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DIRECT ANSWER
A timed match, settled by an end-of-match score
What the developer has confirmed, and what it stops short of
Two official documents carry everything that is established here. The multiplayer overview describes the objectives: Michael’s primary desire is to eliminate every living resident, and he starts each match with a list of Special Targets that supply greater rewards if killed before time expires. Civilians find fellow residents, convince them of his intent, and guide them to one of several randomized escapes.
The 1.0.1 patch notes then supply the missing piece. They record an adjustment made to end of match scoring to better balance Civilian and Michael win conditions. That single line confirms three things at once: there are two named win conditions, the score at the end of the match is what separates them, and the balance between them is something the developer tunes.
What neither document gives is the rule itself. There is no published threshold, no table of point values, and no statement of what happens on a tie. A guide that tells you the exact number Michael has to reach is not quoting the developer.
| Michael | Civilians | |
|---|---|---|
| Stated objective | Eliminate living residents | Guide residents to an escape |
| Bonus objective | Special Targets, killed before time expires | Not stated |
| Time limit | Yes | Yes |
| Decided by | End-of-match score | End-of-match score |
Reaching an exit yourself is the part players overrate
The most common misunderstanding in the launch threads is treating a personal escape as the win. It is not what the objective describes. The overview puts the residents, not players, at the centre of both sides: Michael is hunting them, and the civilian job is to get them out.
So the safe reading is directional rather than numeric. Prioritise residents while any remain reachable, and treat your own exit as what you do when there is nothing left to rescue — not as the objective you were given.
Special Targets are the score Michael is actually chasing
Michael begins each match with a list of Special Targets, and the overview is explicit that they supply greater rewards than ordinary residents, on the condition that they are killed before time expires. That deadline is the part civilians can play against: a target kept hidden, moved, or escorted out is not merely saved, it is removed from the highest-value entries on Michael’s side of the score.
It also explains why a match can feel lost while most of the lobby is still alive. Player deaths are not what the published objectives are built around, so a Michael who ignores a scattering civilian to finish a target list is following the documented incentive rather than griefing.
Being killed does not remove you from the result
A dead civilian is not out of the match. The overview states that deceased civilians can support their friends and even return as a Sheriff’s Deputy or as Dr. Loomis, and community threads describe that return as the main way to keep contributing after an early death. Whether the return is available is reported to depend on conditions inside the match rather than being guaranteed.
The practical consequence follows from the section above. If your value after respawning comes from the residents still on the map, then a returned deputy heading straight for an escape has removed the one thing they came back with. Sweep for whoever is left first.
- Residents still on the map outrank your own exit.
- A returned deputy or Loomis is another rescuer, not another escapee.
- Time pressure is on Michael’s target list too — stalling has value.
Frequently asked questions
Does escaping mean my team won?
Not by itself. The result is described as a score comparison between two win conditions, and no published rule makes reaching an exit a win on its own.
Is there a point threshold that decides the winner?
A player reports one, prefaced as what they had seen so far. Nothing official states a threshold, so treat any exact number as unverified.
Do police and Dr. Loomis score by escaping?
A community post says they do not. It is one player’s observation, not a published value, but it agrees with the objectives naming residents rather than players.
What happens when the timer runs out?
The overview only establishes that Special Target kills must happen before time expires. How the score is settled at expiry is not published.