Which is the best Far Cry game?

The latest in Ubisoft’s open-world shooter series, Far Cry 6, is set to launch on October 7. After the comparatively serene Montana backdrop that characterised Far Cry 5, the 13th game in the long-running franchise is set once more across a fictional tropical landscape torn apart by factionalism. And in keeping with the more popular Far Cry games, there’ll be a charismatic dictator to overthrow in the process of capturing outposts (almost certainly) and climbing radio towers (probably).

The Caribbean island of Yara is the setting for Far Cry 6 and is said to be the largest open-world to feature in the series to date. With its tumbledown colonial buildings overseen by a dictator looking to establish a dynasty, there are obvious real-world comparisons with Cuba, especially as the game’s narrative lead has cited the Cuban Revolution as being a key inspiration for the game’s style of guerrilla warfare.

Of course, it won’t be the first time that a Far Cry will be taking place in a fictional tropical location, with the first and third games both featuring sandy beaches and swaying palms. With Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian) playing bad guy President Antón Castillo, Far Cry 6 looks to either be a game that will play to the series’ strengths, or play things entirely safe – depending on your point of view. Barring any further delays, we’ll find out either way on October 7.

Before we get to the autumnal release of Far Cry 6 (and the subsequent release of Far Cry VR: Dive into Insanity), we thought we’d shine a light on the earlier games in the series. Have they stood the test of time and is it worth firing any of them up before Far Cry 6 gets here – if only to remind ourselves why the series has become such a guilty pleasure for millions? Read on to find out!

If you need to fill any holes in your Far Cry collection, check out Eneba.com.

9. Far Cry Instincts (2005)

Given how successful the series was to become, it may surprise some people that Far Cry was very much intended to be a PC-only game, with console versions only becoming inevitable in the wake of it selling a reported 730,000 copies in its first four months. To capitalise, the narratively similar but technically inferior Far Cry: Instincts was developed for the Microsoft Xbox in 2005, and was joined by a diminutive sequel, Far Cry Instincts: Evolution, just a few months later. Far Cry Instincts: Predator, effectively a remaster of the Xbox games, was released for Xbox 360 in 2006, as was Far Cry Vengeance, a predictably underwhelming Wii version of Far Cry Instincts.

8. Far Cry (2004)

Developed by a then-unknown Crytek, the very first Far Cry game was a revelation when it was released for the PC back in 2004. Based on a tech demo called X-Isle: Dinosaur Island, the game was one of the most expansive and attractive first-person shooters of its time; second only to Half-Life 2, which came out a few months later.

Unfortunately, despite establishing many of the series’ traits, such as open tropical landscapes, drivable vehicles (including hang gliders), smooth gunplay and an unhinged antagonist, the game has not aged as well as its successors. The game was notoriously difficult for one thing, and it’s successors have left it waving from the beach.

7. Far Cry 5 (2018)

After the stopgap release of Far Cry Primal and the critical disappointment that emanated from Far Cry 4 (not from me, I hasten to add), Far Cry 5 was supposed to be the game to Make Far Cry Great Again. Set in a contemporary Trump-era US of A and eschewing pantomime dictators, the game cast for its antagonist a scrawny preacher that stared intently enough, but lacked logic and consistency.

The underwhelming characterization and streamlined RPG-style progression made the endeavor of rescuing Hope County from itself feel lightweight and inconsequential – which is ironic given how the story was wound up. In short, all the elements for a great Far Cry game were there, but not quite in the right configuration. That said, the DLCs, riffing on ‘Nam, 50’s sci-fi and zombie movies, were silly amounts of fun.

6. Far Cry 2 (2008)

After Far Cry, Crytek decided to partner with EA on the Crysis series rather than continue working with Ubisoft, which saw the French publisher acquire the Far Cry IP for itself and develop Crytek’s impressive 3D tech into what is known now as the Dunia engine.

For its first solo outing, Ubisoft did much to evolve the Far Cry formula, planting the foundations for almost every “Ubiworld” game since, with outposts that needed to be captured as the game map is gradually exposed. Setting the game in deepest, darkest Africa and telling a story of corruption in the arms trade was also brave and innovative. However, the malaria and gun jamming mechanics were divisive and the gunplay today feels almost as sluggish as the graphics are bland. Those that maintain that the best Far Cry is the one that went to Africa tend to be those that never left. Don’t listen to them.

