History Main / EnemyDetectingRadar

[[caption-width-right:350:[[OhCrap Oh... good]]...[[ThisIsGoingToSuck it works]].]]

In cases where both enemy and friendly units will be shown, they will be [[ColorCodedArmies color-coded]] [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience for the player's convenience.]]

* The main character of ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'' has one for absolutely no reason at all.
* ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin'' has the real-life-inspired animal version. Using his echolocation tells you where enemies are.
* The Compass in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' only pointed out the location of the boss and item boxes (starting from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening''); it wasn't until the 3-D titles that it also showed the direction you were facing.

** All three ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' games have this as a function of Samus' suit; in prior ''Metroid'' titles, the overworld map screen (if there even was one) just showed whether Samus had already been in a room and if it had an item hidden in it.

* ''VideoGame/RemiLoreLostGirlInTheLandsOfLore'': When an enemy is off-screen for long enough, an arrow will appear near Remi to point to its location.
* The minimap in ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}}'' showed the position of people, and distinguished between civilians, police, enemy agents and targets.
** This is often known as an IFF (Identify Friend/Foe) system. They exist in RealLife, but those can only tell you if a signal is coming from a known friendly or not. It can't distinguish between enemies, civilians, or allies whose codes haven't been registered as such.

[[folder:Arcade]]
* The scanner in ''VideoGame/{{Defender}}'', which is also used in ''VideoGame/ChopperCommand'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBackAtari2600''.
* ''VideoGame/CosmicAvenger'' has one appearing on the top of the screen, which can detect where [=UFOs=] will appear from.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfMana'' has one that's even ColorCodedForYourConvenience: blue enemies drop items, red ones are just there for you to kill and abuse the RagdollPhysics with their bodies, and yellow indicates the direction in which you need to go.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' uses a similar system to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI''. A mini-map is shown at all times in the corner of the screen. Green dots were [=NPCs=], blue dots were either your allies or a neutral character in the battlefield, red dots were foes, and huge red dots were bosses.
* The ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series has the Paintball item, which allows a hunter to see where his/her mark is located on the onscreen map.

** ''Pokémon'' has one of these for items, creatively called the "Item Finder." Over time it's evolved from a somewhat unhelpful noise maker if you were within 50 yards of something, to a "[=DowsingMCHN=]" that points out the ''EXACT'' location of a hidden item. It wasn't until ''Fire Red'' and ''Leaf Green'' that players got access to the "Vs. Seeker," which could detect trainers. That is, those who wanted to battle or have a rematch ''and'' were onscreen.
** The Pokeradar in Gen IV points you to hidden Pokemon via shaking grass. Trouble was it lasted a few steps and then needed 50 steps to recharge.

* The radar in the 1980 coin-op arcade classic ''VideoGame/{{BattleZone|1980}}'' (with wire-frame monochrome graphics.) May make this OlderThanTheyThink.

* The ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series plays with this. In just about every game, there's a map in the top left corner of the screen which shows your squadmates as green chevrons and red dots representing enemy fire - in both UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and Modern settings. This map could be disabled or enhanced in many ways:

** As well, these maps can be defeated by using suppressed weapons - firing one wouldn't have you show up on enemy radar.
** In ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2 Modern Warfare 2]]'', a Counter-UAV will completely disable enemy radar - it replaces the map, friendly positions, and enemy positions with static.

** ''Modern Warfare 2'' and ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare3 3]]'' also have heartbeat sensors available for certain weapons - and these can, for some reason, distinguish between friendly and enemy heartbeats. However, these can also be defeated by the 'Ninja' perk, which makes you invisible to such sensors.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'' had a radar that shown the position of enemies, and was jammed by enemy communications centers. In multiplayer mode, it only showed allies (in the default settings, anyway).
* ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' has one of these.

