How Time Works
Time moves in the game at about six times normal speed. That works out to:
- 1 game minute per 10 real-life seconds
- 6 game minutes per 1 real-life minute
- 1 game day per 4 real-life hours
Time speeds up when you perform some actions. It will "fast-forward" you in time to the end of the action (that's what the little white progress bar is indicating). Not all actions speed up time, however, like eating or drinking.
Every task will only take a few real-life seconds to finish so it can be easy to overlook how much game time passes. That's why it's important to plan ahead when performing long tasks. For instance, chopping wood in a blizzard when your warmth meter is low, or going to sleep for a few hours without turning your lantern off and wasting all the fuel.
Pausing Time
Time doesn't stop when you're in the game menus. The world still moves along even when you're browsing your inventory or adding wood to the fire. Keep that in mind if predators are nearby or you're low on condition or needs. A predator can interrupt you in the middle of viewing the inventory screen.
The only way to pause time is to pause the game (press [Esc] on PC).