Relooted

Relooted
DeveloperNyamakop
PublisherNyamakop
Composers
  • Nick Horsten
  • Dustin van Wyk
Platforms
ReleaseFebruary 10, 2026[1]
ModeSingle-player

Relooted is 2026 video game developed by South African studio Nyamakop for Windows and Xbox Series X/S. It is a heist game with African-futurist themes where players work to reclaim cultural artifacts from Western museums. Gameplay consists of puzzle solving to carry out heists with the goal of raising awareness of African history and culture.[2]

Plot

The game is set in the year 2099 in South Africa. The world powers have agreed on a treaty called the Transatlantic Returns Treaty for the return of artifacts.[3][4]

Gameplay

It is an action-platformer.[5] Heists consist of three phases from scoping the target, initiating the heist, to finally the third phase of escape.[6] While escaping from museums, the player will be accosted by drones and non-human entities.[7]

Development

Lead developer Ben Myres said, "We wanted to make it feel like you're in a heist montage for a movie of your own plan,"[8] Voice actors from the game come from countries such as Nigeria, Angola, Malawi, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya.[9] The artifacts featured in the game are based on real-world objects.[10] The game's narrative designer described the game as "African Futurist".[11] The game received outside funding, which is not typical for independently published video games, with the budget being around several million dollars.[12] The trailer for the game says “Is it stealing to take back what was stolen?”[13]

The game's soundtrack uses modern synthesizers and traditional African musical instruments.[14]

Reception

AV Club gave the game a B+.[16] PC Gamer called it a fine heist game but a better history lesson.[17]

On Steam, the game reached a peak player count of 57 on launch day.[18]


References

  1. ^ "Heist game Relooted gets a release date". Engadget. January 15, 2026. Archived from the original on January 15, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  2. ^ Khan, Imran (2025-06-18). "Relooted Is an Historical Heist with Cultural Weight Behind It". IGN. Archived from the original on 2026-02-09. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  3. ^ Manchester, Austin (2026-02-09). "Relooted is a history lesson in puzzle game form". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2026-02-10. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  4. ^ "I Can't Wait To Reloot African Artifacts From Western Museums". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  5. ^ "Relooted Is Like A Reverse Indiana Jones". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  6. ^ published, Lincoln Carpenter (2025-06-06). "Relooted is a high-tech heist game about reclaiming African artifacts from Western collections, which are said to hold '90% of sub-Saharan African cultural heritage'". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2025-11-18. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  7. ^ Ore, Jonathan (February 10, 2026). "Video game Relooted tasks you with reclaiming African artifacts in museums". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 10, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  8. ^ bio, See full. "Relooted Is a Heist Game About Returning African Artifacts to Their Home Countries". CNET. Archived from the original on 2025-06-27. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  9. ^ "Relooted: New video game sees Africans fantasise about taking back treasures from Europe's museums". BBC News. 2026-02-10. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  10. ^ "New heist video game lets players reclaim 70 real African artifacts from museums". Miami Herald. July 11, 2025. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  11. ^ Peters, Sam (2025-10-02). "Video game lets you return African artifacts from Western museums". CNN. Archived from the original on 2025-10-08. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  12. ^ Small, Zachary (2026-02-12). "Grand Theft Artifact? A New Game Asks Players to Steal Stolen Art". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  13. ^ Hackel, Joyce (2026-02-16). "A new South African video heist game robs museums to return African art". The World from PRX. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  14. ^ "'Relooted': the video game where players steal back African artefacts". RFI. 2026-02-15. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  15. ^ "Relooted".
  16. ^ a b Truesdale, Wallace (February 9, 2026). "Relooted challenges who gets to own and tell African history". AV Club. Archived from the original on February 11, 2026.
  17. ^ published, Lincoln Carpenter (2026-02-10). "Relooted is a fine heist game—but it's a better history lesson". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2026-02-11. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  18. ^ Taylor-Hill, Grant (February 11, 2026). "Relooted Launches To Double-Digit User Count on Steam but Positive Reviews". Insider Gaming Network. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
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