* ''VideoGame/{{Deadhunt}}'' grants you a circular radar on the lower-left corner. WHich is neat, because your only way to progress to the next stage is by [[KillEnemiesToOpen killing everything on the map]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Strife}}'' adds this function as an item. Unfortunately you have to use it on a level filled out by an automap powerup, and only a few levels in Strife have map pickups.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' has a radar with this function, explained as the function of one of Bond's gadgets. However, it's available only in multiplayer, as single-player has no map/radar whatsoever.
* ''VideoGame/KrazyIvan'' gives you one on your screen, next to where the weapons indicator is at. Justified since you're piloting a giant robot, which have it's own built-in radar system.
* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' also has one. Oddly enough, you have to unlock a cheat code to ''turn the radar off''. The most common reason for bothering unlocking this cheat is when you have a friend who is so good at the game in multiplayer you have to do ''something'' to make things harder for them to hunt everyone down.
* In ''VideoGame/GunsOfIcarus'', this feature is absolutely vital for tracking the position of enemies, since your vision will be obscured by clouds and weather conditions, and you'll be attacked from all sides--enemies will retreat out of your vision range and circle around to the other side of your ship--so if you don't watch the radar, expect to die.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' puts one on the player's {{HUD}} in both single-player and multiplayer modes. The one in ''VideoGame/Halo4'' can even indicate vehicle type (e.g. if an enemy is driving a Wraith, they'll appear in the shape of a Wraith on your motion tracker). That said, the tracker can be foiled by either crouch-walking or just moving ''really'' slowly.

* The ''Alien'' one was dutifully cloned by ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'''s motion tracker, and has since followed Bungie through the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series as well. In ''Marathon'' humans and defense drones appear as green squares, aliens as red triangles, and hostile players during net play as yellow squares.
** We have recently sensors that can detect someone's heartbeat and therefore determine how many people are in a vehicle, room, etc. Assuming that your enemies have different heartbeats than humans, this technology probably will be used in the sensors of the future.
* Justified example in ''VideoGame/MetalHead'', since you're piloting a gigantic robot you have a built-in radar that functions as a map on the upper-right corner.

* ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever'' nicely made a gameplay element out of it: your radar ''doesn't'' show nearby enemies... unless you shoot them with a "tracking dart" (which takes some skill), after which they appear as red dots on it.

* The Heartbeat Sensor in the ''VideoGame/RainbowSix'' series functions like this.

* Appears in ''VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines'' as a peice of True-To-The-[[Film/{{Aliens}} Movie]] equipment. Meaning the motion tracker's a bulky machine you cannot have equipped at the same time as a gun. It also has a proxemity function, the distinctive, hot-and-cold "mlinging... mlinging... mlinging..." audio clue from the film to let you know how close an enemy is.
* In ''VideoGame/AliensVsPredator2010,'' the motion tracker appears as a HUD element (and yes, it keeps the proximity warning audio cues).

* All of the ''Warriors'' series (''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'', ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'', the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' spinoff) has an overworld map that [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience colors]] allied units blue, enemies red, and other factions yellow.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' has a radar function in the ''[[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Meteoid]]'' subgame. It doesn't begin detecting enemies until it's been upgraded, though.
* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/PlanetSide'' 2. Enemies do show up on the minimap, but not magically - another player has to see them and "spot" them. Being spotted lasts a few seconds; an attentive spot can ruin an ambush or win a rematch. The infiltrator, with its unique ability to cloak, is the only class that can shed being spotted at will. Infiltrators, however, also carry motion detectors that play this trope straight for a limited time. They in turn can be countered by standing still, equipping the Sensor Shield implant, or shooting/EMPing the deployed motion detector.
* The [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Divine Herald]] from ''VideoGame/NexusClash'' can detect when there are demons in the area. Unlike some examples of this trope, the Herald can only find out how many demons are nearby this way and not quite exactly where they are, and it may take a few pings of the radar to triangulate the location of their target.

