Earth Defense Force 2025 and Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair features eighteen different maps. Sixteen of them are used for the over 100 (including DLCs) missions and there are two unused maps in the game files that are presumed to be test maps used during the development, and one is (technically) a location that is not seen.
Each map features a rectangular playing area around 1 km2 in size. The edges of the maps have invisible walls to keep the player inside the playable area. These walls only marked by a red line on the mini map. Each mission uses one of the six different weather patterns (2 sunny, 2 cloudy, evening and sunset). Each level also start on different spawn points and NPCs spawn in a way to herd the players on a specific route. Underground levels even use stone walls in the tunnels to block off specific areas from the players. Each of these features are used to make each mission look as if they were set on different maps.
Most maps feature destructible environment. Larger structures like buildings, bridges and overpasses are fairly durable and usually needs several shots from explosives to destroy, while smaller obstacles like, fences signs tree and cars, can be easily destroyed by shooting them or rolling over them with a Ranger or just running into them with a Fencer. Missions featuring Retiarius webs have indestructible buildings since the webs are connected to them and it would be too easy to destroy them.
Underground levels are different than normal levels. Aside from being much more confined than other maps and lacking weather for obvious reasons, they also lack destructible buildings and only the Underground map contains any destructible obstacles. Also Air Raiders can't use air support and can't summon vehicles.
There are a few changes between the 2025 and 4.1 versions of the maps. Many missions has adjustments and some are even set on different maps. The underground levels has also been improved. In the new version these levels are dark, so the player can only see using the flashlight attached to their character or other friendly NPCs or shooting their weapons to temporarily light up the area. Air Raiders now can summon special underground vehicles called the Depth Crawler (or Crower according to the settings menu) or... the SDL1. These vehicles also equipped with lights. Calling in air strikes is still impossible.
Note: These maps doesn't have official names other than their filenames and most of those are either abbreviations or written in Japanese, so the names this wiki uses for the maps are unofficial. The size of the maps are estimations measured using the weapons' ranges. The underground missions doesn't have sizes written for them since it's impossible to measure them without a straight open area between opposite edges of the map.
Beach[]
Big sandy beach surrounded by forests and hills. The sea gradually deepens and it requires swimming. Some of the loot fallen into the water cannot be collected.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: The Return(Cutscene), Preventing Landfall, Anchored(2025) Crimson, Battle to the Death, Surrounded!
Beehive[]
Underground cave system with brown hive like walls.
Missions: Den of Thieves, Death Queen
Cave[]
Underground cave system with greenish gray walls.
Missions: A Trap, Charge Phase 2, Charge Phase 3
City 1[]
Urban map on a slope. There is a park with a small lake at the bottom of the slope in the corner of the map. Another park can be found at the top of the slope. A monorail goes through the middle of the map with a station next to two skyscrapers at the center.
