South of Midnight has 14 chapters, played in a fixed order from the opening flood to the finale. Each one lasts somewhere around 40 minutes to an hour on average, so the full story comes in at roughly 10 hours. Below we list every chapter title, explain how the storybook structure works, cover how long the chapters take, and note what to look for if you want to go back for collectibles.
The Full Chapter List
South of Midnight does not publish a chapter list on its official pages, but its official achievement list on Steam includes 14 hidden story achievements, one per chapter, whose names match the chapter titles. In order:
- Night of the Flood
- Other Voices, Other Looms
- A Big Fish
- Wicked Temper
- Everything That Rises
- Hush, Hush, Sweet Cherie
- A Barman Is Hard to Find
- Their Eyes Were Watching
- Of Webs and Woman
- Light in the Darkness
- Muddy Waters
- The Crossroads
- Past Ain’t Past
- Stroke of Midnight
Some chapter lists online shorten the last one to “Midnight”. The achievement uses the full “Stroke of Midnight”, so that is the title we give here. Several of the titles nod to works of Southern literature, which suits a game built around Deep South folklore.
How the Chapters Are Structured
Compulsion Games describes the game as a framed narrative: the story “lies within a storybook presentation that advances throughout the game. Like opening a book and closing it when finished, every chapter is guided by a dynamic narrator.” In practice, each chapter opens and closes like a chapter of a book, so you always know when you have moved on.
The story is linear. Chapters are played in a set order and there are no branching routes or alternate endings to change the count. Within chapters, though, there are optional side paths holding collectibles and upgrade materials, and that is where most of the variation in chapter length comes from.
Hazel’s powers grow as the story unfolds. Compulsion says its focus was to let her “access her full set of powers as the narrative unfolds”, so later chapters lean on abilities you do not have early on. Several chapters also build to a major creature encounter, which the achievement list marks with its own achievements alongside the chapter ones.
How Long Each Chapter Takes
Compulsion’s official FAQ says the studio aimed for a playthrough “between 10 to 12 hours”. Player-submitted times on HowLongToBeat, as of September 2026, put the main story at about 10 hours and a completionist run at about 17 to 18 hours.
Divide the main-story figure across 14 chapters and you get roughly 40 to 45 minutes each, but they are not even, and how much of each side path you explore is what stretches a chapter. Completionists should expect most chapters to run past the hour mark.
Our South of Midnight length guide breaks down the main story, extras and completionist times in more detail.
Collectibles and Going Back
The official achievement list tracks three collectible types across the chapters: Readables (“Lore Master: Find all Readables”), tin flips (“A Great Southern Tradition: Find all tin flips”) and Floofs (“Floof Seeker: Find all Floofs”). There are also Health Filaments to collect and upgrades for Hazel’s weaving powers and her companion Crouton.
Early player reports say a chapter select unlocks after you finish the story, letting you return to individual chapters for anything you missed. If you are a completionist, there is no need to comb every corner on your first run.
Platforms
South of Midnight launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam and the Microsoft Store) in April 2025, and it was on Game Pass from day one. It arrived on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 on March 31, 2026. PlayStation’s store page lists it as PS5 Pro Enhanced, and on Switch 2 it is sold as the Weaver’s Edition. The chapter count and order are the same on every platform.
Compulsion Games has also gone independent since launch: it left Xbox in August 2026 with its IP and back catalogue, as covered in our report on Xbox’s studio reshuffle. Compulsion’s official page still links the store for all four platforms. The game also featured in our roundup of the best games of April 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chapters are in South of Midnight? Fourteen, from “Night of the Flood” to “Stroke of Midnight”. The official story achievements track one per chapter.
How long is each chapter? Around 40 to 45 minutes on average for the main path, based on a roughly 10-hour story. Exploring side paths makes them take longer.
Can you replay chapters in South of Midnight? Early player reports say a chapter select unlocks after you finish the story, so you can return for missed collectibles.
Are there multiple endings? No. The story is linear and the chapters play in a fixed order.
Is the chapter count different on PS5 or Switch 2? No. The PS5 and Switch 2 versions released in March 2026 contain the same 14 chapters as the original Xbox and PC release.