Games

Phasmophobia Devs Respond to Demand for Meta Quest 3 Port

Published

3 weeks ago

November 6, 2024

Christoph Rediske

Key Takeaways

Phasmophobia developers acknowledge the demand for Quest 3 VR release but encounter obstacles due to game mechanics.
Game mechanics like ghost interactions through lighting could make a Quest 3 adaptation challenging and “expensive” for older devices.
A future Quest headset may support Phasmophobia, but any standalone VR release will likely wait until after the game’s 1.0 version.

The developers behind Phasmophobia are aware that fans want the game to come to the Meta Quest 3 standalone VR headset line. However, their response to the demand likely isn’t what Meta Quest 3 and Phasmophobia fans are hoping to hear.

Kinetic Games’ title has been available via virtual reality for a while now, but Phasmophobia‘s recent release on the PlayStation 5, which came with PSVR 2 compatibility, has generated a new stir among players. Being spooked by the ghosts on a screen is one thing, but VR increases the fear and immersion immensely, leading many Quest owners to once again ask for it to be released for the standalone VR headsets.

Phasmophobia Devs Say Fans Want to Keep a Weird Bug

Phasmophobia developer Kinetic Games is in no rush to fix one of the game’s weirdest bugs because fans appear to be loving it.

Now, Kinetic Games has responded to the demand while talking to VideoGamer in an interview. Developer Ben Lavender says that while the team knows that fans want the game on the Quest 3, there are some potential roadblocks to making it happen. The first is that the development team working on Phasmophobia is quite small, so something like that would be hard to fit in with everything else the team is working on. However, getting it to even work with the Quest 3 while providing a comparable experience to other platforms would be difficult.

What’s Holding Phasmophobia Back from the Quest 3?

Lavender continued, stating that the way the game works would make it potentially difficult to run on the Quest. For example, one common way that Phasmophobia ghosts communicate is by throwing objects or turning lights on and off. He says this would make the game “expensive” on older devices and the Quest 3. While some games could potentially get rid of lights or make them completely static to make a game less resource-intensive, that wouldn’t be possible with the way that Phasmophobia works. The developers also want to continue having the game be cross-compatible with other platforms, so a Quest version would really need to be on-par with every other system running the game.

There is still some hope for Quest fans, though. While the first two Quest headsets definitely wouldn’t have been powerful enough for Phasmophobia, and the Quest 3 might lack the resources, there’s a chance that a future Quest headset or other wireless VR headset might be powerful enough for it. However, the team stipulates that any ports to a standalone VR headset will likely wait until after Phasmophobia gets its 1.0 version release, so gamers shouldn’t expect anything in the near future. In the meantime, playing Phasmophobia on the Quest with a wired PC connection is still possible.

Phasmophobia is a 4-player, online co-op, psychological horror game. You and your team of paranormal investigators will enter haunted locations filled with paranormal activity and try to gather as much evidence as you can. Use your ghost-hunting equipment to find and record evidence to sell on to a ghost removal team.

Immersive Experience: Realistic graphics and sounds as well as a minimal user interface ensure a totally immersive experience that will keep you on your toes.

Unique Ghosts: Identify over 20 different ghost types, each with unique traits, personalities, and abilities to make each investigation feel different from the last.

Equipment: Use well-known ghost-hunting equipment such as EMF Readers, Spirit Boxes, Thermometers, and Night Vision Cameras to find clues and gather as much paranormal evidence as you can. Find Cursed Possessions that grant information or abilities in exchange for your sanity.

Full Voice Recognition: The Ghosts are listening! Use your actual voice to interact with the Ghosts through Ouija Boards and EVP Sessions using a Spirit Box.

Locations: Choose from over 10 different haunted locations, each with unique twists, hiding spots, and layouts.

Game Modes: With 5 default difficulties and hand crafted weekly challenges, there are plenty of ways to test your skills.

Teamwork: Dive in head first, get your hands dirty searching for evidence while fighting for your life. If you’re not feeling up to the task, play it safe and support your team from the truck by monitoring the investigation with CCTV and motion sensors.

Custom Difficulty: Create your own games to tailor the difficulty to your or your group’s needs, with proportional rewards and come up with crazy game modes of your own!

Co-operate: Play alongside your friends with up to 4 players in this co-op horror where teamwork is key to your success.

Play together: Phasmophobia supports all players together, play with your friends with any combination of input types.

Developer(s): Kinetic Games
Publisher(s): Kinetic Games
Multiplayer: Online Co-Op
Engine: Unity
How Long To Beat: 36.5 hours (solo) / 28 hours (co-op) / 33 hours (vs.)
How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs): T For Teen // Blood, Use of Drugs, Violence
Steam Deck Compatibility: Verified
Supported VR Headsets: PlayStation VR 2 Headset
Number of Players: 4
Early Access Release: September 18, 2020
PC Release Date: September 18, 2020
PS5 Release Date: October 29, 2024
Xbox Series X|S Release Date: October 29, 2024
PSVR2 Release Date: October 29, 2024