So, you want to play the Far Cry games in order. Honestly? It's a bit of a headache. Most people assume they can just follow the numbers on the box, but Ubisoft has a weird habit of jumping through time like a broken record. You’ve got prehistoric spears, neon-soaked 80s lasers, and nuclear winters all shoved into the same franchise. It's chaotic.
If you’re looking for a straight line, you won't find one. The series functions more like an anthology of madness than a serialized story. Still, there is a logic to the madness if you look closely enough at the world-building and those tiny, missable Easter eggs.
The Absolute Earliest Days: Far Cry Primal
Technically, the story starts here. 10,000 BCE.
You aren't shooting AK-47s or driving jeeps. Instead, you're Takkar, a hunter in the Oros Valley. This is the chronological "start" of the Far Cry games in order, though it was released long after the original games. It’s a survival sim at its core. You tame owls, ride mammoths, and bash skulls with rocks. There is no modern "lore" here, obviously, but it establishes the series' obsession with "the primal man" and charismatic, terrifying tribal leaders.
It’s a bold experiment. Some fans hated the lack of guns. Others loved the sheer brutality. If you're doing a chronological marathon, prepare for a lot of grunting and fire-starting before you ever see a bullet.
The Cold War and 1967: Far Cry 5 DLC and Far Cry 6
Wait, why are we jumping to Vietnam?
In Far Cry 5: Hours of Darkness, we get a glimpse into the past of Wendell Redler. It’s set in 1967. This is the earliest "modern" point in the timeline. It’s short, punchy, and incredibly grim. Then, we have the 1967 revolution mentioned heavily in Far Cry 6. While the main game takes place in the present day (roughly 2021), the history of Yara and the rise of the Castillo family is rooted deeply in this era.
Ubisoft loves these echoes. They like showing how the sins of the father—or the dictator—screw over the next generation.
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The 2000s: Where it All Actually Began
The year is 2004. Jack Carver is on a boat.
The original Far Cry is a weird beast. It was developed by Crytek, not Ubisoft Montreal, and it feels like a different universe. You have mutants called Trigens. It’s more of a sci-fi horror shooter than the political playgrounds we see later. Does it fit the timeline? Barely. Many fans consider it a standalone "what if" scenario because the tone is so wildly different from everything that followed.
Then came Far Cry 2 in 2008. This is the game that changed everything.
Set in an unnamed African state, it introduced the Jackal. He's an arms dealer who is arguably the most grounded villain in the entire series. There are no superpowers here. No magic herbs. Just malaria, jamming guns, and brush fires that actually spread. It’s brutal. It’s exhausting. It’s a masterpiece of "ludonarrative resonance," a fancy term for when the gameplay actually matches the story's misery.
2012 to 2014: The Golden Age of the Villain
This is where the Far Cry games in order really started to find their footing in the cultural zeitgeist.
Far Cry 3 (2012) gave us Vaas Montenegro. "Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?" That line defined a decade of gaming. You play as Jason Brody, a pampered brat who turns into a jungle warrior. It’s a classic "hero's journey" gone wrong.
- Release Date: November 2012
- The Vibe: Tropical madness and drug-induced hallucinations
- The Connection: Look for Hurk. He’s the glue.
Follow that up with Far Cry 4 in 2014. We moved from the Rook Islands to the Himalayas. Pagan Min, the antagonist, is basically a flamboyant uncle who also happens to run a murderous regime. It refined the mechanics of 3 but added verticality. You could fly gyrocopters. You could ride elephants. It felt like the series had reached its peak form.
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The 80s Fever Dream: Blood Dragon
We have to mention Blood Dragon. It’s a standalone expansion for Far Cry 3, but it’s set in a "future" 2007 as imagined by a 1980s action movie director. It’s not canon. Or maybe it is? It’s better if you don't think about it too hard. Just enjoy the neon and the Michael Biehn voice acting.
2018: The Montana Incident
Far Cry 5 is where the timeline gets genuinely controversial.
Set in Hope County, Montana, it tackles a doomsday cult led by Joseph Seed. It’s the first time the series hit "close to home" for American players. The ending—and I won't spoil the specifics if you haven't played it—is a massive pivot for the entire franchise. It effectively splits the timeline into two branches:
- The "New Dawn" Path: A post-apocalyptic future where the world ended.
- The "Far Cry 6" Path: A world where the events of 5 didn't lead to global annihilation.
This is a point of huge debate among fans. Ubisoft hasn't officially confirmed a "multiverse," but the evidence is there. Far Cry 6 exists in a world where the nukes seemingly never fell.
2021 and Beyond: Yara and the Post-Apocalypse
Far Cry 6 stars Giancarlo Esposito as Antón Castillo. It’s a return to the tropical island roots but on a massive scale. You have a sprawling city, tanks, and a protagonist, Dani Rojas, who actually has a voice and a personality.
If you choose to follow the other path after Far Cry 5, you end up in Far Cry New Dawn (set in 2035). It’s the same map as 5, but everything is pink, overgrown, and dangerous. It's a direct sequel. You see what happened to the characters you loved—or hated.
The Real Order of Release
If you want to play them as they came out, here is the list. No fluff.
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- Far Cry (2004)
- Far Cry 2 (2008)
- Far Cry 3 (2012)
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (2013)
- Far Cry 4 (2014)
- Far Cry Primal (2016)
- Far Cry 5 (2018)
- Far Cry New Dawn (2019)
- Far Cry 6 (2021)
What Most People Get Wrong About the Continuity
People try to force these games into a single, perfect line. You can't.
Take the character of Willis Huntley, the CIA agent. He shows up in 3, 4, and 5. He talks about his past missions in a way that suggests a shared universe. Then you have Hurk, the lovable idiot who appears in almost every game, including Primal (as an ancestor).
But then Far Cry 6 comes along and introduces "Vaas" in a post-credits scene that confuses everyone. Is it a prequel? A sequel? A different reality?
The best way to view the Far Cry games in order is to treat them as legends. They are tall tales told around a campfire. Some details are exaggerated. Some dates don't line up. The "truth" of the world depends on which game you are currently playing.
Actionable Strategy: How Should You Actually Play Them?
If you're a newcomer, don't start at the beginning. Far Cry 1 and 2 are dated and, honestly, quite difficult for modern players used to "quality of life" features.
Start with Far Cry 3 Classic Edition. It’s the blueprint. If you love the tropical vibes and the villain, move on to Far Cry 4.
If you want a more modern, polished experience with a lot of customization, skip straight to Far Cry 6. The gameplay is the most refined there, even if some purists miss the grit of the older titles.
For the "Lore Chasers," you have to play Far Cry 5 immediately followed by New Dawn. It’s the only time the series gives you a true two-part story. Seeing the ruins of Hope County in New Dawn after spending sixty hours saving it in 5 is a gut punch that most games can't replicate.
Practical Steps for Your Playthrough:
- Check your platform: Most of the older titles are now 60 FPS on PS5 and Xbox Series X via "FPS Boost" or "Classic Editions." Don't play the original PS3/360 versions if you can avoid it.
- Ignore the "spin-offs" if you're short on time: Primal and Blood Dragon are great, but they don't add anything to the central "dictator-toppling" narrative.
- Play Far Cry 2 for the challenge: If you think modern games are too easy, Far Cry 2 will humble you. It’s the "Dark Souls" of the franchise.
The Far Cry series is about the loss of innocence. It’s about people being pushed to the edge and realizing they might be just as bad as the villains they're fighting. Whether you're in the Stone Age or a futuristic wasteland, that theme remains the same. Pick a setting that interests you and start shooting. The order matters far less than the experience of the chaos itself.