Far Cry 5 is an open-world first-person shooter set in the fictional Hope County region of Montana. Players take on the role of a junior deputy sheriff who must confront the Project at Eden's Gate, a doomsday cult that has seized control of the area under the leadership of Joseph Seed and his siblings.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on exploration across a large rural map filled with forests, rivers, and settlements. Players engage in combat using firearms, explosives, and melee weapons while navigating encounters with cult members and hostile wildlife. Vehicles play a central role, including cars, boats, and aircraft that support dogfights and aerial maneuvers. A wingsuit allows for gliding between locations, and a fishing system lets players catch various species in the county's waterways.
Progression relies on accumulating resistance points through story missions, side activities, and actions that disrupt cult operations. Reaching thresholds in each region triggers confrontations with the cult's lieutenants. The Guns for Hire system enables recruitment of specialists who provide support in combat, such as long-range snipers or animal companions that attack enemies. Perks are earned by completing challenges rather than through a traditional experience system, and crafting focuses on basic consumables without extensive resource gathering.
Game Modes
The main campaign supports single-player play or two-player cooperative sessions where a friend joins as a hired gun. Side missions and optional challenges, including timed vehicle and wingsuit races known as Clutch Nixon events, expand the experience beyond the primary storyline.
Far Cry Arcade serves as a separate mode that includes a map editor for creating custom levels and a selection of multiplayer options such as deathmatch. Players can build and share objectives that range from simple skirmishes to more complex scenarios, extending replayability through community content.
Story and World
The narrative unfolds through interactions with local resistance members and encounters with the cult's hierarchy. Regions become liberated as players complete objectives tied to specific cult leaders, altering the presence of enemies in those areas. The open environment encourages free movement between locations without strict level gating, though resistance point thresholds guide the overall pace of the main conflict.
Is It Worth Playing?
Far Cry 5 remains available on PS4 with its full single-player campaign, co-op functionality, and Arcade mode intact. Reviews at launch described the open-world design and visuals positively, while noting mixed reactions to the story and characters. Players continue to engage with the title years later for its exploration and combat systems. The game suits those who enjoy first-person shooters with freedom to approach objectives through direct combat, stealth, or vehicle use, particularly when played with a partner in co-op. Those seeking ongoing seasonal content or frequent updates may find the experience more limited, as support has focused on stability rather than new additions.