* Many RealTimeStrategy games have a mini-map that shows enemy buildings and troops once the FogOfWar has been lifted.
** ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation'' even made a distinction between "radar" and "visual range". Radar buildings and units have a large radius and will show incoming enemy units as dots on the minimap, but don't uncover FogOfWar.
** ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' has the Terran sensor tower, which shows enemies beyond visual range as a red exclamation mark symbol. In a twist, it also tells opponents where your tower's detection radius is.
** Jim Raynor has one built into his armor.
* In the [[SideView side-scrolling]] RealTimeStrategy ''VideoGame/ArmorAlley'', your radar displays everything on the length of the battlefield...unless your HeroUnit strays near an enemy signal-jamming van, which will cause the radar display to flicker blank.
* In ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes'', the British can use such a special ability, when choosing the ''Royal Commandos'' Commander Tree (the Brits actually invented Radar in real UsefulNotes/WW2). You'll receive 3 Radar positions, which you can place randomly on the quadrangular map. This forms a triange between the three stations (see BermudaTriangle), a FogOfWar - free zone, where you can spot ''any'' enemy movments. This method can only supervise up to 50% of the map though (a triangle may fit twice into a quadrangle - Duh!), so you better concentrate all your scouts on the other halve...
* ''VideoGame/DuneII'' had the Outpost building, which gave you a radar screen that tracked your enemies (including SandWorms).

** In the original games, you didn't have a minimap unless you built a Radar Dome, which would then show off the entire map (though areas covered by the shroud would appear as black space). Additionally, the later games added ways of detecting stealth units (typically, light vehicles might have sensors which would revealed their location, meaning that players would be well advised to keep a few stealth detecting units around to avoid being ambushed).

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'': The USA can use a satellite scan (and have radar access) right off the bat as long as they have Command Centers, an ability that can eventually be researched by the GLA for their Radar Vans. The Chinese don't get it, instead having to rely on the detection capabilities of their troop crawlers.

* In the ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' series, radar is a staple of practically every game and is extremely useful in tracking enemies and their damage. 2 and 3 offered the 'satellite uplink' mode, which was more like a bird's eye view of the field. Each game has had some kind of mission restriction or equipment to enhance or mess with the radar, including lots of false-positive decoy pods, electronic jammers, and range enhancing probes.
* The ''VideoGame/NavalOps'' series uses this trope quite heavily since trying to spot enemy ships visually is a bit of a pain. Upgrading your ship increases the radar range. Sonar is required to spot submarines. You have a minimap radar in one corner of the screen and a close-range radar as part of your HUD. Stealth enemies may not show up on the minimap, but they'll appear on the HUD.
* The ''[[Videogame/{{X}} X-Universe]]'' series has a Gravidar device fitted onto every ship and spacesuit, which can detect anything (bar SpaceMines) within its detection radius, which can be expanded with the Duplex or Triplex scanner. Gravidar is shared between ships and satellites, allowing a satellite to be used as a TargetSpotter for a [[MacrossMissileMassacre missile frigate]].
** The Gravidar returns in ''Videogame/XRebirth'''s 2.0 update with some nifty new features - capital ships and stations are now rendered as 3d objects on the gravidar display, and the [[PortalNetwork highway system]] is likewise shown on the gravidar. Entering a highway will switch the gravidar to a sector-wide highway map, or a tunnel map showing nearby ships in the highway.
* ''VideoGame/XWing'' and its sequels (''VideoGame/TIEFighter'', ''VideoGame/XWingVsTIEFighter'', and ''VideoGame/XWingAlliance'') all featured sensor displays showing any ships nearby using color-coded dots: red for Imperial, green for Rebel, and blue for neutral (or unaligned). Later games added additional colors to represent pirates or otherwise distinguish between multiple unaligned factions.

[[folder:Stealth Based Game]]

** ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' was the first to use a radar, allowing the player to see enemies on the surrounding screens. It shows both the guards positions and their vision cones to indicate when you can be seen.

** As a prequel, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' doesn't feature the radar, as the game is set in a preiod before it was invented. There's a number of more primitive alternatives that can be found through the game, all of which need battery power. The Motion Sensor will only show moving guards and animals, so a stationary guard won't be shown. The Sonar will indicate everything, but has to be manually triggered and the 'ping' can alert guards. The AP sensor will vibrate when guards are near.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' uses a similar Threat Ring, this time surrounding the player in 3D when they crouch rather than in a radar screen. The Solid Eye also gives a radar when worn that worked similarly, which shows the position of the player and nearby characters, as well as a second circle around the player that expands or shrinks to indicate how large of a presence they're making themselves through sound and the like - running full-tilt will nearly fill the radar screen, while laying down and blending in with [=OctoCamo=] will make the circle only ''just'' barely larger than the one indicating their position. The camo index (indicating how effective your camouflage is against your current background) is also worked into the Solid Eye's radar, and will turn blue or red if you're currently harder or easier to notice amidst things like gunfire and mortar shells exploding nearby.

