Shift At Midnight release date
Shift At Midnight is out now — it released on 22 July 2026. If you are finding older pages that say May, those are out of date: the game was delayed twice before it shipped.
Last updated 2026-10-10 · platform, Game Pass, price, language, crossplay, patch list, patience and Q4 2026 update statements re-checked 10 October 2026 against the official Steam announcements and store data · Xbox store details are as read on 12 August 2026 and were not re-checked · rest of the page last verified 5 August 2026 (29 July 2026 patch) · latest patch: 1 September 2026
Released: 22 July 2026. The developer’s launch post says it is “OUT NOW on Steam, Xbox & Game Pass”. Price: $9.99 USD on Steam (10 October 2026). It is available right now; there is nothing left to wait for.
| Release date | 22 July 2026 |
|---|---|
| Original date | 28 May 2026 — delayed |
| Platforms | Steam (Windows), Xbox and Xbox PC Game Pass, as named by the developer (10 July 2026) |
| Xbox Game Pass | Day one, per the developer (“Steam, Xbox & Game Pass”, 22 July 2026); PC Game Pass is named explicitly on 10 July 2026 |
| Price | $9.99 USD on Steam, no discount on 10 October 2026 (a launch discount was announced on 8 June 2026; no official post gives its end date) |
| Developer | Bun Muen (solo) |
| Publisher | Kwalee |
| Steam languages | English, French, German, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese (Brazil) — nine, each marked as having full audio support in Steam’s store data (10 October 2026) |
| Content notes | Steam lists “plenty of gore and blood” |
| Achievements | 10, three of them hidden — full list with unlock rates |
| Endless Mode | BETA playable since launch — the Steam store page lists a free, major Endless Mode update planned for Q4 2026 |
Why so many pages still say May
Shift At Midnight was originally announced for 28 May 2026. That date was pushed back, and then pushed back again, landing on 22 July 2026. A lot of coverage was written against the earlier dates and never updated, which is why searching for the release date still turns up contradictory answers months later.
If you are reading a page that still lists the game as unreleased or gives a May date, it predates the final schedule. The game shipped on 22 July 2026 and has been out since.
Was the delay a bad sign?
Not obviously. This is a solo developer's commercial release published by Kwalee, launching simultaneously on Steam, Xbox and Game Pass. The developer’s own posts named Steam, Xbox and Xbox PC Game Pass for launch day. Our reading, not an official statement: slipping twice to get that right is a reasonable outcome rather than a red flag.
The launch build shipped with ten achievements, a full Story Mode, three-player online co-op and a playable Endless Mode beta, and the Steam store page says “A free, major ENDLESS MODE update is planned for Q4 2026” (read 10 October 2026). That is a complete release, not a rushed one.
How the launch actually went
Well, then badly, in that order. Steam concurrents reached 12,556 players on 23 July, the day after release, and the game charted as high as #8 on Steam’s top sellers (SteamDB). That was not the ceiling — SteamDB’s all-time peak for the game is 37,590, set on 26 July 2026 and read on 12 August 2026; see player count. It also could not reliably put those players into a lobby: enough people were unable to create or join games that the developer pushed a temporary opt-in beta branch the same evening as a stopgap, which only worked if everyone in a party switched to it together.
No announcement has ever been published retiring that branch, so we cannot date it as fixed. If you and a friend opted in at launch and never switched back, it is the first thing to check when you are both online but cannot see each other — the steps are on troubleshooting.
What has changed since release
Four patches so far: 23 July, 29 July, 20 August and 1 September 2026.
- 23 July — lobbies and balance. Lobby size became selectable up to six, though the developer was clear that the game “is designed and has always been marketed around a maximum of 3 players” and does not recommend six for a first run. The Marionette lost HP and the music box got louder.
- 29 July — new content. A second purchasable firearm, a new Rake enemy that appears in endless and post-story modes only, and one balance line: “Removed patience in ENDLESS MODE / POST-STORY MODE”. That line does not mention Story Mode, and the 1 September patch reversed it for Endless Mode: “Re-enabled patience for ENDLESS MODE”.
- 20 August — 15 new customers. Added to Story Mode and Endless Mode, along with individual volume sliders for each player and cloud saves for Steam.
- 1 September — 30 new customers. Also the Chainsaw as a purchasable melee weapon and security cameras in Endless Mode. This is the newest patch as of 10 October 2026.
- Price. $9.99 on Steam with no active discount on 10 October 2026. A launch discount was announced on 8 June 2026; no official announcement gives its end date.
No patch has been announced since 1 September 2026 (official Steam announcement feed, checked 10 October 2026). Full notes with sources are on the patch notes page.
Where to get it
- Xbox PC Game Pass — announced for launch on 10 July 2026 and confirmed in the 22 July 2026 launch post (“Steam, Xbox & Game Pass”). Current catalogue status was not re-checked on 10 October 2026.
- Microsoft Store — the Xbox listing read on 12 August 2026 showed $9.99 and an Xbox Play Anywhere label; we did not re-check it on 10 October 2026, and no official Steam announcement mentions a Microsoft Store edition.
- Steam — $9.99, with Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud and Family Sharing (Steam store data, 10 October 2026).
The developer’s 10 July 2026 announcement says Xbox and PC Game Pass players will have crossplay, and that Steam players will only be able to play with other Steam players. Which pool a bought Microsoft Store copy joins, and how Xbox Play Anywhere relates to matchmaking, is not confirmed by any official statement, and this site has not tested it. If you are buying so you can play with friends, check which side they are on first — see crossplay.
What is still coming
- Endless Mode — the beta shipped on day one and unlocks once you finish story mode. The Steam store page states: “A free, major ENDLESS MODE update is planned for Q4 2026, with exclusive customers, weapons, traps, monsters and more.” (read 10 October 2026). None of the 31 official Steam announcements names Q4 2026 or gives a date for it. See Endless Mode.
- Full crossplay including Steam — not announced. No official Steam announcement promises it (all 31 checked on 10 October 2026); see crossplay.
- A public server browser — the 10 July 2026 announcement said a Steam-only one would arrive “either on-launch, or shortly after launch”; no later changelog mentions it going live.
What is not coming
No PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, mobile or VR version has been announced. The game is PC and Xbox only. Full detail on the platforms page, including the app store and PS5 questions specifically.