History Main / RegeneratingHealth

* The ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series starting from the second game do this, with a red outline on the screen that gradually grows more insistent the more damage the player takes. If you take a lot of damage it can be almost impossible to see anything, which tends to just make you die that much faster.
** On [[HarderThanHard Veteran]] difficulty, they can practically insta-kill you before you even see or hear them. This turns enemies into DemonicSpiders in many situations, particularly where they flank, snipe, or grenade you (which sometimes explodes before you can react). Thank God for [[SaveScumming ample checkpoints]].
** Similar things occur with ''Soldier Of Fortune: Payback''.
** The third-to-last mission, "Rebirth," in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps Black Ops]]'' has a portion where damage doesn't heal, as [[spoiler:you're wearing a hazmat suit and the enemy dropped Nova 6 nerve gas all over the combat area. If you take too much cumulative damage, your suit is compromised and the Nova 6 kills you]]. An achievement/trophy requires the player to successfully clear the entire portion [[spoiler:while the gas mask is worn]] without dying.
*** The aspect becomes ludicrous in multiplayer of ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' and later, where you can take ten rounds from [[{{BFG}} a 7.62mm light machine gun]] to the stomach over the course of about forty-five seconds and walk away with no real damage, but die instantly when a thrown knife or a small steel hatchet hits your foot.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''': Naked Snake can wait out his injuries. The rate of health increase is dependent on how high his Stamina Gauge is. If you can't be bothered waiting for his health to rise like that, you can also knock him out with a sedative mushroom or with chloroform - during his sleep, he recovers faster. You can even save, turn the game off, and come back after a day or so has elapsed on your console's clock. There's also a Cure menu to heal Snake from grievous wounds that cut into his total health (represented by a red section of it); healing from wounds of that nature actually increases his total health slightly.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' has full health regeneration, but the regeneration rate is ''very'' slow if you're in open combat, and even slower when running or sprinting. You can also recover from a CriticalHit by using a [[HealingPotion first-aid spray]] or doing some SelfSurgery.

* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' has regenerating health, but in single-player you can buy medicine that, when used, instantly regenerates all of your health.