African video games: open-world and story games made in or set in Africa

Looking for the African Games, the multi-sport event? That is the continent-wide competition, once called the All-Africa Games, held every four years. This page is about something else: video games made in Africa or set there, from huge console open worlds to small browser games from Lagos you can play free online right now.

We have split them into three groups: open worlds you can roam, story games built on African culture, and the new wave of African games online. These are our picks, not a ranking, and every fact about a game is one we checked.

Open worlds set in Africa

Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017)

Ubisoft’s open world is Ptolemaic Egypt in the time of Cleopatra. You play Bayek of Siwa, a Medjay, and you can roam the whole country on foot, on horseback, by camel, chariot or boat. If you want to get lost in an African landscape on a console or PC, start here. PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Far Cry 2 (2008)

An older one, and still talked about. Ubisoft’s shooter drops you into a large open world in an unnamed African country at civil war. It is harsh and uncomfortable on purpose, and in our view still one of the boldest open worlds set in Africa. PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

AJ Cities (2026)

Ours, so weigh it accordingly. AJ Cities is a free 3D open-world game set in Lagos, Nigeria, that runs in your browser, on a phone or a computer, with nothing to download. It is for adults (18+).

It is much smaller than the console giants, and goes deep instead of wide. The world is Abraham Adesyan Estate, a fictional walled estate on the edge of Ajegunle, where Navy Town meets Kirikiri. There is one main street, June 12 Street, with a rooming house, a clinic, a restaurant and a purple club called Prizm. To the south a footpath leads to the bush, with a street football pitch, an unfinished building and the beach beyond. The sky follows the real Lagos sun.

You play AJ, deported from London, who owes the gate police ₦2,500,000 before they will open the estate gate. You can also sign in to a live, virtual estate party inside the game and meet other players at the gate, with no real venue or event.

Story games built on African culture

Tales of Kenzera: Zau (2024)

A 2.5D action platformer from Surgent Studios, published by EA, inspired by Bantu cultures and myth. You play Zau, a young shaman bargaining with Kalunga, the god of death, to bring back his father. It was created by the actor Abubakar Salim out of his own grief, and it won the BAFTA Games Award for Game Beyond Entertainment. PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch.

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan (2016)

Made in Africa: an action role-playing game from Kiro’o Games in Yaoundé, Cameroon, released on Steam for PC. You play Enzo Kori-Odan, prince of Zama, on a world drawn from African cultures and mythology. A milestone for African-made games.

Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Capcom’s co-op horror shooter is set in Kijuju, a fictional region of West Africa, with Sheva Alomar as its African co-lead. We include it because it is one of the best-known games set in Africa, and also because it was widely criticised for leaning on stereotypes. Play it with that in mind.

African games online: browser and phone

The fastest-moving part of the scene is in Nigeria, and much of it runs in a browser, so you can play it free from anywhere.

• Lagos Life (2026): a browser life simulator set in Lagos, launched on 1 October 2026, which passed two million players in about a week by its creator’s count. Work, pay rent, meet other players.
• Surviving Nigeria: Lagos (2026): a free multiplayer open-world browser game in Lagos, no sign-up. Our page of games like Surviving Nigeria has more.
• Lagos Run (2026): drive a yellow danfo from Ojuelegba to Yaba in your browser; it can be played offline from your home screen.
• Whot King: Nigeria’s national card game on Android and iPhone, from the Lagos studio Maliyo Games. Free, with optional in-app purchases.

At a glance

Where African games are going

The big studios have used Africa as a setting for decades, sometimes beautifully and sometimes badly. What is new is how much is now being made by Africans, and how often it lives in the browser and on the phone rather than on a console few people own. A Lagos browser game can now reach a million players in a few days, passed around as a link. That changes who gets to tell African stories in games, and we think the stories are getting better for it.

More: African lead characters in video games, Lagos in video games and open-world games set in Africa.

Is this page about the African Games sports event?

No. The African Games, once called the All-Africa Games, are a multi-sport competition held every four years. This page is about video games made in or set in Africa.

What open-world video games are set in Africa?

Assassin’s Creed Origins (Egypt), Far Cry 2 (an unnamed African country) and AJ Cities (Lagos, Nigeria) are open worlds set in Africa.

Are there free African games online?

Yes. Surviving Nigeria: Lagos and AJ Cities are free browser games set in Lagos, and Lagos Life and Lagos Run also play in the browser.