Whether you're a seasoned Phasmophobia veteran or a wide-eyed newbie, paranormal investigations are hard work. The task is straightforward on paper: going solo or as part of an online multiplayer team, you have to identify the ghost type, snap pictures to earn in-game cash, and avoid getting throttled by one of numerous vengeful, violent spirits in the process.

Even with a formidable arsenal of tools at your disposal, it can be tough to narrow down the list of culprits. The Oni ghost type is not dissimilar to the loud and messy Poltergeist, for example, and who knows when a pesky Mimic will rear its head and throw you off mid-hunt? These and other sneaky tips in this guide will help you guess the ghost type more efficiently.

Updated February 7, 2024 by Sean Murray: If you're stuck wondering what ghost you're dealing with in Phasmophobia, this ghost guide has you covered. We've given this article a formatting pass and added more links to other helpful Phasmophobia topics.

Banshee

The Banshee targets a single member of your party and will gun for that person during a hunt, ignoring nearby teammates. It will hunt depending upon its target's individual sanity rather than the average. The Banshee tends to follow its target around the map, interacting with items as you pass them, even if you are far from the ghost room.

This ghost type is also more likely to perform the singing ghost event type than other ghosts. If you experience these more, and only one person seems to be the hunting target, it may be a Banshee.

Figure out who the target is, keep their sanity above 50 percent, and the Banshee effectively cannot hunt. However, if the target is left outside on van duty, the hunt will operate as normal, with the ghost chasing whoever it finds first.

Demon

Unlike most ghosts who may start hunting when you drop below 50 percent sanity, Demons can begin hunting at any time from 70 percent sanity or lower, starting the moment you enter the map. It also has a special ability to perform a hunt at any percent sanity. They have slightly shorter cooldowns for things like normal hunts, ghost activity, and smudge suppression.

If a hunt starts when average sanity is above 50, you most likely have a Demon.

For further proof, Demons fear the crucifix. The presence of one within five meters of the ghost (as opposed to the usual effective radius of three meters) will prevent it from hunting. While harder to test accurately, this can be used to confirm Demons.

Deogen

This ghost's name translates from Dutch as The Eyes, so it only makes sense that Deogen can sense your presence no matter where you hide. If they always find you, no matter how well you hide, this might be a sign. Deogen also can't hunt early, usually only triggering one when the average sanity is below 40 percent.

The most noticeable behavior is that, rather than a word or statement, Deogen has a chance to respond to spirit box questions by breathing heavily and taking audible steps toward you. This is a hidden ability that is a surefire way to identify them.

Goryo

The Goryo is a stationary ghost. Mechanically, they are unable to wander far from the ghost room. They also are unable to change ghost rooms on any difficulty setting. If the ghost seems very limited to one area, it might be a Goryo.

This is the only determinable behavior they display outside using your testing equipment.

Hantu

Hantu prefer the cold. They move faster in cold places and will have a colder-than-average ghost room. They will never turn the fuse box on but are twice as likely to turn it off.

The most noticeable behavior is that the Hantu's own icy breath can be seen as they move around during a hunt.

If you have a ghost that frequently turns the power off and seems to move faster than normal, it may be a Hantu.

Jinn

Jinn are power-centric ghosts that use electricity to quickly reduce the sanity of anyone nearby. If you suddenly experience a 25 percent drop in sanity for seemingly no reason, this may be why.

The Jinn will never turn the breaker box off since it needs electricity to use its special abilities. However, it might accidentally short-circuit the breaker by turning on too many lights at once. The breaker will also register on your EMF meter after the Jinn has used its ability, which it will do when you come within three meters of it.

Mare

Being more likely to attack in the dark, the Mare will never turn the breaker box or any lights on. It instead will turn off as many as it can and has a chance of using its unique ability to immediately turn off a light you have just switched on — no matter the distance from its room. It will also perform the light-shattering ghost event more frequently.

The hunting threshold for the Mare changes depending on whether the room they are in is illuminated. If the lights are on, it's only 40 percent, while in darkness, it's 60 percent. You can experiment with this to confirm if they're a mare.

Mimic

As the name implies, the Mimic will copy the behavior of other ghosts. They can change what behavior they copy, as well, and as often as every 30 seconds.

The easiest way to catch a Mimic is to discover four pieces of evidence rather than the usual three (or three rather than four if playing Nightmare). When the ghost's behavior changes dramatically from hunt to hunt, or if important pieces of evidence have vanished, and you have confirmed that the ghost's room has not changed, this is tell-tale Mimic behavior.

Moroi

A Moroi's primary feature is their speed. The lower the average sanity of the party, the faster they are during a hunt.

Their main ability is to 'curse' you through either the Spirit Box or the Parabolic Microphone. When cursed, your sanity drains twice as fast and will still drain when in a well-lit area. Taking pills will cure the curse. You can use this as a way to confirm the presence of a Moroi.

Light a smudge stick while they chase you to disorient them for a longer-than-average time.

Myling

Myling are very quiet ghosts. The intended game mechanic is that they will make more frequent ghost sounds through the parabolic microphone.

