The highly anticipated Far Cry 5 is out today on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and everyone has a lot to say about it. The newest Far Cry game takes players to the United States for the first time with some series staples and plenty of new elements thrown in to keep things fresh.
Set in the fictional Hope County, Montana, Far Cry 5 focuses on a religious doomsday cult lead by a predictably outlandish leader, who serves as the game’s main antagonist. Critics are voicing an array of opinions for Far Cry 5, though many reviews are praising the open world’s design while criticizing the lackluster action.
We’ll have our official review of the game up soon, but in the meantime, check out what other critics have to say to help you decide if Far Cry 5 sounds right for you.
IGN – 8.9/10 (Review in Progress)
“While the Far Cry formula remains addictive, there is a certain amount of sameness to it. The tasks required of you, the weapons at your disposal, and the now-cliche supernatural dream sequences are all so similar to Far Cry 3 and 4 that there isn’t much by way of surprises in store. It’s still a blast to play, and the brutal combat remains ever so satisfying no matter where you are (thanks in part to the amusingly unrealistic ragdoll death animations) but Far Cry 5 doesn’t feel like a revelation because it doesn’t do a lot to set itself apart.”
GameSpot – 9/10 (Review in Progress)
“Despite some brief irritations and missed opportunities with its narrative, spending time in the world of Hope County remains absolutely delightful. Far Cry 5 boasts a wonderfully harmonious flow to its adventure, with its smart changes to exploration, discovery, and progression distinctly bolstering the enjoyment of creatively engaging and experimenting with its spectacular open world.”
USGamer – 4.5/5
“Far Cry 5 is a game that struggles in trying to serve two purposes. On one hand, there’s a dark, horrific tale of a cult taking over a small town. On the other, it’s a playground of destruction, letting players fly and drive around, blowing up things with a bear and a dog. Both sides are good, but they don’t really meet in the middle. If you can survive the tonal whiplash, you’ll find a great game here and Far Cry Arcade only makes it better.”
The Guardian – 3/5
“There are great individual moments in Far Cry 5. The gunplay is excellent, its unpredictable world generates daring stories of accidental heroism, and when it leans into the whole red-blooded American patriotism schtick, it’s genuinely funny. It doesn’t always fit together as well as it should, sometimes forcing the player to work around the game rather than with it – but the wildly vacillating tone is the bigger issue. It’s at once disorienting and noncommittal. Paradoxically, this is an extreme satire of modern America that says pretty much nothing about it.”
Game Informer – 7.5/10
“Far Cry 5‘s world is meticulously constructed, and it’s a remarkable facsimile of Big Sky Country. Unfortunately, too much of the action in it is uninspired. It’s a beautiful but bland recitation of what’s come before, from both the series and Ubisoft’s open-world playbook. It’s never bad, but considering how great the past games have been, its overall predictability is disappointing.”