At a glance

  • Adds a host-selectable maximum lobby size of six.
  • Fixes players in Russia being unable to create joinable lobbies.
  • Lowers Marionette health and makes Jack in the box louder.
  • Removes the profanity filter and includes unspecified minor fixes.

Player impact

Larger groups can play together, but four-to-six-player sessions operate outside the intended three-player design and may become overly chaotic. Russian hosts receive a direct lobby-creation repair.

Quick facts

  • Game: Shift At Midnight
  • Official publication time: July 23, 2026 at 11:17:08 PM CST
  • Last checked: July 28, 2026 at 11:02:47 AM CST
  • Platform scope: The post explicitly identifies lobby creation in Russia; no platform list is stated
  • Version: No version is stated
  • Source: 6 Player Lobbies + Fixes on Steam

What changed

Hosts can now choose a maximum player count as high as six when creating a lobby. The developer attaches an unusually direct limitation: Shift At Midnight was designed and marketed for up to three players, and larger sessions are outside that intended balance. The post says those sessions are likely to become too chaotic and are not recommended for a first playthrough.

The day-one patch also fixes players in Russia being unable to create joinable lobbies, lowers Marionette health, increases the Jack-in-the-box volume, removes the profanity filter, and includes other minor fixes that are not itemized.

Key changes

Multiplayer

  • Lobby capacity is configurable up to six players.
  • Russian players receive a joinable-lobby creation fix.

Balance and presentation

  • Marionette has less health.
  • Jack in the box is louder.
  • The profanity filter is removed.

What this means for players

Groups larger than three no longer need an unofficial workaround to enter one lobby, but the added option does not mean encounters were rebalanced for six. First-time groups should interpret the official warning as a compatibility and design note, not merely flavor text.

Who is affected

Hosts and groups of four to six players are directly affected, as are players in Russia who could not create joinable lobbies.

Rollout and known limitations

The developer says a later minor patch will target crashes that leave the cursor or buttons unusable. That planned work is not presented as fixed here.

Editorial context

Steam Update Radar assessment: the larger lobby cap is a genuine multiplayer change, but the developer’s three-player design warning is essential to describing it accurately.

Verification record