It’s ghost hunting season! Well, not really. October has come and gone, and we’re rolling into a new year. But we can pretend it’s ghost hunting season, and just do it all year. I’ve listed off 10 games you should play if you like Phasmophobia but want something a little different.
10 Games Like Phasmophobia Worth Playing
10. Demonologist
This seems like the obvious alternative, and it has some features that Phasmophobia players have been asking about for ages. Demonologist has character customization, more detailed visuals, the ghosts actually look different, and ghosts can actually move furniture, manifest, and affect the environment. It’s more of a loose experience than Phasmophobia because of how the ghosts can affect the environment, along with the addition of jumpscares. This one’s just scarier.
9. The Devourer: Hunted Souls
Let’s pivot back to investigating paranormal activity, rather than being chased around by it. The Devourer: Hunted Souls is another ghost investigation game but with more narrative than most of the other entries on my list. The English translation isn’t great, though. Regardless, the monsters you encounter and environments are striking. This is honestly one of the scariest ones I’ve included. The Devourer: Hunted Souls is also give-player co-op, unlike most other options. Give at least the demo a go to see how you like it.
8. Labyrinthine
Rather than investigating or capturing ghosts, how about traversing mazes and solving puzzles while you avoid an untimely death at the hands (or claws) of monsters? Labyrinthine has a few story maps, which are worth playing, but the real meat and potatoes is in the randomized maps. There are several types of maps with different sorts of puzzles to solve, and an impressive number of monsters you’ll need to learn to avoid in Labyrinthine. My only complaint is the cosmetic unlock system, which confusingly includes duplicate items in the loot pool.
7. Ghost Exile
Ghost Exile is more of an on-the-nose Phasmophobia clone than some of these, but there’s nothing wrong with that. This one includes character customization, 12 maps, tons of tools, and does not require the use of a mic. If you’re looking for a ghost hunting game, but have a person in your group who can’t use voice, this one might be a good option. Rather than just determining the sort of ghost is haunting the property, you’ll need to exile the ghost here. It’s got a lot of interesting mechanics, I really recommend trying the demo.
6. Devour
If you’ve clicked around the Steam Store out of boredom at any point in time, you’ve probably at least seen the thumbnail for Devour. Devour seems a bit so-so because its normal price is so cheap, but it’s a frantic and fun experience for a horror-enjoying gaming group. It only has a handful of missions, but each one tasks you with hunting down the materials and tools to exorcise the demon in the area. You start with sacrificing goats, then luring and electrocuting rats, then… burning books? It’s an interesting and intense ride from start to finish.
5. Boo Men
My group of friends has mixed feelings about Boo Men. Rather than investigating ghosts, you and your group are thieves robbing houses that just happen to be haunted. You need to turn lights on and off as you progress through a building to keep the area you’re in lit, otherwise you’ll be attacked. The ghost gimmicks in Boo Men are pretty cool, since you’re being actively hunted whenever you’re in the dark. This game isn’t perfect, though. I’ve had loot spawn clipped into furniture and be unfindable, completely ruining a mission. I’ve included this one because I actually really enjoy Boo Men despite its issues.
4. Ghost Exorcism INC.
How about a six-player ghost hunting game, with a bunch of weird ghosts and more tools than you can shake a smudge stick at? Ghost Exorcism INC. is in an interesting spot, in that doors actually block ghosts, you actually have weapons to defend yourself, and the entities you come across are as varied as they can get. Did I mention you can zap them Ghostbusters-style? With all the progression options and variety from one round to the next, I couldn’t recommend it enough. There’s a demo on Steam for you to try before you buy.
3. Ghost Watchers
Another ghost hunting game, just in a slightly different flavor. Ghost Watchers isn’t quite as mechanically robust as Ghost Exorcism INC. or Demonologist, but its tools and gimmicks are at least more dynamic and entertaining than the ones in Phasmophobia. You also need to actually capture the ghost, which requires that you complete research on it, determine what it is, and weaken it into a state it can be captured. This one doesn’t have a demo to try, but it’s one of the faster-paced games on this list.
2. Forewarned
What about a game similar to Phasmophobia but inside Egyptian tombs filled with peril? Forewarned has grown into much more than it was in the very early days of its Early Access period, with loads of unlockables, dynamic Mejai (the evil spirits within), and interesting puzzles and traps to figure out and get by. This game just gets scarier all the time, and it’s one of the few games I’ve listed that has randomized maps. If you were to get just one that I’ve recommended here, it should be this one or the next entry.
1. The Outlast Trials
And now for something completely different from the rest! I’m a big fan of The Outlast Trials. If you like co-op horror, even when it’s not supernatural, and you have a strong stomach, The Outlast Trials isn’t to be missed. You’ll be pushing through the most deranged “therapy” you could imagine, with some truly disgusting displays of cruelty, and you’ll be doing it with the most intuitive and simple control scheme a game like this could muster. The Outlast Trials is a tense blast with friends, and I recommend it to anyone with the stomach for the extreme gore.
Not all ghost hunting games are equal, but most of them are good fun. That concludes our list of 10 games you should play if you like Phasmophobia. They’re not all games about hunting ghosts, but the ones I’ve included that aren’t about hunting ghosts are still great alternatives to scratch that co-op horror itch.
Published: Dec 23, 2023 04:25 pm