--- key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-night-vision type: mechanic id: game-mechanics--gm-night-vision lang: en title: Night vision summary: >- A special viewing mode helps navigation in darkness. Switching it on changes scene readability and which details stand out. updatedAt: '2026-10-21' status: active url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-night-vision/ jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-night-vision.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-night-vision.md aliases: [] tags: - Game design techniques - Camera & perception sourceIds: - source-0bf20caaf103d051 - source-ff07963cc394ccd0 - source-488fbbe3d9d63339 - source-e8df3aa617690f53 - source-82b24eac322ba668 - source-5fd786e6384e8121 - source-6264f0f231d84d07 - source-c7fe31f3e5e47e94 - source-ade69f27fd1704e8 sources: - id: source-0bf20caaf103d051 title: 'Game Mechanics: Night vision' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision' verifiedAt: null - id: source-ff07963cc394ccd0 title: Duke Nukem 3D (1996) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/duke-nukem-3d' verifiedAt: null - id: source-488fbbe3d9d63339 title: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002) url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/tom-clancys-splinter-cell verifiedAt: null - id: source-e8df3aa617690f53 title: 'Tom Clancy''s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-blacklist verifiedAt: null - id: source-82b24eac322ba668 title: Outlast (2013) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/outlast' verifiedAt: null - id: source-5fd786e6384e8121 title: 'Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain verifiedAt: null - id: source-6264f0f231d84d07 title: 'Tom Clancy''s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (2019)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-breakpoint verifiedAt: null - id: source-c7fe31f3e5e47e94 title: 'Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/metal-gear-solid-delta-snake-eater verifiedAt: null - id: source-ade69f27fd1704e8 title: 'Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/crawling-through-vents' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: game-mechanics id: gm-night-vision title: Game design techniques url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-night-vision' categoryIds: - gm-category-camera-perception supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-21' title: Night vision description: >- A special viewing mode helps navigation in darkness. Switching it on changes scene readability and which details stand out. image: src: images/mechanics/splinter-cell-night-vision.webp width: 600 height: 366 game: 'Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)' sourceUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/crawling-through-vents' originalUrl: 'https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/splinter_cell_chaos_theory_vents.webm' sourceFrameSeconds: 1.44 credit: Ubisoft Montréal; clip via GameMechanics.org rights: >- © respective game rights holders. Clip source: GameMechanics.org. All rights reserved. caption: Green viewing mode inside a dark passage alt: >- Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory: night vision reveals vent walls and a turn in green tones, with rounded image edges. markers: - x: 48 'y': 47 label: Night vision reveals the passage geometry tips: - Give the active mode a clear indicator. - Check transitions between very dark and brightly lit areas. examples: - title: 'Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/crawling-through-vents' endsAt: null provenance: >- Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/game-mechanics --- # Night vision id: game-mechanics--gm-night-vision type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-night-vision lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-night-vision/ A special viewing mode helps navigation in darkness. Switching it on changes scene readability and which details stand out. ## At a glance ![Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory: night vision reveals vent walls and a turn in green tones, with rounded image edges.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/splinter-cell-night-vision.webp) [Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/crawling-through-vents) · © respective game rights holders. Clip source: GameMechanics.org. All rights reserved. [Source recording](https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/splinter_cell_chaos_theory_vents.webm), 1.44 s 1. Night vision reveals the passage geometry - Give the active mode a clear indicator. - Check transitions between very dark and brightly lit areas. - [Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/crawling-through-vents) ## How it works A viewing mode improves scene readability in low light. ## Variants ### How the technique works - A viewing mode improves scene readability in low light. ## Context and limits All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification. - [Game Mechanics: Night vision](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision) (id: source-0bf20caaf103d051) - [Duke Nukem 3D (1996)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/duke-nukem-3d) (id: source-ff07963cc394ccd0) - [Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/tom-clancys-splinter-cell) (id: source-488fbbe3d9d63339) - [Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-blacklist) (id: source-e8df3aa617690f53) - [Outlast (2013)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/outlast) (id: source-82b24eac322ba668) - [Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain) (id: source-5fd786e6384e8121) - [Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (2019)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-breakpoint) (id: source-6264f0f231d84d07) - [Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/night-vision/game/metal-gear-solid-delta-snake-eater) (id: source-c7fe31f3e5e47e94) - [Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/crawling-through-vents) (id: source-ade69f27fd1704e8) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors