Ghost evidence is the set of clues that tell you which ghost is haunting a location in Phasmophobia. Each evidence type is picked up with a particular piece of equipment, from an EMF reader to a thermometer or a video camera. Your team gathers them during an investigation, then uses the ones it confirms to work out the ghost's identity.
Group
Items
EMF Level 5
A ghost can turn a normal interaction's EMF reading into a level 5 emission.
- Tool or Condition
- Use an EMF Reader after the ghost interacts with an object or uses an ability. Each eligible level 2 or 3 emission has a 33% chance to register as level 5 when the ghost has this evidence.
- What Confirms It
- The EMF Reader shows level 5: all five LEDs on Tier II, or the full level 5 reading on Tier I or III. Confirm it on the reader, not from the truck activity monitor.
- False Positives and Misses
- Ghost events and hunts can create level 4 interference, and overlapping activity can make the truck monitor jump sharply. Neither is a level 5 reader result.
- Difficulty Evidence Hiding
- Nightmare shows 2 of 3 evidence and hides 1; Insanity shows 1 and hides 2; Custom can set evidence to 0–3. No ghost has forced EMF Level 5 evidence.
- Ghosts With or Showing This Evidence
- Dayan; Deildegast; Gallu; Goryo; Jinn; Myling; Obake; Oni; Raiju; Shade; Spirit; The Twins; Wraith
D.O.T.S. Projector
The ghost briefly appears as a silhouette while moving through the projector's green dots.
- Tool or Condition
- Place a D.O.T.S. Projector close to the ghost and watch the green laser grid. A night-vision Video Camera makes the brief appearances easier to see. Tier I does not work if Custom difficulty disables flashlights.
- What Confirms It
- A faint ghost silhouette walks through the grid during a short D.O.T.S. state. Goryo silhouettes require a Video Camera and do not appear while a player is in the same room.
- False Positives and Misses
- Player breath or Incense smoke can reflect the green dots into shapes. Only a ghost silhouette moving through the grid counts.
- Difficulty Evidence Hiding
- Nightmare shows 2 of 3 evidence and hides 1; Insanity shows 1 and hides 2; Custom can set evidence to 0–3. Goryo's D.O.T.S. is forced when 1 or 2 evidence are given; nothing is forced at 0.
- Ghosts With or Showing This Evidence
- Aswang; Banshee; Deildegast; Deogen; Goryo; Obambo; Oni; Phantom; Raiju; Thaye; Wraith; Yokai; Yurei
Ultraviolet
A UV Light reveals prints on touched surfaces and footprints after the ghost walks through Salt.
- Tool or Condition
- Shine a UV Light or activated Glowstick over surfaces the ghost can touch, such as doors, light switches, and windows. After it disturbs Salt, scan for its follow-up footprints as it walks away.
- What Confirms It
- A fingerprint, handprint, or footprint glows green under ultraviolet light. The initial Salt disturbance alone is not UV evidence.
- False Positives and Misses
- Door movement or lights flickering during a ghost event do not leave prints. A ghost may stop after disturbing Salt and make no footprints; Obake can also hide 25% of its prints.
- Difficulty Evidence Hiding
- Nightmare shows 2 of 3 evidence and hides 1; Insanity shows 1 and hides 2; Custom can set evidence to 0–3. Obake's Ultraviolet is forced at 1 or 2 evidence. Custom Fingerprint Chance and Duration can reduce how often prints appear and how long they last; the default duration is 120 seconds and Insanity uses 60 seconds.
- Ghosts With or Showing This Evidence
- Banshee; Demon; Gallu; Goryo; Hantu; Jinn; Kormos; Myling; Obake; Obambo; Phantom; Poltergeist; The Mimic
Freezing Temperatures
Only a thermometer reading below zero confirms Freezing Temperatures.
- Tool or Condition
- Use a Thermometer in the ghost's current room and give the room time to cool after the entrance is opened. Cold rooms help locate a ghost but are not enough to confirm this evidence.
- What Confirms It
- A Thermometer reading below 0°C (32°F). Visible breath, mist, and readings from 0°C to 1°C do not confirm it.
- False Positives and Misses
- Every ghost can cool a room to about 1°C, and breath becomes visible below 5°C. Ghost mist or airball events can also look cold without being evidence.
- Difficulty Evidence Hiding
- Nightmare shows 2 of 3 evidence and hides 1; Insanity shows 1 and hides 2; Custom can set evidence to 0–3. Hantu's Freezing Temperatures are forced when 1 or 2 evidence are given; nothing is forced at 0.
- Ghosts With or Showing This Evidence
- Aswang; Demon; Hantu; Jinn; Moroi; Oni; Onryo; Revenant; Shade; The Mimic; The Twins; Yurei
Ghost Orb
Ghost Orbs are small drifting lights visible through a camera with night vision.
- Tool or Condition
- Look through a Video Camera or video feed with night vision into the ghost's favourite room. Tier I Head Gear can also show orbs; Tier III night-vision goggles cannot.
- What Confirms It
- One or more small, bright orbs drift through the camera view. They usually appear one at a time and move around the favourite room.
- False Positives and Misses
- Snow, rain, fog, or camera noise can hide or imitate an orb; snow always falls while an orb can move horizontally or upward. The Mimic always adds false Ghost Orbs even though Orb is not one of its three real evidence types.
- Difficulty Evidence Hiding
- Nightmare shows 2 of 3 evidence and hides 1; Insanity shows 1 and hides 2; Custom can set evidence to 0–3. The Mimic's extra orbs still appear at every setting, including 0, and are not forced evidence.
