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Ghost Evidence and Identification Guide

By ScotPublished Updated Checked against v0.19.0.0 on

Tactical Quick Answer

Every Phasmophobia ghost carries three evidence types drawn from a pool of seven: EMF Level 5, Spirit Box, Ultraviolet, Ghost Writing, Freezing Temperatures, D.O.T.S. Projector, and Ghost Orbs. Matching all three narrows the journal list down to a single entity. On Nightmare, Insanity, and Custom zero-evidence contracts you identify the ghost through behavior instead, reading hunt speed, sanity thresholds, and ability tells.

Every ghost in Phasmophobia possesses a unique combination of three evidence types selected from a pool of seven total evidence indicators. Identifying these three clues narrows down the entity list in your journal to a single ghost type.

This guide details testing procedures for all seven evidence types, equipment tier variations, the media and payout system, and zero-evidence identification tactics.

The 7 Evidence Types Overview​

Evidence TypePrimary Detection ToolKey Visual or Audio Trigger
EMF Level 5EMF ReaderReader lights up all 5 LEDs or beeps rapidly at maximum frequency
Spirit BoxSpirit BoxVoice response through speaker when asking questions in the dark
Ultraviolet (UV)UV Flashlight / GlowstickGlowing green fingerprints on doors/switches or footprints in salt
Ghost WritingGhost Writing BookScribbles, symbols, or text written on open book pages
Freezing TempsThermometerRoom temperature below 0°C (32°F). Visible breath alone does not count
D.O.T.S. ProjectorD.O.T.S. ProjectorFaint silhouette picked out where the ghost crosses the green laser grid
Ghost OrbVideo Camera (Night Vision)Floating white orb visible on camera display in dark room

Detailed Testing Procedures​

1. EMF Level 5​

EMF readers detect electromagnetic disturbances left behind by ghost interactions. An interaction that would produce EMF 2 or EMF 3 has a 33% chance to read EMF 5 instead, if EMF 5 is one of the ghost's evidence types. EMF 4 events never convert.

  • How to Test: Place an active EMF Reader next to doors, thrown cups, or flipped switches immediately after an interaction sound.
  • Tier Distinctions: Tier I uses an analog needle that swings to 5. Tier II provides a clear digital display with 5 lit LEDs. Tier III tracks direction and distance to the disturbance.
  • Common Trap: Board activity spikes of 10 on the truck monitor indicate a hunt or double interaction, not guaranteed EMF 5. Always confirm with an in-room reader.

2. Spirit Box​

Spirit Box responses require specific conditions to trigger. You must be in the same room as the ghost, within range, with that room's lights turned completely off, and you must respect the response rule (alone vs. group) listed on the truck board.

  • Range by Tier: Tier I answers within 3 meters, Tier II within 4, and Tier III within 5. The response rate climbs with tier too, from roughly half the time at Tier I to the highest rate at Tier III.
  • How to Test: Stand in the ghost room with room lights off, turn on the box, and ask "Where are you?", "How old are you?", or "Give us a sign."
  • Response Indicator: Tier I displays a red light for no answer and a white light for a response. Tier II shows an icon on its screen. Tier III goes back to red and white LEDs, with a noise filter and the best audio quality.
  • Pro Tip: Only the lights in the ghost's own room matter. Hallways and adjacent rooms can stay lit, and doors can stay open. If the ghost turns that room's lights back on, your test fails until you switch them off again.

3. Ultraviolet (UV)​

Ghosts leave UV evidence on surfaces they touch during interactions. Fingerprints remain visible for two minutes by default, dropping to one minute on Insanity. The duration is a difficulty setting, not a property of your UV light, so a better torch does not make prints last longer.

