Open-world games set in Africa

Africa is a vast continent of many countries and huge, busy cities, and yet you could fit the list of big open-world games set there on one hand. Most open worlds are built in American cities, fantasy kingdoms or outer space. When games do come to Africa, they often come for a war.

Here are the open-world games we know of that are set on the continent, with a note on what kind of Africa each one shows. These are our picks, not a ranking. We checked platforms and release facts at the time of writing (October 2026); sources are at the bottom.

The picks

Assassin's Creed Origins: ancient Egypt

In our view, the most lavish African open world in games. It is set in Ptolemaic Egypt during Cleopatra's reign, with the main story in 49 BC. You cross deserts, oases and lakes on horseback, by camel, chariot or boat, and visit cities such as Alexandria and Memphis. Its Discovery Tour mode removes combat altogether and offers guided tours of landmarks and daily life, built with historians and Egyptologists. Paid, on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

How it sees Africa: through a great ancient civilisation, in loving detail. The country you visit is two thousand years gone.

Far Cry 2: a fictional country at war

Released in 2008, Far Cry 2 is set in an unnamed, fictional African country in the middle of a civil war. You play a mercenary caught between rival factions, and you have malaria from the start, with fits that blur your vision until you find medicine. The developers chose not to use a real country, but researched Kenya and parts of Tanzania for the landscapes. Paid, on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

How it sees Africa: as a war zone, seen by an outsider. In our view it is a serious, bleak game about how conflict grinds people down.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: the Angola–Zaire border

A 2015 stealth game set in 1984, with two open-world regions: Soviet-occupied Afghanistan and the border region between Angola and Zaire. You can approach missions however you like, on foot or by vehicle. Paid, on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.

How it sees Africa: as the backdrop to a Cold War story. The landscape is a setting for missions more than a place to get to know.

AJ Cities: the edge of Ajegunle, Lagos

Our own game, so read this entry with that in mind. AJ Cities is a free open-world game in your browser, on a phone or a computer, with nothing to download. It is set in today's Lagos, on the edge of Ajegunle, in an invented walled estate where Navy Town meets Kirikiri.

The real Ajegunle, known as AJ City, is a crowded neighbourhood in the Ajeromi-Ifelodun local government area, near the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, home to people from many of Nigeria's ethnic groups. It is famous for its footballers and its music. The game's estate and everyone in it are fictional, but the texture is Lagos: a face-me-I-face-you rooming house, a coal pot on the street, generators starting up when the power goes, police at the gate who want to be settled, and a light touch of Pidgin.

You are AJ, deported from London, back in a city he barely knows, and the story is about the people who live around him: Chuks, who cooks for everyone; Funke, a medical student; Sarge, the gateman. In party mode, signed-in adults meet other players live at the estate. It is 18+.

How it sees Africa: from the inside, in the present day, with humour. It is small: one estate and its surroundings, not a country.

What we would love to see

A list this short leaves plenty of room. We would love open worlds set in the markets of Kano, the hills of Kigali, the coast of Dar es Salaam or the townships of Johannesburg, told by people who grew up there, about ordinary lives as well as wars and heists. The texture that makes a city feel real is in the small things: the food, the transport, the jokes and the noise.

An African-made game worth knowing

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan

Not an open world, so it is here as an honourable mention. Aurion is an action role-playing game from Kiro'o Games, a studio in Yaoundé, Cameroon, released on PC in 2016. Its world, Auriona, draws on African cultures, music, fashion and myths. For us it is a reminder that some of the most interesting African games are being made on the continent itself.

At a glance

Why so few?

Our guess: big open worlds cost a great deal to build, and studios tend to build the places they know. A convincing city needs people who know how its streets sound at night, how a queue at a gate works, how a neighbour greets you. That is changing slowly as more games are made on the continent, by studios that know its cities from the inside. For more on that, see our pieces on African video games, Nigerian video games and Lagos in video games.

Are there open-world games set in Africa?

Yes. Assassin’s Creed Origins is set in ancient Egypt, Far Cry 2 in a fictional African country, Metal Gear Solid V partly on the Angola–Zaire border, and AJ Cities on the edge of Ajegunle in Lagos.

Is there an open-world game set in Lagos?

AJ Cities is a free open-world browser game set in a fictional estate on the edge of Ajegunle, Lagos, where Navy Town meets Kirikiri.

Which African country is Far Cry 2 set in?

None by name. It is set in a fictional African country; the developers researched Kenya and parts of Tanzania for its landscapes.

Is Ajegunle a real place?

Yes. Ajegunle, known as AJ City, is a neighbourhood of Lagos near the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports. The estate in AJ Cities and its people are invented.