Phasmophobia Fans Raise $230,000 for Heart Association
Streamers and players of the ghost-hunting game Phasmophobia more than doubled last year's charity total in a fundraiser run by Heart Liive.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Philanthropy
The Phasmophobia community raised more than $230,000 for the American Heart Association during the Ghost Hunts for Hearts charity drive, which ran from October 26 to November 2, 2026. More than 500 streamers signed up, the biggest turnout yet for a creator fundraiser run by Heart Liive.
Why it matters
The total more than doubled last year's figure of a little over $100,000, showing growing participation in creator-led charity drives. The drive also shows how game communities can channel viewer engagement into health-related fundraising.
The final figure of more than $230,000 was announced by Kinetic Games on November 6, 2026, after the campaign surpassed its $200,000 target. The exact total and per-streamer breakdown were not detailed in the announcement.
The players
Kinetic Games
Kinetic Games is the independent studio behind Phasmophobia, a cooperative ghost-hunting game that launched in Early Access in September 2020.
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a nonprofit organization focused on cardiovascular health research, education and advocacy.
Heart Liive
Heart Liive is the organization that runs creator-led charity fundraisers and coordinated the Ghost Hunts for Hearts drive.
The details
Streamers who fundraised could hand out an event-exclusive Advocate ID Card and Badge to viewers as a Twitch Drop. Once the $200,000 target was surpassed, an animated version of the card and badge unlocked for all players.
Timeline
September 2020: Phasmophobia launched in Early Access.
October 26 to November 2, 2026: The Ghost Hunts for Hearts drive ran.
November 6, 2026: Kinetic Games announced the final fundraising figure.
Market Landscape
The campaign uses Twitch Drops, the platform's reward system, to link viewer watch time with charitable giving. The model turns a platform mechanic into a fundraising tool, extending creator-led philanthropy beyond one-off donation appeals.
Players of Phasmophobia can now earn an animated Advocate badge that unlocked for all after the fundraising target was met. Viewers who watched creator streams during the drive could also receive the event-exclusive Advocate ID Card and Badge as a Twitch Drop.
The takeaway
Creator-run charity drives can scale quickly when they tie giving to a reward players already value. The Phasmophobia drive shows how a game community can double its charitable output in a single year.
What happens next
Contact Protocol, the next Phasmophobia update, is due in spring 2027, and the game is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 with no release date confirmed.
Further reading
Explore more stories in Philanthropy to see how companies and communities give back.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Eurogamer.