  • How to Test: Shine a UV Light or Glowstick onto doors, light switches, keyboards, and window glass right after hearing an interaction sound. Step in salt to check for glowing footprints.
  • Salt Footprints: These only appear if the ghost actually has Ultraviolet as one of its three evidences. A crossing leaves at most four prints, each lasting 10 to 15 seconds, and you have to light them with UV before they can be captured.
  • Special Entity Rules: The Obake has a 75% chance to leave UV prints (25% chance to obscure evidence) and a 1-in-6 chance to leave a unique 6-fingered handprint. It can also halve the time remaining on prints already down.
  • Wraith Salt Rule: A Wraith walks through salt without disturbing it, so it never leaves footprints. It does not hover or path around the pile, it simply ignores it. Two caveats: Tier III salt does not work on a Wraith during a hunt, and an enraged Gallu also passes through salt cleanly, so an undisturbed pile narrows the list without settling it.

4. Ghost Writing​

Ghost Writing requires placing a notebook inside the ghost's interaction radius.

  • How to Test: Drop the open book on a flat surface or table inside the ghost room. Place a Crucifix nearby to prevent hunts while waiting.
  • Patience Factor: No ghost writes faster than any other. Every ghost that has Ghost Writing attempts the book every 45 to 90 seconds, and the tier of the book decides whether the attempt lands. If a book has sat untouched for several minutes, that points at the ghost lacking the evidence and not at a shy ghost.
  • Tier Differences: Tier I covers 3 meters and succeeds 51% of the time, Tier II covers 4 meters at 67%, and Tier III covers 5 meters at 76%.
warning

A Goryo cannot write at all. Its evidence is EMF 5, Ultraviolet, and D.O.T.S., so waiting on a book to rule it in or out tells you nothing.

A successful write runs through a fixed chain:

  1. The ghost performs an interaction.
  2. It checks the items in its room, and a Ghost Writing Book in range takes priority.
  3. The book closes and scribbles appear on the page.

5. Freezing Temperatures​

Freezing temperatures confirm when the room ambient drops below 0.0°C (32.0°F).

  • How to Test: Hold a Thermometer in the ghost room and wait for values to drop.
  • Visual Breath Rule: Visible player breath starts at 5.0°C or lower. Breath tells you a room is cold, but only a sub-zero numeric reading counts as Freezing evidence.
  • Breaker Requirement: With the fuse box on, indoor rooms climb toward 20°C. With it off they settle into whatever band the weather dictates, which runs from 3°C in snow up to 16°C at sunrise. Turning the power on is what makes a freezing room stand out.

6. D.O.T.S. Projector​

D.O.T.S. projectors emit a grid of laser dots. When a ghost enters its D.O.T.S. state, a faint silhouette is picked out wherever it crosses the grid. The state lasts at most six seconds, so watch continuously instead of glancing over.

  • How to Test: Place the projector on the floor pointing across a wide area. You can see the silhouette with the naked eye, though a Video Camera feed or the truck monitor makes it clearer.
  • Goryo Special Rule: Goryo D.O.T.S. is visible ONLY through a video camera lens while no players are physically in the room.

7. Ghost Orbs​

Ghost Orbs present as small glowing white balls floating randomly through the ghost room.

  • How to Test: Set a Video Camera down or hold it, turn off all room lights, and view the feed in Night Vision. Orbs are only visible through a camera. You cannot see them with the naked eye, and Tier III Head Gear goggles do not reveal them either.
  • Capturing Them: Since the Chronicle update ghost orbs are a video capture worth $10, not a photo.
  • The Mimic Fake Orb: The Mimic always displays Ghost Orbs as a secondary fake evidence, even on Nightmare, Insanity, or Custom 0-Evidence difficulty.

The Media System and Payouts​

The Chronicle update (v0.13.0.0, June 2025) removed the three-star photo rating. Distance and centering no longer affect what a capture pays. What matters now is whether a capture is the first of its category, which the game calls Unique, or a repeat, which it calls a Duplicate.

Chronicle also split captures into three media types. Several things that used to be photos are now videos.

