Hey all,
It’s finally time. The Night Shift has officially left Early Access and hit version 1.0. This project has been a long road, with engine changes, total rebuilds and plenty of rough patches along the way. But we made it. I'm incredibly excited (and honestly a little nervous) to be releasing the full version of the game today.
Thanks to everyone who played during Early Access, gave feedback or just followed along quietly. Your support has helped shape this game in ways I couldn’t have done alone.
So, what’s new in the full release?
Shifts
Version 1.0 adds four brand new shifts, bringing the total to 14 playable shifts. These new shifts take you to previously unexplored areas of the store, introduce fresh tasks and, since this is the full release, yes... there’s an ending. Actually, seven of them.
The ending you get depends entirely on the choices you make during your final shift. I wanted to make sure there were different ways to conclude your story, not just one path.
Each playthrough consists of 11 shifts, which means no two runs are exactly the same. To keep things dynamic, useful items like flashlight batteries and painkillers now spawn in random locations. Their availability also adapts based on how many you’re already carrying. Low on supplies? You’ll find more. Stocked up? You’ll have to dig a little deeper.
In addition to the new content, I’ve gone back through all previously released shifts and made updates across the board. Some shifts got minor tweaks, others had more substantial improvements. You’ll find quality of life upgrades throughout.
UI Overhaul
The menus, HUD, inventory and task list have all received attention in 1.0. Everything now scales properly across different screen resolutions, and the interface has been polished to be more consistent and easier to navigate. These changes may not be flashy, but they go a long way in making the game smoother to play.
Save System
Due to the scope of changes in this update, existing saves from Early Access won’t carry over to version 1.0. I know that’s a bit of a pain, but the save system has been rebuilt for stability and future compatibility. Loading times are faster now, and saving/loading in general is far more reliable.
Performance
This has been a big focus. Up until now, The Night Shift didn’t perform as well as I wanted across different systems. I’ve spent a lot of time optimizing just about everything, and performance should now be noticeably better across the board.
And More...
There are a bunch of other small improvements, bug fixes and behind-the-scenes changes that went into this update. From sound tweaks to collision fixes, polish passes and visual cleanups, 1.0 brings everything together in the most complete version of the game so far.
Thanks again for being part of the journey. Whether you’ve been here since the first public build back in 2023 or you’re just discovering the game now, I appreciate you.
As always, report any bugs or issues on the Steam Discussion board, the Discord, or the website.
Continue reading below, for all the changes, additions, and fixes!
Changelog
Additions/Changes
Added 4 new shifts
Added 7 endings
Added 10 new achievements
Added Supporter Pack content
New level.
New mannequin apparel.
Access to supporter locker.
1 new achievement.
Added more items to interact with
Added updated the flow of the .
Added a couple of spooks to Night 1.
Added SFX to various interactions, props, and interactions.
Added a note on Night 2 as a hint for handles.
Added a Streamer Mode that removes the radio from the office.
Added Steam Cloud support.
Added controller layout for the Xbox controller.
Added Steam Deck layout screen, only accessible on Steam Deck.
Added flashlight follow smoothing option and duration UI
Added more tutorial popups
Updated store visuals to be more consistent
Updated the task system.
Updated store front tile material.
Updated the flow of various parts on Night 1.
Updated Night 1, 5, and 8 initial tasks to include picking up the phone.
Updated placements of all items on Night 2.
Updated shoebox area visuals on Night 2.
Updated the amount of possible empty pants stands on Night 2.
Updated mannequins to be a little easier on Night 2, 3, and 4.
Updated the location of the remote on Night 3/4.
Updated the training magazines to be less tricky to find on Night 5.
Updated camera image on security monitor to be more consistent with that area.
Updated 'Beer Baron' and 'No Smoking' to be clearer they are optional
Updated clarity of some tasks.
Updated visuals of the outside.
Updated visuals of various items.
Updated visuals of the store front.
Updated visuals of the skip tutorial dialogue line.
Updated previous shifts to be consistent with newer shifts.
Updated UI layout of the HUD and some of the menus.
Updated some of the fonts.
Updated the bathroom hallway door open orientation.
Updated the changeroom key to be more obvious.
Updated the storm to progress through the game.
Updated secondary key bindings for use/alt use.
Updated fire extinguishers and lamps no longer collider with player
Updated controller support.
Changed dialogue system, free movement is no longer available during certain dialogue.
Increased the size of the reticule slightly.
Increased the amount of batteries and painkillers that spawn on Night 2.
