# Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque
**Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque** (فرسان الأقصى) is a single-developer third-person action game released on Steam on April 18, 2022, in which the player takes the role of a Palestinian fighter against Israeli soldiers. It was created by Nidal Nijm, a licensed [Unreal Engine](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine) developer publishing as Nidal Nijm Games, and is sold for $14.99.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) The game addresses the [Israeli–Palestinian conflict](https://www.edgepedia.org/israeli-palestinian-conflict) from a Palestinian perspective, which its developer describes as a deliberate reversal of the way mainstream military shooters portray the region's wars.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | April 18, 2022, on Steam; developer and publisher Nidal Nijm Games[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) |
| Premise | The player is Ahmad al-Falastini, a Palestinian student jailed and tortured for 5 years, whose family was killed in an Israeli airstrike; he joins a resistance movement named Fursan al-Aqsa[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) |
| Technology | Developed since 2017 in a custom UDK (Unreal Engine 3) build; a bundled Remake runs on Unreal Engine 4 and was upgraded to Unreal Engine 5 in 2026[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) • [2](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1714420/allnews/) |
| Reception | Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, 96% of 936 user reviews; Metacritic PC user score 8.6[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque/user-reviews/?platform=pc) |
| Final update | "Lions of Gaza" update, October 10, 2026, described by the developer as the game's last[2](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1714420/allnews/) |
| Age rating | Approved for release by Brazil's Government Justice Department, Age Rating Sector[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) |
## Story and gameplay
The campaign follows Ahmad al-Falastini, a young Palestinian student who, according to the game's own description, was unjustly tortured and jailed by Israeli soldiers for 5 years, lost his entire family to an Israeli airstrike, and on release joins a new Palestinian resistance movement called Fursan al-Aqsa to take revenge.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) The store page states that the player does not shoot Israeli civilians, women, children, or the elderly, only soldiers, and that the political and military groups depicted are fictional.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/)
[The Classic](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-classic) version is structured like late-1990s shooters: a campaign of roughly 8 to 10 hours across ten missions, each an open map with five objectives that can be tackled in varying order, with a ranking system, driveable vehicles, and local split-screen PvP.[4](https://www.gamerscout.io/games/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque) The toolset includes an AK-47, RPG-7, grenades, a bullet-time mechanic, stealth around wall-mounted security cameras, and a toggle between first- and third-person view.[4](https://www.gamerscout.io/games/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque) The developer cites [Hideo Kojima](https://www.edgepedia.org/hideo-kojima)'s Metal Gear Solid, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Insurgency: Sandstorm, [Max Payne](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-payne), and GoldenEye 007 as inspirations.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) Reviewers picked up the same lineage: Drop The Spotlight wrote that it felt like playing Metal Gear Solid again, scoring it 8 out of 10, and Hooked Gamers gave 7.8, noting that the game "never falls into a comfortable routine."[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/)
The game is also known for its cutscenes, which mix grounded mission briefings with 1980s action-movie set pieces, including a protagonist ejecting from a fighter jet to fire an RPG at an enemy plane and a chainsaw kill.[4](https://www.gamerscout.io/games/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque) Christ Centered Gamer, which scored it 70 out of 100, described it as "a video game first, and a political piece second," while cataloguing heavy violence, gibs, gruesome scenes, and strong language.[5](https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/reviews/pc-mac/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque)
## Development
Nidal Nijm began the project in 2017 and built it alone in a custom version of the UDK Engine ([Unreal Engine 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-3)), a choice that let the Classic version run on old GPUs and even on ports he made to [PlayStation 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-3) and [Xbox 360](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-360) hardware.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) Gameplay systems, including enemy AI, were scripted largely in Kismet, Unreal Engine 3's visual programming language.[6](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/new-pc-ps3-and-xbox360-game-fursan-al-aqsa-knights-of-al-aqsa-mosque/133979?page=2) A Remake version, bundled free with the Classic, was later rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4 and adds wall-running and long jumps with smoother performance, though a 2024 curator review called its AI broken while recommending the Classic.[4](https://www.gamerscout.io/games/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque) • [1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/)
