All Phasmophobia Difficulty Levels, Explained

In Phasmophobia, players can take on the role of a paranormal investigator, as they visit many haunted locations and try to gather as much evidence of the paranormal as possible. Needless to say, this is not a game for the weak of heart, as the title offers a fully immersive and terrifying experience, where every action has consequences, and where danger lurks in every corner. With that said, and to help all of those looking to jump into the game, here are all Phasmophobia difficulty levels, explained.

All Phasmophobia Difficulty Levels

Players can currently play Phasmophobia on four different difficulty levels, Amateur, Intermediate, Professional, and Nightmare, each offering a pretty different overall experience.

Amateur

The game’s easiest and less intense difficulty level. The Amateur difficulty features a longer setup time (5 minutes), a shorter hunt period, and an extended grace period. While playing in this mode, players will also be able to get 50% of their equipment value upon death, as well as restore 40% Sanity by using Sanity Pills.

Intermediate

The game’s standard difficulty setting. Those that play in the Intermediate difficulty will receive two times more rewards, as well as 50% more XP when compared to Amateur. This difficulty level features a standard setup time (2 minutes and 30 seconds), as well as the standard amount of ghost activity.

In Intermediate, upon death, only 25% of your investment will be returned and players will be able to recover 35% sanity with Sanity Pills. Some features will also be blocked when compared to the Amateur difficulty, such as the use of the fusebox at the start of each level.

Professional

The Professional difficulty level can be unlocked by reaching level 15. While playing at it, players will get three times more rewards, as well as double XP, but the experience will be way more intense as there will be no time to prepare, as well as more frequent ghost activity, all accompanied by a longer hunting phase.

Adding to that, on Professional, sanity will be spent twice as fast, doors will open frequently, various areas will be closed off, there will be no tips, the fuse box will be off at the beginning, and various hiding locations will be blocked. Sanity Pills will also only recover 30% sanity upon use.

Nightmare

The game’s highest difficulty level, the Nightmare difficulty can only be unlocked by reaching level 20 and will reward players with 4x rewards as well as 2.5x XP.

Nightmare offers players an experience sure to scare even the bravest of souls, as, in this difficulty, there will be no setup time and no tips on the board. Adding to that, most hiding locations will be blocked, ghost activity will be way more frequent, and players will not be able to recover a portion of their investment upon death. During your playthrough, the room being haunted will occasionally change, doors will open frequently, Sanity Pills will only restore 25% Sanity, and the fuse box location will be absent from the map.

With that said, the biggest differences in this difficulty lie in the fact a successful kill will not end the hunting phase, as well as in the fact that players will be unable to make use of both the Sanity Monitor and the Site Activity Monitor, as they will be malfunctioning.

Which Phasmophobia Difficulty Level Should you Choose?

Like many games of its kind, Phasmophobia does a good job in preparing players for each experience, thanks to its level cap. With that said, the game’s Intermediate difficulty level seems like the right one for most players, new or not to the genre, as it allows you to gradually improve as you make your way into the Professional Difficulty.

On the other hand, if you are unsure if the title is for you, or just want a little more time to get the feel of the mechanics, the Amateur difficulty is a safe bet. Last but not least, the Nightmare difficulty is a whole other beast when compared to the others, and should only be attempted if you have already mastered the game’s mechanics. So be careful if you plan on jumping right into it when available.

Phasmophobia is currently available exclusively for PC, via Steam.