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Always work with copies of your save files. Before editing, make sure you’ve decrypted your save and have a backup of both the original encrypted file and the decrypted JSON.

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Save File Structure

Once decrypted, Phasmophobia save files are stored as JSON with a consistent structure. Each game property is represented as an object with two fields: 
{
  "PropertyName": {
    "__type": "data_type",
    "value": actual_value
  }
}

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Field Types

The save file uses three primary data types:

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Integer Fields ("__type": "int")

Used for numeric values like money, XP, and item quantities: 
"PlayersMoney": {
  "__type": "int",
  "value": 5000
},
"Experience": {
  "__type": "int",
  "value": 12500
}

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Boolean Fields ("__type": "bool")

Used for true/false values like unlock status: 
"tierThreeUnlocked": {
  "__type": "bool",
  "value": false
},
"TierTwoUnlockOwned": {
  "__type": "bool",
  "value": true
}

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Other Types

The save file may also contain string, float, or array types depending on game data.

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Key Properties

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Player Progression

  • PlayersMoney - In-game currency amount
  • Experience - Total XP earned

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Equipment Inventory

All inventory fields follow the pattern [ItemName]Inventory:
  • EMFReaderInventory - Number of EMF Readers owned
  • FlashlightInventory - Number of Flashlights owned
  • UVFlashlightInventory - Number of UV Flashlights owned
  • And many more for each equipment type
These are modified by the Max Items preset.

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Tier Unlocks

Multiple boolean fields control equipment tier unlocks:
  • tierTwoUnlockOwned - Tier 2 unlocked status
  • TierTwoUnlockOwned - Alternative tier 2 field (case variant)
  • tierThreeUnlocked - Tier 3 unlocked status
  • TierThreeUnlockOwned - Tier 3 owned status
These are modified by the Unlock All Tier 3 preset.

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Manual Editing

You can edit the decrypted JSON file (SaveFile_Decrypted.json) with any text editor.
1

Decrypt your save file

Follow the decryption guide to create SaveFile_Decrypted.json.
2

Open in a text editor

Open SaveFile_Decrypted.json in your preferred editor:
  • Notepad++
  • Visual Studio Code
  • Sublime Text
  • Any JSON editor
3

Make your changes

Modify the value fields while preserving the JSON structure:Example: Set money to 100,000
"PlayersMoney": {
  "__type": "int",
  "value": 100000
}
Example: Unlock tier 3
"tierThreeUnlocked": {
  "__type": "bool",
  "value": true
}
4

Validate JSON syntax

Ensure your JSON is valid:
  • Use a JSON validator (jsonlint.com or built into your editor)
  • Check for missing commas, quotes, or brackets
  • Verify proper data types (numbers without quotes, booleans as true/false)
5

Save the file

Save your changes to SaveFile_Decrypted.json.
6

Re-encrypt

Follow the encryption guide to convert your edited JSON back to the game’s encrypted format.

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How PhasmoDecrypt Edits Saves

PhasmoDecrypt’s preset functions use the Newtonsoft.Json library to parse and modify the save file programmatically. Here’s how the editing system works:

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Property Matching

The EditJson class searches for properties by name using case-insensitive comparison: 
foreach (var prop in obje.Properties())
{
  if (prop.Name.Contains("Inventory", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
  {
    // Modify inventory items
  }
}
Reference: /workspace/source/Classes/EditJson.cs:44-47

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Type Safety

Before modifying values, presets verify the __type field: 
if (prop.Value["__type"]?.ToString() == "int")
{
  prop.Value["value"] = 999;
}
Reference: /workspace/source/Classes/EditJson.cs:48-51

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Global State Updates

After each modification, the updated JSON is stored in Globals.DecryptedText: 
Globals.DecryptedText = obje.ToString();
Reference: /workspace/source/Classes/EditJson.cs:56 This ensures changes persist across multiple preset applications before saving or encrypting.

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Common Editing Tasks

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Increasing Money

Find PlayersMoney and change the value: 
"PlayersMoney": {
  "__type": "int",
  "value": 999999
}
Or use the Change Money preset.

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Adjusting Experience

Find Experience and modify: 
"Experience": {
  "__type": "int",
  "value": 500000
}
Or use the Change XP preset.

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Unlocking Equipment Tiers

Set all tier unlock fields to true: 
"tierTwoUnlockOwned": {
  "__type": "bool",
  "value": true
},
"tierThreeUnlocked": {
  "__type": "bool",
  "value": true
}
Or use the Unlock All Tier 3 preset.

​
Maxing Out Inventory

Find all *Inventory fields and set to desired quantities: 
"FlashlightInventory": {
  "__type": "int",
  "value": 999
},
"EMFReaderInventory": {
  "__type": "int",
  "value": 999
}
Or use the Max Items preset.

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Best Practices

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Do:

  • Test changes incrementally - Make one change at a time and test in-game
  • Keep backups - Save multiple versions as you experiment
  • Validate JSON - Use a validator before re-encrypting
  • Match data types - Keep __type and value consistent
  • Use realistic values - Extremely high numbers may cause game issues

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Don’t:

  • Remove the __type field - The game needs this metadata
  • Use incorrect types - Don’t put quotes around numbers or use numbers for booleans
  • Delete properties - Missing expected fields may cause errors
  • Skip validation - Invalid JSON will fail to encrypt or load

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Troubleshooting

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Changes don’t appear in-game

Possible causes:
  • Didn’t re-encrypt after editing
  • Encrypted file not placed in correct location
  • Game cached the old save
Solution: Ensure you’ve re-encrypted and replaced the original SaveFile.txt, then fully restart Phasmophobia.

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Game crashes or errors after loading

Possible causes:
  • Invalid JSON syntax
  • Mismatched data types
  • Extreme values causing overflow
Solution: Restore your backup save file and review your edits for syntax or type errors.

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Encryption fails

Possible causes:
  • Malformed JSON
  • Special characters or encoding issues
Solution: Validate your JSON and ensure it’s saved in UTF-8 encoding without BOM.

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Next Steps

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