Far Cry 5

Far Cry 5 drops players into the sprawling, sun-drenched valleys of Hope County, Montana, only to reveal a nightmare simmering beneath the picturesque surface. This first-person shooter from Ubisoft Montreal, released in March 2018 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, pits you against the Project at Eden's Gate, a doomsday cult led by the magnetic and terrifying Joseph Seed. You play as a junior deputy sheriff who gets stranded in the county after a botched arrest attempt, forcing you to team up with local resistance fighters to push back against Seed and his fanatical family. The open world encourages chaos: you can stalk through forests with a bow, blast cult outposts with rocket launchers, or recruit a grizzly bear as a furry ally. Side quests, fishing, and a map editor add depth, while the co-op mode lets a friend drop in to share the mayhem. The story branches based on your actions in each region, though the narrative often struggles to match the freedom of the sandbox.

Development began after Far Cry 4, with the team initially considering other settings before settling on rural America. They drew inspiration from real-world divisions and events like the Cold War and 9/11, aiming to channel a sense of societal unease into the game's tense atmosphere. The result is a world that feels both beautiful and menacing, with cult propaganda plastered over barns and armed patrols roaming the backroads. Critics praised the vibrant open world, tight gunplay, and a soundtrack that blends country hymns with electronic beats. However, the story and some characters drew flak for feeling undercooked or tonally inconsistent. Commercially, Far Cry 5 was a juggernaut: it became the fastest-selling entry in the series, grossing over $310 million in its first week, and had sold 10 million units by March 2020. A direct sequel, Far Cry New Dawn, arrived in 2019, and the next mainline game, Far Cry 6, followed in 2021. [edit]

Far Cry 5 sticks to the series' open-world formula but adds a few new twists. You can customize your character's gender, clothing, and loadout from the start. The world is split into three regions, each ruled by one of Joseph Seed's siblings: John in Holland Valley, Jacob in Whitetail Mountains, and Faith in Henbane River. As you complete missions and side activities, you fill a resistance meter for that region. Once it maxes out, a cutscene triggers that kidnaps you and forces you into a story mission. Some players found this disruptive, since it yanks you out of the open world without warning.

Combat feels fluid, with a huge arsenal ranging from pistols to rocket launchers. You can now fire any weapon from the passenger seat of a vehicle, a series first. The Guns for Hire system lets you recruit human allies with unique abilities, like the sniper Grace or the explosives expert Hurk. Fangs for Hire brings animal companions: Cheeseburger the bear, Peaches the cougar, and Boomer the dog. Each has its own combat style. Fishing and hunting return for crafting upgrades, and a map editor lets you create and share custom levels. The game also includes a separate multiplayer mode, Far Cry Arcade, where you can build and play your own maps. [edit]

You are a junior deputy sheriff in Hope County, Montana, sent to arrest the cult leader Joseph Seed on federal charges. The arrest goes wrong when Joseph's followers ambush your convoy. Your helicopter crashes, and you wake up alone in the wilderness. Joseph's siblings each control a region of the county: John Seed, a ruthless lawyer who uses brainwashing and torture; Jacob Seed, a former military commander who runs a paramilitary training camp; and Faith Seed, a young woman who uses a hallucinogenic drug called Bliss to control her followers. You must liberate each region by building up the local resistance and confronting the Heralds.

After defeating all three siblings, you finally face Joseph Seed at his compound. The game offers multiple endings. In one, you arrest Joseph and leave the county. In another, you give in to his prophecy and stay. The post-credits scene shows a nuclear apocalypse, confirming Joseph's predictions. This leads directly into the sequel Far Cry New Dawn, set 17 years later in a post-nuclear Hope County. [edit]