DayZ is one of those games that left a mark in gaming history. It started the whole boom of Open World Zombie Survival games and even though we’re probably sick and tired of seeing that these days, back then it was as popular as Battle Royale games. Dayz these days may now have a lot of different maps, from the official standalone game to the ARMA 2 mod, there’s one map that every DayZ player knows by heart, and that’s Chernarus. That name may have invoked some long lost memories of some fun times in this map but did you know that it’s actually heavily inspired by a real place? And no, it’s not where you think it is!
DayZ’s Popular Map Chernarus Really Exists
There’s a lot of great maps from official ones and custom ones in DayZ but everyone knows about Chernarus. From the Sniper Hill to the many safe zones where you can relax with other players and buy cool guns and vehicles, there’s a lot to take in this massive map. People might wonder how did they manage to populate such a massive map? Well they had a reference of course!
This area is actually based not in eastern Europe but more in the middle of it. Specifically in Ústí nad Labem region in the Czech Republic. A river cuts through the ‘coasts’ of Chernarus and beyond that river they just turned it into an ocean.
This area bordering the Czech Republic and Germany today is what was used to inspire the creation of Chernarus.
This isn’t the first time Video Game developers have pulled something like this. From the Overwatch Hollywood map that was inspired by Paramount Pictures Studio to the Slums Church in Final Fantasy 7 being La Chapelle de L’ange au Violon in Caen, Normandy. Borrowing places from the real world and placing them in video games is always a fun way to experience these places in the virtual world.
There’s a lot of games out there that get inspiration for their maps from real world places and it’s a game on its own to hunt down these references to real life. Many thanks to Hart aber Herzlich Gaming for showing everyone these places, if you want to see more of the real life Chernarus in the Czech Republic then go check their video out here: The Real Chernarus – YouTube
