The Phasmophobia community has successfully raised over $230,000 for the American Heart Association through its Ghost Hunts for Hearts charity event, significantly surpassing last year's efforts. The final figure was announced by developer Kinetic Games on November 6, concluding a drive that ran from October 26 to November 2.
This year's event saw an unprecedented participation rate, with more than 500 streamers signing up. This marks the largest turnout yet for Heart Liive, the American Heart Association's streaming initiative, and more than doubles the $100,000 raised in the previous year.
Participants who engaged in fundraising activities were eligible to receive exclusive in-game rewards, such as an Animated AHA Advocate ID Card and Badge, distributed as Twitch Drops. Kinetic Games had initially set a community target of $200,000. Upon exceeding this goal, an animated version of the reward set was unlocked for all participants.
Tom Dent, lead social media and player experience manager at Kinetic Games, expressed gratitude to the community: "The Phasmophobia community never fails to amaze us, and this year they've outdone themselves. Thank you to every streamer, viewer and player who took part."
Phasmophobia, which launched in Early Access in September 2020, tasks teams of up to four players with investigating haunted locations and gathering paranormal evidence. The game is available in Early Access on Steam, PS5, PS VR2, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version also planned. The studio has confirmed that Phasmophobia's full 1.0 launch has been postponed to 2027, with the development team prioritizing quality and addressing player feedback following a challenging reception to a previous update.