PSA: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has a handy shortcut for HUD-free screenshots

Don’t let maps and bars get in the way of your perfect shot

I’ve been slowly whiling away the hours over the last few weeks with Xenoblade Chronicles 3, a fun and incredibly scenic RPG. And this week, I picked up a little trick that I wish I had known about from the get-go: a shortcut for easy, HUD-less Xenoblade screenshots.

In most games, I tend to be a screenshot fiend. Part of that is, well, part of the job; if I know I’m going to want to write about something later, having a bevy of good screenshots is useful. But I also like to catalogue my journey, remembering specific moments, lines, and vistas from throughout my time there.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has some good camera options, including one that lets you essentially go full-on first-person mode. But Nintendo of Europe tweeted out this handy tip that changed my Xenoblade screenshot life for the better. If you press the L and R buttons simultaneously, you can easily snap a screenshot without the heads-up display.

After seeing this, I went directly into my game and started trying it. And indeed, it’s basically a macro. The game dips out the HUD, snaps a screenshot, and re-ups the display. It’s startling how well this works in real-time; I was a little worried I’d have to give it a bit of lead time, but no, it happens pretty darn fast.

A photo album of adventure

Now I’ve been revisiting all the places I blew through in my early hours of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to get new screenshots. Capturing some of the massive landscapes, beautiful views, and colossal sights makes for a fun diversion from the main plot.

It helps that Xenoblade Chronicles 3, on top of being quite a good game, is also a very scenic game. It feels like Monolith Soft ekes incredible views out of the Nintendo Switch, and now, I’ve got a great tool for preserving them without too much fuss.