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Phasmophobia Passes 30 Million Sales, From a Solo Project at Home to a Horror Giant
Kinetic Games' co-op ghost-hunting hit has sold 30 million copies while still in Early Access, as its Crimson Eye Halloween event returns ahead of a 1.0 launch planned for the second half of 2027.
Phasmophobia has passed 30 million sales, a remarkable milestone for a game that is still in Early Access and began as one developer's side project. Kinetic Games announced the number alongside the return of Crimson Eye, its annual Halloween event.
What was announced
"So much has changed since I started making Phasmophobia on my own at my parents' house," said Kinetic Games CEO and game director Daniel Knight. "My initial goal was to sell 1000 units in the first year, so it's hard to believe we're celebrating 30 million."
The Crimson Eye event is live now and runs until November 1. It adds blood moon weather to a rotating set of maps each day, making ghosts faster and draining sanity more quickly in exchange for bigger rewards. The event includes community and personal goals with cosmetic unlocks, a Twitch drop for watching streams between October 8 and 15, double XP from October 15 to 22, and the return of the Ghost Hunts 4 Hearts charity drive for the American Heart Association in the final week.
Key details
- Developer and publisher: Kinetic Games
- Genre: 4-player online co-op psychological horror
- First released: September 18, 2020 in Steam Early Access ($19.99 on Steam)
- Platforms: Steam, PS5, PS VR2 and Xbox Series X/S in Early Access; Nintendo Switch 2 version coming, date not announced
- Sales: 30 million
- 1.0 release: planned for the second half of 2027, with development previews starting next year
- Publishing: Kinetic launched a publishing arm, Kinetic Publishing, earlier this year; its first game, starship job sim Contact Protocol, is due in spring 2027
The road to 1.0
It hasn't been a smooth year. Kinetic pushed 1.0 out of 2026 after a rocky reaction to its Player Character Update, apologizing to players that it had "missed the mark." Since then the studio has shipped fixes and a second Quality of Life update, and says 1.0 will bring major overhauls to ghost design and gameplay.
What it means for developers
- Small scope, huge reach. Phasmophobia started as a solo project with a clear, original hook: co-op ghost hunting with real voice interaction. A sharp idea can matter more than team size.
- Early Access can be a long-term business. Six years in, the game is still in Early Access and still growing. Regular updates and seasonal events keep players coming back.
- Events drive engagement. Time-limited events with community goals, streaming rewards and charity tie-ins give players reasons to return and creators reasons to stream.
- Listen when updates miss. Kinetic's public apology and delay show that owning a misstep and slowing down can protect a community's trust.
- Success can fund others. With Kinetic Publishing, a once-solo developer is now backing other studios' games.
Sources
Cover image: © Kinetic Games.
