Destructoid has published a guide explaining the pet system in the horror co-op game Shift at Midnight, in which players adopt a companion at the start of the game whose survival affects which ending they receive. Although pets offer no direct in-game advantages, keeping them alive requires ongoing care and money management, tying the mechanic into the game's broader survival and resource-earning loop.

– Three pet options: a dog (two size variants), a cat (one orange variant), or a goose (one variant); can be swapped early on.
– Pets are healthy at first but eventually fall ill and must be treated with in-game funds or they will die.
– Costs: $20 for the first treatment, $40 for further medicine, and $250 for surgery, totalling $310.
– Players earn $10 per night over 13 nights ($130) plus a 10% commission on sales, requiring roughly $1,800 in sales to cover the remaining $180 needed.