History Main / InUniverseGameClock

** Some campaign maps lock the time, usually for plot purposes (a StealthMission where you can't, y'know, stealth does not make for good ratings) or for atmosphere (an underground tomb haunted by demons and ghosts looks a lot better without bright sunlight everywhere).

* ''Website/GaiaOnline'' originally had a 2:1 Day/Night Cycle, though this was sped up so that a full 24 hour cycle takes about two hours. This is fairly important, especially in ''[[Website/GaiaOnline zOMG!]]''. Certain enemies only appear at night (including one mini boss), you can only talk to the Surfers during their nightly bonfire party. (And even then you only have a portion of the whole night, because even they need to sleep), and certain events are only possible at night. (You can only trick or treat at night, for example.)

** ''VideoGame/PokemonSleep'' follows real-world time and the daylight changes accordingly as the day goes by. Morning is from 6AM-11:59AM, afternoon is from 12PM-5:59PM, while evening is from 6PM-5:59AM. Time-based evolutions are dependent on this (with the time window for day evolutions being from 6AM-5:59PM) while meals can only be cooked once per time period.

* In ''VideoGame/RootsOfPacha'', one in-game day lasts 15 minutes (though this can be extended in the settings), from 6AM to 2AM. Each day, you must go to bed before 2AM or else you collapse from exhaustion and start the next day with less stamina than normal.

* In ''VideoGame/HundredDays'', the day is advanced to the next each time you press the Next Turn button.

* ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIII'' doesn't have a day/night cycle, but it does have a clock that starts at 00:00:00 in the status bar, and some game events are tied to it. For example, figuring out when the evil wizard will and won't be home will let you avoid being killed by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The speed of game clock equals the speed of system clock.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'': The day/night cycle is of highest importance in the game, because of the three-day GroundhogDayLoop. Every single sidequest in the game (as well many parts of the main quest) all depend heavily on the game's internal clock. And if the internal clock counts down to 0, it's GameOver.

** ''VideoGame/Fallout1'' runs real-time on area maps, but with time compression while traveling on the overland map. ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' and ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' use the same time compression scheme as Oblivion, having been built on the same UsefulNotes/GameEngine.

* In the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series, the game clock ''is'' the real clock, so when they say "come back tomorrow", they mean tomorrow. The GCN game has special calendar events programmed in for a few more years, and it's been out for a while. Of course, games like this make it possible to "time travel" by changing the system clock, but the games prefer that you change the clock in-game (you'll still be [[NoFairCheating punished]] for blatant time-traveling regardless of which method you use). The original N64 title meanwhile uses a chip built into the cartridge (as the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 doesn't have an internal clock of its own), though difficulties with emulating this means it only works on the original hardware -- assuming the battery powering the clock hasn't died by now.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' made use of the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS's internal clock in a similar manner to how the second generation of games (see below) used a clock built into the cartridge, and future DS games kept that feature.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' started the series' tradition of built-in clocks that segregate the day into three time periods -- morning, evening, and night -- as well as keeping track of a seven-day week. In order to complete certain events or capture certain Pokémon, you must play the game during those time periods. The in-game time is entered when a new save file is started and kept using a watch battery present inside the game cartridge. For some unexplained reason, the day-night system was removed in ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' even though those games also track real time based on the time entered by the player at the start of the game. The only feature affected by the time of day is Eevee, which evolves into either Espeon or Umbreon based on whether it's day or night. ''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]'', being [[VideoGameRemake remakes]] of ''Red'' and ''Blue'', removed the in-game clock entirely, and as a result Eevee can never evolve into Espeon or Umbreon; those Pokémon have to be traded in from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Colosseum]], [[VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness XD]], [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Ruby, Sapphire]]'', or ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Emerald]]''. ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' brought it back, but since the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS has an internal clock, they used that instead.

* ''VideoGame/{{APICO}}'' runs through a day and night cycle with one in-game minute lasting a real-life second. Bees also have varying times at which they're active: diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular (dawn and dusk), and cathemeral (active all day and all night).

* ''VideoGame/{{APICO}}'' runs through a day and night cycle with one in-game minute lasting a real-life second.

* ''VideoGame/NoUmbrellasAllowed'': During work at Darcy's secondhand shop, you can track how much time you have left by observing the sun from the windows. Time only stops during plot-critical conversations, so you have to be fast in appraising your items so you can serve more customers for the day. Some customers also pressure you to pay immediately for their goods, or else they'll take their business elsewhere.

* In ''VideoGame/NoUmbrellasAllowed'', there are three time periods per day: morning, day, and night. You can explore the overworld as long as you like, and you don't advance to the next period until you start and finish working at Darcy's. Even during work, time usually only advances as you make transactions with your customers, with some reminding you to TakeYourTime in making your offers, but some give you time pressure in doing so.

* In ''VideoGame/NoUmbrellasAllowed'', there are three time periods per day: morning, day, and night. You can explore the overworld as long as you like, and you don't advance to the next period until you start and finish working at Darcy's. Even during work, time only advances as you make transactions with your customers, with some reminding you to TakeYourTime in making your offers.

* In ''VideoGame/StickyBusiness'', each action in running your online sticker shop (designing stickers, printing them, packing them, and shipping them) consumes a portion of the in-game day, and you can't do any of them if they would exceed the time limit. Relaxed Mode decreases the amount of time they take, while Limitless Mode removes the timer entirely.

* All of the ''{{VideoGame/Infamous}}'' games utilize this version of the trope combined with pre-defined weather, both of which advance after certain story events, such as waiting for Bertrand to show up to a rally in the second game. The effect is that the time of day and weather will almost always suit the nature of the plot and tone of the Missions. For example, the beginning of ''VideoGame/InfamousSecondSon'' will be sunny and optimistic, while the end will be either very cloudy or at night to suit the dramatic finale.

* The Super Famicom RPG ''VideoGame/TreasureOfTheRudra'' uses this, with a single plot set across 16 days and nights and following three different characters, all coming together at the 14th day for the finale.

* ''VideoGame/TheLordsOfMidnight'' uses the clock to justify a lord's movement limit. As such, said clock is different for each character, including recruiting a lord close to nightfall and having him start at dawn. The enemy moves and attacks during the night time.

* The game ''[[VideoGame/SidMeiersColonization Sid Meier's Colonization]]'' takes place over a period of 300 ''years'', with each year being a turn. One year typically takes only a few minutes. Oddly enough, you, the leader of your homeland and the leaders of the other nations/tribes don't get older or die during this time. Ditto, of course, ''Sid Meier's VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' (4000 BC to usually 2100 AD with increasingly slower increments) and ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' (400 years = 400 turns). At least the latter has the excuse of the faction leaders dipping into the [[PeopleJars Rejuvenation Tanks]] for a couple months out of every decade.