possible and to try and stave off hunts with the help of a Crucifix or Smudge Sticks.

Banshee

In contrast to the Revenant who attacks indiscriminately, a Banshee will focus on a single player and will always target that player every time it hunts until it kills them, after which it will pick a new target. However, it will hunt like a normal ghost if its main target is outside the building.

Not only that, but Banshees can teleport to their target’s location and commence a hunt soon after, which makes them a particularly challenging ghost to deal with. Plus, line-of-sight blockers won’t help the targeted player hide from the Banshee, which is also a major problem in small, cramped maps where outrunning the ghost is quite difficult.

On the bright side, it’s also easier to prevent them from hunting with a Crucifix, as its effective range is increased from 3 meters to 5 meters, which is helpful since Banshees can more easily maneuver around Crucifixes thanks to their ability to teleport.

Overall, Banshees are one of the most dangerous ghosts in the game, but their aggressiveness and fixation on a single player can help identify them early on—hunts starting suddenly while everyone’s Sanity is still high is a definite sign that the players are dealing with a Banshee.

Jinn

The Jinn is a fairly straightforward type of ghost that interacts with electronics more often than other ghosts do, and as long as the power inside the building is turned on, it can move towards its target much faster and will occasionally cause an undetectable pulse that can drop the sanity of those close to it by a whopping 25%.

As you might expect, a Jinn’s main weakness lies in the fact that turning off the power also turns off its special abilities. So, as counterintuitive as it may seem, players are safer inside a Jinn’s haunt if the lights are out.

Mare

In contrast to the Jinn, the Mare thrives in the dark and will commonly try to turn lights off or pop a fuse in order to plunge the entire building into darkness. They are more aggressive in dark areas and less aggressive in well-lit ones.

As such, in order to stay safe and keep the Mare at bay, it’s important to keep the frequently-visited areas lit, be it with the help of electronics or candles, in order to reduce the chances of a hunt occurring. Of course, it’s also important to keep the location of the fuse box in mind and, if possible, have players stick close to it, should the Mare decide to trip it.

Demon

Demons count among Phasmophobia’s most menacing ghosts, as they are the most aggressive type currently in the game. They will start hunting earlier than any other type of ghost (overly aggressive Banshees being a possible exception), and they will hunt more frequently, making them an absolute nightmare to deal with on larger maps and at higher difficulties where they can effectively force players to spend more time hiding than investigating.

However, Ouija boards can be used to identify demons without the usual risk of damaging the players’ Sanity, so with a good amount of luck, i.e., if the board spawns, the players manage to find it, and they ask their questions without angering the Demon, they will be able to identify it much more easily.

Oni

Oni are highly hostile ghosts, though they are not necessarily aggressive, as they are not prone to intense, frequent hunts like Demons or Mares. Rather, they become very active when they find themselves in the same room as a player (especially if it’s multiple players), throwing objects at high speeds, slamming doors, etc. All of this activity can take a decent chunk out of a player’s Sanity and can be quite demoralizing, too.

However, these sudden bursts of activity are also a telltale sign by which an Oni can be identified with relative ease early on, though they can also easily be mistaken for a Poltergeist or a Jinn, seeing as how they tend to interact with the environment a lot and are highly territorial.

Yurei

The Yurei is another dangerous ghost, although not because of straightforward aggressiveness but due to its ability to drain the players’ sanity at twice the normal speed, much like the Phantom. Moreover, this is particularly problematic during hunts, as simply being within 10 meters of the Yurei during a hunt can sap a player’s sanity quickly.

However, similar to the Spirit, it is more vulnerable to Smudge Sticks. These will prevent it from hunting for the usual 90 second period but will also confine it to its favorite room, which can help the players keep their Sanity levels more stable while they complete optional objectives and can help pinpoint the location of the ghost room.

Hantu

One of the two new ghost types added to the game in June 2021, the Hantu is an interesting new ghost whose abilities are centered around the temperature inside the building.

Namely, a Hantu will move faster in cold areas while moving slower in warm ones. What this means is that it’s in the players’ best interest to keep the power on throughout the game, especially in larger, open maps that have few hiding places and where outrunning the ghost is your best shot at survival.

Yokai

The second ghost added in the June 2021 update is the Yokai, and this one is particularly sensitive to players’ voices, so it can be a bit of a nightmare for chatty players.

Specifically, the Yokai becomes more aggressive when people are talking close to it, and it is particularly sensitive to voices during hunts, although the radius in which it can actually hear players talking during hunts is smaller than the other ghosts’.

Overall, while it is not as intimidating or as dangerous as some other ghosts on its own, the possibility of a Yokai being present will urge the players to keep chatter to a minimum.

Conclusion

And those would be all the types of ghosts you can encounter in Phasmophobia so far! It’s safe to assume that more ghost types will be added later on as development progresses and that the behavior of those ghosts already in the game could be altered further down the line, so we’ll be keeping this article updated with new information as new features are released.

In the meantime, you can also read our Phasmophobia Equipment Guide and a full review of the game!