How to Get Every Ending in Shift At Midnight

Every ending depends on the Clyde choice and whether your personal funds reach the $250 surgery cost after Shift 13.

Updated: 2026-07-23

Quick Answer

There are three main endings. Call Clyde to save the pet and trigger Grave Decision, but Clyde dies. Choose Don’t Call Clyde and finish with at least $250 in personal funds for the True Ending. Refuse the call but finish below $250, and the pet dies in Empty Home.

All Three Endings at a Glance

Ending	Clyde choice	Final personal funds	Achievement	Result
True Ending	Don’t Call Clyde	At least $250	True Ending	Pet survives, Clyde survives, and the pet joins future shifts
Grave Decision	Call Clyde	Your own $250 is not required	Grave Decision	Pet survives, Clyde dies, and post-story mode opens
Empty Home	Don’t Call Clyde	Below $250	Empty Home	Clyde survives, but the pet cannot receive surgery

The ending is controlled by two checks:

whether I call Clyde;
whether my personal funds reach $250 when the veterinarian asks for payment.

The counterintuitive part is that Don’t Call Clyde does not automatically produce the True Ending. It protects Clyde, but I still have to pay for the pet’s surgery myself.

The $250 Surgery Check

The pet survives on medicine during the earlier part of Story Mode, but the veterinarian eventually explains that the illness has adapted to treatment.

The final requirement is:

surgery costs $250;
surgery must happen within 3 days.

Shift At Midnight veterinarian stating that pet surgery costs $250 and must happen within three days — The veterinarian sets the final target at $250 and gives me three days. From this point, I track personal funds separately from the store’s shopping balance.

The ending timeline is:

Surgery announced → earn through Shift 12 → Clyde choice → complete Shift 13 → final payout is added → veterinarian checks for $250

This means I do not necessarily need $250 when the Clyde choice appears.

If the gap is small, the Shift 13 payout can still push the personal total over the requirement.

Personal Funds, Store Revenue and Quota

Three different numbers appear during the run, and only one pays for surgery.

Store Quota

The quota determines whether the store has earned enough revenue to complete the shift.

The final route used an $80 quota, but reaching $80 did not automatically provide the $250 surgery payment.

Store-Shopping Balance

This balance pays for:

traps;
weapons;
ammunition;
healing;
stock;
boards;
decorations.

The game states that store spending does not affect personal funds.

I therefore still buy the equipment required to survive the final Hunt. Skipping a necessary trap does not preserve surgery money and may instead force a full Shift 13 reset.

Personal Funds

Personal funds pay for medicine and surgery.

In the completed routes, the personal payout behaved like:

a $10 shift wage;
roughly 10% of store revenue;
deductions when real humans were killed.

I use that only as a planning estimate. I do not assume every shift will produce the same percentage or final payout.

When Should You Call Clyde?

The decision appears after Shift 12, before the final night.

The email promises that the pet’s surgery will be covered if Sheriff Clyde visits the store the following day.

Shift At Midnight choice screen offering to call Clyde for the pet surgery — Calling Clyde guarantees that the surgery is paid, but it commits the run to Grave Decision. I check my personal balance before accepting the offer.

My decision rule is:

Already at $250: Don’t Call Clyde.
Small gap: refuse only when the gap is lower than the payout I have recently earned from a clean, normal shift.
Large gap: call Clyde when saving the pet is the priority.
Unsure: do not assume Shift 13 will rescue a badly underfunded run.

The completed routes provide two useful reference points:

A route with $252 was already safe and refused the Clyde offer.
A route roughly $75 short was not realistically recoverable in one final shift and called Clyde.

How to Get the True Ending

The True Ending keeps both the pet and Clyde alive.

My route is:

Pay the earlier medicine bills.
Treat $250 as the active target once surgery is announced.
Protect personal income during the three remaining days.
Reach the Clyde choice with $250 secured or only a realistic final gap.
Choose Don’t Call Clyde.
Complete Shift 13.
Pay the veterinarian directly.

In the successful route, the final payout raised the personal total to $257.

After paying the $250 surgery fee, only $7 remained.

Shift At Midnight True Ending showing the pet alive after successful surgery — The True Ending triggered after the personal total reached $257. The operation succeeded, Clyde remained alive, and the pet became available in future shifts.

The ending confirms that:

the operation succeeds;
the pet survives;
Clyde still visits;
post-story mode opens;
the pet joins future shifts.

How to Get Grave Decision

Grave Decision saves the pet by sacrificing Clyde.

At the late-story choice, select:

Call Clyde

The email’s promise is fulfilled. The surgery is paid in full, but Clyde dies during the final route.

