Far Cry 5
Ubisoft Montreal · Shooter, Survival, Action
Overview
Welcome to Hope County, Montana, land of the free and the brave, but also home to a fanatical doomsday cult known as The Project at Eden’s Gate that is threatening the community's freedom. Stand up to the cult’s leader, Joseph Seed and the Heralds, and spark the fires of resistance that will liberate the besieged community. In this expansive world, your limits and creativity will be tested against the biggest and most ruthless baddest enemy Far Cry has ever seen. It’ll be wild and it’ll get weird, but as long as you keep your wits about you, the residents of Hope County can rest assured knowing you’re their beacon of hope.
THE GAMEQ VERDICT10,000 reviews analyzed
What players are actually saying
1. Summary
Most players recommend Far Cry 5. They describe Hope County as a beautiful place to roam and the Seed family as unsettling villains, and they enjoy how the shooting, vehicles and animal companions turn outposts and road fights into chaos. The whole campaign can be played with a friend, and the soundtrack gets regular praise, especially the cult hymns. Some reviewers call it their favourite Far Cry, and some are replaying it years after release.
Once a region's resistance meter fills, the game captures the player wherever they are and drops them into a scripted story sequence, and reviewers who otherwise love the game still complain about it. Others say missions start to feel samey across the three regions, that bugs still break missions and saves, and that the required Ubisoft Connect launcher locked them out of the game entirely. Opinion on the story is split, and more so on the ending, which some reviewers say spoiled the whole campaign for them. Reviewers who bring up the price usually advise buying it on sale.
2. What keeps coming up
What players praise
The Seed family as villainsHigh
The villains come up in 24% of the longer reviews, and reviewers who single out Joseph Seed and his siblings praise them far more often than they criticise them. Fans describe Joseph as calm and menacing at once: "He's calm, softly spoken and strangely welcoming, yet every conversation carries an underlying sense of danger." Each sibling runs a region with its own mood, and Faith and Jacob draw both affection and dread. Critics say the family gets too little screen time and only shows up in set scenes, as one negative review put it: "Joseph as a bad guy doesnt really appear much in the story". A few rank the cast below the villains of Far Cry 3 and 4.
Hope County's world and visualsHigh
The world or the graphics come up in 23% of the longer reviews, nearly always as a strength. Players describe forests, rivers, farms and mountains that still look good years after release, a map that rewards wandering, and small details such as campers singing or the stories told by abandoned houses. For one reviewer, "Hope County is easily one of Ubisoft's best open worlds." A smaller group finds the map samey or calls it a pretty backdrop with little underneath, and some say it feels empty once a region is cleared.
Two-player co-opHigh
Co-op is mentioned in 16% of the longer reviews, much of it by people who played the campaign with a partner, sibling or friend and enjoyed it: "Causing complete chaos with a friend, taking over outposts, and getting into ridiculous situations is some of the most fun I've had in a multiplayer game." That praise often comes with caveats about how little progress the guest player keeps and about dropped connections, covered under the frustrations below.
The soundtrack and radioHigh
Music comes up in 12% of the longer reviews. Players single out the cult's hymns and choir pieces, the regional themes and the radio while driving, and some still listen to the soundtrack outside the game: "Somehow Ubisoft managed to combine country music with church hymns and choir pieces into something that fits the atmosphere perfectly." A handful of reviewers found the music loud or forgettable, and one complained that turning it off in the settings does not work.
Guns and Fangs for HireHigh
Companions appear in 12% of the longer reviews. Reviewers often name the animals, Boomer the dog, Cheeseburger the bear and Peaches the cougar, along with human specialists such as Grace, Nick Rye and Hurk. "Boomer is still one of my favorite companions in the series," one writes. The criticism is about companion AI: allies block doorways, ruin stealth, crash aircraft or get downed too easily.
Gunplay, vehicles and sandbox freedomHigh
In 11% of the longer reviews the subject is gunplay or combat, mostly with praise for punchy shooting ("Gunfights feel punchy and satisfying."), and others talk about the planes, helicopters and trucks that let them approach a fight however they like. Clearing outposts without being seen is a favourite: "Taking down outposts full stealth is always rewarding." Dissenters say the guns feel light, the weapon list leans on reskins, and armoured enemies soak up absurd numbers of hits.
Where players are split
The story and its writingHigh
The story is discussed in 21% of the longer reviews. 14% call it good, engaging or memorable, often crediting the cult premise and its themes, while 8% call it weak, messy or badly written, and some reviews say both. Critics point to a plot that never quite holds together, to forgettable allies, and to the tone swinging between grim cult material and goofy side missions. Some enjoy the game and shrug off the plot: "Bad story, good theme park".
