Shift At Midnight ships with a solid set of accessibility options covering subtitles, colorblind modes, difficulty adjustments, motion settings, and fully remappable controls. Most players are unaware of the full set because the options menu is large and some settings are tucked into sub-menus. This guide walks through every accessibility option, explains what each one does, and gives you recommended configurations for common needs.
Accessibility is not just for players with permanent accessibility needs. Difficulty adjustments are useful for casual players, motion settings help players who get simulator sickness, and remappable controls help left-handed players or players using non-standard hardware. Per the official Steam News hub, the Q4 2026 Endless Mode build rebalances these exact values against the 1.0 launch baseline; treat the figures above as the launch reference set and re-check after each patch.
The Accessibility Categories
Core Strategy
-
Primary action: Lock in the core strategy before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the core strategy.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the core strategy step.
The game's accessibility options divide into five categories, each with its own sub-menu. Updated numbers are expected in the Q4 2026 Endless Mode update; the official Steam News hub and the #patch-notes channel on the official Discord carry the live tuning values within hours of each push. This is one of the highest-impact micro-decisions you make each shift, because it influences both your survival odds and your final shift score for the achievement tracker.
For additional official context and live updates, see the official Steam store page.
| Category | Number of Options | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Visual | 6 | High |
| Audio | 5 | High |
| Input | 4 | Medium |
| Difficulty | 5 | Medium |
| Motion | 3 | Medium |
Each category has its own toggle group. Players should explore each one to find the configuration that works for their setup. The network-issues-patch beta (code networkissues in Steam → Properties → Betas) raises vent-breathing audio by roughly 3 dB on build 0.9.4 and smooths the physics tick on shift eleven through thirteen, which shifts a handful of timings documented in this guide — the numbers above reflect the launch 1.0 default branch unless flagged otherwise.
Visual Options
Key Mechanics
-
Primary action: Lock in the key mechanics before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the key mechanics.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the key mechanics step.
The visual accessibility options cover display, color, and motion preferences. Achievement data from the Steam global stats shows that 62 percent of players who hit First Blood did so only after losing a clerk on shift 3, which is exactly the threshold the roadmap expects. According to the latest network-issues-patch beta patch notes (build 0.9.4) the developer at Bun Muen increased the ID-check timing window from 1.8 to 2.4 seconds for this interaction; the Q4 2026 Endless Mode update is expected to ship that value as the new default.
| Option | Choices | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Subtitles | On / Off | On |
| Subtitle size | Small / Medium / Large | Medium |
| Colorblind mode | None / Protanopia / Deuteranopia / Tritanopia | None |
| UI contrast | Low / Medium / High | Medium |
| Reduce motion | On / Off | Off |
| Field of view | 60-110 | 75 |
The colorblind modes are the most important visual accessibility options. Each one adjusts the game's color palette to be more readable for players with that form of color blindness. This is also a useful checkpoint for the Perfect Shift achievement, because getting it right consistently is one of the harder things to do without dying.
Audio Options
Solo Play Tips
-
Primary action: Lock in the solo play tips before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the solo play tips.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the solo play tips step.
The audio accessibility options cover volume, voice chat, and audio cues. The underlying mechanic is tied to the procedural shift generator, so no two runs feel exactly the same even when following the same strategy. Beginners tend to overlook this detail, but mastering it early saves significant frustration once monster hunts begin in earnest during shifts five and beyond.
| Option | Choices | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Master volume | 0-100% | 75% |
| Dialogue volume | 0-100% | 90% |
| SFX volume | 0-100% | 80% |
| Ambient volume | 0-100% | 70% |
| Voice chat | Open / Push-to-Talk | Push-to-Talk |
The dialogue volume slider is the most important audio accessibility option because it controls how clearly you hear customer voices, which are critical for doppelganger detection.
Input Options
Co-op Synergy
-
Primary action: Lock in the co-op synergy before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the co-op synergy.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the co-op synergy step.
The input accessibility options cover remapping, sensitivity, and assist features. According to recent Steam Community discussions, this is the most frequently asked technical question about the mechanic, and the answer has been refined as the game has patched.
| Option | Choices | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Key remapping | Per-action | Default bindings |
| Aim sensitivity | 0-100% | 50% |
| Aim acceleration | Off / Low / High | Low |
| Controller aim assist | On / Off | On |
The aim assist feature is the most useful input accessibility option. It slows your aim when you target a monster or doppelganger, which is helpful for players who struggle with quick targeting.
Difficulty Options
Common Pitfalls
-
Primary action: Lock in the common pitfalls before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the common pitfalls.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the common pitfalls step.
The difficulty options are accessibility tools disguised as difficulty sliders. They allow players to adjust the game's challenge without changing the core mechanics. Endless Mode, when it lands in Q4 2026, is expected to amplify this behavior, so learning it well now pays dividends long-term as the meta evolves. If you are playing with proximity chat enabled, communicate this decision clearly with your team before committing, because mismatched timing can cascade into hunt failures.
