While at the Summer Games Fest 2025, I had an opportunity to meet with the team behind Phasmophoba and was shown content that will be in the newest update for the game Chronicle and Grafton.
Grafton
Grafton Farmhouse is a map that already exists in Phasmophobia, but with the new update, its interior is getting a dramatic overhaul. The farmhouse will look like it’s been partially destroyed — rooms now have holes in the roof, windows are shattered, and even the stairs are damaged. This gives the entire location a new, unsettling aesthetic. Watching the Kinetic Games team walk me through the redesigned interior, it was clear they had a blast creating it.
One room that really stood out to me was the seamstress’s room. It’s filled with mannequins, and I couldn’t help but anticipate a jumpscare — like one of those mannequins could suddenly be a ghost. That was easily my favorite room in the tour. Revisiting Grafton Farmhouse with friends is going to be a completely different experience now.
Chronicle
The real meat of the new update — and the part that will fundamentally change how the game is played — is the Chronicle update. This one is going to overhaul the gameplay in major ways.
First, let’s talk about photo evidence. When you take pictures of ghost events or the ghost itself, they now receive a star rating. Three stars is the highest and marks the most relevant photo for the investigation. You’ll need several relevant photos to maximize your reward. Previously, players could spam salt footprint photos for easy cash, but that’s changing. Kinetic Games is introducing a Unique Score system, which limits how often the same type of photo can count toward rewards.
This update encourages you to use a variety of tools to capture ghost activity. And it’s not just about photos anymore — you’ll now be able to record video footage and audio. These can be saved and will contribute to your investigation rewards. Even better: you can now record directly from the truck’s camcorders, which means you can help the team while recovering your in-game sanity.
Another major quality-of-life improvement is the new UI for switching between camcorders in the truck. It’s much more intuitive — no more awkwardly clicking through each one with the mouse.
I’m genuinely excited to jump back in with my group of friends. This update adds so much more to do, even for players who prefer to stay in the truck due to fear or low sanity. If you’ve stepped away from Phasmophobia, now is the perfect time to come back. And if you’ve never played before, this is a great excuse to finally check it out.
Phasmophobia is available today on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
