Comparison

The Phenomenon vs The Ghost

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Phenomenon

Embark on an episodic survival horror adventure as a paranormal researcher. Explore vast maps, utilize specialized devices, and confront intelligent creatures. Engage in cross-platform multiplayer and compete for global leaderboard dominance.

Highlights
  • Cross-platform multiplayer
  • Episodic survival horror
  • Paranormal research devices
  • Smart AI creatures
  • Global leaderboards
  • High replayability
Features
Read full description

The Phenomenon is an episodic survival horror game with high replayability, supporting online co-op multiplayer and cross-platform play. First released in 2015 as a solo-developed game, it has grown over time with updates and new players. Play alone or with friends as Barry Nellan, a paranormal researcher whose work is known worldwide. He has investigated many cases connected with unexplained activity. Most gave no real results, but the last one… In Episode 1, you will explore a map of 3 square kilometers with over 500 spawns of objects, use devices for paranormal research, fight against creatures with smart and tricky AI, discover many other things that make each new game unique, and compete with other players to take first place in the global leaderboards.

About

The Ghost

Team up with friends to survive terrifying haunted locations. Escape as a survivor or hunt them down as a ghost. Can you escape before it's too late?

Highlights
  • Multiplayer co-op survival
  • Play as survivor or ghost
  • Multiple haunted locations
  • Escape or hunt mechanics
  • Up to 5 players
Read full description

New Wishlie Hospital You were getting your daily treatment with friends at the New Wishlie Hospital for 2 weeks already, and today was time to get discharged from the hospital. But something happened. You woke up at 2 AM and found out that all the patients were gone, except you and your friends. The place looks much muddier and it’s... locked! You read in magazines about the hospital and turns out that it's haunted. Now It seems like the only way to escape is through the garage door. Will you be able to get away by the time the ghost devours your soul? High School Emily and Leila were studends and best friends. They lived in a small house in a town with almost no people. It was Sunday, and it was routinuous for them to visit the cemetery together. Only this time, for some reasons, Emily felt she would better stay home. So she decided to stay home. Looking out of window, Emily sees strange creature creeping behind her sister... The next day after Leila's absence, she runs to school for help. On her way to get inside the school, the main school gate closes behind her. Now locked inside the school area, the next thing she notices are students who struggle to survive... Apartments Waking up you realized that you were stuck in a cursed apartment. You and your friends need to use elevator to reach the first floor and exit the building. But it's not as easy as it seems: when you miss an anomaly on one floor, the elevator will glitch and take you back to the highest floor. Even more: there are monsters, ghosts and maniacs lurking on floors. Play with up to 5 players. Play as survivor - escape the place. Play as the ghost - don't let the survivors escape. Choose Exit 8 game mode to play Apartments in guessing mode.

Screenshots

The Phenomenon4 screens
The Ghost4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Phenomenon at none against The Ghost's 23. The Ghost's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks) and chart position (#64 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Ghost sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. The Phenomenon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for The Phenomenon against 3.9 for The Ghost. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 4.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of The Phenomenon's written reviews are positive against 60% of The Ghost's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Phenomenon ships an update every 5 weeks, The Ghost every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
The Phenomenon versus The Ghost: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe PhenomenonThe Ghost
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1.1K ratings) — better3.9 (4.3K ratings)
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews60.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K4.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#64 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size339 MB1.1 GB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperKokots LLCGameplier Ltd

Customer experience

The Phenomenon

All ratings1,057 ratings
Positive75.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative18.7%
Written reviews246 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral9.8%
Negative35.8%

The Ghost

All ratings4,349 ratings
Positive71.7%
Neutral5.3%
Negative23.0%
Written reviews1,714 reviews
Positive60.1%
Neutral8.0%
Negative31.9%

User reviews

The Phenomenon

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Realistic graphics
  • 🤩 Immersive horror experience
  • 💯 Excellent game quality
  • 🥰 Fun to play with friends

Room to improve

  • 🔇 Audio issues (can't hear audio)
  • 🌚 Game too dark/needs better lighting
  • 🕹️ Buggy controls and camera
  • ⏱️ Limited playtime due to in-game currency system

The Ghost

From 4.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun multiplayer experience
  • 🚀 Engaging gameplay
  • 💡 Unique monster mechanics
  • 👍 Good for playing with friends

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Microphone issues
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🐛 Difficulty balancing
  • 🐛 Matchmaking problems

Bugs and requests

The Phenomenon

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Multiplayer mode not working properly
  • Inability to change language settings
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Graphical glitches and visual bugs

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add 3-4 player multiplayer mode
  • Implement a save/checkpoint system
  • Improve tutorial and onboarding
  • Optimize performance on older devices

The Ghost

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to revive teammates
  • Ghosts/monsters behaving unexpectedly
  • Lobby/matchmaking issues
  • Audio problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • More maps and monsters
  • Difficulty settings
  • Ability to see teammates on map
  • Sprint/stamina feature

In-app purchases

None

The Phenomenon

No in-app purchases

16 purchases

The Ghost

One-time16
  • Email Sign Up$0.99
  • StPatrick hat$0.99
  • XP Starter Pack$1.99
Show 13 more
  • Gold XP Pack 1$1.99
  • Special Offer$1.99
  • The Best Offer$1.99
  • Great Resources Deal$1.99
  • Top Hat$1.99
  • Cowboy Hat$2.99
  • Plague Hat$3.99
  • Limited Time Offer$4.99
  • XP Pack 2$4.99
  • Gold XP Pack 2$4.99
  • Hot Offer$4.99
  • XP Pack 4$20.99
  • XP Pack 5$41.99

Questions

Is The Phenomenon free?
The Phenomenon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Ghost free?
The Ghost is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Phenomenon or The Ghost?
The Phenomenon is rated higher. The Phenomenon averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while The Ghost averages 3.9 from 4.3K ratings.
Do The Phenomenon or The Ghost have ads?
Both The Phenomenon and The Ghost show ads.
Which is updated more often, The Phenomenon or The Ghost?
The Phenomenon ships an update every 5 weeks, and The Ghost every 2 weeks. Most recently, The Phenomenon was updated on September 28, 2026 and The Ghost on September 27, 2026.

Other comparisons