For nearly two decades, Esri’s legacy raster and globe basemaps have provided a foundation for countless maps, apps, and workflows. However, as technology and user expectations evolve, so do the basemaps that support them.
Today’s mapping environment demands faster performance, sharper cartography, broader coverage, and more frequent updates- needs that our modern vector basemaps are built to meet. As part of our evolution,some of our legacy basemaps are sunsetting and are now scheduled to retire. This article can help you ensure your content is ready for what comes next.
Attention administrators, content owners, app developers—Did you know?
If you still rely on Esri’s legacy raster basemaps, you’re missing out on the power of our regularly maintained, frequently updated vector basemaps. Legacy raster basemaps have been in mature support for more than four years, and they haven’t received updates since 2021—even longer in the case of case of globe services.
To help you plan your transition, here are the key retirement dates to keep in mind:
- October 2026 — Retirement of legacy globe services
- March 2028 — First phase of legacy basemaps retirement
- December 2029 — Second phase of legacy basemaps retirement
Legacy Basemaps
The table below provides a retirement timeline for each legacy basemap and its corresponding retiring service.
|
Retirement Timeline |
Legacy Basemap | Service |
| World Imagery Prime | I3_Imagery_Prime_World | |
| World Cloud Cover | NASA_Cloudcover_World | |
| World Elevation (3D) | Esri_Elevation_World | |
| USA Elevation (3D) | Elevation_USGS_Elevation_US | |
| Arctic Ocean Reference | Arctic_Ocean_Reference | |
| India Dark Gray Base | India_Dark_Gray_Base | |
| India Light Gray Base | India_Light_Gray_Base | |
| India Street Map | India_Street_Map | |
| India Topographic Map | India_Topo_Map | |
| World Boundaries and Places Alternate | World_Boundaries_and_Places_Alternate | |
| World Hybrid Overlay | World_Hybrid_Overlay | |
| World Imagery (Clarity) | World_Imagery (Clarity) | |
| World Navigation Charts | World_Navigation_Charts | |
| World Physical Map | World_Physical_Map | |
| World Shaded Relief | World_Shaded_Relief | |
| World Topo Base | World_Topo_Base | |
| World Transportation | World_Transportation | |
| National Geographic World Map | NatGeo_World_Map | |
| USA Topo Maps | USA_Topo_Maps | |
| World Boundaries and Places | World_Boundaries_and_Places | |
| World Dark Gray Base | World_Dark_Gray_Base | |
| World Dark Gray Reference | World_Dark_Gray_Reference | |
| World Light Gray Base | World_Light _Gray_Base | |
| World Light Gray Reference | World_Light_Gray_Reference | |
| World Ocean Reference | World_Ocean_Reference | |
| World Reference Overlay | World_Reference_Overlay | |
| World Street Map | World_Street_Map | |
| World Terrain Base | World_Terrain_Base | |
| World Topographic Map | World_Topo_Map |
Retiring October 2026
World Imagery Prime
This 3D basemap is most widely available through ArcGlobe and the deprecated Prime Imagery 3D globe layer.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/I3_Imagery_Prime_World/GlobeServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/I3_Imagery_Prime_World/GlobeServer |
| Replacements | World Imagery |
World Cloud Cover
This 3D basemap is most widely available through ArcGlobe and the deprecated World Cloud Cover Imagery 3D globe layer.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/NASA_CloudCover_World/GlobeServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/NASA_CloudCover_World/GlobeServer |
| Replacements | None available. |
World Elevation (3D)
This 3D basemap is most widely available through ArcGlobe and the deprecated World Elevation (3D) globe layer.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Elevation/ESRI_Elevation_World/GlobeServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Elevation/ESRI_Elevation_World/GlobeServer |
| Replacements | Similar layers include Terrain or Terrain 3D. |
USA Elevation (3D)
This 3D basemap is most widely available through ArcGlobe and the deprecated USA Elevation (3D) layer.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Elevation/USGS_Elevation_US/GlobeServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Elevation/USGS_Elevation_US/GlobeServer |
| Replacements | Similar layers include Terrain or Terrain 3D. |
Retiring March 2028
Arctic Ocean Reference
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Arctic Ocean Reference tile layer, Arctic Ocean Basemap web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Polar/Arctic_Ocean_Reference/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Polar/Arctic_Ocean_Reference/MapServer |
| Replacements | None available. |
India Dark Gray Base
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated India Dark Gray Base tile layer, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://idb.maptiles.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/India_Dark_Gray_Base/MapServer |
| Replacements | Dark Gray Canvas Base (India Edition). |
India Light Gray Base
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated India Light Gray Base tile layer, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://ilb.maptiles.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/India_Light_Gray_Base/MapServer |
| Replacements | Light Gray Canvas Base (India Edition). |
India Street Map
