20 Games With The Cleanest HUD Redesigns Over Time

A clear and simple heads-up display (HUD) can make a game feel quicker and easier to understand, and developers often refine their interfaces over time with updates and new versions. The games listed below all made improvements to reduce on-screen clutter and present information more effectively. You’ll find features like elements fading in and out smoothly, improved icons, and menus that show you important details without requiring extra clicks. These are changes players immediately appreciate when they return to the game.

Cyberpunk 2077

We’ve made big improvements to how fights look on screen, making enemy information, status effects, and police alerts much easier to understand. We redesigned the perk and cyberware menus to show you the most important info right away, with more detailed stats available when you need them. While driving or fighting, on-screen controls now disappear when you’re not using them, giving you a clearer view of the city. Finally, we’ve streamlined weapon switching and item notifications to avoid clutter during intense moments.

Helldivers 2

The game’s interface now clearly shows what actions you’re taking, with helpful on-screen prompts appearing only when you use them. Important information like armor, ammo, and backup availability is now located near where you aim, making it easier to glance at. We’ve also streamlined objective details and timers so you can still see important team messages and enemy threats. Regular updates have helped keep the interface clear even during intense battles with lots of effects and enemies.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Recent updates have improved the game’s interface and controls. Hotbars and helpful tips are now more consistent, making it easier to use class abilities. Important information like resistances and status effects is now readily visible without navigating through menus. The turn order and status icons have been adjusted for better clarity during intense battles. Finally, controller users can now utilize radial menus that match the keyboard layout, allowing for faster, more intuitive control.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The latest update improves how you move around and use your abilities. It organizes ability cooldowns neatly in the corners of the screen. Your suit’s power and gadget displays now clearly show what’s ready to use and dim when used up. The game now uses smaller, tidy cards to track your progress, which you can choose to show or hide while exploring. For players who like taking pictures, you can simplify the on-screen display to show only your health and objective markers.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

We’ve made several improvements to make gameplay clearer and more convenient. Party gauges and timers are now easier to read, and you can adjust their size and transparency in the accessibility settings. We’ve combined map and quest information into single panels to reduce switching between menus. Finally, combat tips and tutorials will automatically hide after you’ve seen them once, keeping your screen less cluttered.

Diablo IV

Recent updates have streamlined the skill and Paragon point allocation screens, now displaying overall build summaries before individual skill details. World events and whispers are now grouped together in a single, compact display. When you’re looking at loot, the game now highlights important upgrades and hides common items after you’ve applied filters. Finally, boss attack warnings and enemy ability icons have been standardized to make it easier to quickly understand threats.

Counter-Strike 2

Switching to the new game engine has improved the radar, making it clearer, and streamlined the kill feed with more consistent spacing. Resources like money, armor, and equipment are now organized to minimize having to quickly check around corners. Players can easily practice grenade throws and view buy menus, which clearly show their team’s equipment without cluttering the screen. Finally, spectator and replay displays have been simplified, making important moments in matches easier to understand at a glance.

The Finals

As a player, I’m really liking the recent updates! The seasonal passes have made everything feel much more organized on the scoreboard and around the team. They’ve also fixed that annoying bug where the objective and cashout markers would pile up on top of each other, making it hard to see. The equipment and gadget menus are way better now too – everything’s grouped by type, so I can find what I need quickly when things get intense. And finally, the damage, armor, and revive info pops up nicely, then fades away, which keeps the screen from getting cluttered. It’s a huge improvement!

Starfield

The update includes new options to show or hide important on-screen information like scanning displays, ship status, and mission markers. The compass and objective indicators have been adjusted to avoid overlapping in crowded city areas. During ship battles, the displays for shields, hull integrity, and power distribution are now easier to read. Finally, the inventory and outpost menus now show weight limits and resource connections directly, so you won’t have to switch between menus as often.

