Glitch takes place on a planet colonized by Earth but no longer in contact with Earth. This planet is much smaller than Earth, as evidenced by the curving horizon viewed from the plaent's surface unlike Earth's seemingly flat horizon. The planet is mostly futuristic in appearence, but still has some uncolonized regions. Though it was colonized comparitively recently, it still has its share of ruins from former colonies destroyed in a war that almost wiped out all civilized life on the planet.

After the war almost wiped out the colony, the CPU was put in complete charge of the people. The people still proved to be too hostile to be effectively controlled by the CPU, and Earth scientist decided to try out their new-found cyborg mind controlling technology. The people again revolted against this test, but were forced into compliance or silenced. Once the cyborg system was inacted, the colony operated much more efficiently and wars became a thing of the past, replaced by a strange new peace. Only a few colonies of rebel humans not cyborgized still exist, and they run so inefficiently they are expected to die out in the next few generations.

Under the new cyborg system, human babies are born to cyborg families and immediately removed to special facilities to be cared for. Here they are raised to just after they finish most of their growing process, somewhere in their mid-teens. Then they are cyborgized, and mind control is implemented by the Master CPU system. After cyborgization, they are assigned a living space and a work space as part of their new life and identity. Under the cyborg system there is no crime, because there is no free thought to commit atrocities against the system. All cyborgs work effficently to the best of their abilities because they have no distractions or feelings.