Since its initial early access release in 2020, Phasmophobia has been a hit. The game was janky and buggy on release but with continued time, passion, and support, it has grown exponentially. Phasmophobia offered a fresh take on the horror genre, placing players in the shoes of ghost hunters that had to force interactions with the spirit to gather evidence and discover its type. The game recently had its largest content update ever with the release of the Nightmare Update, which added new ghosts, a new map, and a whole new difficulty.
The game has steadily gotten more and more difficult as it has gotten older, and even veteran ghost hunters will need to review their routines. As the ghost becomes more lethal with each patch, hiding places become more and more important. Though the best hiding places change based on where the ghost room is and what type of ghost is haunting the place, there are many hiding spots that are usually a safe bet to retreat to during a hunt.
Maple Lodge Campsite-The Bathrooms
Phasmophobia's newest map is the Maple Lodge Campsite. This map introduced a bunch of new features to the game, including different weather states that can affect the investigation. One of the most unique features of this map is the fact that it is a primarily outdoor map. Though there is a lodge that holds some secrets of its own on the map, the majority of ghosts will be haunting outdoor areas or tents. This can make proper setup and evidence gathering quite tricky, even for experienced paranormal investigators.
Another challenge of this map is actually escaping the ghost during a hunt. Because the ghost is often haunting outside, it can be hard to loop it around corners. There aren't many places to hide on this map, and the open nature of it ensures that the hunting ghost has excellent lines of sight. Hiding in one of the many tents will often not work because the ghost probably saw the hunter go in.
The best hiding spot on the map is the bathroom. Near the right side of the map from the entry gate, a long wooden building can be spotted. This is the camp bathroom. It has a few stalls with doors, and these are the best hiding spots on the map. The ghost might see the player enter the bathroom, but it will often ignore the stalls. Just be sure to turn off all electronics and close the stall door.
Prison-The Guard Rooms
The prison map is one of the hardest maps to hide on if the ghost is haunting certain rooms. If the ghost room is anywhere but the prison blocks, hiding will feel pretty standard. It's usually best to try and change floors when the ghost starts hunting, as this will often lead to a survived hunt. If the ghost happens to be haunting a prison block though, things get a little trickier. At one point, each cell counted as a different room. This allowed easy hiding, as the ghost wouldn't check other rooms.
An older update made the ghost investigate new rooms more often, especially if it saw someone go inside. Thus, prison block hunts became nearly impossible to survive, as the block is very open and the bars provide no cover from the ghost's gaze. If the players are deep inside the cell block when a hunt begins, their best option is the guard room. This room controls all the lights in the block and provides just slightly more visual cover than the cells themselves. The ghost will still often enter this room, and if multiple people are hiding together, one is sure to be taken by the angry spirit. Unfortunately, this is the best bet in the cell block, especially if the player isn't close to the exit of the block.
Willow Street House-Hiding Corners
Willow Street House was released with no conventional hiding places. On paper, this seems very difficult. In practice, this map can be tough, especially on Professional difficulty and above. The idea on Willow Street House is to hide behind furniture or in corners where the ghost might not check. Again, the ghost is much better at tracking players around corners in the current build, so these pseudo hiding places often fail, but there are a few that are better than the others.
First, the player should find a decent one inside the house's garage. The breaker is often inside the garage, so it won't be too out of the way to explore. On the right side wall from the garage entry, the player will see a little inlet. The spot has a washer and a dryer and a wall that extends forward, creating a little cubby where the player can hide. This is one of the better hiding spots on the map, especially if the ghost is haunting the basement or the kitchen.
Next, there is a good hiding spot at the end of the basement hall. This one can be marked by a shovel standing against the wall and an overly large garbage can. The player can hide here with a slow basement ghost. If the ghost has a fast hunt movement speed though, they will probably track the player behind the garbage can and send them to the afterlife. Still, this spot is one of the better hiding places on Willow Street House, and shouldn't be forgotten.
Bleasdale Farmhouse-The Attic
Bleasdale Farmhouse is one of two farmhouse maps in the game. It can be discerned from the Grafton Farmhouse by the attic on the third floor. The attic can be a ghost room and can also spawn a Ouija Board. It also happens to be an underrated hiding place in the game. Though the attic has little of what makes most hiding places good, it can actually be a pretty handy spot during a hunt. The player will have to go up a couple of staircases to get to the attic, which can sometimes trip up the ghost. If that doesn't work, the attic's size and clutter act as the perfect ground to hide from the ghost.
The ghost will often make it into the attic and patrol around, but the player can often break the line of sight and hide behind the clutter. This can be tricky for new players and sometimes requires the player to crouch around different pieces of clutter as the ghost walks around. Think of the attic like hiding in plain sight--and try to avoid the ghost's line of sight at all costs. Though most hiding places will just have players tuck themselves away and be quiet, this one is more akin to Metal Gear or Splinter Cell as it will require active stealth to avoid getting caught.
Lockers
Lockers can be found across many different maps. There are no lockers on the medium maps or the Asylum, but they should appear at least once on all small maps (except for Willow). Lockers are generally considered some of the best hiding places thanks to their ease of access. They are often easier to quickly open than closets but there are fewer of them on the maps than closets. It's important for the player to not solely focus on the ghost after discovering a ghost room. While evidence gathering is the core of the game, surviving is also pretty important. Players should scout around the ghost room and check for good hiding places, including lockers.
It should be noted that lockers inside the ghost room will rarely protect a player from a hunt. The ghost can open locker doors if it thinks the player is inside. If the ghost sees a player enter a locker or a closet, it's, unfortunately, an almost assured death, as the ghost will just open the hiding spot and find the player. Opening a locker door and getting behind it will often break the ghost's line of sight during a chase though, and this makes lockers a good all-around hiding place.
Closets
Closets act nearly identical to lockers but are more common. They are a safe bet for hiding during a hunt but suffer from all the same weaknesses as lockers. They can also sometimes be a little finicky to open during an active chase when the player might be panicking or going too fast. Many closets are located in hallways or inside bedrooms on the small maps of the game, and these access points make them great for quickly slipping away and avoiding the ghost's ire.
Just like the lockers though, players can't be seen going inside a closet. The ghost will open the doors, and no amount of holding them closed will work, as the ghost can overpower the player every time. Closets are the classic hiding places of the game though and they can often get players out of a hunt alive.