V0.174 | Phasmophobia

: The amount of money earned for certain photos was reduced to balance the game's economy. Phasmophobia Wiki Ghost AI & Map Improvements Increased Ghost Presence : Ghosts now have a larger interaction range on the maps, making these large-scale locations more active. Hunting Phase Fixes

—formally designated as Post Launch Update #2 —stands as one of the most historically significant balancing patches in the early life cycle of Kinetic Games' hit psychological horror title. Released on September 28, 2020 , this specific update completely reshaped the early meta of the game. It fundamentally changed how players survived hunts, utilized equipment, and earned in-game cash.

Fixed a recurring bug where the flashlight beam would occasionally visually decouple from the player's perspective when swapping items quickly.

: The inventory screen was updated with helper text displaying the maximum item capacity allowed for an investigation. Core Gameplay Comparison: Before vs. After v0.174 Pre-v0.174 Mechanics Post-v0.174 Mechanics Smudge Sticks Instantly canceled active ghost hunts. Blinded the ghost temporarily; hunt continued. Crucifix Inconsistent usage rules. Strictly locked to 2 uses per item . Low Sanity No unique visual triggers. Lights flicker only for the low-sanity player. Large Maps Low ghost activity in large areas. Increased interaction range (School/Asylum). Photo Rewards High payouts for easy photos. Reduced payouts to balance the economy. The Legacy of the Update Phasmophobia v0.174

The genius of v0.174 lay not in what it gave the player, but in what it withheld. Modern Phasmophobia (as of 2024-2025) is a robust, complex piece of software with progression systems, customizable difficulties, and a laundry list of evidence-gathering tools. v0.174 had none of that. Instead, it had a thermometer, a photo camera, a spirit box, an EMF reader, and a profound sense of amateurish desperation.

: Equipment costs and reward structures have been adjusted. These changes aim to make the "professional" and "nightmare" difficulties more rewarding for veteran hunters while keeping the entry-level experience accessible for newcomers.

Significant updates to the server and voice server code were implemented to reduce client timeouts, prevent crashes, and enhance the reliability of in-game voice chat, which is crucial for interacting with the Spirit Box and Ouija Board. : The amount of money earned for certain

, also known as Post Launch Update #2 , stands as one of the most critical foundational updates in the history of Kinetic Games’ psychological horror hit. Released shortly after the game exploded into viral Steam Early Access stardom, this version rebalanced core ghost-hunting mechanics and fixed game-breaking server bugs. It shifted Phasmophobia from a chaotic indie novelty into a structured, intensely tactical horror experience.

For those interested in a detailed breakdown of the changes and updates in Phasmophobia v0.174, here is the full changelog:

: Servers and voice server code were updated to combat frequent crashes, client timeouts, and voice disconnects. Released on September 28, 2020 , this specific

: A new feature caused ambient lights to flicker exclusively for players with low sanity . Because this flickering was client-side (visible only to the affected player), it successfully sowed distrust and paranoia among co-op teammates.

: Lights will now flicker if your sanity is low. Notably, these flickers are only visible to the individual player experiencing the low sanity.

During the late months of 2020, Phasmophobia experienced an unprecedented surge in popularity. Millions of players jumped into the roles of paranormal investigators, utilizing voice recognition tools to communicate with entities. However, the sudden influx of players exposed numerous technical vulnerabilities. Kinetic Games responded by pushing out frequent hotfixes and minor version patches.

| Difficulty | Sanity Drain | Hunt Grace Period | Reward Multiplier | |------------|--------------|-------------------|-------------------| | Amateur | 0.8x | 5 seconds | 1.0x | | Intermediate| 1.0x | 4 seconds | 1.5x | | Professional| 1.2x | 3 seconds | 2.5x | | Nightmare | 1.5x | 2 seconds | 3.5x | | (new) | 2.0x | 1 second | 5.0x – +25% photo reward |

that prevents the Ghost from targeting a player for a short window, giving you time to find a hiding spot. Audio Adjustments