Does Shift At Midnight save? Yes — autosave only, once per shift. Save file location, failure rules, backup tips, and cross-platform save sync explained.
Shift At Midnight Save File — Does It Save & Where Saves Are Stored
Yes, Shift At Midnight saves your progress — but only through autosave, and only at shift boundaries. There's no manual save button and no quicksave, so quitting in the middle of a shift costs you that night's progress. The save is stored locally at C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\LocalLow\Kwalee\ShiftAtMidnight, and on the Microsoft side it syncs through Xbox Play Anywhere — Steam saves, however, are completely separate from Xbox saves.
Per the official Xbox store listing, Shift At Midnight supports "Xbox cloud saves" alongside Xbox Play Anywhere.
Official resources: Steam store page · Xbox store page (cloud saves) · HowLongToBeat · Official X
Does Shift At Midnight Save Your Progress?
Yes — Story Mode progress autosaves, but on a strict schedule:
- Autosave triggers at the end of a shift (or when a major objective fully completes).
- Small in-shift tasks (restocking, cleaning) do not save on their own.
- There is no "Save Game" option in the pause menu. Alt+F4 or a crash mid-shift rolls you back to the last completed shift.
Force-closing (Alt+F4 or task-kill) can prevent the autosave from finishing and, worse, can corrupt your Story Mode save if it happens during the night-transition loading screen. Use the in-game exit flow every time.
Save File Location (Windows)
The full game's save folder is:
C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\LocalLow\Kwalee\ShiftAtMidnight
To find it fast: press Windows + R, type %appdata%, press OK, then go back one folder (out of Roaming) and navigate to LocalLow\Kwalee\ShiftAtMidnight. That's the SaveGames folder — copy or delete it from there. If you played the free demo first, its leftover config lives at the same path and can be cleared when the full game misbehaves on launch.
What Triggers a Save (and What Doesn't)
| Situation | Saves? |
|---|---|
| Completing a shift (bus arrives) | ✅ Autosave |
| Failing/aborting a shift | ✅ Progress kept (funds, rating, unlocks) |
| Mid-shift tasks, purchases, kills | ❌ Not individually |
| Quitting via menu | ✅ Runs the autosave flow |
| Alt+F4 / crash mid-shift | ❌ Back to last shift start |
What Happens If You Fail a Shift
Dying doesn't wipe the campaign:
- Any shift 1–12: a full wipe just ends the current shift. You retry from the start of that same shift, and everything you'd already earned — funds, rating, unlocks — stays intact.
- Shift 13 (the finale): the exception. If you fail it, you restart Shift 13 with full resources but take a permanent rating penalty on that save slot. Not a restart of the whole run, but a scar on the save.
Backup & Corruption Risks
The autosave system has a real danger zone: the night transition loading screen. Crashes there are the most-reported cause of corrupted Story Mode saves.
- Back up before co-op sessions, not after something goes wrong. Copy the
SaveGamesfolder to a safe spot. - If a save corrupts: verify game files first (Steam: Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity; Xbox app: Manage → Files → Verify and Repair), then restore your backup if needed.
Copy your save after Shift 10, 11, or 12, play to one ending, then restore the backup and pick differently at the Shift 12 call. You can see True Ending, Grave Decision, and Empty Home from a single campaign. The ending requirements are in our endings guide.
Cross-Platform Saves: Play Anywhere vs Steam
Saves sync on the Microsoft side and are locked to Steam on the Steam side:
- Xbox Play Anywhere: the Xbox Series X|S and Microsoft Store PC versions share cloud saves and achievements — start on Xbox, continue on PC, and the progress follows you. The Xbox store page lists "Xbox cloud saves" as a capability.
- Steam: saves live in your LocalLow folder and sync via Steam Cloud (the feature is listed for the game). Steam saves do not transfer to Xbox/Game Pass or vice versa — the pools are fully separate (see the crossplay guide for the multiplayer side of that split).
If you're switching stores, whoever moves starts a fresh campaign. In co-op, progress is tracked by the host's save — a guest joining a host's lobby doesn't advance their own campaign.
FAQ
Does Shift At Midnight save your progress?
Yes, via autosave only — at the end of each shift. There's no manual save. Progress from failed shifts is kept, and you retry from the start of that shift.
Where is the Shift At Midnight save file located?
C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\LocalLow\Kwalee\ShiftAtMidnight (the SaveGames folder). Open it via Windows+R → %appdata% → up one folder → LocalLow → Kwalee → ShiftAtMidnight.
What happens if I die in Shift At Midnight?
You retry the same shift from its start with your funds, rating, and unlocks intact. Failing Shift 13 restarts Shift 13 with full resources but applies a permanent rating penalty.
Can I transfer Shift At Midnight saves between Steam and Xbox?
No. Xbox Play Anywhere syncs saves between Xbox console and Microsoft Store PC, but Steam saves are separate and don't transfer to or from the Xbox ecosystem.
How do I back up my Shift At Midnight save?
Copy the entire SaveGames folder from AppData\LocalLow\Kwalee\ShiftAtMidnight somewhere safe before co-op sessions or before attempting ending save-scumming.
Related guides: Endings Guide · Crossplay Guide · Achievements Guide · Walkthrough · Main Guide
Last updated: August 13, 2026.
Related Guides
- Shift At Midnight Endings — All 3 Endings Explained
- Shift At Midnight Crossplay — Is It Cross-Platform in 2026?
- Shift At Midnight Achievements — Full List & Unlock Guide
- Shift At Midnight Walkthrough — Surviving All 13 Shifts
- Shift At Midnight Guide — Co-op Detective Horror Explained
- Shift At Midnight Review — Is It Worth It in 2026?
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