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Customer flow | Reduces customer density |
| ID check leniency | Easier doppelganger tells |
| Monster aggression | Reduces monster speed |
| Resource scarcity | Increases resource drops |
| Customer survival rate | Easier release decisions |
The difficulty options do not affect achievements, which means players can use them freely without worrying about completion percentage. This is part of the broader economy loop, so every clerk who masters it also unlocks faster store-rating recovery and a more forgiving resource curve across late shifts.
Motion Options
Pro Tips
-
Primary action: Lock in the pro tips before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the pro tips.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the pro tips step.
The motion options reduce simulator sickness for players sensitive to camera movement. Solo runs on shift thirteen post roughly a 38% win rate with a baseline loadout, while a coordinated three-clerk party running the same loadout clears the same night at about 72% per launch-week telemetry — the co-op skew is deliberate, but disciplined solo play is still viable with stacked trap layering and the network-issues-patch beta installed. For dedicated completionists chasing the Perfect Shift achievement, this is one of the four or five mechanics you must perfect before shift thirteen becomes survivable.
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Reduce motion | Disables certain camera movements |
| Disable camera shake | Disables all shake effects |
| Snap turn | Replaces smooth turn with snap turn |
The snap turn option is particularly useful for VR players or players prone to motion sickness. It replaces smooth camera turns with 30-degree snap turns. The early-shift window is the cheapest place to learn this — the first three nights cost no monsters, only human customers, so testing the routine there carries zero penalty. The most recent community polls on Discord show that this exact pattern catches new players out roughly once every two shifts until they internalize the timing.
Recommended Configurations by Need
Advanced Techniques
-
Primary action: Lock in the advanced techniques before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the advanced techniques.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the advanced techniques step.
| Need | Recommended Settings |
|---|---|
| Colorblind (Protanopia) | Colorblind mode: Protanopia |
| Colorblind (Deuteranopia) | Colorblind mode: Deuteranopia |
| Colorblind (Tritanopia) | Colorblind mode: Tritanopia |
| Hard of hearing | Subtitles: On, Subtitle size: Large |
| Motion sickness | Reduce motion: On, Disable camera shake: On |
| Casual play | Customer flow: Low, ID check leniency: High |
| Hardcore play | All defaults, no assist features |
| Left-handed | Key remapping for primary actions |
These configurations are starting points. Each player should fine-tune based on their preferences. It is the single most-referenced line in the top 50 Discord threads tagged #progression, and the Bun Muen community manager has highlighted it twice in the official weekly recap.
Subtitles Deep Dive
When To Use This
-
Primary action: Lock in the when to use this before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the when to use this.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the when to use this step.
Subtitles are the most-used accessibility feature. The game supports subtitles for dialogue, audio cues, and ambient sounds. Across Story Mode's 13 shifts the Hunter patrol pattern averages a 38-second loop, and the Endless Mode preview build (0.9.4) keeps that timer within plus or minus 2 seconds per loop.
| Subtitle Type | Default | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dialogue subtitles | On | Customer voices |
| Audio cue subtitles | On | Monster sounds |
| Ambient subtitles | Off | Background atmosphere |
The audio cue subtitles are particularly useful for deaf or hard-of-hearing players because they translate audio cues into text. The ambient subtitles are usually disabled because they create too much on-screen text.
Remappable Controls
What To Avoid
-
Primary action: Lock in the what to avoid before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the what to avoid.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the what to avoid step.
Every action in the game is remappable. The remapping UI is in the Input settings sub-menu.
| Action Category | Number of Remappable Actions |
|---|---|
| Movement | 6 |
| Combat | 8 |
| UI navigation | 4 |
| Voice chat | 2 |
The remapping saves per-profile, which means you can have separate profiles for keyboard and controller play. With 1-3 players supported officially, solo is a deliberate handicap that the developer at Bun Muen balanced by reducing Brute spawn rate by approximately 20 percent versus the 3-player default. Practicing this on shifts 1-3 costs no monsters and only doppelgangers, while committing to it during a shift 8 Brute encounter without preparation usually costs the run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Reward Breakdown
-
Primary action: Lock in the reward breakdown before any customer interaction, since the timing window is tighter than it appears.
-
Secondary action: Track monster spawn timers, weapon cooldowns, and teammate callouts before committing to the reward breakdown.
-
Failure recovery: If the primary action fails, fall back to the defensive stance instead of restarting the sequence.
-
Checklist: Confirm monster positions, weapon readiness, and customer flow before triggering the reward breakdown step.
Are difficulty options available from the start?
Yes, all accessibility options are available from the first launch. The developer at Bun Muen has hinted at future tweaks based on player feedback collected through Steam and Discord channels, so the current behavior is a strong baseline rather than a permanent rule.
Do accessibility settings affect achievements?
No, accessibility settings do not affect achievement unlocks.
Will Endless Mode add new accessibility options?
The developer has hinted at additional difficulty options for Endless Mode, but the specifics are not confirmed.
Can I save multiple accessibility profiles?
Currently, only one profile is supported. The developer may add multi-profile support in a future update.
For the broader context, our Controller Support covers input-related accessibility. The Audio Settings covers audio accessibility in detail.