--- key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights type: mechanic id: game-mechanics--gm-searchlights lang: en title: Searchlights summary: >- A moving beam scans the area and may reveal the hero. The player chooses a route and movement timing around illuminated zones. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights/ jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights.md aliases: - Searchlight tags: - Game design techniques - Stealth - Lights - Atmosphere sourceIds: - source-22cd55cdb4e35d63 - source-d77d1c992874dbab - source-ea09029ee12ae461 sources: - id: source-22cd55cdb4e35d63 title: 'Game Mechanics: Searchlights' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights' verifiedAt: null - id: source-d77d1c992874dbab title: The Last of Us (2013) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights/game/the-last-of-us' verifiedAt: null - id: source-ea09029ee12ae461 title: 'Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights/game/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: game-mechanics id: gm-searchlights title: Game design techniques url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-searchlights' categoryIds: - gm-category-stealth - gm-category-lights - gm-category-atmosphere supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Searchlight description: >- A moving beam scans the area and may reveal the hero. The player chooses a route and movement timing around illuminated zones. image: src: images/mechanics/interaction-searchlights.webp width: 500 height: 274 game: The Last of Us sourceUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights' originalUrl: 'https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/tlou_searchlight.webm' sourceFrameSeconds: 3.16 credit: >- Naughty Dog / Sony Computer Entertainment; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: A beam searches beyond the heroes’ cover alt: >- The heroes crouch behind a low wall while a searchlight illuminates the area ahead in The Last of Us. markers: - x: 61 'y': 24 label: Visible search beam - x: 31 'y': 71 label: Low cover along the route tips: - Match the visible beam boundary to the actual detection area. - Provide a predictable window for moving between cover. examples: - title: The Last of Us url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights' 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 --- # Searchlights id: game-mechanics--gm-searchlights type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights/ A moving beam scans the area and may reveal the hero. The player chooses a route and movement timing around illuminated zones. ## At a glance ![The heroes crouch behind a low wall while a searchlight illuminates the area ahead in The Last of Us.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/interaction-searchlights.webp) [The Last of Us](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. [Source recording](https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/tlou_searchlight.webm), 3.16 s 1. Visible search beam 2. Low cover along the route - Match the visible beam boundary to the actual detection area. - Provide a predictable window for moving between cover. - [The Last of Us](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights) ## How it works A directed beam scans an area and may reveal a character. ## Variants ### How the technique works - A directed beam scans an area and may reveal a character. ## 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: Searchlights](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights) (id: source-22cd55cdb4e35d63) - [The Last of Us (2013)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights/game/the-last-of-us) (id: source-d77d1c992874dbab) - [Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights/game/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain) (id: source-ea09029ee12ae461) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors