Highlights

• 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 own way, even if there are people who think otherwise.

Updated on April 3, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Far Cry is a series that needs no introduction. This open-world FPS has been through its fair share of ups and downs but is still a blast to play through for players who are interested in these massive sandboxes where the world is their oyster. Regardless of what one's personal preference might be when it comes to these games, there's no denying that almost every Far Cry game has something or the other going for it that makes it worth checking out for fans of open-world games.

13 Far Cry Vengeance

Metascore: 38

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.

12 Far Cry: New Dawn

Metascore: 71

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 an interesting idea, but New Dawn doesn't really do too much with this concept. It doesn't help that the writing is subpar and the game doesn't really do anything new after the many innovations and refinements Far Cry 5 brought to the table.

11 Far Cry 6

Metascore: 73

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 really 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 really 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

Metascore: 76

At a glance, Far Cry: Primal seemed pretty interesting. The idea of a prehistoric Far Cry game could definitely 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

Metascore: 78

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. In fact, 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

Metascore: 78

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.

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

Metascore: 80

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

Metascore: 81

There are many people who 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

Metascore: 85

Far Cry on the PC was definitely 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

Metascore: 89

The first Far Cry game is pretty rough around the edges and hasn't really 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 a totally 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

Metascore: 85

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

Metascore: 85

It's a shame that fans of the Far Cry series haven't given the second title a shot. While this game 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

Metascore: 88

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 since there's something truly magical about Far Cry 3 that keeps players coming back over and over again.