20 Call of Duty Maps That Were Actually Based on Real Places, Ranked

Ever looked at a real place and thought about how it would play as a Call of Duty map? A lot of Call of Duty's most memorable multiplayer maps came from exactly that kind of daydream, and I want to run through the 20 best examples of maps that were built from actual real world locations, counting down from 20 to number one.

Egypt in COD World War II recreates the pyramids of Giza

Starting at the pyramids of Giza, Egypt was recreated by Sledgehammer for World War II. It has a classic three lane design with a cool center arena area that gets cleverly closed off from random grenades by the pyramids themselves. I like to criticize COD World War II because it wasn't my cup of tea as a Call of Duty game, but Egypt is not only a beautiful map, it's actually a really solid one.

Flooded in Ghosts is based on a real spot in Venezuela

At number 19 is Flooded, arguably the worst map in Ghosts, though I go back and forth on that because there are so many bad maps in that game it's hard to pick just one. Flooded was based on a real section in Venezuela, which is why it earns a spot here despite how divisive it is.

Dome in World at War is the ruined Reichstag building in Berlin

Dome is not a Vanguard original, even though it was remade there for launch and some people online think it started in that game. It actually comes from World at War, and it's based on the real world Reichstag building in Berlin after it took heavy damage during the battles of World War II.

Underground in Modern Warfare 3 recreates the London Underground

Set in and around a London underground station, Underground is one of the most underrated maps in classic MW3, remembered by some for the spawn traps players could pull off with tactical insertions.

Havana in Black Ops recreates a specific stretch of Havana, Cuba

Based on a specific couple of blocks of Havana, Havana from Black Ops 1 is one of my favorites, and it's hard to pin down exactly why. It might be the long narrow design, the urban style that felt absent elsewhere in the game, or the immense detail Treyarch put into it. I think it has some of the best flow for modes like Demolition and Search and Destroy, even if it was a little inconsistent for Team Deathmatch and Domination.

Liberation in Modern Warfare 3 turns Central Park into a battlefield

Liberation was a DLC map that recreated Central Park in New York City, with military equipment spread across the map to establish battle lines and lanes. That let the developers keep the real world layout and landmarks of Central Park while still making sure everything flowed well in Call of Duty. The map was set in the fall, with orange trees instead of green, which made it memorable even for people who barely remember playing on it. It's also home to the Chaos Easter egg that started all the troll Easter eggs that followed.

Sideshow in Advanced Warfare is based on a real Clown Motel in Nevada

Sideshow is based on the Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada, even though the in-game description lists the wrong state as Wyoming. Sledgehammer has been open about pulling the idea from this real motel, which has over 4,000 pieces of clown memorabilia and 600 clown statues of varying sizes. The real motel is still operating today and sits right next to a cemetery where the father of the original owner is buried.

Bog in COD 4 recreates an abandoned city in Ukraine

Infinity Ward built this map based on a real world abandoned city in Ukraine, and I appreciate the ambition of that idea even though the map itself was rough. It was eerie to run around in a private match, but once you got into an online match it wasn't enjoyable, with a bad spawn and overpowered second story windows.

Breenbergh Hotel in Modern Warfare II (2022) is based on a real hotel in Amsterdam

Breenbergh Hotel, arguably the best map in 2022's Modern Warfare II even though that's a low bar given how many bad maps that game had, is based on the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam. Infinity Ward did a really good job recreating the exteriors and making the interior feel like the real equivalent, even though the layout differs for obvious gameplay reasons. I'd still only call it about a seven out of ten.

Favela in Modern Warfare 2 (2009) recreates Rio de Janeiro

Favela, based on Rio de Janeiro, was actually supposed to be in COD 4 but got cut due to time constraints, which I think was for the best since it works better with Modern Warfare 2's custom killstreaks, expanded weapon attachments and secondary shotguns. It's gorgeous even by today's standards and proves there was a time when Infinity Ward was genuinely good at making Call of Duty maps.

Crown Raceway in Modern Warfare II (2022) is the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore

Crown Raceway is based on the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, and Infinity Ward did a good job recreating all the major defining features. It's not a good map to actually play, but it's a clear sign of a trend: Infinity Ward's maps tend to be great at recreating real locations but not always great at making them fun.

Verdansk International Airport in Modern Warfare 2019 is based on a real Ukrainian airport

One of the 32 versus 32 ground war maps and part of the original Warzone map, Verdansk International Airport is based on the Donetsk International Airport in Ukraine. It's a neat recreation and an awesome setting for large scale battles.

London Docks in COD World War II deserved a remake it never got

Set at the docks near London's Tower Bridge, London Docks was my pick for the best map in COD World War II on launch day, and I know a lot of people agree it's one of the best Sledgehammer maps in Call of Duty history. Even with a janky spawn engine, I think it's one of those maps that really should have been remade by now. As I put it, if it makes sense to remake USS Texas in Vanguard but not London Docks, "then I don't know what's going on."

Miami in Black Ops Cold War pulls from Florida's waterfront, not one specific spot

Miami isn't a one to one adaptation of any specific place, joking aside about "Jacksonville, Mississippi," it's Florida, pulling influence from several parts of the waterfront area and mashing them together. It's not a great map, though it's pretty, and a later Strike version fixed a lot of the flow issues from the original.

Moscow in Black Ops Cold War flows better than Miami despite the same mashup approach

Like Miami, Moscow wasn't a one to one adaptation of a particular spot but a mashup of various buildings and roads. Unlike Miami, though, it actually flowed, and some players saw it as one of the better maps on a launch day that only had around eight 6v6 maps total, none of them great.

Raid in Black Ops 2 recreates a real mansion in the Hollywood Hills

The giant mansion in Raid is based on a real world mega mansion in the Hollywood Hills of California, not far from Treyarch's headquarters, even though Treyarch took plenty of liberties with the interior layout and architecture that doesn't fully make realistic sense.

Stonehaven in Ghosts is set around the real Dunnottar Castle in Scotland

One of the most hated maps in Call of Duty: Ghosts, Stonehaven is set in and around Dunnottar Castle in Scotland, though the in-game description changes the name. The atrocious level design isn't any more forgivable for being based on a real place, but it earns a high spot here regardless.

Resistance in Modern Warfare 3 recreates Rue de la Paix in Paris

Resistance is based on a place in Paris, and I consider it undoubtedly the best classic war map in Modern Warfare 3 and one of my favorite maps in Call of Duty history. People have made videos of themselves visiting the real location, and this might be the single best example of a Call of Duty map recreating a real world place while still being fun to play, since there weren't many artistic liberties taken beyond what was needed for flow.

Piccadilly in Modern Warfare 2019 is a very faithful recreation of Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly is one of the most hated maps in Modern Warfare 2019, but Infinity Ward didn't skimp on realism here, delivering a very faithful recreation of Piccadilly Circus in London's West End. That faithfulness might be exactly what made it so bad to play, with terrible flow and horrific spawns as a side effect of prioritizing realism over everything else.

Nuketown in Black Ops is based on real US government doom towns in Nevada

The number one spot goes to Nuketown, perhaps the most iconic map in Call of Duty history, even if it has always been divisive in the community. The original Nuketown was based on real world doom towns the US government built in the Nevada desert during the 1950s to test nuclear bombs. Remnants of these structures still stand today, though most were destroyed by nuclear tests, and you can't visit them now due to radiation. Later versions of Nuketown in Call of Duty strayed a bit from the original aesthetic, but the classic version is a very faithful recreation of those Nevada doom towns, and given how famous and often remade the map is, it had to take the top spot.

What do you think are the best and worst maps on this list, and are there any real world inspired maps that should have made the cut?