The world of Xenoblade Genesis is presented through the reveal as a high-fantasy setting, a shift from the more science-fiction-leaning tone of earlier entries in the series. The details below come from the reveal trailer and surrounding coverage rather than Nintendo's official page, so they should be read as early information.
The Land of Anshar
The story takes place in a land called Anshar, a vast world lit and warmed by six suns. Both the name and the six suns appear in English and in Japanese-language reporting on the reveal, from publishers working independently of one another, so this is better established than a single-source detail. It still does not appear anywhere on Nintendo's own product pages, so it is recorded here as reported rather than officially confirmed. In the reveal trailer's closing moments the view pulls back to show the world's landmasses sitting on the inside of a giant sphere, which is the basis for the ring-shaped or annular reading that coverage settled on. That reading is an interpretation of the footage, not a stated fact, and how it works in the game's lore has not been spelled out.
An official account for the series added that Anshar is crowded with many different nations, that the fighting between them never stops, and that its people live through that strife regardless. That is the only description of the land's political shape released so far. No nation is named, no borders or capitals are shown, and nothing ties any state to the places in the screenshots below.
A World Shaped by Anima
According to the reveal, a special power called Anima flows through the land and its forces. This power is central to the setting: warriors known as Vesselai can wield it, and the early material frames the world's conflicts around it. For more on the power itself, see the Anima page.
Aesthetic and Inhabitants
The reveal leans firmly into a high-fantasy aesthetic. Early material shows characters with elf-like ears, reinforcing the fantasy direction, and Nintendo's own screenshots later confirmed the pointed ears directly rather than leaving them to coverage of the trailer. This visual identity is one of the clearest ways the reveal sets Genesis apart from prior entries.
Known Locations
Two places have been named so far: the land of Anshar, described above, and Leukos, the academy where students train to become Vesselai. Leukos is the only named institution or settlement. No world map, regions, towns, or other locations within Anshar have been named, although the land is described as holding many nations.
Places Shown but Not Named
Nintendo's official screenshots add several settings to that picture, none of them named. One shows a settlement of red-roofed buildings and a pale tower on a headland above a bay, with a large circular structure standing in the water below it, a tall crystalline spire rising from the sea nearby, and a landmass hanging in the sky beyond. Another shows open grassland under an immense suspended landmass, with the silhouettes of ruined towers on the horizon. A third shows a mountain village of timber buildings beside a pine forest, under a snow-capped peak. Because none of these carries a name, they are recorded here as places shown rather than locations confirmed.
Exploration
The reveal shows mounts used to travel the world, which suggests a setting of some scale. The specifics of traversal and exploration are covered, with hedging, on the Mounts and Exploration page.
What Is Not Yet Known
The world map, its regions and towns, and the full nature of the setting are deferred until Nintendo reveals more. For how the early premise ties these elements together, see Story and Premise.