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated India Street Map tile layer, Streets basemap, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://ism.maptiles.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/India_Street_Map/MapServer |
| Replacements | World Street Map (India Edition), Streets Map (India). |
India Topographic Map
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated India Topographic Map tile layer, Topographic basemap, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://itm.maptiles.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/India_Topo_Map/MapServer |
| Replacements | World Topographic Map (India Edition), Topographic Map (India). |
World Boundaries and Places Alternate
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated World Boundaries and Places Alternate tile layer, Physical With Labels web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Boundaries_and_Places_Alternate/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Boundaries_and_Places_Alternate/MapServer |
| Replacements | Similar or customizable layers are available through Vector Basemaps. |
World Hybrid Overlay
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated World Hybrid Overlay tile layer, World Hybrid web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://who.maptiles.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Hybrid_Overlay/MapServer |
| Replacements | Hybrid Reference Layer and Imagery Hybrid. |
World Imagery (Clarity)
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated World Imagery (Clarity) tile layer, World Imagery (Clarity) web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://clarity.maptiles.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer |
| Replacements | Past versions of World Imagery can be found in World Imagery Wayback. |
World Navigation Charts
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated World Navigation Charts tile layer, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Specialty/World_Navigation_Charts/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Specialty/World_Navigation_Charts/MapServer |
| Replacements | None available. |
World Physical Map
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated World Physical Map tile layer, the Physical with Labels web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Physical_Map/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Physical_Map/MapServer |
| Replacements | Similar or customizable layers are available through Vector Basemaps. |
World Shaded Relief
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated World Shaded Relief tile layer, Shaded Relief with Labels web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Shaded_Relief/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Shaded_Relief/MapServer |
| Replacements | Terrain with Labels. |
World Topo Base
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated World Topo Base tile layer, Topo Base web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://wtb.maptiles.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Topo_Base/MapServer |
| Replacements | Similar or customizable layers are available through Vector Basemaps. |
World Transportation
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated World Transportation and World Transportation (for Export) tile layers, Imagery with Labels and Imagery with Labels and Transportation web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Reference/World_Transportation/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Reference/World_Transportation/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Transportation/MapServer |
| Replacements | Similar or customizable layers are available through Vector Basemaps. |
Retiring December 2029
National Geographic World Map
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated National Geographic raster basemap, National Geographic World Map and National Geographic World Map (for Export) tile layers, National Geographic Map and National Geographic web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/NatGeo_World_Map/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/NatGeo_World_Map/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/NatGeo_World_Map/MapServer |
| Replacements | National Geographic Style Map basemap available in the default basemap gallery, National Geographic Style, National Geographic Style Map; See individual item details for recommended replacements. |
USA Topo Maps
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated USA Topo Maps raster basemap, USA Topo Maps and USA Topo Maps (for Export) tile layers, USA Topo Maps and USA Topo Maps web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/USA_Topo_Maps/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/USA_Topo_Maps/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/USA_Topo_Maps/MapServer |
| Replacements | None available. |
World Boundaries and Places
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Imagery with Labels raster basemap, World Boundaries and Places and World Boundaries and Places (for Export) tile layers, Imagery with Labels, Imagery with Labels and Transportation web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Boundaries_and_Places/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Boundaries_and_Places/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Boundaries_and_Places/MapServer |
