Call of Duty: Warzone’s Verdansk map is heavily inspired by real-life locations, buildings and regions of Donetsk, Chernobyl and other Ukrainian landmarks.
You’ll know all of these locations in Warzone like the back of your hand by now, but seeing just how closely they resemble real places is eye-opening.
This isn’t really a shock since most Call of Duty games feature levels inspired by real-world locations, such as the Chernobyl pool which has featured in a number of CoD games.
Here you’ll find all the real-life locations in Warzone, compared side-by-side.
Warzone Stadium – Donbass Arena
No, the above image is not an in-game screenshot of the Stadium location on the Warzone map – it’s an actual picture of the Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Upon Verdansk’s launch, the roof was originally closed. This changed over time, though, with the opening of the roof in Season 5 adding another dimension to the battle royale’s already varied map.
Donbass Arena was built in 2009 as the home for FC Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukrainian Premier League and for use in UEFA Euro 2012, but the ongoing conflict in the region forced the team to relocate and the stadium to close to the public in 2014.
Shakthar Stadium – Verdansk 84′ Stadium
When Verdansk moved back to the 80s, the developers changed the stadium to Shakhtar Stadium, also in Donetsk. Although the stadium is still there today, it is no longer used by the football team, who now play at the Donbass Arena.
The Warzone replica is nearly identical, with the same floodlight designs, commentary boxes and overhanging roof.
Verdansk Airport & Tower – Donetsk Airport & Tower
Next, we’ll travel to the Verdansk airport, whose terminal and control tower are almost exact matches for the Donetsk Airport in real-life.
The tower in Warzone looks well on its way to collapsing, but that would fit with its IRL counterpart, which was destroyed during a battle for the airport in 2015.
Really, the only difference between the two towers is the Warzone version comes with fewer windows, and also doesn’t have an external stairway attached.
Verdansk Pool – Chernobyl pool
First featured in Call of Duty 4, this abandoned swimming pool in Chernobyl is an iconic location, showing how people would have lived before the nuclear disaster in 1986.
The city was left derelict and in total ruin, but it also makes for a dark and intense location, both in Call of Duty multiplayer and campaign, and now Warzone.
Grid Radar Array – Duga Radar (Chernobyl)
Located in the forests of Ukraine, the Duga radar was once “one of the most powerful military facilities in the Soviet Union’s communist empire.”
It’s 150 meters high, and was intended by Soviet scientists to prevent long-range missile threats came with a huge radar, that would be able to look over the curvature of the earth. But, the scientists apparently lacked “full understanding of how the ionosphere works”, and so the whole project was never going to work from the very start.
Now, it sits in ruin, in complete isolation.
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Gora Dam – Dnieper Hydroelectric Station
The Gora Dam might be the single largest structure in Warzone itself, and it seems to bear a striking resemblance to the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station, the largest dam in Ukraine.
Being a video game, Call of Duty devs were able to make their dam seam even larger than its IRL counterpart, which is one of the biggest in Europe.
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Unlike our last two examples, the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station is still functioning and open to the public with a highway running across the top, just like the Gora Dam.
Salt Mine – Soledar Salt Mine
Although not an exact match, the Soledar salt mine looks to be clear inspiration for the Quarry / Salt Mine in Warzone now.
Much of Ukraine’s economy is based on mining, so it’s an important feature in a Ukraine-inspired map.
Nakatomi Plaza – Fox Plaza
For the 80s heroes event, Warzone added Nakatomi Plaza, made famous by the original Die Hard movie.
But, for the movie, Fox Plaza in Los Angeles was used, so this too is a real location, still standing today. In real life, it is actually much bigger than in the game, at 34 stories high.
Verdansk Parliament – Ukrainian Parliament
While the materials, along with the color of the stone and the shape of the building itself, differ from the real-life counterpart, it’s incredibly apparent that the Ukrainian parliament building is the basis for the one seen here.
Rebirth Island – Alcatraz
Rebirth Island is a reimagining of Black Ops 4: Blackout’s Alcatraz Island map, and so the comparisons here, to many, are obvious. Only hosting 40 players maximum, this smaller and more intimate experience is.
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Featuring an incredibly similar layout, with the central building on a hill surrounded by outbuildings and a dock, it’s uncanny when comparing it to its real-life counterpart.
Verdansk bank – Donetsk bank
Finally, even smaller buildings from Donetsk, like the green bank above, seemed to be copied to fill out the town of Verdansk.
The in-game version has fewer windows, but it’s immediately apparent from the awnings and the large window on the front these two buildings are one and the same.
Atlas Supermarket Verdansk – Metro Supermarket Donetsk
While the Atlas Supermarket’s real-life counterpart has since been torn down, the structure is a dead-ringer for its video game version. Featuring similar columns on either side of the gigantic, curved sign, only a few small differences set these two apart.
That’s all of the real-life counterparts that we’re aware of in Warzone. Be sure to check back, as we’ll continue to add to this list as more real-world locations are revealed.
