Phasmophobia Monkey Paw: Wishes and Their Costs

The Monkey Paw is the newest cursed possession and the most “deal with the devil” of the set. You make a wish, you get an effect, and the wish always carries a drawback. It rewards a coordinated team that knows exactly what it wants and is ready for the cost.

What it does

Interacting with the paw lets a player make a wish from a set of options. Each wish produces a specific outcome paired with a penalty — the game is designed so no wish is a free win. Because the outcomes are defined per wish, the tool is deterministic in a way Tarot Cards are not, but the drawback is the catch.

How to use it

• Decide the goal before you touch it: do you need the ghost located, sanity restored, or an objective forced?
• Read the wish’s cost and make sure the team can absorb it.
• Use it in coordinated play, with everyone briefed on the plan and the drawback.
• Keep an escape route ready — some wish outcomes can escalate the situation.

The risk

The penalty. A wish that solves your immediate problem can leave you with a worse one — drained sanity, a provoked ghost, or a hunt you did not plan for. Because the cost is built in, using the paw “just to see” is how teams trade a clean run for a mess.

Best use case and mistake to avoid

Best for a team that knows the exact result it wants and has prepared for the price. The mistake is wishing without a plan — the Monkey Paw is powerful, but it is not a shortcut, and a careless wish can cost more than it gives. Confirm the current wish list in-game, since effects are tuned with updates.

Quick links

Cursed hunt mechanics, cursed possession thresholds, and the identification order guide for using a wish to speed evidence.