Far Cry is one of the best and most unique open-world games that Ubisoft made after purchasing its rights from Crytek. Although the franchise is a “far cry” from what it once was, it used to be one of the most noteworthy games to be released in a given year. Yet there is no denying that Far Cry is one of the most popular and important franchises in video games, so we’ve decided to rank all the games from worst to best.
Ranking Far Cry Games from Worst to Best
Before making Crysis – one of the most beautiful games ever made – Crytek created another game called Far Cry that was later sold to Ubisoft. Later on, Ubisoft turned this good game into one of their finest franchises with great gameplay and world and also some of the most horrifying villains. The franchise had its best moments and also the worst ones. In this article, we’ll rank each game of the series, explain why one is better than the other, and provide a general guide for those who want to play the best of the best.
9 – Far Cry New Dawn
We’ll start the ranking with a spin-off of the series called Far Cry: New Dawn. The game is set seventeen years after the events of Far Cry 5, which means we get to set foot in Hope County once again. New Dawn is a fun game, but compared to every other game in the series, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table.
Not only is there nothing new in the gameplay of the game, but everything you see has already been done better in Far Cry 5. Not to mention that you don’t even get to see another location but set foot in the same place but with just different aesthetics. Far Cry New Dawn is the prime example of why a simple good idea is not enough.
8 – Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6 is the latest entry of the series that happens to be the worst main game of the franchise as well. The game seemed pretty decent and cool before it was released, but the scenario changed when it was released. The best word to describe Far Cry 6 is ‘shallow.’ The game was shallow in design, gameplay, and story as well.
Sure, it was fun to play, and there were a few innovations, but that couldn’t conceal the fact that the game was far from the standards of the series. Maybe I would have appreciated the setting of the game only if I hadn’t already seen a far better version of that in the previous game. Overall, Far Cry 6 is just a cheap copy of everything great about the prior games.
7 – Far Cry Primal
Far Cry Primal is one of the games with a concept and potential I appreciate but nothing else. We don’t get to see many games set in the Stone Age and not many in an open-world setting. The dedication of Ubisoft to not only create such a game but also use a primal language is nothing but admirable. Far Cry Primal is a one-of-a-kind game with some unique ideas that fall short in only one thing: quality.
Primal is not a bad game, but it is far from a great one. Mediocrity is the illness that Far Cry Primal suffers from. Everything in the game, from its open-world design to the story, characters, and gameplay, is just okay. It gets the job done, but there is no great satisfaction once you put more hours into the game.
6 – Far Cry
The starter of the franchise also happens to have one of the most unique stories and settings in the series. While for the majority of the game, we get to fight for some sort of revolution, here we have to fight a mad scientist who is conducting experiments on the wildlife of the island you are in. The idea itself isn’t original, but that was the only time we saw such a thing in the Far Cry franchise.
Crytek was responsible for making the game, and they delivered one of the best first-person shooters in those years. The variety of weapons and enemies you faced was admirable, but the best thing about the game was the visuals. Remembering that this game was released in 2004 blows my mind every time.
5 – Far Cry 4
Far Cry 4 was bolder and bigger in every way compared to previous games of the series, and that sums it all up. It was just that. We didn’t see a lot of change in the gameplay apart from a few tweaks here and there. But once again, Ubisoft decided to use a setting we don’t see much in video games, and that was India, one of the richest countries in terms of culture. This was by far the most unique thing about Far Cry 4… oh, and riding an elephant, of course!
Yet that was not the best part of the game. What truly would make you get through the game and finish it was the villain, Pagan Min, voiced by none other than Troy Baker. The introduction of this villain is one of the best in the history of video games, and what’s weirder is that he is not even the best villain in the franchise!
4 – Far Cry 2
I would like to call Far Cry 2 the most underrated game of the series. The improvement of gameplay mechanics and game design from the first game is crazy. The revolution set, the African aesthetics of the game, that mysterious villain, and that sense of exploration were unique at that time. Not to mention that the game was heavily inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
What makes Far Cry 2 such an amazing game, in my opinion, is its unique exploration system. The game doesn’t give you direct help on where to find the treasure but allows you to explore for yourself and, therefore, always have a sense of achievement after each treasure. Hope to see the return of this system in the Far Cry series once again.
3 – Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
When someone mentions a good standalone expansion of a game, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is among the very first names that pop into my head. This is one of the most bizarre games I’ve ever played, but somehow, it managed to become one of my all-time favorites. The size of the game was decreased in the right way, and that smoothened the path for a more creative approach to the game. To make the game weirder, more fun, and, of course, more mental.
Blood Dragon is heavily inspired by 80s and retro sci-fi pop culture. You control a cyborg by the name of Rex Colt in a futuristic and dystopian world, and you have all these cool weapons and gadgets to complete missions and kill the bad guys. I think Ubisoft described the game best by saying Blood Dragon is “an 80s VHS vision of the future,” and I could not agree more.
2 – Far Cry 5
The Far Cry franchise traveled to many countries and cultures, but it was time to finally come to America. Far Cry 5 is set in a fictional city called Hope County, where all connections to the outside world are prohibited thanks to Project at Eden’s Gate cult. Just the change of scenery made the game much more modern on its own. Not only could we use high-end weaponry but also a few fast and powerful cars.
What I loved about Far Cry 5, however, was all the companions you could choose from to help you on different missions. It was a new idea that changed a lot of gameplay and combat mechanics in the game, which led to this entry into the franchise to give players a fresh experience. And lastly, the iconic face of Far Cry 5, Joseph Seed, was the best combination of charm and psychopath I’ve seen in any of the villains in the Far Cry series.
1 – Far Cry 3
The Magnum Opus of the Far Cry series is by far the third installment of the series. This game was not only the peak of the Far Cry franchise but also the action-adventure game of that era. A big map, amazing wildlife, a dynamic and flawless combat system, and a great story are the four horsemen that made this game great.
What made this game a phenomenon, however, was a crazy guy named Vaas Montenegro, who haunted players to their core. This guy was the true definition of insanity. Chaos reincarnated as a homo sapien. I also believe that Far Cry 3 had not only the best character development in the franchise but also the most layered story of them all. There is no way you can play this game and forget about all those quotes from Alice in Wonderland.
