Time Cycle
The Day Cycle is the game mechanic that controls how time progresses, switching between Day and Night after a specific amount of time has passed.
Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!
The Day Cycle in Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure! is split in to daytime and nighttime, controlled by which Timer is active. There are three different Timers: Timer 5, Timer 10, and Timer 15, which set the length of a cycle to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, respectively. All three can be purchased in the Chibi-PC from the beginning of the game. To change the length of the current Day Cycle, simply purchase the Timer with the desired amount of minutes.
The Pajamas Suit allows Chibi-Robo to take a nap, skipping to the next Day Cycle. Certain actions freeze the passage of time, including but not limited to: having the equipment menu open by pressing , posing, sitting, and being inside the Chibi-House or a Chibi-Door.
Day
The day begins at 7:00 A.M. and ends at 7:00 P.M., according to the clocks around the house. The Sanderson Family can be found around the house doing various activities during the day. Only in certain circumstances will toys be walking around in the daytime.
Night
The night begins at 7:00 P.M. and ends at 7:00 A.M., according to the clocks around the house. At night, the Sandersons will typically be asleep, allowing the toys to wander around. The U.F.O. can only be summoned at night. At 1 A.M. (when the Timer is half-complete) the music will fade away for the rest of the night.
Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol
In Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol, day is the time when Chibi-Robo can move freely, and lasts about 8 minutes by default. This is when most of the gameplay takes place. Once night falls, Chet will call Chibi-Robo back to the Chibi-House and convert any collected Happy Points into Watts.
Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!
Day
Jenny, Keith, and Lucky can be found around the house during the daytime, though Jenny is often at her job during these hours.
Night
Like in Plug Into Adventure!, the family will typically be asleep at night, allowing the toys to wander about freely. However, troublesome Ghosts can also appear at night and drain Chibi-Robo's watts.
Gold Dust Night
When the moon icon has a bit of Gold Dust next to it, it means it's a "Gold Dust Night", and according to urban legend, gold dust should be easier to find that night.
Casino Night
When the moon icon has a playing card next to it, it means it's a "Casino Night", and according to urban legend, it should be easier to win at the Casino that night.
In other Chibi-Robo games, gameplay can also take place at night. This is sometimes when enemies will attack. Generally, characters other than Chibi-Robo will be in different places than during the day.