Phasmophobiais the co-op ghost hunting experience that horror game fans have been dreaming of for a long time. The game offers an intense paranormal investigation theme, designed to be horrifying down to every last detail.Whether going solo or with others, players must venture into haunted locations and bring clarity to the supernatural, all while ensuring that they live to tell the tale. Doing so is challenging, especially considering the objectives the game expects players to accomplish.
RELATED:Things That Should Be Added Into Phasmophobia
There are four objectives to achieve on every hunt inPhasmophobia. The primary goal is to determine what type of ghost has infested the location. The three remaining objectives are randomly selected and can involve anything from getting the spirit to walk through salt to surviving a hunt. Players have a large variety of equipment to choose from, and ensuring that the right equipment is handy can help save time — and Sanity. Here’s every item in the game, ranked from worst to best.
Updated Jul 09, 2025, by Christopher Anaya:Phasmophobia is a game that has astounded and petrified players with its immersive and supernatural gameplay. Stepping into the shoes of a paranormal investigator, players must determine the cause of inexplicable happenings and then escape with their lives and substantial evidence to back their case. This goal is the backbone of Phasmophobia, but since its release on June 06, 2025, the game has expanded upon it with more ghosts, new locations, gameplay improvements, etc.
With these considerable changes, Phasmophobia is no longer the game it once was but something far better. Players have much more to do and have the flexibility they did not before, as seen with their vast collection of ghost hunting equipment. Players have various items to use during their investigations, many of which were in the game when it was released, with some new additions. Regardless, every piece of ghost hunting equipment has changed, altering the hierarchy of the most practical items for a paranormal investigation.
The Head-Mounted Camera is an item players can equip to have a live video feed of everything they see. While it seems practical and is the subject ofPhasmophobia’smore comical moments, it fails to achieve what is possible through well-placed Video Cameras. In truth, the live video feed of the Head-Mounted Camera is almost impossible to watch unless the wearer is standing still, which ultimately defeats its purpose entirely.
The Head-Mounted Camera does find more use in groups of four, as truck management becomes less challenging with three live video feeds of the other players. The person staying on the truck can better track their friend’s locations and conditions while potentially spotting something paranormal. Despite this, the Head-Mounted Camera offers little for clearing objectives or gathering evidence, making it a rather niche item.
21Glowstick
The Glowstick is an item used to find fingerprints invisible to the naked eye. This purpose is the sole function of this ghost hunting equipment, yet it fails to do so effectively. The Glowstick has a low range of light, meaning that players have to get close to reveal fingerprints, which is tedious to do in every room. To add insult to injury, the UV Flashlight does the same thing better, for only a couple of dollars more.
RELATED:Games To Play If You Love Phasmophobia
However, the Glowstick is not without its uses, as players can place it wherever they desire. This functionality allows players to position it in possible fingerprint locations, which proves beneficial, especially for long hunts that are spent chiefly inside the truck. Ideally, players will place the Glowstick in sight of a Video Camera and return to safety, looking for fingerprints on the computer. Yet, it fails to offer as much utility as the UV Flashlight.
20Sound Sensor
The Sound Sensor is an item that players can place on a wall and use to detect inaudible noises like those of a ghost. Yet, despite being the second most expensive item in the game, it falls short in performing its sole function and offers little practical use. With such a high price tag, the Sound Sensor should be more beneficial than it is, but it remains an item that players scarcely or never use during a paranormal investigation.
The only justification for using the Sound Sensor is to help pinpoint the location of a ghost in larger areas. By sprawling this item across a map, players can get a good read of where the most paranormal activity is coming from, making the investigation easier. However, players can save money using the Parabolic Microphone, a cheaper and more effective alternative. The Sound Sensor is overall an unworthy item for investigations.
19Parabolic Microphone
The Parabolic Microphone is an intriguing item that allows playersto detect otherwise inaudible sounds like a ghost’s footstepsif they have any. It is a cheaper and portable version of the Sound Sensor that players can take with them wherever. Yet, much like the Sound Sensor, the Parabolic Microphone is not nearly as effective when detecting paranormal activity, being greatly overshadowed by items like the EMF Reader.
