Phasmophobia consists of ten locations that you can head to from the lobby, which is the room you start inside when you load up the game. From the lobby, you can buy equipment, join or invite your friends, and select your next location using the large whiteboard in front of you.

Pre-Game

When you start a game up, you then enter your equipment that you want and select a location using a map. (All of this is done on the whiteboard) People can join you during this phase, unless you are playing a single player game, obviously.

Once all the players in your lobby Ready-Up, the host who created the room will be able to click the Start button. Everyone will load for a second as you travel to the location you've chosen.

In-Game

You should now in the the Van, which is your safe point. Once all the players have loaded in, your equipment will now show up on the shelves and you'll hear a voice over a radio giving you a small briefing about the kind of ghost at the location.

The first thing you're gonna want to pick up is the key on the desk, otherwise the front door will be locked and you can't get in. It doesn't matter what order you grab the key, this is just the first thing I pick up so I don't forget and I have to walk back and forth a lot.

Now you're going to need equipment to find this ghost. The first piece of equipment you should pick up the the flashlight, and if you have enough money from successful job, you should purchase a strong flashlight as soon as possibly to make your life much easier. You should also bring something to help you find the ghost, something that actives in your hand if the ghost is there in other words. An EMF, Thermometer, or even a Spirit Box can accomplish this. In your last free slot, I recommend bringing something you can leave behind in the room. This can be a Ghost-Writing Book, Night-Vision Camera, or D.O.T.S.

Normal players using a keyboard will be able to hold up to three items. That is including your flashlight. VR players can hold up to four, although I don't recommend it because you'll have to drop something in one of your hands to open doors and interact with things in the location.

The Room I've been referring to is what you're actually seeking for. It's also known as The Ghost Room, and you can probably guess why. It's the room that the ghost hangs out in primarily. This room, once you find it, is going to be where you get most (if not all) of your evidence.

The Room can be anything from the basement, upstairs master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, or... you get the idea. The ghost even used to be able to chose the Hallway as it's room which means it has a huge area and it also means your job is going to be really difficult (however, I think they removed the ghost's ability to do this in the current game) but it used to be a massive pain. Can you imagine trying to gather evidence when the ghost chooses the hallway in Asylum?!

One of the fastest ways to find the ghost room is to bring the Thermometer, and quickly point it inside each room to check the temperature. (Make sure the power is on the the house has a chance to warm up before you do this, otherwise the entire house will be too cold for you to tell) If any of the rooms are under 13°C or 55°F (don't quote me for the exact Fahrenheit, I normally use Celsius) that means you're pointing at the ghost room. If the thermometer reaches in the Negative C°, you have freezing temperatures, which is an evidence.

You can also, as you walk around, call out to the ghost to "Give us a sign" which prompts the ghost to open/close doors, then on/off lights, or throw objects. That's why it's important to know the different sounds of the game. Doors make a different sound when moved by a ghost than they do when a player interacts with them, for instance.

That's pretty much most of what you'll be doing. Using equipment in the ghost room until something works. Share it with your team to everyone can write it down in their journal (which we will go over more later).

Beware, however, the ghost room can change sometimes as the ghost picks a new room mid-game.

Hunting

Oh, you didn't think it was that easy right? There's always a risk. Hunting is the phase that the ghost can kill you. You might've noticed a timer in the van. That is your grace period. That means find the ghost room as quickly as possible so that when it hunts, you know where to avoid.

If you are in close proximity to the ghost when it enters a hunting phase, your flashlight will flicker and your walkie-talkie no longer works. If you are standing super close to the ghost, your equipment will also malfunction (both cameras will get static-y). The only way to tell if the ghost is hunting when you are not right beside the ghost is the exit doors will close and lock until the hunt is over, and if you're inside the van the Activity Board will stay at 10 for a while.

There are three ways to survive a hunt.
1. You get very lucky
2. It kills someone else before it kills you
3. You hide

For the purposes of this guide, I will describe how to do only option three. Hiding is an essential mechanic, and a simple one. Don't be visible by the ghost. That means going into another room, hiding behind furniture, or straight up running away to hide in another part of the location (which is a little risky). You can hide by crouching, turning your flashlight off, and staying completely silent. The ghost can hear you, and can use that to find you.

If you are spotted, break the line of sight and hide as far as possible. (You can also use a smudge stick as a one-time use ghost hunt repellant, meaning if the ghost is right up in your face and you use it, they will leave you alone for a bit) If the ghost has not spotted anyone, they will begin checking all around them for players.

End-Game

Now you have the basic game down, and you can use the evidence you've collected to select the ghost type (which we will go over more later) and leave. You can also keep hanging out at the location to complete the optional objectives, which are sometimes very easy or very risky. The more you do in a location, the more money and experience you will receive when you leave (if you're alive at the end).

If you died and you added equipment, that is now lost. You'll have to repurchase your lost equipment, which can be made easier if a teammate takes a picture of your corpse. If they do this, you'll receive insurance money which can help you buy some of your stuff back. (This does not work in Professional or up)

Let's go into more detail about the game
in the next chapters!