| Replacements | Imagery with Labels basemap available in the default basemap gallery, Hybrid Reference Layer, Imagery Hybrid. |
World Dark Gray Base
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Dark Gray Canvas raster basemap, World Dark Gray Base and World Dark Gray Base (for Export) tile layers, Dark Gray Canvas web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Dark_Gray_Base/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Dark_Gray_Base/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Dark_Gray_Base/MapServer |
| Replacements | Dark Gray Canvas vector basemap available in the default basemap gallery, Dark Gray Canvas Base , Dark Gray Canvas. |
World Dark Gray Reference
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Dark Gray Canvas raster basemap, World Dark Gray Reference and World Dark Gray Reference (for Export) tile layers, Dark Gray Canvas web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Dark_Gray_Reference/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Dark_Gray_Reference/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Dark_Gray_Reference/MapServer |
| Replacements | Dark Gray Canvas vector basemap available in the default basemap gallery, Dark Gray Canvas Reference, Dark Gray Canvas. |
World Light Gray Base
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Light Gray Canvas raster basemap, World Light Gray Base and World Light Gray Base (for Export) tile layers, Light Gray Canvas and Canvas with Labels web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Light_Gray_Base/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Light_Gray_Base/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Light_Gray_Base/MapServer |
| Replacements | Light Gray Canvas vector basemap available in the default basemap gallery, Light Gray Canvas Base, Light Gray Canvas. |
World Light Gray Reference
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Light Gray Canvas raster basemap, World Light Gray Reference and World Light Gray Reference (for Export) tile layers, Light Gray Canvas and Canvas with Labels web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Light_Gray_Reference/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Light_Gray_Reference/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Light_Gray_Reference/MapServer |
| Replacements | Light Gray Canvas vector basemap available in the default basemap gallery, Light Gray Canvas Reference, Light Gray Canvas. |
World Ocean Reference
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Oceans raster basemap, World Ocean Reference and World Ocean Reference (for Export) tile layers, Oceans and Ocean Basemap web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Ocean/World_Ocean_Reference/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Ocean/World_Ocean_Reference/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Ocean/World_Ocean_Reference/MapServer |
| Replacements | Oceans vector basemap available in the default basemap gallery, World Ocean Reference, Ocean Basemap. |
World Reference Overlay
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Terrain with Labels raster basemap, World Reference Overlay and World Reference Overlay (for Export) tile layers, Shaded Relief with Labels web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Reference_Overlay/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Reference_Overlay/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Reference/World_Reference_Overlay/MapServer |
| Replacements | Similar or customizable layers are available through Vector Basemaps. |
World Street Map
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Streets raster basemap, World Street Map and World Street Map (for Export) tile layers, Streets web map, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Street_Map/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Street_Map/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Street_Map/MapServer |
| Replacements | Streets vector basemap available in the default basemap gallery, World Street Map, Streets. |
World Terrain Base
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Terrain with Labels raster basemap, World Terrain Base and World Terrain Base (for Export) tile layers, Terrain with Labels and Terrain with Labels web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Terrain_Base/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Terrain_Base/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Terrain_Base/MapServer |
| Replacements | Similar or customizable layers are available through Vector Basemaps. |
World Topographic Map
This legacy basemap is most widely available through the deprecated Topographic raster basemap, World Topographic Map and World Topographic Map (for Export) tile layers, Topographic, Topographic, and USA Topographic Map web maps, and custom maps and apps.
| Retiring Services | https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Topo_Map/MapServer https://server.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Topo_Map/MapServer https://tiledbasemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Topo_Map/MapServer |
| Replacements | Topographic vector basemap available in the default basemap gallery, World Topographic Map, Topographic. |
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