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African games & puzzles

Africa is home to some of the oldest and cleverest games in the world. Mancala games such as Oware, Ayo and Bao are played across West and East Africa, Morabaraba across Southern Africa and Fanorona in Madagascar, while Senet boards have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Here you can play them free in your browser against a friendly computer player, with hints and undo when you want them. Sow seeds and capture in Oware and Bao, line up your cows in Morabaraba, make rows of three in Dara, or race across the board in Senet. Lusona is a calm daily puzzle inspired by Angolan sand drawings.

Each game has a guide that explains the rules, where the game is played and the names it goes by in different places, so you can learn it here and then play it with family and friends.

African games & puzzles

Mancala, morris and strategy games played across the continent
OwareSow seeds around the board and capture to win. Also played as Ayo and Awalé.Play nowBaoFour rows of pits; the great strategy game of East Africa.MorabarabaLine up three cows to capture, from Southern Africa.FanoronaCapture by approach and withdrawal, from Madagascar.DaraMake rows of three in the sand, from West Africa.SenetRace across the board, from ancient Egypt.LusonaPlace mirrors to make one unbroken line, inspired by Angolan sand drawings.Where games come fromEach guide tells you where a game is played and its local names.

How to play guides

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Where these games come from

Many of these games have been played for hundreds of years and go by different names from place to place. Oware is also known as Ayo in Nigeria and Awalé in Côte d’Ivoire, and the rules people play can vary between towns and families. Each guide describes the most common version and mentions the main variations.