In Phasmophobia, you identify a ghost by comparing the evidence you observe with the evidence required by each possible ghost type. The in-game Journal helps you check candidates: it highlights a selected ghost’s required evidence and, since version 0.19.0.0, displays other players’ evidence and ghost selections. Nightmare difficulty changes the process by hiding one of a ghost’s three evidence types.
What “unique evidence” means in Phasmophobia
Evidence is the set of observations used to narrow down which ghost is haunting a location. The community-maintained Evidence reference describes each ghost as having a combination of three evidence types. A candidate remains plausible when the evidence you have confirmed fits that ghost’s requirements.
This guide does not list every ghost’s evidence combination: the available official sources confirm Journal features, but do not provide a complete current ghost-by-ghost matrix. For a specific ghost, check its evidence in the current in-game Journal rather than relying on an unverified table.
How to compare evidence and ghost candidates
- Record what you observe. Use the Journal to track evidence found during the contract. Evidence categories correspond to in-game observations and equipment; examples include checking an EMF reader after an interaction, searching a surface with UV after an interaction, and watching for temperature evidence. These methods are described in the community-maintained Identifying ghosts guide and may be affected by game updates.
- Select a candidate in the Journal. The Evidence page highlights that ghost type’s required evidence, making it easier to compare the candidate with what the team has confirmed.
- Check the team’s findings. The Journal can display other players’ evidence and ghost selections, so compare your candidate against the observations recorded by the group.
- Keep incompatible candidates out of consideration. If a confirmed observation does not fit a candidate’s required evidence, do not treat that candidate as a match. On a difficulty that hides evidence, however, the missing type alone does not rule it out.
How difficulty affects evidence
When all three evidence types are available
Use the ghost’s three evidence requirements as a checklist and compare them with the observations your team has confirmed. The community Evidence reference describes three evidence types for each ghost.
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Nightmare
The community reference says Nightmare selects two of a ghost’s evidence types and hides the remaining type, making that evidence unobtainable during the contract. You must identify the ghost from the evidence that is available rather than expecting to collect all three types. A missing third type is not, by itself, proof that a candidate is wrong.
What the Journal can—and cannot—tell you
Kinetic Games’ v0.19.0.0 patch notes document two relevant Journal changes: the Evidence page highlights the required evidence for a selected ghost, and the Journal displays other players’ evidence and ghost selections. These features make the Journal useful for checking a candidate and coordinating what the team has recorded.
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The patch notes establish those interface features; they are not a complete reference for every ghost’s current evidence combination. For the full list, use the current in-game Journal and check current game updates. Community-maintained references can help, but their tables and procedures should not be mistaken for official confirmation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Version context
As of 8 October 2026, Kinetic Games’ v0.19.1.0 notes describe the release as preparation for Crimson Eye, launching on 8 October 2026, and say the Unity 6 update is scheduled for November. The developer’s 2026-and-beyond update says Phasmophobia 1.0 has moved to the second half of 2027 and that Conduits are planned to replace the Bone as a contract collectible. These are dated plans and context, not evidence rules; check current patch notes for later changes.
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