Debuting with a fantastic CGI trailer reminiscent of Bond films, the next entry in the Far Cry series is clearly promising a lot. Starring Giancarlo Esposito as the main villain Anton Castillo, alongside Anthony Gonzalez as his son Diego, it's clear Far Cry 6 is taking things up a notch. The series is known for playing host to some of the most iconic villains in video games who would later move on to TV, but never vice versa. Pair that with any additional narrative and gameplay innovations to come after taking a year off from the series, and Far Cry 6 could be the next big reinvention for the franchise, which may have been why the game was delayed.
While the game was originally meant to release on February 18 of this year, the ongoing pandemic and shelter-in-place orders have pushed the game further into 2021. As development continues from home, Far Cry 6 is vaguely scheduled to release at some point after March 2021. Some retailers have even leaked more specific dates, though none of these dates have been corroborated or confirmed by any sources. Past Far Cry games have followed a few specific time frames, so it's very possible that this delay has forced Far Cry 6 into a different window of release. Based on past releases, there are a few options for when Far Cry 6 officially releases this year.
Far Cry's Not-so-Stringent Release Schedule
The last few entries in the Far Cry series have all exhibited a similar pattern of release, mainline, and spin-off titles included. Far Cry Primal, Far Cry 5, and Far Cry New Dawn have all released in late-Q4 or early-Q1 of Ubisoft's next fiscal year. That equates to anywhere between February and March, with the latest example of Far Cry New Dawn releasing on February 15, 2019. Primal and Far Cry 5 both had similar release dates as well, never fluctuating beyond March for release. That being said, Far Cry has never been that stringent on a late-winter/early-spring release date. Previous entries used to release in the fall window of release instead.
Heavy-hitting mainline entries like Far Cry 2 and Far Cry 3 both released in October and November, respectively. It's also worth noting that Far Cry 3 was originally intended to release in September before being delayed, which is the case for several entries post-Far Cry 3. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was delayed to April 30/May 1, the only time a release was scheduled in that time frame. What that really indicates is that Far Cry, as a franchise, has never exactly had a stringent release date/release window, but does typically fall in three key areas: Late winter (February/March), early summer (May), or in the fall (October/November).
The Most Likely Release Window for Far Cry 6
Considering the only other prominent release window for Far Cry has been in the fall, there is the slight possibility that Far Cry 6 is delayed that far, but it's not likely. Nothing from the delay alone indicates that Far Cry 6 requires that much more development time, but it's also worth pointing out no gameplay has been revealed thus far. That's not to say it will go the way of Cyberpunk 2077, but if a gameplay reveal doesn't come out at some point in the next few months, then expecting a fall delay is warranted. Again, the pandemic continues to affect video game development substantially, especially in 2021, so fans should at minimum be cautiously optimistic.
That being said, the far more likely outcome is that Far Cry 6 will go the way of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Despite being a spin-off and not a mainline release, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon ended up coming out on May 1 worldwide. Many retailers have also leaked similar placeholder dates of May 25 for Far Cry 6, according to the Microsoft Store. An additional, more recent leak from a Dutch retailer even stated April 30, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon's North American release date. For a game already planned to release in February, delaying to May seems likely. If there were reports of significant delays, like Halo Infinite, then a later fall release window would be more likely.
Releasing early this summer seems like the most plausible outcome for Far Cry 6 at the moment, though there's very little evidence that suggests that's true. Leaked dates happen all the time from retailers' online storefronts, but to be fair, specifically noting May 25 is a bit more convincing. The April 30 date is more likely to be a placeholder date as well, but it should at least inspire confidence in an April/May release window for Far Cry 6. Unless any evidence to the contrary releases, somewhere in the month of May is a fair assumption of Far Cry 6's release date, at least for now.
Far Cry 6 is in development.