Size: 1200m x 1000m
Missions: Reconvene(2025), Spreading Disaster, Wind Break/Wind Shear, Day of the Demons(4.1), Giant Robots(2025), Silver City, Thunder(4.1), Natural Calamity(2025), Ravages of War, Crash, Bug King(4.1), City of Horror, Giant Ship(4.1), Heaven's Army, Divine(2025), Demon Army(4.1), Star Eaters(2025)
City 2[]
Urban map with skyscrapers and with two parks. A smaller one at one corner of the city and large one in the middle with an overpass over it.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Reconvene(4,1), Setting Sun, Eruption, Air Force(4.1), Day of the Demons(2025), Fortress Siege, Giant Robots(4.1), Infiltration, Starship(2025), Dozing Beast, Natural Calamity(4.1), Fleet Attack, Air Mobilization, Ill Omen, Fortress Attack, Sniper Attack, City Flaws(4.1), Encircling, Legion of Monsters, Star Eaters(4.1)
City Outskirts[]
City with a canal dividing it into two parts. One side has skyscrapers and a tower similar to the Tokyo Tower. The other side has a park running along the canal and a residential area with warehouses at the edge of the map.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Retaliation, Air Force(2025), Land Collapse, Thunder(2025), Starship(4.1), Search, Waterside Bugs(2025), Steel Beast, Void Ship, Bug King(2025), Crazy Skies, Breaking Through (2), Towering Beast(2025), Giant Ship(2025), Monster Party(4.1), City Flaws(2025)
Crater[]
It's a crater.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Fallen Flagship
Mountain 1[]
Outdoors area with various mountains and valleys between them.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Mountains Ablaze, Bug Tower, Spearhead(4.1), Tower Siege
Mountain 2[]
One mountain at the middle of the map surrounded with valleys and other mountains at the edge of the map. There are various wooden houses around the map.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Anchored(4.1), Bloody Mountain, Annihilation, Earth Defenders, Mountain Pass Trap, Mountain Giants, Spearhead(2025)
Mountain Road[]
Side of a large mountain with forests on it. A long path is zig-zagging from the top to the bottom. More mountains can be seen at the edge of the map.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Shining Stronghold, Summit Ship, The Fleet Below, Mountain Liberation, Monster Camp, Demon Army(2025)
Mountain Valley[]
A straight road goes through in the middle of the map with mountains surrounding it from both sides. A Valley with a shallow river runs across it. The two sides of the valley and the road is connected with a bridge.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Valley Shadows, Crossing, Pincer, Teeth of the Universe, Troubled Valley
Plains[]
A completely flat outdoors area with the occasional trees and rocks.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Brute Force,
Port[]
An L-shaped port with warehouses and shipping containers some small office buildings and a lighthouse. The water surrounding it is deep enough to swim in it and loot fallen into the water cannot be collected.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Beach Fear, Artillery, Convergence, Dense/High Density, Transport Ship Surprise Attack, Machine Squad, Labyrinth of Light
Ruined Town[]
A city after a standard EDF operation. Area is completely flat with almost all buildings destroyed. The ground is brown and littered with rubble. There's a park at one end of the map and the remaines of a monorail line goes through the middle. On the bright side there is many intact parking lots so Storm Team have no trouble finding parking space anymore.
Size: 1000m x 1000m
Missions: Inferno, Bug Invasion, Battle of Giants, The Threat, Massive Mobilization, Scorching
Town[]
A small town with a river going along through it. The river is just at the edge of the map and the far side is out of borders. There two overpasses going over the river, one with a railway, the other with a highway just outside of the map. Between them there's also a bridge over the river. There's a tram line with the end of the line just under the train station. The map features a school, a small rice field and a number of hills with green areas on top of them.
In 2025 the river is deep enough to swim in it, but in 4.1 it was made shallower so it's possible to walk in it.
Size: 1050m x 850m
Missions: Winged War Goddess, The Return, Takedown, Breaking Through (1), Assault, High-Speed, Convergence(4.1), Waterside Bugs(4.1), Blue Fighters, Fortress Frenzy, Crazy Skies(2025), Towering Beast(4.1), Monster Party(2025), Divine(4.1), Surrounded!(4.1)
Underground[]
A small mall with an opening to the subway system. It is right on top of a giant insect nest. The subway tunnels has been breached by various caves. These caves are brown and red in color.
Missions: Underground Cave, Into the Depths, Charge Phase 1, Dark Prisoner
IG_BLUEFLD[]
One of the unused maps, possibly a testing area.
Kirakawa Airforce Base[]
An unseen location that houses many EDF Aircraft, including all of Porters, Artillery Team, Whale, and is likely a major resupply point for the Charon & Midnight Tactical Bombers. It is destroyed in the mission City of Horror when Dragons invade it, which also presumably destroys a majority of Porters, which is also before Battle of Giants, implying that the base is extremely large.
Missions: City of Horror (only mentioned), Mountains Ablaze (only mentioned)
IG_LIGHTMAP[]
One of the unused maps, possibly for testing and adjusting the game's lighting.