Risk Global Domination is one of those games where strategy meets luck meets communication.
But one of the key elements of the strategy of Risk choosing the best position on the world map.
Which often begs the question: what is the best continent in Risk?
After years of playing and asking people much better than I do, I can say with confidence the objectively best continent in Risk in terms of strategy is Australia, followed by South America. Despite their lower bonus count, both have few borders and are easier to defend.
Of course, every situation is different, so the answer isn’t always clear.
I’ll go into details on each continent and when it might be good to go and capture it.
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Table of Contents
Risk Continents Side-By-Side
| Continent | # of Territories | # of Borders | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 9 | 3 | 5 |
| South America | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Africa | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Europe | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Asia | 12 | 5 | 7 |
| Australia | 4 | 1 | 2 |
The Best Continent In Risk: Each One Broken Down
Australia
Australia is legendary, and even most beginner Risk players know that capturing this continent is a surefire way to win.
And it’s all for good reasons!
It only has four territories to capture to get the bonus. This means you can get its sweet rewards in a single turn!
It only has one border.
Defending this continent is simple.
Plop every troop you’ve got onto Indonesia and keep gathering forces until you feel confident enough to spread out.
Pro-strategy: Capture Siam and leave all your troops there as a stop-gap. Send out small groups of troops to keep capturing territories to get a territory card at the end of your turn.
Don’t block yourself in by capturing both China and India. Always leave yourself room to send your massive army out at a moment’s notice.
Note: Australia isn’t a guarantee, but it’s a boon to you in almost any circumstance.
In fact, the general strategy says it’s the best continent in all games except when you’re playing 1-v-1. Then, it’s North America.
Just don’t spend all your forces fighting for it. Better to have a decent army than lose everything for a short victory.
South America
South America is another great early continent option, especially if it looks like Australia will be tough to get.
South America has 4 territories, making it easy to get, and only two borders. It’s pretty easy to hold onto, though you need to be careful not to let someone else hold onto North America for any length of time.
The bonus is a little weak for the 2 border weakness compared to the single border of Australia.
Some high-level players will keep a massive army on Peru and recapture Brazil and/or Venezuela until they have enough strength to hold both.
It seems like South America becomes an early target in the middle game, so make sure you don’t appear too strong compared to those right next to you.
South America is rarely the first choice, but it’s often the second or third choice when things get hairy or crowded elsewhere.
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North America
North America is not-so-secretly an awesome continent.
It’s like the opposite of Africa, which I’ll talk about in a minute.
Sure, it has 9 territories, which seems like a lot.
But when you compare it to its 3 borders (same as Africa) and 5 bonus armies it quickly becomes a target for a patient capture and then build.
The key is to take your time. No one will want to let you hold onto it, so you can’t spread yourself too thin, or you’ll find yourself destroyed the turn after you get it.
In fact, the common strategy says this continent is the best choice when playing as 1-v-1. Some people rank this second in 3-person games, too, though it depends on the situation at the time.
Africa
Africa is one of those continents that seem great but hard to hold onto.
Sure, it looks pretty good at first:
- 3 borders
- 3 bonus armies
- 6 territories
What’s not to love?
Well, it doesn’t really do a whole lot for you.
6 territories are more than you can capture safely in a single round, except during the late game.
3 borders is a lot to defend, especially considering it’s up against two continents people will be trying to get out of.
And the third border is against a prime continent that will be stronger than you much more quicker.
It’s also in the center of the world, which is often where things get congested.
Europe
Europe is a fun strategy to play. Sometimes it works out in spectacular fashion, but if you act too early, you’ll attract too much attention.
It has 7 territories and 5 bonus armies, like North America. So it’s even better, right?
But those 4 border territories make it really hard to capture for any length, at least at first.
It is a solid continent choice, but only if you don’t have many other options.
The strategy I’ve seen work the most with this continent is setting up a home in Northern Europe, then slowly capture the other territories.
But, always retreat back into your larger army in the middle.
Eventually, you might get to hold onto it for a turn or two.
Once that happens, you’ll gain strength quite quickly.
Asia
Asia is garbage. Don’t go for it unless you’re trying to cause some chaos.
It’s a fine place for a nomad army (more on this in the final section), but the 7-army bonus is not worth the effort to capture the 12 territories and then hold onto it with the 5 borders.
What Should I Do If I Have No Continent Strongholds?
Sometimes it’s impossible to hold onto a continent in Risk. Sometimes you don’t even have any good options to work for.
So what do you do?
Pray for mercy.
No, not really. I mean, that may help, but you do actually have a chance.
First, keep your head down. Don’t make anyone too mad, and don’t try to capture any continents.
Don’t even look like you’re thinking about it.
Keep all your armies on one territory. Capture one territory near you.
Get your territory card bonus and turn it in when you can.
Keep everything in one territory and move across the whole map, away from the center of the action. One territory at a time.
This is called Going Nomad, and it’s a stressful but viable way to play.
So Which Continent Should I Go For?
In a nutshell, Australia first, then one of the Americas.
This will serve you well, but make sure you don’t spread yourself too thin in the early game and keep your borders safe.
Further Reading: How far can you fortify in Risk? With Tips!
