Tesla has begun rolling out software update 2025.38, introducing one of its most visually striking navigation enhancements yet — 3D Buildings. The new feature gives drivers a richer, more immersive map experience by displaying detailed three-dimensional cityscapes directly on the car’s touchscreen.
With 3D Buildings enabled, Tesla’s navigation system now renders urban environments in realistic depth, showing the outlines and heights of nearby skyscrapers, towers, city blocks, and even houses. The added detail makes it easier to orient yourself in dense downtown areas and provides a far more modern aesthetic that aligns with Tesla’s sleek UI design.
Tesla map now with 3D buildings and houses pic.twitter.com/WTgQ46blQp
— Chunk (@AhoyChunk) October 9, 2025
According to the official release notes, drivers can enable the feature by switching to Map View and tapping the 3D icon. The new 3D layer is included as part of the Premium Connectivity package, which also supports live traffic visualization, satellite-view maps, and video streaming.
Early users have noted that the new 3D view feels similar to Google Earth’s terrain visualization, providing smoother transitions and more depth when zooming or rotating the map. The result is a more intuitive interface, especially when navigating in complex downtown areas.
@TeslaNewswire @NotATeslaApp pic.twitter.com/XuzqRy7fhm
— Lukas (@Lukas04589255) October 9, 2025
Behind the scenes, Tesla’s navigation data is still based on OpenStreetMap, but the visual layer has been upgraded to use Google’s 3D mapping imagery. In China, where Google Maps is not available, the company uses imagery from Baidu instead.
Hardware and Availability
The 3D Buildings feature is supported on both AI3/HW3 and AI4/HW4 vehicles equipped with AMD Ryzen processors. Tesla owners with older Intel Atom hardware will not receive the update due to rendering limitations. As with other phased rollouts, the 2025.38 update is currently reaching about 2% of the fleet, with wider deployment expected in the coming days.
While this update is primarily a visual one, it also signals Tesla’s ongoing effort to integrate more contextual awareness into its in-car software. Combined with live traffic data, detailed topography, and AI-assisted route planning, 3D Buildings could serve as the foundation for future enhancements — such as lane-level navigation, which is already supported in China through Baidu, and visually guided Full Self-Driving map overlays.
In the 2025.38 software update, Tesla also added Grok for Canadian vehicles. You can read more about that here.