Comparisons with Far Cry 3 and 4High
17% of the longer reviews measure the game against Far Cry 3 or 4. Reviewers who call it the best entry in the series (9%) outnumber those who call it the worst or a step down (3%). Fans point to smoother movement and driving, aircraft you can fly and a more open structure. Detractors miss the voiced protagonists, the hunting that fed crafting and the tighter missions of the older games. One reviewer summed up the split: "as an open world coop fps: the game is great. as a far cry game: its mid."
The endingHigh
The ending is mentioned in 12.5% of the longer reviews, and somewhat more reviewers dislike it than praise it. Some of its critics say it made the whole campaign feel pointless or put them off replaying: "Basically, great game, crap ending." Defenders call it bold and say they kept thinking about it afterwards: "it's one of those endings you keep thinking about long after you finish the game". Several reviews that recommend the game still call the ending a letdown.
Hunting and fishingHigh
Hunting or fishing comes up in 11% of the longer reviews. Fishing has real fans who find it relaxing ("fishing mechanic is fun, probably one of my favorites"), while others find it awkward on mouse and keyboard ("the fishing minigame is atrocious on a mouse/kb"). Hunting splits along series lines: some welcome that pelts now simply earn money, and veterans miss crafting upgrades from animal skins ("Hunting is an absolute disgrace.").
Arcade mode and the achievement huntMedium
Arcade or achievements come up in 9% of the longer reviews, mostly from heavy players. Some love the community-made maps and the editor: "The Solo Arcade maps are so absurdly magnificent". Completionists describe the Arcade achievements as a slog, with featured community maps that crash on load ("These are the only crashes the game has had, but it was nearly a guarantee when trying for this achievement."), a near-empty multiplayer side and long grinds in the DLC.
The three DLCsMedium
7% of the longer reviews discuss the expansions, and opinions differ by pack. Hours of Darkness (Vietnam) and Lost on Mars each have defenders, with Lost on Mars praised for its weapons and humour ("Lost on Mars is the extra seasoning that makes it even better"), though Hurk's nonstop chatter wears on others. Descriptions of Dead Living Zombies run from "a fun side experience" to "Absolutely dreadful". Several reviewers advise skipping the season pass, and a few note that DLC weapons unlocked from the start undercut progression in the main game.
Worth it on saleMedium
Price comes up in 6% of the longer reviews, nearly always as advice to buy on sale rather than at full price. Most of these reviewers call the game a good deal at a discount, and a smaller group says the full price is too high for what it offers. A reviewer who did not recommend it still put a number on it: "If you can get it for <10€ it's enjoyable, but I am still pretty disappointed."
The silent protagonistLow
3% of the longer reviews mention the voiceless deputy. Most see it as a loss next to the voiced leads of earlier games, saying villain scenes feel one-sided when "your character just stands there like a camera with hands". A few prefer it and say it makes the villains feel like they are speaking directly to them.
What frustrates players
Bugs, broken missions and lost progressHigh
12.5% of the longer reviews mention bugs, glitches or crashes, mostly as complaints. Reviewers describe missions that will not complete or trigger, NPCs stuck behind invisible walls, falling through the map, save files lost or reset, error codes that block co-op, and Steam Input controllers that cannot reverse or slow down aircraft. One player who could not finish the campaign wrote that "this MAJOR bug should not be in this game, especially since it has been out for years." A minority treat the physics glitches as part of the fun.
Repetitive missions and structureHigh
The game is called repetitive in 12% of the longer reviews. Reviewers say each region follows the same pattern of outposts, hostage rescues, convoys and resistance points, and that side missions blur together by the second region: "Far Cry 5 is a beautiful chore." Some reviews that like the game make the same point and say the sandbox carries it anyway, while others argue that each region feels distinct.
Forced captures and the resistance meterHigh
10% of the longer reviews complain about being captured whenever a region's resistance meter crosses a threshold, and the complaint often turns up in reviews that otherwise praise the game. Players describe being darted out of helicopters, planes or the middle of other missions: "if the region's progress bar fills up, you will get hit by a magical bliss arrow from outer space". They say it breaks the freedom the open world promises, happens too many times ("The first time, it's mildly interesting. The second, you understand the gimmick."), and can lock out side missions when quest givers are affected. A few say it stops being annoying once you treat the captures as scheduled story beats.
