7 Days to Die Cities Guide
7 Days to Die cities are the densest and most dangerous areas of the game world — they concentrate the most high-value loot and the strongest zombie groups in a tight space. This page explains how cities are structured, which settlement types exist and what you have to watch out for while exploring.
Settlement types and city sizes
7 Days to Die distinguishes several types of settlement that differ in size, available districts and POI tier levels. Which settlement types are allowed to spawn in a biome is hard-wired into the world generator — the forest biome is the most restricted of them all.
| Settlement type | Biome (vanilla) | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Forest Town | Forest | Smallest settlement, residential POIs only, tier 2–3 max |
| Country Town | Burnt forest | Small town, limited commercial tiles, tier 2–4 |
| City | Desert, snow | Medium-sized city with downtown tiles, tier 3–5 possible |
| CityBig | Wasteland | Largest city form, all district types, full tier 5 density |
:::warning Forest biome: no real cities In the forest biome, only small Forest Town settlements are possible. Real cities with downtown or industrial tiles do not spawn there by default. Anyone looking for higher-tier POIs has to move to other biomes. :::
City districts
Every settlement from city size upwards consists of several district zones that determine which POIs can appear where. The district structure is decisive for whether skyscrapers and factories spawn in a city:
- Rural / Outskirts — Fringe areas with houses, gas stations, small shops; tier 1–3
- Residential — Denser residential blocks, higher zombie density; tier 2–3
- Commercial — Offices, supermarkets, medium-sized buildings; tier 3–4
- Industrial — Factories, workshops, warehouses; predominantly tier 4–5
- Downtown — High-rises such as Dishong Tower, Crack-a-Book Factory; tier 5 exclusively
Tier 5 POIs only spawn in downtown and industrial districts — and those only occur in cities of the City or CityBig type.
Navezgane: fixed cities
On the campaign map Navezgane, all cities have fixed positions and names. An overview of the most important cities:
| City | Biome | Special feature |
|---|---|---|
| Diersville | Forest | Starter city, mostly tier 3 houses, the hospital as a tier 5 exception |
| Gravestown | Burnt forest | Moderately hard, no tier 5 focus, risk of overheating |
| Perishton | Snow | Solid tier 4, St. Moe's Cathedral and the Town Hall as notable POIs |
| Departure | Desert | Several skyscrapers, strong tier 5 focus |
| Unnamed City | Wasteland | Largest city on the map, highest tier 5 density, radiated zombies |
Diersville
Diersville lies in the forest biome near Trader Rekt and is the natural starting city. The vast majority of the buildings are tier 3 houses. The hospital is an exception as a tier 5 POI — narrow corridors and numerous zombie groups make it demanding despite its forest location. The loot focus is on medicine and first aid consumables.
Gravestown
Gravestown lies in the burnt forest biome, which already brings a base difficulty bonus with it. The city offers no concentrated tier 5 supply but works well as a transition area between the early game and the advanced biomes. Overheating is an active risk during the day.
Perishton
Perishton is located in the snow biome, which raises the difficulty considerably compared with the forest. The city concentrates on tier 4 POIs — among them St. Moe's Cathedral and the Town Hall, both of which offer elaborate dungeon structures with above-average loot.
Departure
Departure is the capital of the desert region and is characterized by several high-rises. Downtown and industrial districts are strongly represented, which noticeably raises the tier 5 density. The desert multiplier additionally raises the loot stage.
Unnamed City (wasteland)
The nameless city in the wasteland is the largest and most dangerous settlement in Navezgane. Radiated zombies are regular enemies here, and the combination of the CityBig city type and the wasteland loot multiplier makes it the most rewarding but also the riskiest destination on the entire map.
Randomly generated world (RWG)
On randomly generated maps, cities are created procedurally — location, size and POI composition vary from seed to seed. Cities are always reachable by road and connected to one another, which makes navigating by vehicle easier.
Map size and city quality
The map size directly influences how many large cities can emerge:
- 6k maps — Low probability of complete CityBig cities; tier 5 density frequently low
- 8k maps — A good balance of biome variety and city size; the recommended standard
- 10k maps — Highest city count and size, more tier 5 POIs, but larger distances between settlements
Checking cities in the Advanced World Generator
Before you start a world, it is worth taking a look at the Advanced Generation Preview. It shows the biome distribution, the road network and the city locations.