Yokai

Yokai is a type of ghost in Phasmophobia. It is sensitive to voices, and becomes more aggressive while players are speaking nearby, which allows it to start a hunt even at high sanity levels. At the same time, while it is hunting, the radius in which it can hear players is much smaller compared to the other ghost types.

Behavior

When at least one player talks (or produces significant noise) within a certain range of the Yokai, its hunt sanity threshold is temporarily increased to 80%. Otherwise, it has the normal threshold of 50%. Talking near the Yokai at any sanity will also increase its activity.

During hunts, a Yokai can only hear players or sense handheld active electronics that are within 2 meters of it.

Evidence

• Spirit Box
• Ghost Orb
• D.O.T.S Projector

Strengths and weaknesses

These are the strengths and weaknesses as listed in the journal:

Strength: Talking near a Yokai will anger it, increasing the chance of an attack.

Weakness: When hunting, a Yokai can only hear voices close to it.

Strategies

The Yokai is easily identifiable by two distinctive traits: it will hunt more often when players are together and talking near it, but its ability to detect hidden players during a hunt through voice or electronics will be limited: for example, it will be less likely to follow the player past multiple line-of-sight breaks, and will not be attracted to their electronics unless both are very close to each other. The Yokai does not have any additional buffs when hunting, so escaping it will be generally easier.

In multiplayer, the Yokai becomes mildly more dangerous, given that talking near the Yokai could initiate a hunt at very high average sanity level and therefore very early into an investigation. Where possible, less experienced players should ideally keep voice communications as short as possible until the ghost room is found. Otherwise, completing whiteboard objectives can be made easier by encouraging the Yokai to hunt through talking.