Some (truly) dark VS Code themes
Dark IDE themes vs Light ones is a much debated topic in the development community. Although it’s a matter of preference, it seems one is way more favored than the other.
I, personally, am drawn to the dark side as well, I must say. VS Code being my IDE of choice, I would often find myself scouring the its Marketplace for ever darker themes. I have tried out famous themes like One Dark Pro, Material Theme and Dracula Official and they work great on good quality screens, but for their solarized backgrounds aren’t a good match for low contrast screens. My setup is an ultra-book paired with a cheap monitor, so I often find my switching between pairs of complimentary themes with similar color schemes but different contrast levels. So after experimenting with several themes over months, I have finally a few worth settling for.
Listed below are few of what I believe to be ‘truly dark’ VS Code themes.
Ayu Dark
Marketplace: Ayu by teabyii
Pros: Greys out a lot of the text in the editor such as file names etc. The screen feels less cluttered as a result.
Cons: The color scheme feels a little too jarring. It also misses syntax highlighting in a certain places for TS (can be seen in image). These are improved upon in Ayu One Dark by faceair.
Gruvbox Dark (Hard)
Marketplace: Gruvbox Themes by Tom Philbin
Pros: Better syntax highlighting. The colors are vivid although they try to make it easier on the eye by using solarized backgrounds.
Cons: Look at that json tho’ :\
Dark-Dracula & Dracula at Night
Marketplace: Dracula At Night by bceskavich; Dark-Dracula by gerane
Dark-Dracula should suffice for most screens. Its background is actually the same as the Dark+ default VS Code theme and Monokai Dimmed. Dracula at Night is better for low contrast screens though.
One Monokai & One Dark Pro Monokai Darker
One Monokai Theme by Joshua Azemoh
One Dark Pro Monokai Darker Theme by Eser Ozvataf
Here too, One Dark Pro Monokai Darker is more suited for low contrast screens, while One Monokai will do the job for the rest.
Pros: The color scheme is designed around primary, yet muted colors.
Cons: The block highlighting is way too faint
Hope you found this useful. :)
If I missed some other great theme, do let me know on Twitter.