* The ''VideoGame/AlienVsPredator'' motion detector is of course from the original ''Film/{{Alien}}'' movie, and as a result is in absolutely every game based on the franchise, too.
** And, unlike many such systems, the readout only shows movement in an arc in front of you. That means you don't see what's behind you, you don't see enemies who are standing still, and ''anything'' moving will set it off including elevators and loading hooks swaying in the wind.
** The ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' radar (pictured) can detect any moving thing in front of you, be it human, droid, or alien. It also has lights to tell you if something is to your side or behind you, but not how far away it is. However, it cannot tell you if it's on the same level as you, and the beeping might alert other things to your presence.

* ''VideoGame/EnemyZero''. Picture this: you're on a spaceship out in the middle of nowhere, and a bunch of nasty aliens have come aboard and murdered everyone save you and a few others. Problem is, the aliens are '''completely invisible''', and you get to roam the corridors of the ship, completely unable to see them. Your only way of knowing they're around is a sonar-ish device that starts pulsing louder and faster depending on how close the aliens are.
* ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' has two: the Camera Obscura's filament, and the main character's heartbeat. The filament glows when a ghost is nearby, and glows brighter if you're facing the ghost and/or getting closer to it. The character's heartbeat also speeds up the closer a ghost is. This is quite handy, because it is a common situation that ghost can be near you and you can't ''see'' it, either because it's in a wall or it's invisible at the time.

** The "Jaws: The Ride" minigame in ''UniversalStudiosThemeParkAdventure'' has this as a mechanic to tell you where he is in relation to the ''Orca''. Even in "Hard" mode he gives you enough time to grab a barrel and head towards that section of the boat.
* The radio in ''Franchise/SilentHill'' serves as an audio version, emitting ominous-sounding static whenever a monster is lurking nearby, but all it ends up doing is provide ParanoiaFuel since it doesn't tell you how far away said monster is or how many there are. The VariableMix ambient music/noise also behaves similarly, which may be why they got rid of the radio altogether in the fourth game (except for the one [[spoiler: in your room so you can check if it's haunted]].
* ''VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator'', unlike the other games in the franchise, only had motion sensors instead of cameras serving as this to monitor the killer animatronics, presumably because you're just starting out with your pizzeria and can't afford the cameras. [[spoiler: Really, though, it's to hide that the 'pizzeria' is a ClosedCircle trap for said killer animatronics so they can be destroyed once and for all in the TwistEnding.]]

* The 3D ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games has a minimap (sometimes called a radar) in-game. At times, it will show a mission objective or a moving enemy. The LetsPlay/FreelanceAstronauts made fun of this in their LetsPlay of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'', coming to the conclusion that most missions involve "killing the pink dot on the radar".
* You don't have this in radar form, but the map of the area you get in every mission in the ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' games is insanely accurate, even displaying which way doors open, where the fusebox is, and tracking the movement of every person on the premises, Agent 47 included.

* ''VideoGame/{{Mafia}}'' despite being set in the 1930s before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and the invention of Radar had one for detecting vehicles in the top left of the screen that showed civilian cars as white, Police as blue and enemies as red blips.

* A staple of the "All Range Mode" in ''Franchise/StarFox''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' has this by default for your frames, though it is rather short-range. Ivara's passive grants her increased range by default, and of course there are mods, both for your Frame and Companion / Sentinel that increase its range.

* Long-range scanners in the ''VideoGame/StarTrekTextGame'', possibly the UrExample from 1971.

*** On the battlescape, troopers can carry a Motion Scanner (Particle Disturbance Sensor in ''Terror From the Deep'') that will detect units that have moved since the player's last turn, even through walls. However, it doesn't differentiate between friend or foe, has a VERY basic display (for instance, a large contact can be either a large unit or a small unit moving quickly), and is rather short range.
** The [[Creator/FiraxisGames Firaxis]] reboot has three:

** Available as a spell effect in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', where it comes in a variety of types including "Detect Humanoid", "Detect Creature", and "Detect Undead". Using it (or applying it as an enchantment effect to an item) will cause the applicable enemy type to show up on the mini-map. Also available are "Detect Magic/Enchantment" and "Detect Key" ([[MundaneUtility presumably the result of a mage losing his tower key once too often]]).

