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Phasmophobia’s Chronicle v0.13 update changed how players collect and earn rewards for media: photos, videos, and paranormal sounds now use separate capture mechanics, and a Perfect Investigation requires filling the Journal with Unique Media as well as meeting the usual requirements. Kinetic Games announced the update on June 24, 2025; the notes below cover the launch changes and July follow-up patches, not every feature in the game’s October 2026 version.
What changed in the Chronicle update?
Kinetic Games described the update’s focus as “our complete rework of how Media is gathered and rewarded in Phasmophobia.” The headline change was a move away from treating media as one star-rated category. Players instead capture photos, video, and sounds with different tools, while the Journal distinguishes first captures from repeats.
At announcement, Kinetic Games said Chronicle was live on Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation VR2, and Xbox Series X/S. That is the platform availability claim made in June 2025, not a verified current compatibility list. Kinetic Games’ v0.13 announcement
How the new media systems work
| Media | Tool and capture method | Limit per investigation or contract | Examples in the notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos | Photo Camera; photograph eligible evidence. | Five photos per investigation, down from ten. | EMF readings; Physical, D.O.T.S, and Shadow ghost forms. |
| Video | Video Camera; hold the “USE” button while aiming at the target spot. | Up to five videos per investigation. | Hunting ghosts, Ghost Orbs, thrown objects, moved doors, Crucifix events, shattered light sources, and a ghost blowing out a candle or fire. |
| Sounds | Sound Recorder; captured sounds can be played from the Journal’s Sounds page. | Up to three sounds per contract. | Paranormal sounds, a hunting ghost, singing ghost events, and Spirit Box responses. |
Photos: fewer slots, different evidence
The photo allowance fell from ten to five per investigation. Chronicle added EMF readings and three ghost forms—Physical, D.O.T.S, and Shadow—as photo types. Light switches, door movements, thrown objects, and various ghost interactions moved out of photo media and into video media. These are the launch changes announced by Kinetic Games in June 2025. Official v0.13 notes
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Video: record an event rather than photograph it
For a video, aim the Video Camera at the desired spot and hold the “USE” button. The launch examples include a ghost hunting, triggering a Crucifix, or appearing as Ghost Orbs; objects being thrown or moved; and certain environmental or fire interactions. The truck’s CCTV interface was divided into CCTV Cameras, Video Cameras, and Head Cameras. Players could watch up to five live feeds at once and record video media from the truck.
Sounds: a separate recorder and Journal page
The Sound Recorder was listed as unlocking at Level 4, with Tiers 2 and 3 becoming available at later levels. It captures up to three sounds per contract, and recordings are accessible on the Journal’s Sounds page. The examples in the launch announcement include paranormal sounds, a hunting ghost, singing ghost events, and Spirit Box responses.
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Unique Media, duplicates, and Perfect Investigations
Chronicle removed the former three-star media rating. Instead, the first capture of a media item during a contract is marked Unique; another capture of the same type is marked Duplicate. Duplicates earn less money and experience than Unique captures.
To earn a Perfect Investigation under the new condition, players must fill the Journal with Unique Media in addition to meeting the usual requirements. The launch notes also increased the number of media deletions available during an investigation from two to three. Kinetic Games’ launch notes
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Rewards, equipment tiers, and progression
The June 2025 launch notes said all media rewards would count toward the reward multiplier. They also listed an additional $1 per piece of media for Tier 2 recording equipment and $2 for Tier 3. These are launch-note bonus figures; later v0.13.1.0 notes adjusted rewards for specific media, so they should not be treated as a universal current payout.
Chronicle also brought equipment and tier unlocks earlier and grouped tier upgrades in sets of two or three, giving players a choice of upgrade path. As one example, the announcement placed Crucifix Tier 3 and Incense Tier 3 at Level 80, rather than Level 90 and Level 85, respectively. Kinetic Games’ v0.13 announcement
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Reward examples added in v0.13.1.0
The July 10, 2025 follow-up gave examples of adjusted media rewards: $10 for Freezing Temperatures and Ghost Writing, $20 for sounds of a hunting ghost, and $5 for a dead body. These are examples from v0.13.1.0, not the launch values or a complete reward table. Kinetic Games’ v0.13.1.0 patch notes
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Challenges and objectives added or changed
The launch update enabled year-round unique challenges, including launch challenges, increased-XP events, and equipment-focused challenges. Objectives were added for capturing three Unique photos, three Unique videos, two Unique paranormal sounds, and a video of a ghost. The EMF objective also changed: instead of finding paranormal activity with an EMF Reader, players had to photograph an EMF reading on the reader. Kinetic Games’ v0.13 announcement
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Chronicle v0.13 follow-up patches
The launch announcement is only the beginning of the Chronicle-era notes. Kinetic Games published several follow-ups in late June and July 2025:
- June 27, 2025 — v0.13.0.1: A hotfix addressed several issues, including PlayStation players being unable to select Asia servers and evidence behavior involving the Mimic and Goryo. Official v0.13.0.1 hotfix notes
- July 10, 2025 — v0.13.1.0: The patch added recording-completion cues and more recordable video examples, including Crucifix events in Sunny Meadows and Obake shapeshifting. It also adjusted rewards, sound-recording range, and media deletion limits by difficulty. Official v0.13.1.0 patch notes
- July 11, 2025 — v0.13.1.1: A hotfix addressed warehouse chromatic aberration and keybind issues. Official v0.13.1.1 hotfix notes
Kinetic Games’ news index lists later game updates through October 2026, so these are Chronicle v0.13-era notes rather than a description of the game’s entire present-day feature set. Kinetic Games news
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