The Far Cry series has been around for over 20 years now. Since its original inception by Crytek, the game has become a flagship series for Ubisoft, which bought the rights to the series in 2006. Since then, Ubisoft has created an entry or two in the series every console generation, and many inspired game developers have taken a crack at the formula or have taken elements of Far Cry's design.
Each of the games in this list will in some way be related to the gameplay, gameplay-fantasy, or mechanics of entries from the Far Cry series. Essentially, this means they're open-world shooters with a reliance on either sandbox elements, stealth elements, or both to vary their gameplay.
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7 Homefront: The Revolution
Urban Far Cry
Homefront: The Revolution
- Released
- May 17, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Dambuster Studios
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Homefront: The Revolution is both a perfect and contentious pick for this discussion. On the one hand, the game plays out like urban Far Cry, with the gunplay and world structure being nearly identical to the earlier entries in Ubisoft's franchise. Crytek even supported Dambuster in the development process, which might explain the similarities between the two IPs.
The city is divided into enemy-controlled zones that need to be cleared out, and the whole map is littered with enemy bases, checkpoints, and patrol hubs. More importantly, the gameplay loop revolves around scouting, disrupting, and attacking these points, which is identical to Far Cry. Homefront: The Revolution gives players relative freedom to approach scenarios as they see fit, supporting all-out assault or stealth. Like nearly all the Far Cry stories, the campaign sees you gradually destabilize enemy control over a region, although you are not an outsider in HTR.
So, all of that sounds great, but HTR is not exactly fantastic. Don't get me wrong, the game is better than its reputation, but it is still ultimately a forgettable open-world shooter. Still, it is worth a playthrough if you are itching for Far Cry but don't want Far Cry.
6 Rage 2
DOOM Meets Far Cry
Rage 2
- Released
- May 19, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Studios, id Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Developed by Avalanche Studios with help from id Software, Rage 2 is an open-world game that blends the combat of DOOM (2016) with the open-world structure of something like Far Cry, albeit with plenty of influence from Avalanche's previous projects like Mad Max. The game has many mechanics that are similar to Far Cry 5 and 6, in particular, including the ability to collect vehicles by returning them to a garage, as well as a map separated into three different storylines (though more linear in Rage 2).
Forgoing stealth almost entirely, Rage 2 instead gives players a large suite of abilities that allow them to zip through the battlefield, allowing them to take more and more control over the environment.
5 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Most Similar to Far Cry
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
- Released
- December 7, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Massive Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Made by Ubisoft, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is probably as close as one can get to a Far Cry game that is not part of the franchise. Taking place in James Cameron's Avatar franchise, this release plays, feels, and often looks like Far Cry, save for a few differences. As a player created Na'vi captured by human forces, players use their leverage as a perceived extinct to assist and unite other clans against human invaders who want to steal the resources found on Pandora.
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The gameplay is quite similar to a typical Far Cry game in terms of there being a big map with markers, strongholds to take over, and many different weapons and vehicles to use. However, each of these is translated in a way that commits to the franchise. Vehicles are the many animals of Pandora, and many of the weapons aren't guns but rather bows and traps.
4 Dying Light
Dead Island Meet Parkour
Dying Light
- Released
- January 27, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Techland
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival Horror
Dying Light is a very purposeful game. While many of Ubisoft's projects can feel bloated with how many mechanics they have or how much content they offer, Dying Light is very much not. Aside from maybe a stingy XP system that makes getting skills in the early-game more difficult, this is a focused take on a parkour zombie game. There's a map, markers, and sandbox elements, but each of these is beholden to bolstering either the zombie or parkour part of Dying Light.
There are no vehicles in the base game, because the fastest way to move around the map is to free-run across the rooftops. With so many craftable weapons, parkour moves, and environmental hazards to take advantage of, there is plenty of room for sandbox experimentation.
3 Halo Infinite (Campaign)
Halo's Open-World Debut
Halo Infinite
- Released
- December 8, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- 343 Industries
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
The first game in the franchise to go completely open-world, Halo Infinite marries the seamless vehicle combat and armor abilities of the original trilogy and Halo: Reach with an open-ended structure. The product is a game that plays similarly to Far Cry, but in a way that's not completely separated from the universe of Halo. It's reminiscent of Halo 3's "Believe" marketing, where a spread-thin UNSC faces dire circumstances, hoping to be saved by some miracle.
As Master Chief, players provide that miracle, swooping in with tanks, warthogs, grappling hooks, and an extensive suit of weapons to provide relief for the stranded marines of Zeta Halo. The real standout is the grappling hook, which, when upgraded, turns Master Chief into a first-person Spider-Man.
2 Just Cause 3
Most Ridiculous Sandbox
Just Cause 3
- Released
- November 30, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Third-Person Shooter
Just Cause 3 has the most comical sandbox on this list, and it is up there with Goat Simulator in terms of goofy open-world experiences. For those that haven't played, its gameplay is similar to superhero games due to the sheer absurdity of stunts you can pull, despite how it may look.
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Players can use grappling hooks, gliders, thrusters, and tether cables to cause utter chaos on the fictional island of Medici, located in the Mediterranean. The game is open-world, and with so many abilities, weapons, and vehicles to use on top of being able to fly, there is a lot of sandbox to dig into.
1 Crysis
After Far Cry Came Crysis
Crysis
- Released
- November 13, 2007
- ESRB
- M
Crytek only developed the first Far Cry game, which isn't ultimately that representative of the series as a whole. However, it still set the foundation that would eventually blossom into one of the biggest fps open-world franchises of the 2010s. After launching one new IP, Crytek repeated that process a few years later with Crysis, replicating plenty of Far Cry's ideas in the process.
Once again, players explore an exotic jungle environment, albeit one split into large levels rather than a full-blown open-world. Even though the game is linear, it prioritizes flexible combat, as you are given the right to decide which approach to take when clearing most enemy camps. Enemies are quite aggressive, and they react depending on your actions rather than following a set script; consequently, repeat playthroughs can feel relatively different if you opt for a different playstyle. Even more so than Far Cry, Crysis is a power fantasy that casts the player as a one-person wrecking crew, and you even have sci-fi armor to help in that process. Despite your nanosuit, you are still vulnerable, so you cannot just blast your way through without putting any thought into your actions.
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