Phasmophobia Getting Game-Changing New Update on May 5

Kinetic Games has revealed that Phasmophobia‘s long-awaited Player Character Update is launching on May 5, 2026. The update will finally allow Phasmophobia players to customize their characters, while also bringing an end to the game’s iconic bendy back bug with new animations.

The Player Character Update has been one of the most highly anticipated Phasmophobia updates to date. It was initially planned as part of Phasmophobia‘s 2025 roadmap, but was eventually delayed as other updates took precedence. Kinetic Games has always maintained that the update would be a significant improvement to the game’s playable characters, which previously allowed players to select from one of several default options. Now, the developer has finally revealed when players can expect the update.

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Phasmophobia’s Player Character Update Arrives on May 5

In a Kinetic Games blog post, the studio revealed that Phasmophobia‘s Player Character Update is arriving on May 5, 2026, with exact release timings soon to follow. The developer wants to keep some things secret for players to discover upon release, but it did detail a few core aspects players can expect from the update. Gamers will be able to choose from 12 characters in the Customization shop, and adjust their look with different hairstyles, hair colors, clothing, and more. Kinetic Games says the shop is “full of options at launch,” but players can expect even more to be added in the future through updates and Twitch Drops integration, which have been used before in earlier Phasmophobia updates. After the update goes live, players will be able to earn a new High Priestess T-shirt by watching Phasmophobia streams on Twitch until May 11.

Player customization isn’t the only major overhaul coming in this update. Phasmophobia is getting brand-new character animations, which will finally remove the game’s iconic bendy back animation glitch. It has become synonymous with the game at this point, so much so that many Phasmophobia fans actually wanted to keep it despite it being an obvious bug. The developer has been reluctant to fix the issue, but it has finally taken the opportunity to do so at the same time as the Player Character Update.

A few smaller changes are coming, too. The death room is going away with the Player Character Update, and there is an update to “the way you interact with both the environment and your chosen equipment during an investigation.” This is pretty vague, but as Kinetic Games said, there are some elements it wants players to discover for themselves. With Phasmophobia‘s recent 6 Tanglewood Drive remake, players have already enjoyed a great start to 2026 on the road to 1.0.

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It’s going to be a massive year for Phasmophobia. The blog post reiterated the developer’s intention to launch the game into 1.0 later this year, after six years in early access. Phasmophobia is also getting a surprise Alan Wake crossover on May 12, arriving just a week after the Player Character Update. The game is in a great place at the moment, and it’s well-placed to get even better throughout the rest of the year.