As Halloween approaches, chills-seekers seem to be flocking to Phasmophobia. The game is a co-op paranormal game in which four players search for ghosts in dark, abandoned locations. The game launched in Early Access last month and has been increasingly busy since October, with up to 80,000 investigators regularly searching haunted buildings simultaneously.

Thanks to these ghost hunters, Phasmophobia has climbed to nearly the top of Steam's top seller list, with Baldur's Gate 3 still above it. This is no doubt helped by its popularity on Twitch, where it was one of the most watched games last week.

It is surprising that this game is ranked so high in a crowded field of indie horror games, and for an early access horror game at that. However, this game stands out. The investigation is slow and methodical, and there is a team to rely on when things get dire. Optionally, you can play in VR, but the game can hear your voice, so when you talk to your friends via local chat or radio, the ghosts know what you're talking about and can even talk back.

Rich Stanton calls it the best ghost game ever. He said, "The heartbeat of this experience is unlike any other I've played. This experience depends on camaraderie, communication, and courage."

If it were exclusively for VR, "Half-Life" would not have been so high on the list: but the feeling of actually being trapped in a haunted building, with spirits listening to your whispers and worries, waiting to strike absolute terror when you are at your most vulnerable is There is something very appealing about such a feeling. In fact, I take it all back, it sounds absolutely terrifying.

The price of £11/$14 is attractive even in Early Access, and according to sole developer Kinetic Games, the price will remain the same until launch and will be raised afterwards. Early Access will continue through next year, but no release date has yet been set. The full version will include additional equipment, maps, and ghosts suggested by the community. For now, there are seven maps to explore right now.