1. Create the Gameplay Zones layer

In Layers, click +, choose Gameplay Zones, and click Create. A SnowRunner project can have one Gameplay Zones layer. The editor selects it and opens Collections -> Gameplay Zones so you can begin placing presets.

Gameplay zones are editable vector objects specialized for SnowRunner. They do not come from OSM and they are not ordinary decorative models. Keep them together in this layer so export can validate their native IDs and typed settings.

2. Place the required Starter Truck Spawn

Open Collections -> Gameplay Zones, select Starter Truck Spawn, and click once on clear terrain where the player should begin. The preset is unique per map, so remove the existing spawn before placing a replacement. Use the Transform Tool to move and rotate its footprint so the truck faces a usable exit with enough clearance.

For the guided playable-map workflow, this object is required. Export turns it into one unlocked, active base-game Chevrolet CK1500 at the footprint. It is an authoring object rather than a visible native zone. Without it, the export can still be opened in SnowRunner Editor, but you must author and activate a starting truck there before the map is playable as intended.

3. Place another gameplay-zone preset

Choose a preset in Collections -> Gameplay Zones and click the terrain once. The card shows its purpose and default dimensions. After placement, select the object from Objects or the viewport to move, resize, rotate, rename, or edit its gameplay attributes.

A Native ID identifies the zone in SnowRunner data and must contain only lowercase letters, digits, and underscores. Rectangle and circle shapes are supported. Visible on minimap controls the native locator, while CO-OP only limits the zone to cooperative play where supported.

Garage and service zones

Place service zones on finished, reasonably level terrain. Check the full zone footprint and the space immediately around it, not only the center point.

• Garage Entrance opens the garage. A map supports at most one; SnowRunner can reuse it when no separate exit is placed.
• Garage Exit is the garage’s truck spawn area. Make it long and wide enough for large vehicles; a map supports at most one.
• Fuel Station refuels vehicles. Edit Hard Mode price / liter in Attributes.
• Service Station combines refueling with automatic repair and restoration and also exposes the Hard Mode fuel price.
• Trailer Store lets the player buy and attach trailers. Leave generous approach and turning room.
• Recovery is an invisible recovery destination. When several exist, the higher Recovery priority wins.

Cargo sources and delivery targets

Cargo Source defines one or more available base-game cargo types. In Attributes, add cargo rows and set Supply to -1 for unlimited cargo or a nonnegative integer for a limited amount. Platform ID is optional. Delivery Target defines one required cargo type and a count of at least 1.

When Starter delivery contracts is enabled during export, each Delivery Target is paired with a Cargo Source, preferring a source that already supplies the requested cargo. Ensure contract cargo supply can add unlimited required cargo to the paired source when it is missing. A delivery target without any cargo source cannot produce a starter contract.

Generated contracts are useful scaffolding, not finished mission design. Review their cargo, destination, reward, text, and balance in the SnowRunner Editor Zone Settings tools before release.

Exploration and objective zones

Place watchtowers where players can physically reach them and keep the trigger clear of obstacles. A Generic Objective Area is only a locator until you connect it to deliberate objective logic in SnowRunner Editor.

• Watchtower creates an exploration trigger that reveals the surrounding map.
• Generic Objective Area creates a reusable locator with no built-in objective behavior. Use it as a starting footprint for native objective authoring.

How zones affect export

Export clips out objects outside the selected terrain crop, writes ordinary zones into the native zones source and zone settings, writes the Starter Truck Spawn as an active truck, and optionally creates starter delivery contracts. The generated package also includes a gameplay-zones diagnostic file for comparing source footprints.

Before export, verify unique garage objects, valid native IDs, cargo values, minimap visibility, shape, rotation, and terrain clearance. After opening the source map in SnowRunner Editor, check the zone locators under Scene -> Terrain -> Zones, inspect typed properties in Zone Settings, and confirm the starter truck under Scene -> Terrain -> Trucks.