Shift At Midnight glossary

This wiki uses a lot of terms the game itself never stops to define — the N.E.T. database, a Hunt, the difference between Story and Post-Story Endless. This page collects every one of them in a single A-Z list, each with a short definition and a link to the page that covers it in full. Nothing here is a new claim — every entry is compiled from a page this wiki has already published.

Last updated 2026-10-10 · the Crossplay, Controller support and Xbox Play Anywhere entries, Patience meter and Languages entries re-checked 10 October 2026 against the official Steam announcements and Steam store data · rest of the page last verified 11 September 2026 (written against the 29 July 2026 patch) and not re-checked against the 20 August and 1 September 2026 patches (see the updates page) · achievement unlock rates on this page are this site’s weekly Steam snapshot, captured 12 October 2026, unless a sentence gives its own date

How to use this list

Each entry is one or two sentences plus a link to the page that covers it properly. Definitions here are deliberately thin — anything unverified stays on the linked page, not duplicated here.

A–Z

A

Achievements. Ten Steam achievements, three hidden until unlocked, running 96.6% down to 11.0%. See the achievements page, plus the four kill achievements and the three the Hunt decides.

B

Barricade. Wooden boards over doors and windows that slow the Entity during a Hunt. See the survival guide.

BepInEx. The unofficial modding framework the community scene is built on — there is no Steam Workshop. See mods.

Blood Moon. A guaranteed-Hunt shift: blood rain falls and the Entity comes regardless of your counter work. See the Entity page.

Bun Muen. The solo developer who built Shift At Midnight, credited alone on Steam and the original itch.io page. See credits.

C

Cheats / trainers. No official console commands; third-party trainers exist from providers like WeMod and PLITCH, unverified here. See cheats.

Controller support. Steam's store data lists no controller-support category (read 10 October 2026); the Xbox build's controls are not checked here. See controls.

Crossplay. Per the developer (10 July 2026): Xbox and PC Game Pass players will have crossplay; Steam players only play with Steam players. Not tested by us. See crossplay.

D

Demented. Freezes only while you look directly at it, not killable by gunfire — break your gaze and lead it into a trap. See the Demented page.

The Dentist. The final shift's threat, confirmed immune to firearms and melee; only Sheriff Clyde ends the encounter. See the Dentist.

Demo. A free build, still listed as of 12 August 2026 — three pre-scripted shifts against the full game's 13 random ones. See demo.

Doppelganger. A customer wearing a real person's identity that you catch via scanner and database before the purchase completes — the core loop of every shift. See the doppelganger guide.

E

Employee Package. A physical launch giveaway item; this wiki covers giveaway-phishing risk under the same page. See Employee Package.

Endings. Three outcomes — Grave Decision, True Ending, Empty Home — decided by two variables at Shift 13. See endings.

Endless Mode. An open-beta mode that unlocks only after finishing Story Mode's 13 shifts. See nights & Endless Mode.

Entity. The true form of a doppelganger that completes its purchase — blind, and tracks sound including proximity voice chat. See the Entity.

EULA. Kwalee's licence agreement; its anti-modification clause is why trainers are against the terms. See cheats.

G

Grave Decision. The most common of the three endings, at 35.1% global unlock. See the Grave Decision page.

H

Hunt. Triggered by a missed doppelganger or a Blood Moon shift — survival is mostly sound and doors, weapons last. See the survival guide.

I

itch.io prototype. The free singleplayer build the game started as, carrying its own composer credit and a "no generative AI" disclosure. See credits.

J

Jack-in-the-Box. An item, not a monster — a random spawn that summons the Marionette. See Jack-in-the-Box.

K

Kwalee. The publisher; distribution and storefront presence, not development — Bun Muen built the game alone. See credits.

L

Languages. Nine on Steam, each marked as having full audio support in Steam's store data (read 10 October 2026). See languages.

M

Marionette. From Shift 9 — hold E on the music box to rewind it before the melody finishes three times. See the Marionette.

Mods. No official Workshop or tools; a working BepInEx community scene exists, including a player-count mod. See mods.

N

N.E.T. database. The system you cross-check a customer's ID against — the mechanical core of every shift. See the doppelganger guide.

Norbert. Not actually lethal — sparing him ends it cleanly, killing him triggers repeated non-lethal pranks. See Norbert.

P

Patience meter. The customer timer that the 29 July 2026 patch removed in Endless and Post-Story mode and the 1 September 2026 patch re-enabled for Endless mode. No official post covers Story Mode. See the doppelganger guide.

Post-Story. The state after finishing all 13 Story shifts — unlocks Endless Mode and the Rake. See nights & Endless Mode.

Proximity chat. Distance-based voice — a mechanic, not just convenience, since the Entity tracks it. See multiplayer.

Q

Quota. The sales target each shift is measured against. See the beginner's guide.

R

Rake. A fast, forest-spawning threat added 29 July 2026, exclusive to Post-Story Endless Mode. See the Rake.

S

Sheriff Clyde. The only way to end an encounter with the Dentist, and one of the two variables deciding your ending. See the Dentist and endings.

Shrieking Doll. The most fragile threat and easiest monster achievement (89.3% Silenced). See Shrieking Doll.

Steam Deck. Rated Playable, not Verified. See system requirements.

Steam Input. Valve's controller-translation layer; the game's own support flag is declared false. See controls.

T

Trap. A placeable countermeasure that, with weapons and barricades, helps end a Hunt. See the survival guide.

W

Weapons arsenal. The purchasable loadout tied to the Locked And Loaded achievement (21.2% unlock). See the survival guide.

X

Xbox Play Anywhere. A Microsoft program label; the Xbox listing read on 12 August 2026 carried it (not re-checked on 10 October 2026). No official Steam announcement mentions it. See platforms.

Quick answers