Phasmophobia's most popular map is getting a major rework, making this the only acceptable time to be excited by the phrase 'a new surprise in the basement'

Phasmophobia player holding a lantern in the dark, standing inside the Tanglewood map living room. — (Image credit: Kinetic Games)

Phasmophobia's list of demon-infested destinations has grown over the last few years, but Kinetic Games hasn't abandoned its old haunts in favor of the new. Last year, both Bleasdale and Grafton Farmhouse saw major visual overhauls, and now the ghost-hunting game's first-ever map, 6 Tanglewood Drive, is scheduled for an upgrade on March 3.

Revealed as part of the Phasmophobia 2026 roadmap, the Tanglewood rework looks like a primarily visual overhaul of the game's smallest map. At least, that's what I gathered from today's batch of reveal screenshots. Much of Tanglewood's general layout seems the same, but with more clutter, detailed textures, and an absolutely demonic carpet choice.

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Phasmophobia Tanglewood rework - A picture of a toy train, taken close up — (Image credit: Kinetic Games)

Kinetic says the rework also includes "brand new ghost interactions within the map and a new surprise in the basement," so maybe that's what's behind the mystery train. Previous map additions and overhauls introduced plenty of new sounds and interactions, like the creepy giggle occasionally triggered by stuffed toys or the haunted hiss of spray cream I encountered in Nell's Diner. I can easily see the surprise shrill of toy locomotives sending me out of Tanglewood hollering.

As the first map Phasmophobia creator Daniel Knight designed and the community's go-to for quick games in a small space, sweeping changes to Tanglewood are a touchy subject for some of the community. When I played Phasmophobia with the Kinetic team last year, community manager Tom Dent explained how they were carefully approaching a rework for what's got to be Phasmophobia's most beloved map:

"Our next map for rework will be Tanglewood, which we know is a strong one for the community," Dent said. "But we're gonna make sure we do it justice. I think one of the things that shows with our reworks of Bleasdale and Grafton, is that folks are like, 'Oh, OK.' Obviously, for lack of a better word, we're messing with things they've known and loved for five years, but we're making sure that they still stay true to the original idea."

Andrea has been covering games for nearly a decade, picking up bylines at IGN, USA Today, Fanbyte, and Destructoid before joining the PC Gamer team in 2025. She's got a soft spot for older RPGs and is willing to try just about anything with a lovey-dovey "I can fix them" romance element. Her weekly to-do always includes a bit of MMO time, endlessly achievement hunting and raiding in Final Fantasy 14. Outside of those staples, she's often got a few survival-crafting games on rotation and loves a good scare in co-op horror games.

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