5. Far Cry: New Dawn (2019)

The most recent Far Cry game is effectively a sequel to Far Cry 5, set across the same Montana landscape, only some time in the future when the county has gone all Mad Max in the wake of an apocalyptic explosion that (spoiler alert) Joseph Seed might have had something to do with. It is very much a reskin of Far Cry 5 in many respects, but with a new cast of characters, some interesting weapon and vehicle designs and the series’ always compelling progression. It’s nature-reclaiming-itself landscape goes some way to obscuring what was bad about Far Cry 5 and almost makes it worth playing through. Almost.

4. Far Cry 3 (2012)

Alongside bro-hawked bad guy Vaas Montenegro, the star of Far Cry 3 was Rook Island, one of the most fully-featured self-contained environments to feature in any first-person shooter. Rook’s playground paradise was vast and inviting, with plenty to be getting on with away from the central campaign (back before “side mission” became a euphemism for busywork). A compelling part of the mix was the AI, not only for the armed inhabitants that guarded outposts and trod the roads, but the wildlife that scampered and stalked the long grass, lending the game a survival game vibe long before survival games became a thing.

Unfortunately, Far Cry 3’s storyline, which focused on the adventures of SoCal bro-dude Joson Brody and his attempts to rescue his friends, was less successful. It hasn’t aged well in the years since either, but at least you can swim in the tropical seas and punch sharks. That never gets old.

3. Far Cry: Blood Dragon (2013)

Far Cry: Blood Dragon has the feel of a proof-of-concept; that being to reimagine Far Cry as a 1980s straight-to-VHS sci-fi movie. Ubisoft even went so far as to cast Michael Biehn (Aliens, The Terminator) as the voice of protagonist Rex “Power” Colt (yes, really), who, to be fair, does sound like he had a blast recording his lines.

Released just four months after Far Cry 3, Blood Dragon displays no noticeable evolution from the base game, but then more of the same with a neon palette and synthwave soundtrack was just what we needed at the time. The over-the-top 80s vibe has put the game atop many a best Far Cry list, as it perfectly distilled the essence of what has made the series popular. However, Blood Dragon is just too lightweight next to the mainline games to top this list

Sadly, Ubisoft never got around to a full-blooded Blood Dragon game, but we’ll console ourselves with the remastered edition that’s coming as part of Far Cry 6’s DLC selection. If that does well, maybe we’ll see a feature-length Blood Dragon 2 taking the best Far Cry award before long.

2. Far Cry Primal (2016)

It’s still a surprise that for the first full game to be spun off from the main Far Cry series, Ubisift decided to take us back 10,000 years to the pre-dawn of human history. Even more surprising at the time (not least to Ubisoft) was that the game was a huge success, with the Stone Age setting offering a welcome break that the series probably needed.

Despite the setting devolving the arsenal somewhat in terms of weapons and drivable vehicles, the thrill of spearing cave dudes and riding around on saber-toothed tigers more than made up for the lack of rocket-propelled grenades HMGs and tuk-tuks. If you’ve been looking to dip a wooly toe into the Far Cry series or the first time, or wish to rekindle your relationship with it after walking away from Far Cry 5, Primal will relight your fire.

1. Far Cry 4 (2014)

For sure, Far Cry 4 will be a controversial choice for best Far Cry among veteran fans, seeing as the game barely advanced on the gameplay of its highly-regarded predecessor. Nonetheless, Far Cry 4 is the better game and remains to date one of the finest examples of an open-world shooter. The gunplay (and the guns), the AI and the progression systems were much the same as in Far Cry 3, but the storyline, the setting and most of the characters were much more compelling.

The fictional country of Kyrat felt much more of a lived-in place next to both Rook Island and Hope County, and the mountainous regions of the north lent the game a verticality it hadn’t had before. True, the story was just as clumsy as before and the side missions did get tedious (especially if you’d labored through Far Cry 3’s), but your choices in the game had more thoughtful consequences. Pagan Min too was a far better antagonist than Vaas and remains one of gaming’s greatest pantomime villains – at least until Antón Castillo makes an entrance.

So, what’s your favorite in the series? Feel free to argue your case for the best Far Cry game in the comments below while we wait for Far Cry 6 to come along and hopefully blow us all away.