5 Best Video Games Like Phasmophobia

Among the scariest games released within the past several years is "Phasmophobia," developed by the British studio Kinetic Games. The game is available to play solo or online cooperatively, with players controlling a team of ghost hunters. Each level has players investigate a haunted site to determine what kind of spirit is prowling the area. The game ended up getting fixed because it had too many scares as a testament to its overall fear factor.

The surprise success of "Phasmophobia" led to many team-based ghost-hunting games filling the market, several of which are quite good. These games each feature their own memorably haunted sites and unique ghosts to keep players on their toes. With that in mind, we're listing games that place players in the midst of the haunting as they try to determine what spectral activity they've found themselves up against. Here are the five best video games like "Phasmophobia" to keep the paranormal frights coming.

Launched in early access in 2021, the indie game "Obsideo" offers its own twist on team-based ghostly investigations. With a squad of anywhere from one to four players working together, the game has priests visit various haunted sites. Using their own tools and environmental clues to determine what kind of malevolent ghost is active in a given assignment. From there, players must properly carry out the appropriate exorcism ritual to purge the malicious spirit for good.

To be clear, "Obsideo" is still technically in its early access phase and, at the time of this writing, hasn't received a full launch date. It's even gone without updates for a while, meaning it's a cautious buy. But "Phasmophobia" fans will recognize a similar setup to the game, with enough distinct features to keep the experience fresh. The inclusion of the exorcism mechanic is a welcome addition, not only distinguishing it from "Phasmophobia" but giving players the opportunity to fight back. Hopefully, "Obsideo" will get a final official release, but the early access shows a lot of promise and hews closely to the Kinetic Games title.

Another game technically still within its early access phase is the 2022 title "Ghost Exile" by LostOneTeam. The game also has teams of up to four players working together to examine sites with suspected hauntings in desperate need of an exorcism. Like "Phasmophobia" and many other games on this list, players use environmental clues to determine what kind of phantasm they're facing. Using their equipment, the players then perform an exorcism, though there are lethally dire consequences if they misidentify the apparitions.

"Ghost Exile" brings the spectral terror and crime scene investigation elements to the forefront of its gameplay, but with its own twists. The game offers more customization options for players to make the experience feel truly their own, right down to character design. Like "Phasmophobia," the game also possesses a voice recognition mechanic, allowing players to communicate with ghosts during their examination. With ghosts that can level up and an unlockable skill tree, "Ghost Exile" brings a surprising amount of depth to its familiar premise.

The 2023 game "Demonologist" dials up the sheer terror and supernatural menace compared to many of the other titles on this list. The game again has players either work alone or with teams of up to four to investigate paranormal locations. After identifying the types of apparitions that present around a given site, players can then work together to exorcise the lethal entities; familiar, but it works. The ghosts feel much more dangerous than they do in "Phasmophobia" as they will lash out and stalk players investigating them.

"Demonologist" is definitely one of those horror games that you should play during the spooky season. This is a game that heavily evokes a pervasively unsettling atmosphere and ramps up the suspense as the various spirits go on the offensive. To elevate the scares, the game features incredibly detailed environments and an immersive sound design, really putting players on edge. An even more intense take on a familiar premise, "Demonologist" is best played with friends, rather than taking on these hellish frights alone.

The 2024 game "Forewarned" has more of a grave robbing premise rather than one revolving around paranormal investigations. The game has teams of up to four players raid ancient Egyptian tombs for treasure, only to incur supernatural wrath at each burial site. The investigative elements that are present in the gameplay are used to identify the types of undead monsters prowling the sites. With this knowledge, players can exploit the mummies' strengths and weaknesses as they recover holy relics and escape in one piece.

With a cultural focus on Egyptian legends and some slightly silly stereotypes, "Forewarned" certainly stands out from other supernatural investigation games out on the market. The game's tomb raiding premise also helps differentiate it, while providing players with an alternative objective to other games on this list. Like "Phasmophobia," the game also enjoys virtual reality headset functionality, making it a particularly terrifying game to play in VR. A team-based game that does something much more distinct with the usual premise, "Forewarned" is a lot of fun when coordinating with friends over the immersive device.

After initially launching in an early access phase on Steam in 2022, "Ghost Watchers" got its official release in 2025. Like every other game on this list, the title allows up to four players working together to battle ghosts. Players explore haunted locations like abandoned houses, police stations, and ghost towns to determine what kind of paranormal activity is afoot. From there, gamers have a whole arsenal of tools to help them fight back against the deadly enemies and end their threat for good.

With dozens of unique enemy types and an immersive variety of environments to explore and purge of phantasms, "Ghost Watchers" reflects its years of hard work from the developers. Renderise has crafted a genuinely spooky experience that, like all the other games on this list, is best experienced in the company of friends. Given how truly frightening many of the enemies are in this game, that makes the purging of these spectral entities all the more satisfying. A moody little ghost hunt, "Ghost Watchers" is the most recent title on this list and one well worth checking out.