Summary
- Africa is a rich and untapped setting for video games, with many locations that offer great exploration options.
- Action and adventure games often take players to Africa for intense action and thrilling sights, whether in the past, present, or future.
As a continent, Africa is ripe for video game locations to explore. The continent is the second-largest for a reason, but there is a surprising lack of content when it comes to games set in Africa. It’s a shame, as many locations within Africa would make a great premise for a video game. However, some games utilize Africa as a setting well, and provide players with some great exploration options.
There are some great tropical destinations that players can find within these games that let players explore Africa, although most of them will involve a gun or two. It seems that action and adventure games love to take players to Africa for some exhilarating sights and intense action, whether that’s in the past, present, or future.
8 Halo 3: ODST
For the first time in the Halo franchise, players don’t assume the role of Master Chief for Halo 3: ODST. This game follows the Rookie, an Orbital Drop Ship Trooper that lands on New Mombasa, a major port city within Kenya. New Mombasa is a beautiful place, and players will explore the Mombasa streets to search for their lost ODST team, whilst the Covenant’s forces take strongholds within the empty city.
It's interesting to see a futuristic depiction of Africa, and how prosperous this location is within the open-world environment of Halo 3: ODST. There’s a lot of ground to cover in New Mombasa, and perhaps an impending tragedy that awaits players as they journey through the rainy streets.
7 Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Lara Croft has an act for backflips, dual-wielding weapons, fighting dinosaurs, and existing as pretty much the greatest treasure hunter to ever live. In Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Lara’s journey takes her to Egypt, where she discovers the imprisonment of the God Set from Horus, son of the light. Upon discovering the ancient prison tomb of this evil god, Lara unleashes unspeakable evils, and it's up to her to defeat them, to stop humanity’s age of darkness from arising.
Players can explore interesting locations, thought-provoking puzzles, and a true era of beauty from within. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation may be one of the last of the classic Tomb Raider games, but it deserves to be played before the reboot, especially for its exciting and unique setting that the other games lack.
6 Resident Evil 5
Leon Kennedy may have been exploring a rural village in Spain for Resident Evil 4, but meanwhile, in Resident Evil 5, Chris Redfield embarks on a journey to Africa to locate yet another devastating bioweapon from the Umbrella Corporation. Joined by a local Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance agent, Sheva Alomar, the duo work together to solve the nail-biting mystery of the latest threat that could result in yet another Raccoon City incident.
Resident Evil 5 has a fun co-op, a devastating Wesker boss, and a few scares to grace players. However, one of the true takeaways from the game is its setting in Africa, where players will feel the heat as it helps immerse themselves in an unfamiliar location.
5 Sniper Elite 3
The Sniper Elite series is known for its combination of stealth and genre-defining ballistic mechanics, in which every shot counts and every shot can be seen with the unique x-ray mode. Players can turn each area into a death trap for their Nazi foes, where every step could mean their death. Tactics are at the forefront of Sniper Elite 3, and the exotic terrain of North Africa makes the game even more immensely satisfying.
The expansive environments of Sniper Elite 3 make for an exciting entry into the series. Players will be tasked with eliminating the Nazi forces of their Afrika Korps, which include a range of twisting canyons and oases, as well as ancient cities.
4 Far Cry 2
A gun for hire, infected with malaria, and trapped within a war-torn African state, players have their work cut out for them in Far Cry 2. There’s a reason that Far Cry 2 is regarded as the best in the series, and that’s in part due to its detailed mechanics, realism, and African setting, in which players will try and manipulate both sides of the war for their own gain.
Exploiting the weaknesses of enemies has never been more thrilling in Far Cry 2, and the game features plenty of things for the player to do. So long as they keep their malaria in check. Far Cry 2 makes great use of its exotic location, providing players with an immersive experience.
3 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid often takes players to unique locations, and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is no different, as players will venture out into the expansive landscapes of the series’ first open world. There are a few locations in Metal Gear Solid 5, but one of the main points of intrigue is Outer Heaven, situated in South Africa, the location that led to the death of Big Boss’ decoy.
Outside of the explorative and expansive Outer Heaven, players will still explore Africa in Metal Gear Solid 5 somewhat thanks to one of its primary locations of Africa. There’s a lot of intrigue to the story of the Africa portion of Metal Gear Solid 5, including the controversy of Big Boss using child soldiers.
2 Call Of Duty 2
One of the earliest entries, Call of Duty 2 existed before the futuristic warfare of more modern Call of Duty games, and the demand for Zombies. In Call of Duty 2, players could experience a more grounded tale that features a level of realism and story-telling that some titles lack. The central campaign of Call of Duty 2 takes place during the North Africa campaign, where players control Sergeant John Davis, a British soldier.
The African campaign of Call of Duty 2 has players survive and experience many different battlefields across the continent, involving plenty of dangerous combat situations against German forces that could take the life of the player if they are not careful.
1 Assassin’s Creed Origins
Perhaps the best open-world game that has featured Africa as an explorative location is Assassin’s Creed Origins. The series often prides itself on taking elements of realism and detail from the real world, and Assassin’s Creed Origins is no exception. The lands of Egypt are majestic and intriguing as players venture through the flowing sands of this ancient and unpredictable land.
Players not only go through real-world history in Assassin’s Creed Origins, but they will experience the founding moments of the Assassin’s Brotherhood. Despite the game being a reinvention of the series, its ambition pays off in more ways than one, and the Egyptian setting is part of that.