Every Far Cry Game, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Ubisoft’s
  Far Cry
  series has had its ups and downs, with some games receiving mixed reviews and disappointing fans, while others have been successful and well-received.
• Far Cry: New Dawn
  was seen as a letdown, undoing much of the progress made in
  Far Cry 5
  and failing to bring anything new to the franchise.
• Far Cry 5
  and
  Far Cry 3
  are considered standout titles in the series, with
  Far Cry 5
  praised for its refined gameplay, memorable antagonists, and organic open-world exploration, while
  Far Cry 3
  is often seen as the game that put the series and Ubisoft on the map with its innovative gameplay and captivating narrative.

Ubisoft is a video game developer pretty much everyone is familiar with. This company has been in the news for both good and bad reasons, and players have very mixed opinions about the majority of games released by this publisher. However, regardless of what one’s personal opinion may be, there’s no denying that Ubisoft has left a mark in the video game industry that will be palpable for decades.

One of the company’s many franchises that have seen massive success across the globe is Far Cry. This series has gone through several transformations, even if many people are inclined to label this franchise as the poster child of what most Ubisoft sandbox titles are all about. Each game in the Far Cry series is alluring in its way, even if there are people who think otherwise.

Updated on September 18, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Far Cry is one of the most popular series in gaming, with Ubisoft’s stellar work on the third mainline entry leading to a massive wave of popularity that brought new eyes towards this fun stealth-action series. Everything from sneaking around to blowing enemies apart feels great in these games, and players who want to check out the history of the Far Cry series will find a lot of great experiences to sink their teeth into. However, not all the games in this franchise are of equal quality, with some titles being notably harder to get through for players who are either used to modern gaming advancements or have less patience for tiresome gameplay loops.

14 Far Cry Vengeance

Poor Performance Makes The Shooting Incredibly Frustrating

A rare example of a Far Cry game that has almost no redeeming factors, Vengeance is a Wii remake of Far Cry Instincts: Evolution that is worse in every way. This port was simply unnecessary and served only to soil the franchise’s name.

The poor optimization issues, broken AI, and compressed FMVs are all part of the reason why fans aren’t huge fans of Far Cry Vengeance. It’s a chapter in the Far Cry series everyone has forgotten, and understandably so.

13 Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity

A 30-Minute VR Far Cry Experience That’s Quite Barebones

• Platform: Zero Latency VR venues
• Release Date: June 1, 2021
• Developers: Zero Latency, Ubisoft

VR gaming has become all the rage in modern times, and the fact that people can purchase a virtual reality headset to enjoy these games from the comfort of their own homes is mind-blowing in retrospect. However, some VR experiences feel better when an environment is curated to sustain such experiences, with Zero Latency being one such company that curates VR experiences that can only be enjoyed in their gaming centers.

One such game that fans can get their hands on is Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity, a fun 30-minute romp where players are captured by Vaas in the Rook Islands and must figure out a way to escape with their friends. It may not be the longest Far Cry experience around, but superfans who don’t need an excuse to let them interact with Vaas’ deplorable charisma will find Dive Into Insanity to be a decent half-hour VR experience to get immersed in with their friends.

12 Far Cry New Dawn

A Colorful World And The Post-Apocalyptic Setting Is Bogged Down By Unimaginative Gameplay

After the massive success of Far Cry 5, players were hyped to see how this franchise would evolve with later installments. However, New Dawn ended up being a slap in the face that undid most of the good of its previous title and brought many Ubisoft fans back to reality.

The idea of exploring the map of Far Cry 5 in the advent of the nuclear bomb blast is interesting, but New Dawn doesn’t do too much with this concept. It doesn’t help that the writing is subpar and the game doesn’t do anything new after the many innovations and refinements Far Cry 5 brought to the table.

11 Far Cry 6

Lacks Any Sort Of Innovation And Rests On Its Laurels As A Mediocre Entry In The Series

The reveal of Giancarlo Esposito as the main villain of Far Cry 6 was more than enough to stoke the flames of hype for Far Cry 6, which is why it’s a tremendous disappointment that this game crashed and burned from the very moment it was released. Once again, the copy-paste design of Ubisoft’s games came back to bite them, with people denouncing Far Cry 6 as a total and abject failure.

The unwillingness to improve and innovate on the systems of its predecessor hurt Far Cry 6. What could’ve been a fun and exciting title ended up being a massive disappointment, with the game’s legacy being forever tarnished as a result.

10 Far Cry Primal

Prehistoric Far Cry Has Its Highlights But Is Largely Forgettable

At a glance, Far Cry Primal seemed pretty interesting. The idea of a prehistoric Far Cry game could be pulled off well, with the lack of guns adding quite a bit of strategy to the gameplay.

However, the problem with Far Cry: Primal is that it brought nothing interesting to the table aside from a few changes to the core gameplay loop. The map design seemed ripped out straight from Far Cry 4, with the story and characters being way too forgettable for a series where the writing is one of its biggest selling points.