The game ships with interface and subtitle support in English, Arabic, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Hebrew, with full Arabic audio.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/)
## Controversy and distribution bans
The game drew opposition from pro-Israel organizations and commentators from before its release. A DiGRA academic paper describes "a series of bans and rehabilitations on the Steam platform" and notes that Steam was reported to be facing a lawsuit under U.S. anti-terrorist legislation for offering the game.[7](https://dl.digra.org/index.php/dl/article/download/2057/2056/2053) On November 17, 2025, the organization StandWithUs sent a letter to [Valve Corporation](https://www.edgepedia.org/valve-corporation) concerning the game's availability on Steam's U.S. and Canadian platforms.[8](https://standwithus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Letter-to-Valve-FINAL.pdf)
The game remains available in other regions, and Brazil's age-rating sector approved its release.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/)
## Reception
Steam user reviews are Overwhelmingly Positive, 96% of 936 reviews, and a Metacritic user score of 8.6 aggregates 46 positive and 6 negative reviews on PC.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque/user-reviews/?platform=pc) Reviewers consistently frame the game's roughness against its solo production: GamerScout's editorial notes that "a lot of what makes the game clunky also makes it weirdly compelling," citing weapon sights that do not line up, no mid-mission checkpoints, and no health regeneration, alongside semi-open mission design that rewards patience.[4](https://www.gamerscout.io/games/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque) One Steam reviewer called it "the first successful Arabic game."[11](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1714420/reviews/?browsefilter=toprated)
## Final update and status
On October 10, 2026, Nijm released the "Fursan al-Aqsa Remake – Lions of Gaza Update," which he announced as the game's last. In the announcement he described Fursan al-Aqsa as "more a protest message in form of game," said he had tried to flip the narrative of modern shooter series such as [Call of Duty](https://www.edgepedia.org/call-of-duty), and stated the game was never meant to be profitable. The update fixed reported bugs, added quality-of-life changes, and upgraded the Remake from [Unreal Engine 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-4) to [Unreal Engine 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-5); he reported it running at 60 fps on a GTX 1650 with occasional hiccups during physics simulations and perfectly on an RTX 4050.[2](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1714420/allnews/) He said that working a job to support his family leaves no time for further development, and that the only realistic path to another full-time year would be the game's roughly 20,000 wishlists converting to sales in one go.[2](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1714420/allnews/)
## References
1. [Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Steam, Valve Corporation](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/Fursan_alAqsa_The_Knights_of_the_AlAqsa_Mosque/)
2. [Fursan al-Aqsa Final Update – Lions of Gaza Update, Steam Community News](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1714420/allnews/)
3. [Fursan al-Aqsa user reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque/user-reviews/?platform=pc)
4. [Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, GamerScout](https://www.gamerscout.io/games/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque)
5. [Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque review, Christ Centered Gamer](https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/reviews/pc-mac/fursan-al-aqsa-the-knights-of-the-al-aqsa-mosque)
6. [New PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 Game – Fursan al-Aqsa, Epic Developer Community Forums](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/new-pc-ps3-and-xbox360-game-fursan-al-aqsa-knights-of-al-aqsa-mosque/133979?page=2)
7. [Fursan Al-Aqsa: An Analysis of Moral Disengagement in the discursive strategies of a Pro-Palestine Video Game, DiGRA](https://dl.digra.org/index.php/dl/article/download/2057/2056/2053)
8. [SWU Letter to Valve Corporation, StandWithUs (November 17, 2025)](https://standwithus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Letter-to-Valve-FINAL.pdf)
9. [Fursan al-Aqsa Steam Summer Sales and Unreal Engine 5 WIP, Steam News](https://store.steampowered.com/news/posts/?enddate=1751240332&feed=steam_community_announcements)
10. [Did they remove this game from the store?, Steam Community Discussions](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1714420/discussions/0/4042609512664822489/)
11. [Fursan al-Aqsa top-rated Steam reviews](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1714420/reviews/?browsefilter=toprated)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual PC and computer-platform game titles › Action-adventure titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license