Game Groups > Gameplay feature: Day / night cycle

Games that feature a day and night cycle, including specific time signifiers such as dawn, afternoon, midnight, etc., usually indicated by an in-game clock, graphical background, or any equivalent feature indicating the passing of time. Games that have this feature may also introduce time specific events, such as different monsters, sub-quests, or equivalent events which may only be accessible at a specified period of time.

Games in this game group must also introduce a direct gameplay consequence.

Examples

[For adventure and role-playing games]

Character A receives a sub-quest to hunt down vampires. Shops selling wooden stakes are only open during the day. Vampires do not roam during the day. Hence, character A must buy relevant equipment during the day and wait until nightfall to perform the quest.

[For strategy and simulation games]

Units are harder to detect, travel less frequently, and gain movement penalties at night. However, they are easier to make camouflage checks and can also commence ambush attacks at night more successfully.

Limitations

  • Games that may feature a day and night cycle, however do not additionally feature unique events related to the differences of time (e.g. only a graphical feature) should be excluded from this game group; the passing of time in itself is not enough to qualify for this game group. This also includes games where time is only presented as a deadline reminder or only a graphical feature of limited vision (which is more of a light/darkness feature than it is a day/night cycle feature).
  • Games where a day and night feature is only due to a trigger effect from a plot driven quest (e.g. time only advances when finishing a quest) or due to entering a specific location, should be excluded from this game group. A day and night cycle must always be in effect regardless of the player's actions, unless the game in mention is turn-based.

Related Groups

187 Games [ view in game browser ] [ add game ]

Title Released Platforms Genres Moby Score
box cover thumbnail 12 Labours of Hercules VI: Race for Olympus 2016 Windows, Nintendo Switch (+5 more) Action
n/a
box cover thumbnail Afrika 2008 PlayStation 3 Adventure, Simulation
6.8
box cover thumbnail Ambermoon 1993 Amiga Role-playing (RPG)
7.9
box cover thumbnail Amberstar 1992 DOS, Amiga (+1 more) Role-playing (RPG)
7.5
box cover thumbnail Animal Crossing 2002 GameCube Simulation
8.0
box cover thumbnail Animal Crossing: City Folk 2008 Wii Simulation
7.0
box cover thumbnail Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2020 Nintendo Switch Simulation
8.4
box cover thumbnail Animal Crossing: New Leaf 2012 Nintendo 3DS Simulation
8.1
box cover thumbnail Animal Crossing: Wild World 2005 Nintendo DS, Wii U Simulation
8.4
box cover thumbnail Aquatron 1983 Atari 8-bit, Apple II Action
n/a
box cover thumbnail Bad Blood 1990 DOS, Commodore 64 Action
7.0
box cover thumbnail Beasts & Bumpkins 1997 Windows Strategy
6.9
box cover thumbnail Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain 1996 PlayStation, Windows (+3 more) Action
7.7
box cover thumbnail Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django 2004 Game Boy Advance Action, Role-playing (RPG)
7.7
box cover thumbnail Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand 2003 Game Boy Advance Action
7.6
box cover thumbnail Brave Fencer Musashi 1998 PlayStation, PSP (+2 more) Action, Role-playing (RPG)
7.2
Brave Fencer Musashiden (Square... 2000 PlayStation Special edition
n/a
box cover thumbnail Breath of Fire 1993 SNES, Game Boy Advance (+4 more) Role-playing (RPG)
7.2
box cover thumbnail Breath of Fire II 1994 SNES, Game Boy Advance (+4 more) Role-playing (RPG)
7.8
box cover thumbnail Brine 2016 Windows Simulation
n/a
box cover thumbnail Bugsnax 2020 Windows, Macintosh (+5 more) Adventure, Puzzle
7.5
box cover thumbnail Castlevania 1999 Nintendo 64 Action
6.9
box cover thumbnail Castlevania II: Simon's Quest 1987 NES, Wii (+2 more) Action, Role-playing (RPG)
6.8
box cover thumbnail Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness 1999 Nintendo 64 Action
6.8
box cover thumbnail Charumera 1999 PlayStation Simulation
n/a
box cover thumbnail Chulip 2002 PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 Adventure
6.4
box cover thumbnail Cities: Skylines - After Dark 2015 Windows, Linux (+1 more) DLC / Add-on
n/a
box cover thumbnail Dark Colony 1997 Windows, Macintosh Strategy / tactics
6.7
box cover thumbnail Darklands 1992 DOS, Windows (+2 more) Role-playing (RPG)
7.6
box cover thumbnail Days Gone 2019 PlayStation 4, Windows Action
7.2
box cover thumbnail Dead Rising 2006 Xbox 360, Windows (+2 more) Action
8.1
box cover thumbnail Deathloop 2021 Windows, Windows Apps (+3 more) Action
8.1
box cover thumbnail Don't Starve 2013 Linux, Windows (+2 more) Action
7.5
box cover thumbnail Dota 2 2013 Linux, Windows (+1 more) Strategy / tactics
7.8
box cover thumbnail Dragon Cave 2006 Browser Simulation
n/a
box cover thumbnail Dreams in the Witch House 2023 Windows Adventure, Role-playing (RPG)
7.7
box cover thumbnail Dredge 2023 Windows, PlayStation 4 (+4 more) Simulation
8.3
box cover thumbnail Dune: Spice Wars 2022 Windows, Xbox Series (+1 more) Strategy / tactics
7.6
box cover thumbnail Dying Light 2015 Linux, Windows (+3 more) Action
7.8
box cover thumbnail Dōbutsu no Mori 2001 Nintendo 64 Simulation
n/a
Dōbutsu no Mori + 2001 GameCube Simulation
n/a
Dōbutsu no Mori e+ 2003 GameCube Simulation
n/a
box cover thumbnail Eastshade 2019 Windows, PlayStation 4 (+3 more) Role-playing (RPG)
6.8
box cover thumbnail Elkinloor 1995 DOS Adventure
n/a
box cover thumbnail Endonesia 2001 PlayStation 2 Adventure
n/a
box cover thumbnail Fable II 2008 Xbox 360, Xbox One (+1 more) Role-playing (RPG)
8.4
box cover thumbnail Fallout 1997 DOS, Linux (+4 more) Role-playing (RPG)
8.3
box cover thumbnail Fallout 3 2008 Windows, Xbox 360 (+2 more) Role-playing (RPG)
8.2
box cover thumbnail Fallout: New Vegas 2010 Windows, Xbox 360 (+3 more) Role-playing (RPG)
8.1
box cover thumbnail Fantasy Life 2014 Nintendo 3DS Role-playing (RPG)
7.3

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