Open and use the BeamNG Earth map
Start the BeamNG.Earth level with its companion app running, then press M to open the world map. The developer also documents Map in the pause menu. Use the following as a control reference; check your bindings if you have customized the game’s controls.
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| Action | Control | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Open / close | M; Esc also closes the map | Switch between driving and the world-map view. |
| Look around | Drag to pan; scroll to zoom | Move the view without moving your vehicle. |
| Find a destination | Search box or Places panel | Locate an address, named place, saved point or coordinate. |
| Plan a drive | Left-click a destination | Request a GPS route to the selected point. |
| Move immediately | Right-click → Teleport here | Relocate the vehicle, then load the new surroundings. |
| Return later | Right-click → Save this place | Keep a location in your saved places. |
Search for cities, addresses and coordinates
Enter a city, place name or address and inspect the result before selecting it. Similar names can refer to locations in different countries. Adding a region or country makes your intent clearer. The documented search uses online geographic services, so an empty result may be a search-service or data issue rather than a broken installation.
For a precise in-game destination, the Places panel also accepts latitude, longitude. Put latitude first and longitude second; preserve the minus sign for southern or western coordinates. A coordinate identifies a location, but does not establish that the point is on a drivable road.
If a small address is not found, try a nearby town and move the map to the intended area. Check the game’s loading status after selecting the location; finding a point on the map and building its scenery are separate operations.
Teleport, then let the world catch up
Locate a sensible landing point
Find your destination through search or by moving the map. Prefer a mapped road or open area for a first visit, so you can judge whether the local terrain has loaded.
Use the teleport action
Right-click the chosen point and select Teleport here, or use the destination’s Teleport control when available. Teleporting moves you; merely panning the map does not.
Wait at the destination
Watch the ground, roads and other loading indicators. Do not treat the distant overview as proof that the nearby driving surface is ready. A first visit can need both downloads and local construction.
Take a short drive and save the place
Check the immediate road before traveling farther. If you want to return, save the point with a recognizable name. This makes it easier to reproduce a map issue or compare a later visit.
Plan a GPS route and use Autodrive
Choose a destination for a route
Left-click the destination, saved place or search result. The documented route planner uses an online routing service, so road data and service availability affect whether it can return a useful route.
Review the proposed drive
Check the route line and destination before setting off. The map and minimap show route guidance, with arrows on the road. A route is a path through the mapped road network, not a guarantee that every generated junction will be perfect.
Drive manually or enable Autodrive
Use Autodrive if you want the car to follow the planned route. Stay attentive to the simulation and the loaded environment; a beta feature is not a guarantee of flawless driving through every road layout.
Stop or replace the route
The quick start documents pressing Autodrive again to return to manual driving and Clear to stop the route. Choose another destination when you want a different trip instead of teleporting repeatedly during route loading.
Build a small collection of places
Use saved locations for roads you enjoy, test areas or meeting points. Name them so that you can distinguish the place and purpose. The Places panel supports returning to, renaming and deleting saved entries, while recent places help you revisit locations from a session.
The developer also describes a Where you left off entry in level selection. Treat these tools as ways to find the same location again, not as a promise that all its data is permanently cached. Cache limits, cleared data and changes between releases can affect what must be retrieved next time.
Why two locations can look very different
Elevation shapes the ground
Terrain sources determine hills, valleys and slopes. Some areas have finer source measurements than others. A worldwide coordinate system does not mean that every location has identical terrain resolution.
Imagery gives the ground its appearance
Regional aerial imagery and broader satellite coverage can differ in detail, color and capture conditions. A blurry first view can be loading, but a fully loaded area can also be limited by its available source images.
Mapped features become roads and buildings
Geographic records describe features the mod turns into scenery. Incomplete footprints or road tags can produce differences from the real place. The result is a reconstruction, not a photographic copy of every street.
Cache changes a repeat visit
Retrieved data can be reused on disk. Revisiting an area may require less downloading, but the world still needs to be presented in the game. New destinations and online navigation features can require network access.
Match the symptom to the next check
Search finds nothing
Try a broader place name and check online access. If the local world is otherwise loaded, do not reinstall the game solely because an address is absent from the search service.
Ground is still loading after a teleport
Stay in one area and inspect progress and any named provider warning. Confirm the companion service remains connected. Repeated new destinations create more retrieval work.
GPS chooses an unexpected route
Inspect the destination and available road connections. Try a nearby point on the intended road. Routing reflects source data and may not match the route you know in real life.
A road or building does not match reality
Record the in-game coordinates, version and specific discrepancy. A screenshot plus a clear description is more useful than reporting only that the map is wrong. Review any diagnostic attachment before posting it publicly.
Questions & answers
Can I search for a real address?
The documented map supports place and address search, but completeness depends on the geographic service. Try a broader location if a detailed address is missing.
How do I open the BeamNG Earth map?
M is the documented default key; the pause menu also provides a map entry. Customized bindings may differ.
Does teleporting load everything instantly?
No. Your vehicle changes location, then the companion server downloads and prepares the nearby world as needed.
Can GPS work with no internet connection?
The documented route planning uses an online service. Cached terrain does not imply that search and routing also work offline.
Can I save locations?
Yes. Use the map’s Save this place action and manage the result in the Places panel.
Does global coverage mean every street is accurate?
No. Scale and coverage describe the system’s reach. Terrain, imagery and mapped features have different levels of detail and accuracy.
Official references
This independent guide explains the developer’s documentation. Game behavior has not been independently tested here; check the release you use for changes.
BeamNG.Earth player documentation ↗Player setup, platform support, updates and cache settings.Controls and troubleshooting ↗Map controls, diagnostic reports and source-install help. Some setup details describe older releases.Geographic data sources ↗What each provider supplies and how unavailable data affects the world.