9 Far Cry Instincts: Evolution

A Stripped-Down Console Version Of Far Cry

The console version of Far Cry was pretty fun in its own right, even if some aspects of the game had to be stripped down to make it more functional on consoles. The developers were so pleased by its performance that they greenlit a console-exclusive sequel for the title.

Evolution wasn’t a huge step forward for the series but it got the job done. The gunplay and action are as fun as ever, and it’s a shame that more people don’t talk about this underrated entry in the Far Cry series.

8 Far Cry Instincts: Predator

Compiles Far Cry: Instincts & Evolution Into A Neat Package For A New Console Generation

The original remake and sequel of Far Cry were released on the Xbox. With the launch of the 360, Ubisoft jumped on the opportunity to release an updated version of both Instincts and Evolution for new-gen console owners to enjoy, resulting in the collection known as Far Cry Instincts: Predator.

The graphical enhancements and performance improvements were certainly quite welcome, making this collection the definitive way to play both games. Playing this now can be a bit of a challenge, but players who are lucky enough for all their cards to align can check out the original Far Cry in all its HD glory.

7 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

A Colorful Romp That Pays Homage To The 80s

A standalone expansion that a lot of people hail as one of the best Far Cry experiences fans can enjoy, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon‘s 1980s retro-future aesthetic combined with a lighter tone makes for a fresh change of pace from the usual seriousness of Far Cry games.

The levity of this title is what makes Blood Dragon such an easy recommendation for fans. The gameplay harbors all the classic goodness of the Far Cry games in a unique setting that fans love. It’s a shame that this was a one-and-done affair since fans would’ve loved to see a sequel that built upon these concepts.

6 Far Cry 5

A Return To Form For Far Cry With Organic Exploration And Action-Packed Combat

Many people feel that Far Cry 5 is the best game in the series, with Hope County becoming instantly iconic for a whole host of reasons. The title may have the systems many people expect from a run-of-the-mill open-world game, but it’s the refinement and polish present in this title that made Far Cry 5 such a massive success.

It helps that the Seed family serves as some of the best antagonists in video game history, with each character showing a disturbing yet riveting personality that makes them easy to hate and captivating to listen to at the same time. The title’s organic open-world exploration and fun gameplay helped Far Cry 5 become a fan-favorite title that popularized the series once again.

5 Far Cry Instincts

A Console Version Of The First Far Cry Game That’s Commendable

Far Cry on the PC was a treat, but console gamers felt ostracized that they couldn’t check this stealth-adventure series. As a result, Ubisoft decided to develop a console version of the game that retained much of the original experience with a few cuts here and there.

While the game became more linear as a result, Far Cry: Instincts was still a great way for console players to enjoy this fun game. The fact that it added features that were left on the cutting room floor for the original game was also a plus.

4 Far Cry

Kickstarted This Action-Packed Series With A Combination Of Stealth And Action

The first Far Cry game is pretty rough around the edges and hasn’t aged all that well. The distance from which enemies can see the player is so ludicrous that trying to sneak around a base is pretty much impossible.

This, coupled with the pinpoint accuracy of enemies from miles away, makes Far Cry an unforgiving experience. It does bring some good ideas to the table and establishes a formula that later titles in the series would innovate on; however, the game itself can be difficult to revisit in this day and age.

3 Far Cry 4

A Fun Romp Through Kyrat Despite Being Virtually Identical To Its Predecessor

After the magic of Far Cry 3, it’s easy to see why so many people wanted to see its sequel elevate the franchise to even greater heights. However, Far Cry 4 just ended up feeling like more of the same with minor refinements and a new setting.

The game was still fun to play through, but it felt like less of a proper sequel and more of an expansion to Jason Brody’s adventures. Still, Kyrat is a fun world to explore and the game has its fair share of highs.

2 Far Cry 2

Arguably The Most Immersive Far Cry Game Of All Time

It’s a shame that fans of the Far Cry series haven’t given the second title a shot. While Far Cry 2 may be dated in some ways, it’s also considered to be the most immersive game in the series, which is pretty high praise indeed.

Players have to manage malaria while exploring the world by looking at an actual map and GPS tracker. The game’s systems also gel pretty well with each other, with many people feeling that something as simple as a wildfire is better implemented in this title!

1 Far Cry 3

A Bombastic Entry In The Series With Incredible Performances And Captivating Gameplay

Far Cry 3 is the game that put both this series and Ubisoft on the map, with Vaas Montenegro instantly establishing himself as one of the greatest antagonists of all time. The gameplay of this title may be pretty dated by modern standards, but there was a time when Far Cry 3 was seen as the pinnacle of innovation in video games.

It helped that the narrative and gameplay merged seamlessly in a way that no other Far Cry game has accomplished since. Even after all the titles that Ubisoft has released following this title, there’s something truly magical about Far Cry 3 that keeps players coming back over and over again.