| Feature | Google Maps 3D Simulator | Earth 3D Simulator (ArcGIS) | Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 | City Car Driving | |--------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|------------------| | Real-world map data | ✅ Full Google Maps | ✅ Yes (GIS data) | ✅ Bing Maps + satellite | ❌ Fictional / generic | | Collision detection | ❌ None | ✅ Basic | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced | | Traffic AI | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No (aircraft only) | ✅ Yes | | Vehicle physics | ❌ Arcade | ❌ Arcade | ✅ Realistic (aircraft) | ✅ Realistic | | Purpose | Easter egg / demo | Professional simulation | Entertainment / training | Driver training |
Launched at Google I/O 2023 and rolled out to major cities, Immersive View uses Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) and computer vision to stitch together billions of Street View and aerial images. The result is a 4D, time-lapsed, 3D model of a location.
If you search for a landmark (like the Eiffel Tower or Times Square), you can drop into a fully 3D environment. You can orbit the camera, watch how traffic moves, and see how the sunlight changes throughout the day.
How to access it (not a simulator, but close): 3d driving simulator in google maps
While you cannot drive here, you can tap along the road to move your camera. For many users, flying a camera through a 3D city feels like a "drone simulator," which started the naming confusion.
Several apps on the iOS and Android stores have names like "World Driving Simulator" or "Maps 3D Driving." These apps download real Google Maps terrain data and build a drivable world.
How they work:
Pros: True driving physics. Crash detection. Real-world road layouts. Cons: The graphics are rarely as good as Google’s native 3D view. The buildings are often blocky.
Google is actively investing in "Immersive Stream for Maps." Leaked patents suggest that Google is building a true API for 3D driving simulation.
Why? For autonomous vehicles. Self-driving cars need to practice driving in a simulated 3D environment before hitting real roads. Google has access to the largest 3D map of the world. It is highly likely that within two years, the "3D driving simulator in Google Maps" will cease being a hidden trick and will become a standalone product—potentially integrated with VR headsets like the Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro. | Feature | Google Maps 3D Simulator |
Imagine putting on a headset and physically driving the Pacific Coast Highway with real-time weather simulation pulled from live satellite data. That future is less than five years away.
When users search for a "3D driving simulator in Google Maps," they are usually looking for one of three things:
For the purpose of this article, we are focusing on Number 3. Using Google Maps on a desktop or high-end mobile device, you can simulate driving through any city in the world with full 3D topography. Launched at Google I/O 2023 and rolled out