• Guide

Escape from Tarkov Ground Zero Map Guide

Here is a quick guide to playing the Ground Zero map in Escape from Tarkov.

Timo Reinecke

August 30, 2024 3:20 PM

Battlestate Games

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Ground Zero is the first zone many new players in Escape from Tarkov will travel to. Here you’ll find many initial tasks and a great microcosm for many of the game's core mechanics. But since you’ll be pitted against much more experienced players, and combat in Tarkov is over in a flash, we want to make sure you got all the information you need before you set foot on the map.

Navigation

Finding your way around Ground Zero is relatively simple. There is one major street running across the map from south to north with buildings to the west and east and a parking garage beneath. You’ll either spawn in or next to one of the buildings or in the parking garage and Scavs will usually start roaming the main street as well as the little park in front of the TerraGroup building. Most of the task objectives are located in the northern part of the map, in and around the TerraGroup building, so you might want to stay clear of that one unless you’re looking for a fight.

Loot

While Ground Zero isn’t the best map for making money, it's still worth your time. The map is littered with gray suitcases and dead bodies which have the chance of spawning rare loot and materials. All the office buildings have one of several types of crates in them so it's also worth checking them for attachments and other goods.

Exits

There are six exfiltration points on Ground Zero. Each of them is located on the edge of the map, but are in the open so make sure to check your perimeter before trying to extract.

Nakatani Basement Stairs

Nakatani Basement Stairs are located in the south-east corner of the map opposite the Capital Insight building. It can be accessed by entering the Nakatani building, running down the corridor, and walking down the stairs until you start to exit. It's a relatively safe exit but keep in mind that both player Scavs and PMCs share it.

Police Checkpoint

The Police Checkpoint exit is located on the eastern part of the map between the TerraGroup and the Empire building. It is Ground Zero’s only car extract and requires the player to pay 5,000 rubles (per player if you’re in a team) to use. After you pay the fee, you’ll have to wait 60 seconds for the extraction. The spot is fairly exposed so you might want to lie down and hide between the cars. This exit can only be used once per raid.

Scav Checkpoint

The Scav Checkpoint is Ground Zero’s co-op extract and requires a player PMC and a player Scav to travel up to the northeastern part of the map, the street running past the TerraGroup parking garage. This is a hard one to get because you have to convince a player Scav to trust you via VOIP and make sure you both get there safely.

Emmercom Checkpoint

The Emmercom Checkpoint exit is located near the medical tent in the northwestern part of the map. It's easily accessible but exposed. PMCs and Scavs share this exit and it's one of the few spots on the map that spawns medical supplies so be careful.

Mira Ave

Mira Ave is a special extraction point located in the western part of the map. You need to use a flare which will spawn once per raid on the body next to the exit. Because you need to shoot the flare after you get the pop-up on your screen, you’ll signpost to everyone that you’re going to extract. The road down to the tram that will trigger the extraction is fairly exposed, so you want to get there as fast as possible.

Streets of Tarkov

Ground Zero’s only transit exit is Streets of Tarkov, which is also located in the most western part of the map at the truck barrier next to the Mira Ave extraction point. It's only available when playing Marathon Mode and you will be able to offload some of your items before heading to the Streets of Tarkov map. This one is also fairly exposed from all sides so you want to make sure no one’s watching.

For more on Escape from Tarkov, make sure to check out our beginner's guide as well as our list of the best maps for new players.

Timo Reinecke

Contributing Editor

Timo is an avid enjoyer of all things video games hailing from Germany. After being abandoned as a child on the Rolanberry Fields of Final Fantasy XI, he has since developed an undying love for the digital worlds of MMOs. But if you can't find him crafting up a storm in Final Fantasy XIV, you'll probably find him workshopping combos in action/fighting games or being extremely passionate about the latest mobile title.

Outside of gaming, Timo is usually skimming through the Criterion Collection or praying to whatever Eldritch horror that his latest favorite manga doesn't get damaged in shipping. You can find live reactions to all of that on X @ALahftel.