Time Cycle
The Time Cycle is the game mechanic that controls how time progresses, switching between Day and Night after a specific amount of time has passed. The Time Cycle mechanic is featured in Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!, Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol, and Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!, though in other Chibi-Robo! games, gameplay can also take place at different times of day, such as night. Generally, characters other than Chibi-Robo will be in different places than during the day.
| Time Cycle | |
|---|---|
| |
| Purpose | Progression |
| Appearances | Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure! Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji! |
| Related | Chibi-Ranking Happy Point Moolah |
Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!
The Time Cycle in Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure! is split into 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 Online Shop from the beginning of the game. To change the length of the current Time Cycle, simply purchase the Timer with the desired amount of minutes.
| Chibi-PC Online Shop | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Name | Description | Use | Availability | Price |
|
Timer 5 | Five minutes for half a day. The initial time setting. | Changes Time Cycle timer to 5 minutes. | When current Timer is not Timer 5 |  5 |
|
|
Timer 10 | Ten minutes for half a day. For a leisurely pace. | Changes Time Cycle timer to 10 minutes. | When current Timer is not Timer 10 | 10 |
|
|
Timer 15 | Fifteen minutes for half a day. For a truly leisurely pace. | Changes Time Cycle timer to 15 minutes. | When current Timer is not Timer 15 | 15 |
The Pajamas Suit allows Chibi-Robo to take a nap, skipping to the next Time 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, all gameplay takes place during the day, and lasts about 8 minutes by default. Once night falls, Chet will call Chibi-Robo for an end of day results before bringing Chibi-Robo back to the Chibi-House and convert any collected 
Happy Points into Watts.
Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!
In Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!, the Time Cycle affects how certain characters behave and what interactions are available. The Time Cycle is controlled by a program called "Wonder Timer" on the Chibi-PC, found in the Chibi-House. The default setting has the Time Cycle last five minutes, but additional Wonder Timer options become available as the Chibi-Ranking decreases.
| Wonder Timer Unlocks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chibi-Ranking | Happy Point Total | Wonder Timer |
| 500,000 - 200,001 | 90 | 7 and a half minutes |
| 100,000 - 50,001 | 480 | 10 minutes |
| 20,000 - 10,001 | 1150 | 12 minutes |
| 1,000 - 101 | 2100 | 15 minutes |
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.