Can you get possessed in Phasmophobia?

Just how powerful are the ghosts really?

An active Summoning Circle in Phasmophobia with a ghost trapped in the middle an a cross on fire in the background.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Ghosts have an immense amount of power in Phasmophobia. They can shatter lights, sing haunting songs, crawl toward you, and otherwise find unique ways to cause terror. With so many possibilities, you might be wondering whether possession is a gameplay mechanic, too.

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Investigations can be quite deadly and dangerous if you don’t know what you’re up against, so knowing if possession is in Phasmophobia and is something you need to worry about is crucial.

Is there possession in Phasmophobia?

Although some text you see in Phasmophobia might lead you to believe otherwise, there is currently no possession mechanic in the ghost-hunting game and no way for any player to become possessed.

The description of a Phantom says this: “A Phantom is a ghost that can possess the living, inducing fear into those around it.” However, there is no way for a Phantom to actually possess any player. The only part of this description that is true is that the Phantom induces more fear, which translates to draining more sanity whenever you see it.

The journal open to the Phantom page.
The journal is generally quite helpful, but sometimes it might trick you instead. Screenshot by Dot Esports

How accurate and helpful the description text for each ghost is varies, so you generally want to be careful about believing everything the journal tells you. In some cases, like with hyperosmia for the Moroi, the text provides powerful hints. But in others, like the Phantom, the text is a bit misleading and will have you searching for signs that just don’t exist.

There are a lot of updates and improvements scheduled for the future, but as of right now, possession is not one of them. The Phasmophobia 2024 roadmap does have many other additions like hallucinations, player customization, and more maps scheduled for the future though, so it’s still possible possession could make its way into the game at some point in the future. Hallucinations could also potentially tie into possession, as the two tend to go together.

While possession doesn’t exist in the game just yet, you can still cause quite a bit of chaos and have some pretty intense interactions somewhat similar to possession by using Cursed Possessions. These dangerous-yet-helpful items allow you to perform powerful interactions like temporarily trapping the ghost in a Summoning Circle, identifying exactly where the ghost room is using a Ouija Board, or even bringing a fallen friend back to life with the Monkey Paw or Tarot Cards.

Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.