I’m starting to find that HUDs in games clutter the screen and take away from being fully immersed in the game. I like games that force you to pay attention to what’s going on in the game and not numbers/markers on the edges of the display. What are some of your favorite games to play with no HUD? Here are a few of mine:
Astroneer - this game has tool tips on screen but that’s about it. There isn’t even an inventory, all objects are interactive and you can physically place them on your backpack.
Battlefield 1 - super gritty and immersive, but playing without a HUD really puts you at a disadvantage online.
Red Dead Redemption 2 - I liked that you could hide the HUD, but the mini-map was a tap on the d-pad away if you get lost. It was a super immersive experience!
Grand Theft Auto 5 - maybe not designed to be played without the HUD, once you get used to the layout of the city this becomes a lot easier, and you focus more on landmarks to navigate and again this really increased immersion. Sometimes finding things in missions wasn’t obvious and required consulting the map but otherwise this was enjoyable.
Kingdom Come Deliverance
The standard game mode has map markers, quest icons, and a health bar. However, if you switch to hardcore mode it removes pretty much everything. There’s no map markers on the world map, and no compass, so you need to figure out where you are on the map by building up knowledge of the landmarks and roads of the area. The sun and moon can be used as directional markers as well.
That sounds glorious! I haven’t played that one yet but it really interests me!
I definitely recommend it, but it seems there are people that bounce off of the combat system. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s very enjoyable when you get it.
Some days I just ignore quests and ride my horse around the countryside. I tend to play a lot of dice at the taverns, and doing some hunting is also fun.