# Far Cry 5
**Far Cry 5** is a 2018 open-world first-person shooter developed by [Ubisoft Montreal](https://www.edgepedia.org/ubisoft-montreal) and published by Ubisoft, in which a player-controlled junior deputy fights the doomsday cult The Project at Eden's Gate in the fictional Hope County, Montana. It was the first game in the [Far Cry](https://www.edgepedia.org/far-cry) series to be set in the United States[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/26/the-newest-dystopian-setting-in-one-of-gamings-top-franchises-rural-america/) and became the fastest-selling title in the franchise's history[2](https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/8aefmxkxpxwl/53oRou8LjfzALgR50euVdE/adc99b6371bf8158834beb0febefda63/UBISOFT_PR_FC5_sales_record_EN_FINAL_.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | March 27, 2018, on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC; originally scheduled for February 27, 2018[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/) • [4](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4LWnSyXtFmpiPljoXRrAMl/an-update-on-far-cry-5-and-the-crew-2) |
| Developer / publisher | Ubisoft Montreal (with Ubisoft Toronto credited on some listings); Ubisoft[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/) • [5](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/03/far-cry-5-review-five-steps-back/) |
| Setting | Hope County, Montana, taken over by the cult The Project at Eden's Gate, led by Joseph Seed and his siblings, the Heralds[6](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/far-cry/far-cry-5) |
| Series firsts | First Far Cry set in the United States; first with player character customization; first with online co-op across the full campaign[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/26/the-newest-dystopian-setting-in-one-of-gamings-top-franchises-rural-america/) • [7](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4Oe69xH3cUdeUu60Wl0t6p/far-cry-5-reveal-roundup-coop-character-customization-and-more) • [8](https://www.techspot.com/review/1601-far-cry-5/) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 81 on PlayStation 4 (83 reviews), 82 on Xbox One (33 reviews), 78 on PC (33 reviews); user score 7.0/10[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/) |
| Commercial performance | First-week sell-through more than doubled Far Cry 4's; $310 million in consumer spending in the first week, the second biggest Ubisoft launch after Tom Clancy's The Division[2](https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/8aefmxkxpxwl/53oRou8LjfzALgR50euVdE/adc99b6371bf8158834beb0febefda63/UBISOFT_PR_FC5_sales_record_EN_FINAL_.pdf) |
| Rating | ESRB M for Mature[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/) |
## Setting and premise
The game takes place in Hope County, a fictional rural county in the Montana mountains. The community is controlled by The Project at Eden's Gate, a fanatical doomsday cult led by the prophet Joseph Seed and his devoted siblings, who have infiltrated daily life in the county[6](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/far-cry/far-cry-5) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/). The player, a junior deputy sheriff, arrives in the county and their presence accelerates a years-long silent coup by the cult, igniting a violent takeover; under siege and cut off from the outside world, the player joins residents to form the Resistance[2](https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/8aefmxkxpxwl/53oRou8LjfzALgR50euVdE/adc99b6371bf8158834beb0febefda63/UBISOFT_PR_FC5_sales_record_EN_FINAL_.pdf).
The choice of a rural American setting was announced in May 2017 and drew attention because the series had previously used remote tropical islands or non-Western locales. Creative director Dan Hay described the game's interest in a contemporary sense of societal strain, and the developers visited Montana to test whether the setting felt real[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/26/the-newest-dystopian-setting-in-one-of-gamings-top-franchises-rural-america/) • [9](https://time.com/4795645/far-cry-5-preview/). The map is divided into three regions, each ruled by a different cult lieutenant[5](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/03/far-cry-5-review-five-steps-back/).
## Gameplay
Far Cry 5 retains the series' open-world formula of outposts, exploration, and first-person combat, with several structural changes:
- **Organic discovery.** The map is revealed by exploring rather than by climbing radio towers, a structure the series had used since earlier entries; objectives generally appear as the player encounters activity in the world, reducing map icon clutter[5](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/03/far-cry-5-review-five-steps-back/) • [10](https://www.vice.com/en/article/far-cry-5-review/).
- **Guns for Hire and Fangs for Hire.** Players can recruit up to three human companions with special skills, and animal companions such as the dog Boomer, to fight alongside them[7](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4Oe69xH3cUdeUu60Wl0t6p/far-cry-5-reveal-roundup-coop-character-customization-and-more) • [6](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/far-cry/far-cry-5).
- **Co-op and customization.** For the first time in the series, players create and customize their character, and the full campaign can be played in two-player online co-op, though story progress counts only for the hosting player[7](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4Oe69xH3cUdeUu60Wl0t6p/far-cry-5-reveal-roundup-coop-character-customization-and-more) • [8](https://www.techspot.com/review/1601-far-cry-5/).
- **Resistance Meter and dynamic AI.** Player actions feed a Resistance Meter that changes the game world and eventually draws out the Heralds, while the cult's dynamic AI tracks the player's impact and alters enemy strategy in response[7](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4Oe69xH3cUdeUu60Wl0t6p/far-cry-5-reveal-roundup-coop-character-customization-and-more) • [6](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/far-cry/far-cry-5).
- **Prepper Stashes.** Puzzle-platforming micro-dungeons, which reviewers highlighted as the game's standout addition, reward cash and Perk Points used to unlock abilities[5](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/03/far-cry-5-review-five-steps-back/).
Progression replaces experience points with Perk Points earned from challenges, and activities outside the campaign include hunting, fishing, wingsuit flying, and crafting[5](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/03/far-cry-5-review-five-steps-back/) • [6](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/far-cry/far-cry-5).
## Development and release
Ubisoft announced the game in May 2017 with a scheduled release of February 27, 2018, on [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4), [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one), and PC[7](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4Oe69xH3cUdeUu60Wl0t6p/far-cry-5-reveal-roundup-coop-character-customization-and-more). On December 7, 2017, Ubisoft announced a one-month delay to March 27, 2018, saying the extra time would allow the Ubisoft Montreal team to make additional improvements in line with the team's original vision[4](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4LWnSyXtFmpiPljoXRrAMl/an-update-on-far-cry-5-and-the-crew-2).
## Reception
Critics received the game favorably. The PlayStation 4 version holds a Metascore of 81 based on 83 critic reviews, with 84 percent positive and 16 percent mixed and no negative reviews; the Xbox One version scored 82 and the PC version 78[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/) • [11](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/critic-reviews/?platform=pc) • [12](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one). The aggregated user score was 7.0, described as mixed or average, based on several thousand ratings[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/).
Reviewers praised the world and flow. GameSpot's Edmond Tran scored it 9/10, writing that the game's smart changes to exploration, discovery, and progression bolstered enjoyment of its open world[13](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/far-cry-5-review-rocky-mountain-high/1900-6416885/). Common criticisms targeted the story and limited mechanical innovation: Slant Magazine argued that little separates the game mechanically from [Far Cry 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/far-cry-4), and [Ars Technica](https://www.edgepedia.org/ars-technica)'s review, titled "Five steps back," criticized a plot it found lacking in follow-through on the political themes suggested by its marketing, along with bland milestone-driven progression[3](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/) • [5](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/03/far-cry-5-review-five-steps-back/).
## Sales
Ubisoft reported on April 4, 2018 that Far Cry 5 had more than doubled the first-week sell-through of Far Cry 4, making it the fastest-selling title in the franchise's history, with digital distribution accounting for more than 50 percent of those sales. Consumer spending through the first week reached $310 million, the second biggest launch for a Ubisoft game after [Tom Clancy's The Division](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-clancys-the-division). In the week after launch, viewers streamed more than 55,000 hours of the game on Twitch and YouTube videos of it earned more than 117 million views, both records for a Ubisoft title in that period[2](https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/8aefmxkxpxwl/53oRou8LjfzALgR50euVdE/adc99b6371bf8158834beb0febefda63/UBISOFT_PR_FC5_sales_record_EN_FINAL_.pdf).
## Downloadable content
Three story expansions were released in 2018: Hours of Darkness on June 5, Lost on Mars on July 17, and Dead Living Zombies on August 28[14](https://www.gamespot.com/games/far-cry-5/reviews/) • [15](https://store.ubisoft.com/us/far-cry-5?lang=en_US). A season pass was also sold at launch[15](https://store.ubisoft.com/us/far-cry-5?lang=en_US).
## References
1. [The newest dystopian setting in one of gaming's top franchises: Rural America, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/26/the-newest-dystopian-setting-in-one-of-gamings-top-franchises-rural-america/)
2. [Ubisoft's Far Cry 5 Breaks Franchise Sales Records, Ubisoft press release](https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/8aefmxkxpxwl/53oRou8LjfzALgR50euVdE/adc99b6371bf8158834beb0febefda63/UBISOFT_PR_FC5_sales_record_EN_FINAL_.pdf)
3. [Far Cry 5 Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/)
4. [An Update on Far Cry 5 and The Crew 2, Ubisoft News](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4LWnSyXtFmpiPljoXRrAMl/an-update-on-far-cry-5-and-the-crew-2)
5. [Far Cry 5 review: Five steps back, Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/03/far-cry-5-review-five-steps-back/)
6. [Far Cry 5, Ubisoft (US)](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/far-cry/far-cry-5)
7. [Far Cry 5 Reveal Round-Up: Co-Op, Character Customization, and More, Ubisoft News](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4Oe69xH3cUdeUu60Wl0t6p/far-cry-5-reveal-roundup-coop-character-customization-and-more)
8. [Far Cry 5 Review, TechSpot](https://www.techspot.com/review/1601-far-cry-5/)
9. [Why 'Far Cry 5' Will Be (Much) More Than Meets the Eye, Time](https://time.com/4795645/far-cry-5-preview/)
10. ['Far Cry 5' Tries to Do It All, but Fails to Be Much of Anything, Vice](https://www.vice.com/en/article/far-cry-5-review/)
11. [Far Cry 5 PC Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
12. [Far Cry 5 Xbox One Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/far-cry-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one)
13. [Far Cry 5 Review: Rocky Mountain High, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/far-cry-5-review-rocky-mountain-high/1900-6416885/)
14. [Far Cry 5, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/far-cry-5/reviews/)
15. [Far Cry 5, Ubisoft Store](https://store.ubisoft.com/us/far-cry-5?lang=en_US)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Action, horror, and shooter franchises › Far Cry franchise*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license