The Parabolic Microphone does have merit when seeking supernatural happenings on larger maps. Expansive locations such as the Prison are too big and dangerous for players to scout out. Doing so will risk their Sanity and lives as the ghost stalks them, waiting to strike. Hence the Parabolic Microphone’s utility on a larger map as players can get a read without entering a site of paranormal activity, but it falls short elsewhere.
18Lighter
The Lighter provides players with a limited light source and a means of lighting things on fire. But, aside from the latter function, it fails to offer players anything of substance. Flashlights offer far more lighting and grant a clear view of a player’s surroundings that the Lighter does not. In truth, to say that it is a capable light source is nothing short of a lie, as it grants players a view of things right next to them.
The Lighter only ranks this high because it can light Candles, Smudge Sticks, Campfires, and other flammable objects. Igniting these things prove beneficial as they offer light and protect players from losing their Sanity or becoming the victim of a ghost. Without the Lighter, players cannot utilize these valuable items, limiting them somewhat. This ghost-hunting equipment on its own is remarkably useless, however.
17Candle
The Candle is an item players can place and ignite using a Lighter, providing them with a dependable light source. Moreover, this ghost hunting equipment is relatively cheap, making it affordable and practical. The only gripe of the Candle is that it is not worth the effort to set up, especially on larger maps or when dealing with a particularly aggressive spirit. Players will often be better off with lights found throughout a location or Flashlights.
The Candle is advantageous during hunts, as most light sources will flicker or turn off. It will stay lit, offering players some solace and preventing their Sanity from dropping too low, which proves dangerous as the likelihood of a hunt will increase. Additionally,Candles can detect the presence of ghosts, making them a good tool for finding the area of most paranormal activity. Even so, they are too tedious to set up, and the benefits of doing so are not worthwhile.
16Salt
Salt is an item that players can use to detect ghost footprints that are otherwise unseeable. This function allows players to observe the presence of spirit and complete a common objective that requires a ghost to walk through a pile of it. Salt is a practical item that players should have, but it pales when compared to other, more effective paranormal activity detecting means like a Thermometer.
Even so, what Salt lacks in sheer practicality, it makes up for in affordability and function, especially in smaller locations. Players can scatter piles throughout an area to track a roaming ghost. Even if there are no footprints to be seen, players will benefit as that narrows the list of what the spirit can be because some do not leave impressions. The only instance where Salt is impractical is on larger maps, as there is much to cover.
15Tripod
The Tripod is not a necessary item, but it does offer a stable and adjustable platform for Video Cameras. Not every map has advantageous positions for Video Cameras, making this piece of equipment nearly indispensable. All players need is one or two well-placed Tripods with Video Cameras to view the entirety of most paranormal sites safely from the truck.
The Tripod makes setting up Video Cameras an effortless procedure and grants a greater field of view. These benefits allow players to set cameras up, return to the truck, and have a greater chance of viewing supernatural happenings thanks to the advantageous position of the Tripod. As it saves players much hassle, time, and Sanity, the Tripod is a worthwhile investment that players should utilize.
14Smudge Stick
The Smudge Stick can be a versatile weapon for the playeras it prevents a ghost from hunting and slows their advances. This function makes it immensely valuable to have while investigating sites of paranormal activity. Players aiming to make it out alive from a supernatural location must take Smudge Sticks, as they can be the difference between life and death.
The Smudge Stick is also used to complete a common objective that requires the cleansing of a haunted area. The only flaw of this item is that it has a difficult to estimate window of effectiveness, which is not a good quality for a life-saving tool such as it. Players may use the Smudge Stick only to find that they did it too early, lulling them into a false sense of security and potentially their death.
13Flashlight
The Flashlight is an item that provides players with light, which is necessary to discover clues and retain Sanity. It grants enough light for players to view their immediate surroundings and a bit more,free of the horrifying darkness ofPhasmophobia. Although it is not the most powerful light source, the Flashlight outclasses other items such as the Lighter and Glowstick that barely provide any visibility beyond what is directly in front of players.
The Flashlight is frugal yet functional, making it an excellent light sourcefor those new toPhasmophobiaor those strapped for cash. The only noteworthy downside of this item is that the much-better Strong Flashlight will replace it in due time. Still, the Flashlight serves its purpose faithfully for the first few hunts and can act as a backup should players lose their Strong Flashlight.