- Ghosts With or Showing This Evidence
- Banshee; Dayan; Hantu; Kormos; Mare; Obake; Onryo; Raiju; Revenant; Thaye; Yokai; Yurei; The Mimic (extra false orbs; not real evidence)
Ghost Writing
The ghost writes or draws in an open book placed within range.
- Tool or Condition
- Place an open Ghost Writing Book within the ghost's range, usually in its current or favourite room. The ghost attempts to write every 45–90 seconds; success chance depends on book tier.
- What Confirms It
- The book lifts and the pencil or pen visibly writes or draws on its pages. Any new writing pattern confirms the evidence.
- False Positives and Misses
- A moved or thrown book and an EMF reading from the book are not Ghost Writing. A ghost can throw the book when Writing is absent or hidden, so a toss does not rule it out on reduced-evidence settings.
- Difficulty Evidence Hiding
- Nightmare shows 2 of 3 evidence and hides 1; Insanity shows 1 and hides 2; Custom can set evidence to 0–3. No ghost has forced Ghost Writing evidence.
- Ghosts With or Showing This Evidence
- Aswang; Deildegast; Demon; Deogen; Mare; Moroi; Myling; Obambo; Poltergeist; Revenant; Shade; Spirit; Thaye
Spirit Box
A clear ghost reply through the Spirit Box confirms this evidence.
- Tool or Condition
- Ask a recognized question with the Spirit Box while in the same room as the ghost and within its tier range (3 m, 4 m, or 5 m). Keep that room's lights off. Some ghosts respond only when one player is there; the Journal shows the response rule.
- What Confirms It
- The ghost replies through the box with a distorted voice and a white response indicator: the white ghost light on Tier I, ghost icon on Tier II, or white response LEDs on Tier III.
- False Positives and Misses
- A red indicator or Tier II X means no reply, and event or hunt flickering is not a response. A single unanswered question does not rule it out: each valid question has a 50%, 60%, or 70% response chance by box tier.
- Difficulty Evidence Hiding
- Nightmare shows 2 of 3 evidence and hides 1; Insanity shows 1 and hides 2; Custom can set evidence to 0–3. Deogen and Moroi have forced Spirit Box at 1 or 2 evidence; nothing is forced at 0.
- Ghosts With or Showing This Evidence
- Dayan; Deogen; Gallu; Kormos; Mare; Moroi; Onryo; Phantom; Poltergeist; Spirit; The Mimic; The Twins; Wraith; Yokai
What Ghost Evidence Means in Phasmophobia
Ghost evidence is any sign a ghost leaves behind that your team can detect with equipment. The evidence types are EMF Level 5, Spirit Box, Ultraviolet (which shows up as fingerprints), Ghost Orbs, Ghost Writing, Freezing Temperatures, and D.O.T.S. Projector. Some you read off a meter, some you spot through a camera, and some depend on the ghost responding to you directly.
Because they work so differently, no single type tells the whole story. Using several together gives you a much clearer picture of which ghost you're dealing with.
How the Three-Evidence Rule Identifies a Ghost
Each ghost in the game has three evidence types, and that's what makes the whole system work. Your ghost journal lets you mark what you've confirmed and cross off the ghosts that can't match. Once you've confirmed all three of a ghost's types, the list narrows to that one ghost.
Don't lean on a single clue, though. No type appears on every ghost, but several ghosts share each one, so one confirmed type still leaves plenty of candidates. Two or three matching clues make the answer far more reliable.
How to Find Ghost Evidence During an Investigation
Evidence tends to show up most in the room where the ghost spends its time, so find that room before you chase every clue in the house. A quick sweep with an EMF reader or thermometer shows where the activity starts, and once you've narrowed it down, set your other tools up in that room or just outside its door.
Every type has its own tool, and knowing which tool matches which type saves a lot of wandering around the house. Bring your gear to the room where you need it rather than spreading it across the whole building, so your team can cover more clues in less time.
Why Some Evidence Is Easy to Miss
Not every clue is there the moment you look. Some types depend on the ghost choosing to respond, such as a spirit box answer or writing in a book, and that can take a while. Others need the right tool running in the right spot before anything shows.
Some readings can also mislead you if you read them too quickly. Readings below 5 come from every ghost, so only an EMF reading of exactly 5 counts as evidence. Treat any single reading as a hint until a second clue backs it up.
How Difficulty Changes the Evidence You See
Harder difficulties can hide some of a ghost's usual evidence, so you may see fewer clues than you'd expect. On Insanity, for example, two of a ghost's three types are hidden, which leaves just one clue to work with. Fingerprints also fade faster on Insanity, lasting about one minute instead of two, so your UV checks need to be quick.
FAQ
Do some ghosts always leave the same evidence?
Yes, a few do. The Mimic always leaves Ghost Orbs on top of its three usual types, and the Hantu always shows Freezing Temperatures. Those fixed clues can help you narrow things down quickly, but you still need to match the rest of the ghost's set before you commit to an answer.
Why won't my spirit box answer?
Usually it comes down to the room and your setup. The lights in the ghost's room need to be off unless the power is out, and you need to be in the same room and close to the box. Some ghosts only answer when no more than one player is in the room, so a crowded room can silence them, and your mic has to be open while you ask a clear question.
Why is my Ghost Writing book blank?
Ghosts don't write while a hunt is running, so a blank book after a chase tells you very little. The Goryo never writes at all, and the Shade only writes when no one is in its room. Leave the book where the ghost tends to go, and check it again between hunts.