MediaTypeUniqueDuplicate
GhostPhoto$15$3
Burned CrucifixPhoto$10$2
BonePhoto$5$1
FingerprintPhoto$5$1
Dirty WaterPhoto$5$1
Object LevitatingPhoto$5$1
Cursed PossessionPhoto$5no duplicate value
Disturbed SaltVideo$10$2
Ghost OrbsVideo$10$2

Media Rules​

  • Journal Capacity: 5 photos, 5 videos, and 3 sounds, shared across the whole team and never held per player.
  • Camera Tier Bonus: A Tier II camera adds $1 per capture and a Tier III adds $2.
  • Deletion: You can delete up to three media entries of any type. In multiplayer this needs a majority vote.
  • Priority: When one shot catches several things at once, the game keeps whichever is Unique or pays the most.
  • EMF Level 5: Since v0.18.0.0 (July 2026) an EMF Level 5 reading can be photographed as its own separate capture.
  • Framing Indicator: v0.18.0.0 gave Photo Cameras the same highlight frame Video Cameras use. Tier II and Tier III show it on screen, while Tier I signals a valid subject by switching its light from red to green.
  • Multiple Subjects: When one capture catches several things at once, v0.18.0.0 made the game keep whichever is Unique or pays the most, and a Unique always beats a Duplicate.
  • Unique Video Text: Since v0.19.0.0, shower and fuse box interactions display their own unique video evidence text instead of generic wording.
note

Before Chronicle, photos carried 1-star to 3-star ratings worth $10 to $20, and the deletion limit was two. Star ratings no longer exist, and salt and ghost orbs can no longer be photographed at all.

Low and Zero Evidence Identification Strategies​

On Nightmare (2 evidence), Insanity (1 evidence), or Custom Zero-Evidence difficulties, identification relies on behavioral traits and not on gear reads.

Work through elimination in three passes:

  1. Collect whatever evidence the difficulty still allows.
  2. Test secondary ghost traits: hunt speed points at a Revenant or Deogen, sanity threshold at a Demon or Thaye, and ability triggers at a Phantom or Oni.
  3. Confirm the entity identity against the shortlist in your journal.

Behavioral Trait Testing​

  • Footstep Speed: Listen to footstep cadence during hunts. Revenant moves extremely slowly until spotting a player, then accelerates to maximum speed. Hantu moves faster in cold rooms and slower in warm rooms without establishing line-of-sight acceleration.
  • Sanity Thresholds: Demons can hunt at 70% average sanity (or any sanity via rare ability). Shades cannot initiate hunts if players are present in the same room.
  • Light Switch Refusal: Mares cannot turn on light switches. If a light switch flips on immediately after you turn it off, rule out Mare.
  • Phantom Disappearance: Taking a photo of a Phantom during a ghost event causes the ghost to vanish immediately. The event itself keeps running, but your gear stops malfunctioning and the heartbeat audio cuts out, which is the confirmation you are listening for.

Frequently Asked Questions​

What are the 7 evidence types in Phasmophobia?

EMF Level 5, Spirit Box, Ultraviolet, Ghost Writing, Freezing Temperatures, D.O.T.S. Projector, and Ghost Orbs. Each ghost type has a unique combination of three of them.

Why is my Spirit Box not getting responses?

Responses need several conditions met at once. You must be in the same room as the ghost and within range, which is 3 meters at Tier I, 4 at Tier II, and 5 at Tier III. That room's lights must be completely off, and you must respect the alone or group response rule listed on the truck board. If the ghost turns the lights back on, the test fails until you switch them off again.

Does visible breath count as Freezing Temperatures evidence?

No. Visible player breath starts at 5.0 degrees C or lower, which only tells you the room is cold. Official Freezing evidence requires a numeric reading below 0.0 degrees C (32.0 degrees F).

How much is a ghost photo worth in Phasmophobia?

$15 the first time and $3 for a repeat, plus $1 with a Tier II camera or $2 with a Tier III. The Chronicle update removed the old three-star rating, so distance and centering no longer change what a capture pays. What matters is whether it is the first of its category.

How do you identify a ghost with no evidence?

Fall back on behavioral traits. Listen to footstep cadence for a Revenant or Deogen, watch sanity thresholds for a Demon or Thaye, and test ability tells such as a Mare being unable to turn light switches on.