A more reliable test exists, though. The ranges that you can hear a Myling is very close to the same range that they start to affect electrical equipment like flashlights during a hunt. If you only hear footsteps and ghost noises around the same time a flashlight flickers, it's probably a Myling.

Obake

Described as shapeshifters, the Obake have a handful of unique mechanics that give it identifiable behavior. The most frequent one is that their ghost model has a chance to change. This can be hard to notice, though.

The more reliable but somewhat rare option is to check for extra fingers on the hand prints. This can be six-fingered hand prints, two on light switches instead of one, and so on. This is something unique to Obakes. Additionally, their fingerprints, normal or not, have a chance to disappear over time. Watch the fingerprints, and you should be able to identify an Obake.

Oni

Oni are harder to identify on behavior alone. The most noticeable difference is that during its hunting phase, the Oni will appear for longer when flickering. They also will use their full model instead of a shadow or spectral form.

They are generally more active than the average ghost and will drain sanity faster when coming into contact. But with both of these being hard-to-track metrics, they can't be relied on.

Onryo

The Onryo is a fire-based ghost. A lit candle is to the Onryo what the crucifix is to a regular ghost. If an Onryo attempts a hunt near a flame, the hunt will fail, and the fire will be put out. When the flame is extinguished outside of that, the Onryo will try to hunt again.

If heavy candle placement is causing hunts to never happen, it's likely an Onryo.

Phantom

This ghost plays on the idea of visibility. The Phantom's strength will vanish after its photo is taken. Check your journal to see if the image shows signs of glitching. If the ghost photo is clear and glitch-free, it is a Phantom. The ghost's form will never appear in the photo, however.

Phantoms also flicker less visibly, appearing less often when flickering. Seeing a phantom, however, will drain your sanity faster.

Poltergeist

The well-known Poltergeist can throw multiple items in a room at a markedly faster speed than other types. It can throw these items simultaneously, especially when piled up on the floor.

Be careful: every time it throws an item, it docks your sanity by a percentage.

Raijiu

Raijius give themselves away due to their weakness in triggering electrical devices during a hunt, differing from the Jinn, which will conduct this behavior outside the hunting phase. The range to trigger electronics is about 50 percent further.

Their hunt threshold is also higher around technology, at 65 percent instead of the standard 50.

Revenant

The Revenant is a fairly straightforward ghost but one of the most dangerous. It hunts slowly if it isn't giving chase (listen for slower footsteps), but it is impossible to outrun if it spots you. Its chasing speed is around twice as fast as your average ghost. Beyond that, it behaves as normal.

Shade

Shades are shy ghosts. They are less likely to create ghost evidence. When doing a ghost event, they are more likely to appear as mist. When forced to appear (like through a summoning circle), they will appear in shadow form instead of the full model.

They are also the least likely to start a hunt. They cannot hunt until the sanity threshold falls under 35 percent. And even then, they will never start a hunt if someone is in the same room as them.

If the game goes on for a long while, and you're getting little activity, they might be a shade.

Spirit

Spirits are the most basic of ghost types. They only have one unique feature: Spirits are rendered totally inactive for 180 seconds after getting smudged — twice as long as all other types. You can try to use this method to identify one, but the traditional ways will be more reliable.

Thaye

In a total reversal of the Shade, Thaye ghost types start off incredibly powerful and aggressive, interacting with or throwing multiple items and dashing around the map during their first hunt. However, they lose momentum gradually over time when someone is nearby, moving slower and becoming less active.

If you suspect a Thaye, you may have to trigger a hunt early on (they hunt between 50-75 percent average sanity) to ensure that you can collect evidence and complete all objectives before it essentially goes dormant.

The Twins

The Twins are tricky, with one stationed in the ghost room to give key evidence and the other clattering about elsewhere to throw you off. They tend to perform back-to-back interactions from two different locations. They can also begin a hunt from either the ghost room or a nearby room.

Remember that the Twins are still only one ghost, not two. If you see events in multiple places that seem to conflict with their location, it may be the Twins.

Wraith

The Wraith is a floating ghost. When a Wraith steps in salt piles, it will never provide footprints. This can be checked with a UV torch or by snapping a photograph. This is the easiest way to confirm a Wraith from behavior.

Unlike the Banshee, which follows its target on foot, the Wraith can teleport to you from anywhere on the map in an instant. This is a dead giveaway if you have confirmed the ghost room and yet experience interactions, events, or any other activity far from its spot.

Yokai

The Yokai is very reactive to the sound of human voices, making it more likely to hunt from up to 80 percent sanity if you are too liberal with the push-to-talk button. Keep the group nattering to a minimum until you rule this one out.

Alternatively, use this as a method of instigating a hunt and confirming a Yokai.

Yurei

The Yurei has a secret ability to slam many doors at once. Unlike regular door touches, snapping a picture of a slammed door shows that this ability does not count as an interaction and will not give photo evidence — but will drain your sanity by a steep 15 percent.

Intentionally opening all doors and waiting for this event can be a way to identify a Yurei.