Far Cry Games in Order

Why this order?

Far Cry is a series you can pick up almost anywhere. Each main entry drops you into a fresh open world with a new cast and a new charismatic villain, so the games are designed to stand alone. That makes release order the simplest and most natural way through the series: start with Far Cry (2004) and play forward to Far Cry 6 (2021). It is the order that tracks how the open-world formula, the writing, and the production scale evolved over nearly two decades.

A quick note on what counts as "mainline." The numbered entries are Far Cry 1 through 6. Far Cry Primal (2016) and Far Cry New Dawn (2019) are standalone spin-offs that Ubisoft released between the numbered games, not numbered mainline titles. This list covers all eight major releases, since they are full retail games that play like part of the core run, but Primal and New Dawn are the spin-offs of the bunch.

The one real gotcha is Far Cry New Dawn (2019). Unlike every other game, it is a direct sequel that picks up years after the events of Far Cry 5 (2018), reusing its Montana setting and consequences. If story continuity matters to you, play Far Cry 5 before New Dawn. Everywhere else, the numbering is just chronological for the franchise, not the plot.

If you only want to start once and start strong, Far Cry 3 (2012) is the entry most fans point to as where the modern formula clicked, and Far Cry 5 is the most accessible recent jumping-on point. Far Cry Primal (2016) is the odd one out, swapping guns for a Stone Age setting, but it still stands fully on its own.

This list covers the major retail Far Cry games. Smaller standalone offshoots like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon exist alongside them, but the eight games above are the run worth knowing. Fans of Ubisoft's other open-world sandboxes, such as Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs, will find the same studio DNA running through every Far Cry.