A co-op hide-and-seek game for your next game night
If your group is looking for something new to play together, this is what Phantom Shapes is like. I am the solo developer, so I will stick to what the game actually does and who I think it suits.
The short version
- Players: 2 to 7 in one online room. One player is the Phantom and up to 6 are Workers.
- Co-op: the Workers play as one team against the Phantom. Each round, one friend gets to be the sneaky one.
- Platform: PC (Windows), on Steam from December 2, 2026.
- Tone: spooky and silly, with no blood, gore or shooting. For players 13 and older.
- Microphone: optional. Text chat and emotes work too.
What a game night looks like
One friend hosts a private room and invites the others through Steam or with a room code. Everyone meets in the Staff Lounge, picks their tools at the lockers, and the host starts the round. The host also picks how long hiding and searching last, so a quick round or a long one is up to your group.
Then one player becomes the Phantom. While the Workers wait, the Phantom builds a cursed shape in the Shape Designer and hides it somewhere it looks normal: a box on a shelf, a lamp on a desk, a bin by a door. When the search starts, the Workers spread out with flashlights and Scanners, mark the objects they suspect, and vote on the one they think is fake.
The Phantom is not just waiting. It can move its shape, cloak it, replay a Worker's voice from a spot it picks, lock doors and start a Hunt, where it appears and chases the Workers for a short time. Read How to Play for the full rules.
Who I think it suits
- Groups with mixed skill. Winning does not come down to aim. Finding the shape is about noticing things and talking, so a new player can spot the shape as well as anyone.
- Groups that like to talk. A lot of a round is arguing: "was that chair always there?" Proximity voice means you hear the players near you in the map.
- Groups of different sizes. Two players can play a round. Seven fill a room.
- Families with teens. It is a horror-comedy with no blood or gore, but the Hunt and the catch are made to make you jump. Phantom Shapes is for players 13 and older. A private room with people you know is the safest way to play.
Who it may not suit
- Players who want to shoot things. Workers use salt, traps and gadgets, and the Phantom catches Workers with tentacles, not weapons.
- Solo players. You can practice against bots in training, but real rounds are online with other people.
- Mac or console players. It is a Windows game on Steam.
Is it fair to newcomers?
All 19 tools are free from your first game. Levels unlock looks and emotes and Tokens buy them, never an advantage. The game also has a training round where Supervisor Bob teaches the Worker side and Grandpa Boo teaches the Phantom side. It plays in 11 languages, so a mixed group can each pick their own.
First night tips
- The game picks the Phantom each round, and players who have not had a turn are more likely to get it. New players can try both sides in training first.
- Keep the first rounds short, then make them longer once everyone knows the tools.
- Read How to play with friends for rooms, invites and voice settings, and the Worker tips and Phantom tips once you have played a few rounds.