Four years after its PC launch, Kinetic Games’ spine-chilling multiplayer scarefest, Phasmophobia, has just arrived on console, allowing PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S owners to finally experience the joys of screaming themselves hoarse while their friends giggle into the mic. At last, the joys of Ghost Huntin’ are available to all.
Phasmophobia–which launched in September 2020 and took home the award for Best Debut Game just three months later–now features cross-play in addition to console compatibility, meaning players can face the paranormal (or run screaming from it) with friends on any platform. The console launch comes alongside a new game update called the Crimson Eye, which is available now for all platforms, and features everything from the return of a heart-stopping seasonal event to bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements.
“Last October, ghost hunters summoned the Blood Moon using a mysterious cauldron. This year, the Blood Moon is back and bigger than ever,” the game’s website explains in a recent blog post. “Paranormal energy has drastically increased in several locations, resulting in a new weather type, The Blood Moon. Enter these cursed locations and complete investigations, optional objectives and photograph any Blood Altars you may find to earn Blood Points. Work together with the Ghost Huntin’ Community to collect Blood Points and earn brand-new rewards. Be warned, during the Blood Moon, ghosts will be empowered and stronger than ever.”
The blog post noted that accessing Blood Moon (and all “future seasonal or temporary events”) will require an online connection, even when playing solo. This is due to the fact that temporary in-game events bring with them “a lot of technical changes,” so keeping players online when interacting with live/seasonal events “will allow [Kinetic Games] to keep track of the event progress and make live changes on our cloud servers, if needed.”
The Crimson Eye update also adds an Event Board to the Warehouse. The Event Board features “leaflets for current in-game events and challenges,” which allow players to individually track their progress for each event they’re taking part in. The game’s photo cork board has been moved to the truck parked inside the Warehouse to make room for the Event Board, which is located between the truck and the Warehouse’s door. The Event Board currently features two new challenges: Ranger Challenge and Sunny Meadows Survival.
Other improvements include a physics upgrade that makes doors much less frustrating. Moving doors can no longer push players out of the way (great for those moments when one’s teammates can’t seem to decide if they’re coming or going), and doors can no longer be pulled off their hinges. Additionally, players can no longer be pushed through walls or other solid objects, and players suffering low frame rates can finally cross “accidentally clipping through the floor of Point Hope” off their list of totally rational fears, as the floor has evidently been reinforced with low-FPS-proof wood.
Phasmophobia’s Crimson Eye update patch notes are listed in full below. For more info on the creepy co-op (which is still technically in early-access) and its hair-raising scare tactics, check out our interview with Phamophobia’s dev team. If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out Phasmophobia but aren’t a fan of consoles, don’t despair–Phasmophobia is currently on sale for 25% off ( $15 USD) on Steam.
Patch Notes v0.11
New
Added Latin American Spanish language supportPoint Hope now has a unique key in the TruckYou can now invite and join friends using your Steam friends listYour Unity ID is now displayed on the main menu board. Please provide this with any game support ticket you submit.If you block a player, you will now be muted for them (in addition to them being muted to you)The EULA now supports all languages
Changes
All aspects of the game have been heavily optimised, resulting in higher performance and more consistent frame ratesThe handwritten font (Journal / Main menu) has been replaced to improve localisation support across all languagesYou can no longer access the badge selection menu or change your character model while in the debriefing screenThe ghost orbs section of Training will now be completed more consistently
Fixes
Many localisation, UI and font issues have been fixed throughout the game, in all languagesSticky notes in training will now display the correct key bindings when using a controller and will be disabled in VRGhosts will no longer be able to hear players using push to talk after you stop talking using global chatPlayers will no longer float when loading into the warehouseThe Main Menu UI will no longer break and overlap if you click the join button too many times, or when leaving the difficulty settingsRed strings on the investigation board will now turn on and off correctly when taking/removing photosID Cards will now reset when resetting your save fileYou will no longer pick up the ouija board if you ask the sanity question with a gamepad and text voice recognitionYou will no longer get stuck in the Monkey Paw text menu when using a gamepadNew badges will now appear as options on your ID card as soon as you earn themBadges on the ID card will now be completely reset if you have a badge that isn’t synced with your cloud saveYour ID card will now reset if you reset your save fileGhosts can now enter and exit Sunny Meadows ‘experiment room 3’Ghosts will no longer get stuck on top of several objects in Sunny MeadowsThe Ridgeview utility light will no longer stop rendering if you close the doorGamepad icons for navigating main menu board will no longer disappear when swapping between menusThe gamepad cursor speed will now correct adjust to higher resolution monitorsVR and gamepad users can now scroll on the debriefing screen to see all informationYou can no longer lose equipment inside the wall above the stairs in RidgeviewWhen multiple players die at the same time, the contract will now end, and you will be able to exit the debriefing screenThe contract will now load correctly if someone disconnects while loadingCustom difficulty will now properly unlock at level 50 instead of level 1The voice recognition UI will no longer show multiple phrases for each question in some languagesWeekly difficulty “Primitive” no longer tries to spawn more salt than what is possibleUI will no longer overlap if spamming the join button or when leaving the difficulty settingsWhen the host leaves, objects physics will now correctly reset for the new hostThe ghost animations during events will now be the correct speedFixed several microphone issues on Steam Deck
Known Issues
Some locations have lighting and reflection issues, specifically with rooms being too brightAfter dropping the voodoo doll, the movement will be incorrectSome trees will flash with Eye Adaption enabled on low-end hardwareThe first two pages of the VR Journal have missing textTripod I will follow you when dropped on consolesRain and Snow effects can’t be seen on consoles
