Can you get possessed in Phasmophobia?

Ghosts have an immense amount of power in Phasmophobia. They can shatter lights, sing haunting songs, crawl toward you, and otherwise find unique ways to cause terror. With so many possibilities, you might be wondering whether possession is a gameplay mechanic, too.

Investigations can be quite deadly and dangerous if you don’t know what you’re up against, so knowing if possession is in Phasmophobia and is something you need to worry about is crucial.

Is there possession in Phasmophobia?

Although some text you see in Phasmophobia might lead you to believe otherwise, there is currently no possession mechanic in the ghost-hunting game and no way for any player to become possessed.

The description of a Phantom says this: “A Phantom is a ghost that can possess the living, inducing fear into those around it.” However, there is no way for a Phantom to actually possess any player. The only part of this description that is true is that the Phantom induces more fear, which translates to draining more sanity whenever you see it.

How accurate and helpful the description text for each ghost is varies, so you generally want to be careful about believing everything the journal tells you. In some cases, like with hyperosmia for the Moroi, the text provides powerful hints. But in others, like the Phantom, the text is a bit misleading and will have you searching for signs that just don’t exist.

There are a lot of updates and improvements scheduled for the future, but as of right now, possession is not one of them. The Phasmophobia 2024 roadmap does have many other additions like hallucinations, player customization, and more maps scheduled for the future though, so it’s still possible possession could make its way into the game at some point in the future. Hallucinations could also potentially tie into possession, as the two tend to go together.

While possession doesn’t exist in the game just yet, you can still cause quite a bit of chaos and have some pretty intense interactions somewhat similar to possession by using Cursed Possessions. These dangerous-yet-helpful items allow you to perform powerful interactions like temporarily trapping the ghost in a Summoning Circle, identifying exactly where the ghost room is using a Ouija Board, or even bringing a fallen friend back to life with the Monkey Paw or Tarot Cards.