--- key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-thermal-vision type: mechanic id: game-mechanics--gm-thermal-vision lang: en title: Thermal vision summary: >- The mode turns temperature differences into contrasting shapes. Warm targets become easier to distinguish from their surroundings. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-thermal-vision/ jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-thermal-vision.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-thermal-vision.md aliases: [] tags: - Game design techniques - Camera & perception sourceIds: - source-65adafba4057969a - source-29fb902b68b2fd95 - source-8fb53b0528d2a82d sources: - id: source-65adafba4057969a title: 'Game Mechanics: Thermal vision' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision' verifiedAt: null - id: source-29fb902b68b2fd95 title: 'Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision/game/metal-gear-solid-delta-snake-eater verifiedAt: null - id: source-8fb53b0528d2a82d title: 'Tom Clancy''s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (2019)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision/game/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-breakpoint verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: game-mechanics id: gm-thermal-vision title: Game design techniques url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-thermal-vision' categoryIds: - gm-category-camera-perception supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Thermal vision description: >- The mode turns temperature differences into contrasting shapes. Warm targets become easier to distinguish from their surroundings. image: src: images/mechanics/combat-thermal-vision.webp width: 498 height: 276 game: 'Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)' sourceUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision' originalUrl: 'https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/mgsdelta_thermal_goggles.webm' sourceFrameSeconds: 14.02 credit: Konami; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. All rights reserved; excluded from the portal’s MIT and CC BY 4.0 licenses. caption: Warm silhouettes in a forest alt: >- Thermal vision in Metal Gear Solid Delta highlights two figures against the cooler forest background. markers: - x: 32 'y': 36 label: Warm silhouette on the left - x: 70 'y': 29 label: A second target against a cooler background tips: - Communicate which surfaces and objects allow this view. - Keep targets readable across color-vision settings. examples: - title: 'Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision' 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 --- # Thermal vision id: game-mechanics--gm-thermal-vision type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-thermal-vision lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-thermal-vision/ The mode turns temperature differences into contrasting shapes. Warm targets become easier to distinguish from their surroundings. ## At a glance ![Thermal vision in Metal Gear Solid Delta highlights two figures against the cooler forest background.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/combat-thermal-vision.webp) [Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. All rights reserved; excluded from the portal’s MIT and CC BY 4.0 licenses. [Source recording](https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/mgsdelta_thermal_goggles.webm), 14.02 s 1. Warm silhouette on the left 2. A second target against a cooler background - Communicate which surfaces and objects allow this view. - Keep targets readable across color-vision settings. - [Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision) ## How it works Temperature differences become a readable image of potential targets. ## Variants ### How the technique works - Temperature differences become a readable image of potential targets. ## 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: Thermal vision](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision) (id: source-65adafba4057969a) - [Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (2025)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision/game/metal-gear-solid-delta-snake-eater) (id: source-29fb902b68b2fd95) - [Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (2019)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/thermal-vision/game/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-breakpoint) (id: source-8fb53b0528d2a82d) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors