Quick Start Guide

This guide will walk you through your first decrypt and encrypt operation with PhasmoDecrypt. In just a few minutes, you’ll learn how to view your save file and optionally modify it.

Before starting, make sure you’ve installed PhasmoDecrypt and have the .NET 9.0 runtime on your system.

Tutorial: Decrypt Your First Save File

Let’s decrypt your Phasmophobia save file and view it in JSON format.

Launch PhasmoDecrypt

Double-click PhasmoDecrypt.exe to open the application.You’ll see the main menu with three options:

        Decrypt    Encrypt    Exit

Use the Left/Right arrow keys to navigate and Enter to select.

Select Decrypt

Navigate to Decrypt (it should be highlighted by default) and press Enter.You’ll see two options:

        Use My Save File    I'll add it myself    Back

Choose save file location

Option 1: Automatic Detection (Recommended)Select Use My Save File to automatically find your save at:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Kinetic Games\Phasmophobia\SaveFile.txt

Option 2: Manual PathSelect I’ll add it myself and enter the full path to your save file:

File Path > C:\Users\YourName\AppData\LocalLow\Kinetic Games\Phasmophobia\SaveFile.txt

If you get “No saveFile.txt found”, verify that:

You’ve played Phasmophobia at least once
The game has created a save file
The path is correct

Save or modify the decrypted data

After successful decryption, you’ll see:

        Save Decrypted File    Presets    Back

To just view the data:Select Save Decrypted File. This will create:

SaveFile_Decrypted.json

in the same folder as PhasmoDecrypt.exe.You’ll see the confirmation:

> Data saved to SaveFile_Decrypted.json

Press any key to return to the main menu.

Understanding the Decrypted Output

Open SaveFile_Decrypted.json in any text editor. You’ll see your Phasmophobia data in JSON format:

{
  "PlayersMoney": {
    "__type": "int",
    "value": 5000
  },
  "Experience": {
    "__type": "int",
    "value": 12500
  },
  "FlashlightInventory": {
    "__type": "int",
    "value": 3
  },
  "EMFReaderInventory": {
    "__type": "int",
    "value": 2
  },
  "TierThreeUnlockOwned": {
    "__type": "bool",
    "value": false
  }
  // ... more fields
}

Each field has a __type (data type) and value (actual value). This structure is how Phasmophobia stores save data internally.

Tutorial: Modify Your Save File with Presets

PhasmoDecrypt includes powerful presets to modify your game progress.

Decrypt your save file

Follow the steps above to decrypt your save file, but don’t select “Save Decrypted File” yet.

Select Presets

From the after-decrypt menu, select Presets.You’ll see the presets menu:

Unlock All tier 3    Max Items    Change Money    Change Xp
Use all    Save and encrypt    Save decrypted    Back

Choose a preset

Unlock All Tier 3Unlocks all tier 2 and tier 3 equipment. Select this option and you’ll see:

Updated tierTwoUnlockOwned to true
Updated tierThreeUnlockOwned to true
Updated TierThreeUnlockOwned to true
> Success press any key to continue

Max ItemsSets all inventory items to 999:

Updated FlashlightInventory to 999
Updated EMFReaderInventory to 999
Updated SpiritBoxInventory to 999
// ... more items
> Success press any key to continue

Change MoneySets custom money amount:

Enter the amount you want to change the money to:
> 999999
Updated PlayersMoney to 999999
> Success press any key to continue

Change XpSets custom XP amount:

Enter the amount you want to change the xp to:
> 999999
Updated Experience to 999999
> Success press any key to continue

Use allApplies multiple presets at once:

Unlocks all tier 3 items
Maxes all inventory items
Prompts for custom XP amount
Prompts for custom money amount

Save and encrypt

After applying your desired presets, select Save and encrypt.This will create:

SaveFile_Encrypted.txt

You’ll see:

Encrypt Successful saved to SaveFile_Encrypted.txt

Important: This file is now ready to use in Phasmophobia, but you must replace the original save file.

Tutorial: Replace Your Save File

To use your modified save in Phasmophobia:

Close Phasmophobia

Make sure Phasmophobia is completely closed before replacing the save file.

Backup the original save

Navigate to:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Kinetic Games\Phasmophobia

Copy SaveFile.txt to a backup location, such as:

SaveFile_Backup_2026-03-03.txt

Always backup your original save file! This allows you to restore it if something goes wrong.

Replace the save file

Copy your SaveFile_Encrypted.txt from the PhasmoDecrypt folder.Navigate to:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Kinetic Games\Phasmophobia

Rename SaveFile_Encrypted.txt to SaveFile.txt and paste it here, replacing the original.

Launch Phasmophobia

Start Phasmophobia and verify your changes:

Check your money/XP in the main menu
Verify unlocked items in the equipment store
Check inventory counts

Your modifications should now be visible in the game!

Tutorial: Encrypt a Custom JSON File

If you’ve manually edited the JSON file, you can encrypt it:

Edit SaveFile_Decrypted.json

Open SaveFile_Decrypted.json in a text editor and make your changes.For example, change money:

"PlayersMoney": {
  "__type": "int",
  "value": 999999
}

Save the file.

Be careful not to break the JSON syntax. Invalid JSON will cause encryption to fail.

Select Encrypt from main menu

In PhasmoDecrypt, navigate to Encrypt and press Enter.You’ll see:

        Use My Decrypted File    I'll add it myself    Back

Choose your decrypted file

Option 1: Use My Decrypted FileAutomatically uses SaveFile_Decrypted.json from the PhasmoDecrypt folder.Option 2: I’ll add it myselfEnter the full path to your custom JSON file:

File Path > C:\Path\To\YourCustomFile.json

Encryption complete

You’ll see:

Encrypt Successful saved to SaveFile_Encrypted.txt

Your encrypted file is now ready to use in Phasmophobia.

Common Workflows

Quick View Save Data

Launch PhasmoDecrypt
Select Decrypt → Use My Save File
Select Save Decrypted File
Open SaveFile_Decrypted.json in a text editor

Unlock Everything

Decrypt your save file
Select Presets → Use all
Enter desired XP (e.g., 999999)
Enter desired money (e.g., 999999)
Select Save and encrypt
Replace your Phasmophobia save file

Custom JSON Editing

Decrypt your save file
Select Save Decrypted File
Edit SaveFile_Decrypted.json manually
Return to main menu
Select Encrypt → Use My Decrypted File
Replace your Phasmophobia save file

Restore Original Save

Navigate to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Kinetic Games\Phasmophobia
Delete the current SaveFile.txt
Rename your backup (e.g., SaveFile_Backup_2026-03-03.txt) to SaveFile.txt
Launch Phasmophobia

Understanding the Code

For developers interested in how PhasmoDecrypt works:

// Main menu loop with arrow key navigation
string[] options = new string[] { "Decrypt", "Encrypt", "Exit" };
int SelectedIndex = 0;

while (true) {
  Console.Clear();
  Tag(); // Display ASCII art banner
  
  // Display menu options
  for (int i = 0; i < options.Length; i++) {
    if (i == SelectedIndex) {
      Console.BackgroundColor = ConsoleColor.DarkMagenta;
      Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.White;
    }
    Console.Write($"\t\t\t{options[i]}\t");
    Console.ResetColor();
  }
  
  // Handle arrow key input
  ConsoleKey key = Console.ReadKey(true).Key;
  if (key == ConsoleKey.LeftArrow) {
    SelectedIndex = (SelectedIndex == 0) ? options.Length - 1 : SelectedIndex - 1;
  }
  else if (key == ConsoleKey.RightArrow) {
    SelectedIndex = (SelectedIndex == options.Length - 1) ? 0 : SelectedIndex + 1;
  }
  else if (key == ConsoleKey.Enter) {
    // Execute selected action
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Error: No saveFile.txt found

This means PhasmoDecrypt couldn’t find your save file. Verify:

You’ve played Phasmophobia at least once
The save file exists at: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Kinetic Games\Phasmophobia\SaveFile.txt
Try using “I’ll add it myself” and entering the full path manually

Error: check the correctness of the file

The file you’re trying to decrypt is not a valid Phasmophobia save file. Make sure:

You’re decrypting SaveFile.txt, not SaveFile_Decrypted.json
The file hasn’t been corrupted
The file is from a recent version of Phasmophobia

Modified save not working in game

If your modifications don’t appear in Phasmophobia:

Verify Phasmophobia was closed when you replaced the save
Check that you renamed SaveFile_Encrypted.txt to SaveFile.txt
Ensure you placed it in the correct folder
Try decrypting the new save file to verify it was encrypted correctly

Invalid JSON syntax error when encrypting

You’ve likely made a syntax error when manually editing the JSON. Common issues:

Missing comma between properties
Missing quotation marks
Incorrect data type (e.g., string instead of int)

Use a JSON validator like jsonlint.com to check your JSON.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve mastered the basics:

Explore the Code

Dive into the source code to understand the encryption algorithm

Learn More

Read about how PhasmoDecrypt implements AES encryption

Contribute

Submit improvements or new presets to the project

Report Issues

Found a bug? Let us know on GitHub

Getting Started

User Guide

Technical Reference

Advanced

Quick Start

Quick Start Guide

Tutorial: Decrypt Your First Save File

Understanding the Decrypted Output

Tutorial: Modify Your Save File with Presets

Tutorial: Replace Your Save File

Tutorial: Encrypt a Custom JSON File

Common Workflows

Understanding the Code

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Explore the Code

Learn More

Contribute

Report Issues

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

User Guide

Technical Reference

Advanced

​Quick Start Guide

​Tutorial: Decrypt Your First Save File

​Understanding the Decrypted Output

​Tutorial: Modify Your Save File with Presets

​Tutorial: Replace Your Save File

​Tutorial: Encrypt a Custom JSON File

​Common Workflows

​Understanding the Code

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Explore the Code

Learn More

Contribute

Report Issues

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Quick Start Guide

Tutorial: Decrypt Your First Save File

Understanding the Decrypted Output

Tutorial: Modify Your Save File with Presets

Tutorial: Replace Your Save File

Tutorial: Encrypt a Custom JSON File

Common Workflows

Understanding the Code

Troubleshooting

Next Steps