Improved loading into levels.
Added dynamic spawning of items (batteries, painkillers) dependent on how many are in players inventory.
Balanced the amount of spawned batteries through the game.
Removed the ability to lean left and right.
Bug Fixes
General Fixes
Fixed not being able to look around if you didn't go into the options menu before starting a new game.
Fixed notes defying gravity when opening the Main Menu during inspections.
Fixed various collisions for breaker switches.
Fixed the model for the front gate looking like a lower polygon version of it.
Fixed various visual artefacts that could occur in certain situations.
Fixed situations where the player would get stuck after specific dialogue options.
Fixed the phone prop sometimes vanishing for a second when picking up/putting down the phone.
Fixed the plants sometimes vanishing for a second when interacting with them.
Fixed some posters in electronics being inside shelves.
Fixed not being able to rotate movies in inventory in certain situations.
Fixed posters in inventory carrying across to other shifts.
Fixed pressing Esc during inventory not working as intended.
Fixed shadow artefacts occasionally appearing in certain situations.
Fixed various props clipping with other props.
Fixed two missing shelves in the men's section.
Fixed being able to open various doors that shouldn't be accessible.
Fixed being able to see concrete behind the roller doors in the warehouse.
Fixed the fence gate not having collision in the doorway.
Fixed locker doors clipping through objects in the way.
Fixed the electronics keycard display text not displaying when picked up.
Fixed some Halloween props covering notes.
Fixed losing painkillers from your inventory if you died and retried the shift.
Fixed some notes being inside the mesh below them.
Fixed mannequins sometimes not being able to navigate doors.
Fixed mannequins not spawning with different materials.
Fixed where mannequins could trap you in a corner in the electronics stock area and mens counter area.
Fixed various models shadows missing at a distance.
Fixed various materials not being consistent across shifts.
Night Fixes
Fixed intro text on Night 1 still showing faintly after fading out.
Fixed lights from car flickering on Night 1.
Fixed one a locked hallway door opening on Night 1.
Fixed not being able to use the garbage chute before a certain point on Night 1.
Fixed not being able to progress if you complete tasks and NOT pick the phone up on Night 2.
Fixed not being able to complete 'Beer Baron' on nights after Night 2.
Fixed not being able to pick up the changeroom key in certain situations on Night 3/4.
Fixed vision getting blurry during certain situations on a shift that can occur on Night 3/4.
Fixed the amount of posters you pick up being too high on Night 3/4.
Fixed the clothes piles sometimes not appearing correctly in certain circumstances on Night 3/4.
Fixed not being able to see safe post it notes on Night 3/4.
Fixed the crash that would always happen when loading into Night 5.
Fixed shadow artefacts appearing on various props during the end sequence of Night 5.
Fixed fire alarm indicators properly showing on Night 5.
Fixed fire alarm audio not progressing as it should on Night 5.
Fixed fire alarm audio not sounding more alarm-y on Night 5.
Fixed an incorrect effect showing that occurs during the end sequence to Night 5.
Fixed multiple trick or treat tables appearing on Night 5 onwards.
Fixed being able to get stuck on Night 5 if you read a specific note too early.
Fixed the clock off task showing sooner than it should have on Night 6/7.
Fixed the phone sometimes ringing on all shifts on Night 6 and 7.
UI Fixes
Fixed UI menus not having correct orders.
Fixed The Night Shift logo missing some pixels.
Fixed notices on the HUD overlapping.
Fixed save game thumbnail sometimes just being a black or white image.
Fixed some of the menus overlapping in certain situations.
Fixed credits not scrolling correctly.
Fixed notice for theme overriding not displaying in certain situations.
Fixed not being able to click the entire area of any button on the main menu.
Fixed shoeboxes scaling weirdly during the entry and exit of inspection.
Fixed the game hanging when opening the 'load game' menu.
Fixed the 'Load Game' and 'Delete' buttons not hiding when there is zero save files.
Fixed motion blur occasionally not turning on/off when selected from the settings menu.
Localization Fixes
Fixed some dialogue not being localized.
Fixed some titles in the credits not being localized.
Fixed various texts not being localized.
Fixed character names during dialogue not being localized.
Fixed Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional) languages having missing characters.
Performance Fixes
Fixed a crash that would occur when opening the 'load game' menu during gameplay.
Fixed various models not having LODs.
Fixed themed notes not using texture streaming.
Fixed performance dropping when the lightning occurs.
Major performance and optimization improvements.
Good luck during your shifts, and have fun!
Marty