* The [=PIPBoy=] has a motion tracker option in ''VideoGame/Fallout1'' & ''VideoGame/Fallout2'', which will display all living entities on the minimap scanner when it's switched on.

** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'''s ''Lonesome Road'' DLC has areas where the high radiation levels [[InterfaceScrew interfere with your motion tracker]].
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' features both Enemy Detecting Radar and Radar-Jamming Enemies, specifically geth. But the geth radar-jamming is more of a nuisance than anything else: its range is short enough that they only jam you when they're about to attack (meaning they can't really ambush an attentive player), and their flashlight heads are kind of a giveaway as to their location, even in thick fog.
* ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic 6'' introduced the "new and improved" automap, which, when combined with the first Air magic spell "Wizard Eye", functioned as an Life Detecting Radar - Green is Neutral, Red is Hostile, Blue is Loose Item, and Yellow is Lootable Body.

* Available in ''VideoGame/TerraTech'' as actual radar blocks which can be fitted onto the player's tech. A radar allows enemies to show up on the minimap as red targeting reticules.

* One of the most famous occurrences of this is the motion tracker from ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', used by the Colonial Marines both to look for survivors of Hadley's Hope and hunt for the titular Xenomorphs. However, it doesn't discriminate between friend and foe, as shown when the very first thing detected was some hamsters in their habitat; Newt is nearly shot when her appearance on the tracker prompts the Marines to prep their weapons.
* Utterly averted in ''Film/TheGiantBehemoth'', because (for some reason) the Paleosaurus is invisible to radar.

* Used to some extent in ''Film/JurassicWorld''. The park's command center can monitor most dinosaur movements through a combination of infrared and motion sensors, satellite imagery and implanted tracking beacons, the latter of which play an important dramatic role when the [[BigBad Indominus]] starts raising hell. They even manage to keep track of it after [[ItCanThink it rips out its implant]], probably by following the trail of dino corpses and general devastation it leaves in its wake. It still manages to ambush the heroes on a regular basis despite being a 16-meters murder machine, but then again it's also a genetically engineered LivingWeapon [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands with a range of abilities]] [[GoneHorriblyRight nobody expected it to have]].

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'' has both the Marauder's Map (a real-time map of people and where they are on school grounds) and the Sneakoscope. Though the Sneakoscope only indicates if someone nearby is untrustworthy, whether it's due to a little prank they're playing or something much more serious, with no distinction between the two.

* "Locate the Joker" in Creator/SternPinball's ''[[Pinball/BatmanStern Batman]]'' shows Batman using a hand-held sensor to track the Joker as he runs around.

* As mentioned above, this is TruthInTelevision: There is also a widely-used military system called a Radar Warning Receiver, which (in many, but not all cases) identifies the type of radar emissions (i.e. SPY-1, "High Lark", Agave) and can determine the likely threat of them. A general hint -- [[SensorSuspense a repeating tone]] indicates that an enemy radar emitter has locked on to you and may be getting ready to fire.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' has two spells, Detect Living and Detect Dead, which do what they sound like, letting you determine where people are located. The latter is a must-have for draugr ruins to spot where those sneaky undead might be hiding. There's also a [[MakeMeWannaShout Dragon Shout]] called Aura Whisper that detects ''everything'' that can move, living or undead, and has a very wide range and fast cooldown. Once you've got Aura Whisper, you should ''never'' fall into an ambush again.

* Since Franchise/SpiderMan has a SpiderSense that alerts him to danger, games featuring him have it as part of the gameplay.

* A staple of the "All Range Mode" in ''VideoGame/StarFox''.
* ''{{VideoGame/Warframe}}'' has this by default for your frames, though it is rather short-range. Ivara's passive grants her increased range by default, and of course there are mods, both for your Frame and Companion / Sentinel that increase its range.