Alan Wake 2

The game’s interface focuses on realistic elements, like the detective’s case board, and keeps on-screen combat information simple. Important details like health, ammo, and flashlight power only appear when you’re in danger or aiming. Hints and puzzle solutions pop up briefly in the game world, then disappear. The menu is organized to group investigation notes, upgrades, and collected items, making it easier to find what you need without digging through lots of sub-menus.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

We’ve made several improvements to the game! You can now adjust the size of the user interface, and characters will talk less during gameplay. We’ve also simplified tutorial messages and made quest tracking easier to follow with shorter descriptions. During combat, stamina and grab information is now clearer, especially during battles with large monsters. Finally, the map has been updated to better organize locations – you’ll now find services and quest markers separated for easier navigation.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

We improved aiming by making the targeting and lock-on indicators brighter and more centered, which helps when tracking fast-moving objects. The parts and build menus now clearly show weight and energy limits in a single, easy-to-read bar. Mission updates are now displayed as quick, scrolling messages. We’ve also made damage types and when enemies are vulnerable easier to understand with consistent icons that don’t block your view of the action.

Forza Motorsport

Racing overlays now clearly display speed, lap times, and track boundaries, with a cleaner layout. You can customize which tire and fuel information appears based on the race type, preventing clutter. When reviewing replays or taking photos, controls disappear to give you a full, unobstructed view. And, new accessibility settings let both beginners and experienced racers adjust how much information is shown on screen.

Horizon Forbidden West

The game features a clean interface that only displays health, ammo, and tool information when you need it – when you’re using a weapon or crafting. Important items in the world are highlighted when you look at them, reducing on-screen clutter. You can choose to always show quest objectives, or have them disappear while you explore. Recent updates have also improved the readability of text and made it easier to adjust the interface for comfortable, extended gameplay.

Elden Ring

Okay, so the game usually keeps everything clean by hiding the UI stuff until you’re actually fighting or interacting with something. But I can change it so the HUD pops up for a second after I press a button, then fades away again if I want. They’ve also made the buff/debuff icons and the compass really small and easy to glance at. And when I’m messing with my inventory, it shows me how well my weapons scale and how much they weigh right on the screen – which is awesome because I don’t have to dig through a bunch of menus!

Destiny 2

We’ve made several improvements to make gameplay smoother and more intuitive. Ability cooldowns, buff displays, and threat warnings for raids and competitive modes have been adjusted for better balance. The build crafting screen now neatly organizes armor modifications and stats. Subclass interfaces use consistent icons, making it easier to switch between different setups. When exploring, patrol and activity cards will stay minimized until you choose to accept them, reducing clutter on the screen.

Fortnite

The HUD editor allows you to customize what appears on your screen during a match, letting you hide things like quest trackers, party information, and unnecessary widgets. Map pings now show distance and height more clearly without cluttering the screen with constant labels. We’ve also made weapon and resource displays more compact to give you more space for aiming. Finally, both Performance and Zero Build modes reduce on-screen distractions, helping you focus on what’s happening around you.

Apex Legends

Health and shield bars are clearly divided to help you quickly decide when to switch tactics. Pings and teammate messages only show up when you specifically request them, keeping things less cluttered. The inventory system highlights which attachments work together, saving you time. And with each new season, the kill feed and banners are improved to be easier to read at a glance.

Call of Duty: Warzone

Okay, so the developers really listened! They fixed the HUD so my plating, ammo, and cash don’t cover up what’s actually happening on screen anymore. They also grouped all the contract and event stuff into little boxes I can hide when I’m in a firefight, which is awesome. Plus, the timers for things like gas or circles are way easier to read now – better fonts and spacing make a huge difference. And finally, they added options to change the size and how see-through the HUD is, so I can tweak it to look perfect on my screen, no matter how far I’m sitting.

No Man’s Sky

Recent changes have moved important information into small, temporary pop-up windows that appear during activities like flying, scanning, and surviving. The quick menu now groups tools together, reducing the number of screens you need to switch between. We’ve also made icons and text consistent throughout the game – in space, on planets, and in your inventory – to make things easier to read. By default, exploration displays only show essential hazard and life support information, adding more details only when a threat appears.

Let us know in the comments which games have the best, clearest heads-up displays (HUDs), and which recent titles have improved them the most!

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2025-11-17 20:17