What is a scratch off map?

By the Double Rainbow Reviews Team. Updated November 11, 2026.

It's a wall map printed in color and then covered, country by country, with a layer of scratchable foil. When you visit somewhere you scratch that place off, and the color underneath shows through. After a few years the map is a record of where you've been.

People buy them for themselves about as often as they buy them as gifts. Weddings, graduations and birthdays come up a lot in buyer reviews.

What kinds are there?

• World maps, where you scratch off countries. Some split the USA, Canada and Australia into states and provinces so a road trip counts for something.
• USA maps, where you scratch off states.
• National park maps, with one scratch spot per park.
• Regional maps, mostly Europe.

What they cost

BestReviews puts small paper maps at $20 to $30, mid-range ones with accessories at $30 to $40, and large or framed ones at $40 to $80.¹ The five maps in our own comparison ran from $17.99 to $36.99 when we checked.

The differences that matter

Size

Sizes run from about 24 x 17 inches to 36 x 24. On the smaller ones, Europe and the Caribbean get crowded. On the larger one they're easier to scratch, and the map needs a bigger wall.

Projection

Every flat world map distorts something. Mercator maps fill the whole rectangle but stretch Greenland, Canada and Russia. Robinson maps have curved edges and keep the sizes closer to true.¹ If the Greenland on a map looks as big as Africa, it's probably Mercator.

The foil

This is the part you can't judge from a photo. Good foil lifts cleanly and leaves the color alone. Bad foil flakes, smears or takes the print with it. Read the low-star reviews before you buy, and see what to do when a map won't scratch.

What's in the box

Some maps come with a scratch tool, stickers and a gift box. Others are a poster in a tube. Neither is wrong, but if it's a present, a map that arrives ready to hand over saves you a trip for wrapping paper.

Our top 5 scratch off world mapsFive maps compared on detail, foil, paper, extras and price. Sponsored by Landmass.