Ubisoft Connect and account problemsMedium
8.5% of the longer reviews complain about the required Ubisoft Connect launcher, and reviewers with only a few hours played raise it more often than others. They describe the game failing to launch from Steam, accounts linked to the wrong email, two-factor and password loops, CD key prompts, and lockouts that left them unable to play a game they had bought: "Every time I want to open the game, it's a lottery whether clicking on play in steam will do anything." Some reviewers add that the launcher worked fine for them after setup.
Constant enemy spawns and despawning lootLow
4% of the longer reviews complain about encounters spawning on top of the player and about bodies or vehicles vanishing when they look away. Cult planes are a frequent target, and reviewers say the pace leaves no room to fish or enjoy the scenery: "you can't even fish or walk for 20 seconds without a truck, a plane, or a cougar spawning on your face". Others enjoy this chaos and say it gave them their best stories.
Microtransactions in a single-player gameLow
3% of the longer reviews object to the paid silver bars currency and the store prompts that greet players at the start. "Every in-world shop of the game has a cash shop where you can spend real money," one complains, and some add that the in-game shop stalls while it tries to connect.
Co-op progress and connection problemsLow
3% of the longer reviews describe co-op problems. The main one is that story progress, unlocks and perks largely stay with the host: "The online co-op is kinda scuffed where the progress only regards the host". Others describe the guest being left out of piloting or story moments ("I spent almost the entire game sitting in the passenger seat"), kicks to the menu, and named connection errors.
Long loading screens on newer Intel CPUsLow
2% of the longer reviews report loading screens of several minutes after deaths and fast travel, usually on 12th to 14th generation Intel processors, with fixes such as turning off Hyper-Threading in the BIOS or disabling E-cores. "Atrocious loading times. Takes about 3 minutes from the title page, same after death." The reviewers who raise it tend to have fewer hours played, and some report co-op kicks tied to the same problem. Other reviewers say the game runs smoothly even on modest hardware.
Unskippable cutscenesLow
2% of the longer reviews complain about cutscenes they cannot skip, especially in the opening hours and during capture sequences: "90% of the first two hours are unskippable cutscenes."
Features removed from earlier gamesLow
2% of the longer reviews miss things the series used to have: the healing and skinning animations, knife and machete takedowns, crafting upgrades and the mini-map. "no machete takedown, no healing animation kinda disappointed me". A few welcome the faster pace these changes bring.
3. The player conversation
The tone is affectionate and exasperated at the same time. Some reviewers are replaying the game years after release or arriving as first-time Far Cry players after a cheap sale, and both groups mostly enjoy it. The forced captures turn up in warm reviews as well as angry ones, and some negative reviews agree the sandbox is fun before explaining what ruined it for them: the ending, the repetition, a bug that wiped progress, or a launcher that never let them in. Far Cry 3 and 4 come up throughout, and more reviewers rank this game above them than below.
Launcher, account and loading-screen complaints come more often from people with only a few hours played, some of whom could barely get the game running. Achievement, Arcade and DLC complaints come from heavy players chasing 100% completion, and objections to the ending come from people who finished the campaign. Co-op players praise playing together and then describe the host-only progress. The reviews in this slice cluster from March 2025 onward, and week by week the positive share stayed between roughly 72% and 92%, with no sustained shift in either direction.
4. What the developers could do
- Let players trigger or delay the capture sequences. The forced captures turn up in happy and unhappy reviews alike, and players ask to start these story beats themselves instead of being darted out of whatever they are doing.
- Fix the mission-breaking bugs and save losses. Reviewers describe missions that never complete, NPCs stuck out of bounds and wiped saves, often noting these problems persist years after release.
- Make Ubisoft Connect optional or fix account linking. Buyers locked out by wrong-email links, password loops and CD key prompts describe losing access to a game they paid for, some of them within their first few hours.
- Patch the long loading times on modern Intel CPUs. Players report multi-minute loads and co-op kicks that only a BIOS change fixes, and some refuse to change BIOS settings for one game.
- Give co-op guests their own progress. Duos enjoy playing the campaign together, then say the guest leaves with almost nothing saved and sits in the passenger seat during key moments.
- Vary mission structure and thin out ambient spawns. Reviewers call the regions repetitive and say constant planes, convoys and animal attacks leave no room to explore in peace.
- Make every cutscene skippable. Players replaying the game or sitting through the opening hours ask for a skip button on all scripted scenes.
- Fix or remove the crashing Arcade maps tied to achievements. Completionists describe loading crash after crash just to clear the Arcade achievements.