Shift At Midnight Grave Decision ending showing the pet alive after Clyde is sacrificed — Grave Decision saves the pet because the surgery is paid as promised, but Clyde dies as the cost of accepting the deal.

This route makes sense when:

personal funds remain far below $250;
only Shift 13 remains;
saving the pet matters more than saving Clyde.

In the completed solo route:

all 13 of 13 shifts were finished;
the final quota was $80;
the last result showed no humans killed;
personal funds were still too low;
the surgery was paid by the anomalous source;
the pet survived;
Clyde received a funeral.

How to Get Empty Home

Empty Home happens when I protect Clyde but fail to pay for the pet.

The route is:

reach the Clyde decision below $250;
choose Don’t Call Clyde;
complete Shift 13;
finish with less than $250;
arrive at the veterinarian unable to pay.

Shift At Midnight Empty Home ending stating that the pet could not be saved because surgery cost more than the player had — Empty Home directly confirms the failure condition: the surgery cost more than the player had, so the pet could not be saved.

The Ending C screen states that the pet could not be saved because the surgery cost more than the player had.

Clyde remains alive because I refused to call him, but the pet dies because the financial requirement was not met.

The usual causes are:

repeated human-kill penalties;
customers leaving without paying;
weak revenue during the final days;
refusing the Clyde deal while still facing a large shortfall.

How to Close a Small Gap on Shift 13

Shift 13 is not a perfect-store challenge. My priority is protecting the income that can still push the personal balance over $250.

Clear the Checkout First

A waiting customer can leave without paying and may block later customers.

I finish the person already at the register before starting a long restock or cleanup task.

Avoid Human-Kill Penalties

I verify customers carefully before shooting.

A wrong kill removes the customer’s transaction income and can reduce the final personal payout, making the $250 target harder to reach.

Buy Essential Defense

I still purchase:

a required Demented trap;
ammunition;
healing;
an explosive for an uncovered lane;
boards when an entrance needs protection.

These purchases do not reduce personal funds.

Return to Income After the Hunt

Once the active threat is gone, I clear only the mess blocking the counter or movement route and return to customers.

I do not spend the remainder of the final shift chasing perfect cleanliness while potential transactions are waiting.

How Many Runs Do You Need for All Three Endings?

I have confirmed the conditions for all three endings.

I have not yet confirmed:

whether the Shift 12 Clyde choice can be safely reloaded;
whether manually copying a save works on every platform;
whether cloud saving can overwrite a restored backup;
whether post-story mode can replay Shift 13;
whether a co-op client can preserve a separate ending branch;
whether ending achievements follow only the host’s save.

Until those points are verified, I plan for three separate outcome runs.

First Run: True Ending

I complete this one first because it has the strictest financial condition and produces the strongest post-story result.

Second Run: Grave Decision

I call Clyde when the choice appears.

I do not need to intentionally ruin the economy because the choice itself creates the required outcome.

Third Run: Empty Home

I refuse to call Clyde while remaining below $250 at the final vet visit.

I still complete the last shift normally rather than killing random humans just to lose money.

A save backup made immediately before the Shift 12 Clyde choice may eventually reduce the number of full runs, but I would not promise that route until save restoration and achievement behavior are verified.

Common Ending Mistakes

Refusing Clyde while far below $250: Clyde survives, but the run is likely to end in Empty Home.
Calling Clyde after already securing $250: the pet survives, but the True Ending is replaced by Grave Decision.
Confusing the $80 quota with personal funds: the shift can pass while surgery remains unpaid.
Skipping essential traps to protect surgery money: store purchases use a separate balance and the missing defense may reset Shift 13.
Leaving the checkout blocked: waiting customers leave and reduce the final-night income.
Assuming Don’t Call Clyde saves everyone: it saves Clyde, but the pet still dies if the final balance is below $250.

FAQ

Do I need a no-human-kill run for the True Ending? +

I have not confirmed zero human kills as a separate ending flag. Wrong kills still make the True Ending harder because they remove customer income and reduce the personal payout available for the $250 surgery.

Does the final Shift 13 payout count toward the surgery? +

Yes. One successful route received the final Shift 13 payout, reached $257, and then paid the $250 surgery cost. You do not necessarily need the full amount when the Clyde choice first appears.

Does reaching the final store quota guarantee the True Ending? +

No. Store quota and personal funds are separate checks. You can complete the final quota and still arrive at the veterinarian with less than $250.

Can I get all three endings from one save? +

I have confirmed all three ending conditions, but I have not confirmed that the Shift 12 choice can be safely reloaded or that post-story mode lets you replay the ending. Plan for three outcome runs unless you verify a working save backup on your platform.

Do all co-op players receive the ending achievement? +

I have not isolated whether every connected player receives the ending achievement or whether progression follows the host's save. Check each player's achievement list after the ending.