A well-implemented day and night cycle can work wonders when it comes to creating immersive video games. Sometimes, a bittersweet scene is made all the more symbolic with a setting sun as its backdrop, or maybe it feels nice to take a break from everything, sit down with one's character, and watch the sun rise.
Shifting skylines are undoubtedly beautiful, but there are some games that not only use day and night cycles to improve the atmosphere but also to make the games’ mechanics much more meaningful. The best day and night cycles can completely transform a video game, as evidenced by the following titles.
10 Minecraft
The first game to come to many gamers’ minds when thinking of day and night cycles is Minecraft. Those playing for the first time in Survival Mode likely had a small fright once Creepers started spawning and shook any expectation of a peaceful world.
Though a simple concept, an added layer of difficulty at night switches up the optimal playstyle and forces players to strategically plan their crafting, gathering, and building. Unless, of course, one would rather forgo any terror in the night and switch to Creative Mode instead.
9 Terraria
While Terraria may seem like a 2D clone of Minecraft on the surface, the game differs not only in style but in how it handles days and night as well. Along with monsters spawning in the night, events such as the fearsome Blood Moon and Solar Eclipse have a chance of spawning, thus making the passage of time far less predictable.
Given that tunneling underground in Terraria plays such a prominent role in the core gameplay loop, day and night may seem insignificant. However, those wanting to feel the changes in the sky no matter where they travel can pick up the Time Hair Dye from the Stylist for 5 Gold Coins for an always-on-hand indicator.
8 Don’t Starve
Day and night is expected in survival games, but Don’t Starve makes the mechanic all the more brutal as vision is greatly impaired and sanity quickly falls for both the character and the player alike. Luckily, torches only take 2 cut grass and 2 twigs to craft which will keep the Night Monster at bay.
Players shouldn’t get too cozy, though, as seasons and Ruins can throw off the typical balance of day and night. Those daunted need not try to survive alone, however, as the game’s multiplayer sequel Don't Starve Together allows players to suffer alongside their friends.
7 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Whereas many titles set their days and nights to last mere minutes, the Animal Crossing series sets itself apart by having the in-game time map onto time in the real world. Or onto the internal time of someone’s game console, at least.
Watching the sunset in Animal Crossing: New Horizons at the same time as real life may be fun in its own right, but the time of day also affects several events and mechanics. In addition to bugs and fish only spawning during specific times, one will have to wait until nightfall to catch Wisp’s spirit pieces or stargaze with Celeste.
6 Dying Light
What takes a calm and peaceful night and makes it terrifying? Zombies. Dying Light is one of many zombie survival titles where sunset fills players with existential dread. If a player's safe house is heavily fortified, perhaps a nap until morning won’t feel too bad... unless a storm comes and cuts off power.
For those less enthused by gritty realism, there’s also Project Zomboid, although the cute graphics don’t make anything less terrifying. After a couple of jump scares while running through the forest under the cover of night, hijacking a vehicle and driving nervously until sunrise may prove the superior option.
5 The Witcher 3
Geralt of Rivia’s job as a monster slayer is made possible due to his track skills just as much as his combat prowess. Examining the footsteps and lairs of the terrifying monsters found thourough the Witcher series is all part of the Witcher profession, even if the village folk never seem to understand. The time of day is just as much a clue as the howling wind.
The Witcher 3 isn’t the only game to let the time of day play a key role in monster hunting. Pokemon fans eager to catch them all have to keep the sun’s position in the back of their mind too in order to fill out their Pokedex entirely.
4 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Stealth action game and fifth entry in the Metal Gear Solid series, The Phantom Pain took the survival aspects of Snake Eater and increased them tenfold. While it’s hard not to miss the joys of eating hapless reptiles in the middle of a jungle, The Phantom Pain provides players plenty of opposition in the way of nightly sandstorms among other unfortunate weather patterns.
Konami’s decision to switch gears with the series to create Metal Gear Survive may have been shortsighted when they already had a unique stealth/survival hybrid on their hands. Nights were made all the more compelling with Naked Snakes’ endless combos of comical ways to take down foes.
3 Warcraft 3
Anyone who’s ever fallen victim to a Photon Cannon Rush knows the importance of visibility in RTS games. Warcraft 3 added an extra layer to this worry with the introduction of a day and night cycle. The time a player chooses to launch their siege is just as important as the resources available.
Factions receive bonuses depending on the time of day. Humans and Orcs are able to regenerate in the day and Night Elves are shadowmelding gods under the cover of the night. Why wait for the passage of time though? With an Ancient of Wonders and enough Moonstones at one’s disposal, time truly is just a construct.
2 Dragon's Dogma
If Dragon’s Dogma wasn’t already such a bleak setting on its own, night helps to make it all the more unsettling. Beasties about and all the more eager to attack, but those who picked the Assassin class are only emboldened to retaliate.
Magic: The Gathering players are likely familiar with the concept of spells and abilities being at the mercy of the sun and moon. Even so, it feels nice to feel those effects, albeit to a lesser extent, in an action RPG. Of course, that's not to say that the Sorcerer’s High Maelstrom skill needs anything to make it more overpowered.
1 V Rising
A game with vampires is bound to have meaningful day and night systems, right? Well, many forgo the opportunity and opt to set the game entirely at night. Luckily, V Rising doesn’t shy away from such mechanics, giving players an extra challenge once the sun rises. Sometimes, it’s the little things that matter like fleeing back to one's base as the sun rises only to get stuck in a PVP free-for-all.
Seeing as V Rising is a relatively new game at the time of writing, fans of the genre will be hoping that future titles find ways to make day and night more meaningful. The concept is far from fully-explored, and with the constant push for more immersive games, it’s only a matter of time before day and night is seen as more than just a pretty change of the skyline.