Far Cry 6 release date, trailers, news and rumors Still from Far Cry 6 trailer

Far Cry 6, the next instalment in Ubisoft's popular Far Cry series, is due to land on consoles and PC this October.

In a serious departure from the rural America setting of Far Cry 5, Far Cry 6 will take us to a “tropical paradise frozen in time” called Yara. Yara is controlled by dictator Anton Castillo (played by Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito), who aims to restore the island paradise to glory with help from his son, Diego – through any means necessary. However, a revolution is taking place in Yara which aims to take down Castillo. Players will step into the shoes of protagonist Dani, who is a revolutionary taking the fight against Castillo's regime. 

Initially due to release on February 18, 2021, Far Cry 6 is now set to release on October 7, 2021, with Ubisoft unveiling the new release date during a Far Cry 6 gameplay reveal on May 28. Want to know more? Then read on for everything we know about Far Cry 6 so far.

[Update: Far Cry 6's story trailer, starring Giancarlo Esposito, was revealed at Gamescom 2021. Watch it for yourself below.]

• Check out our PS5 review
• Check out our reviews of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
• PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which console should you buy?

Far Cry 6: key facts

• What is it? The sixth installation in Ubisoft's Far Cry series
• When’s it out? October 7, 2021
• What can I play it on? PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Stadia

• New PS5 games on the way

Far Cry 6 release date

Far Cry 6 will release on October 7, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Google Stadia.

The new Far Cry was initially set to release on February 18, 2021 but Ubisoft announced the game was delayed during a financial earnings report, stating that the game would arrive after April 2021 but no later than March 2022. 

Ubisoft has confirmed that PS4 and Xbox One players will be able to upgrade their versions of the game to the Xbox Series X and PS5 versions for free. 

Far Cry 6 trailers

Gamescom 2021 Official Story trailer

Gamescom 2021 brought a brand new Far Cry 6 trailer, this time focusing on the game's story. Across two and a half minutes it gives us a look at the Giancarlo Esposito playing the game's villain Anton Castillo as well as introducing some of the game's revolutionaries seeking to overthrow him.

Far Cry 6: Xbox Gameplay Overview Trailer
Debuting at the Microsoft and Bethesda E3 showcase, the latest trailer for Far Cry 6 shows Dani taking down mercs with knives, crossbows and… a flamethrower? It's a lot to take in – as all Far Cry games are – but it's one of our best looks yet at what we can expect from the game when it drops on October 7. 

Far Cry 6: Become The Villain
Ever wanted to play as Vass Montenegro, Pagan Min or Joseph Seed? Well, you'll be able to do exactly that in Far Cry 6's first piece of Season Pass content. Check out the trippy trailer below. 

Far Cry 6 gameplay trailer
The latest Far Cry 6 trailer gave us a look at gameplay for the first time. The trailer shows how Far Cry 6 will focus more on brutal guerrilla warfare than its predecessors and even gave us a closer look at some of the Amigos we can enlist for help, including the adorable Chorizo and a (less adorable) alligator buddy. Check it out below:

Far Cry 6 character trailer
This trailer gives us a closer look at protagonist Dani Rojas and the modern guerillas of Far Cry 6. Check it out below:

Far Cry 6 world premiere trailer
Ubisoft released the Far Cry 6 world premiere trailer during its Ubisoft Forward event on July 12, 2020. 

In the trailer, we see Castillo giving his son Diego a bit of tough love, as civilians riot in the streets outside their mansion. Check it out below:

Far Cry 6 cinematic title sequence trailer
In addition to the world premiere trailer, Ubisoft also revealed the Far Cry 6 cinematic title sequence trailer during the Ubisoft Forward event on July 12. Check it out below:

Far Cry 6 gameplay and setting

In Far Cry 6, players take on the role of Dani Rojas, a guerrilla fighter aiming to topple Castillo's tyrannical regime. You will be able to choose Dani's gender at the start of the game and customize them, like in Far Cry 5. However, for the first time in series history, the game will switch to a third-person perspective during key combat scenes and when you're exploring hub areas. You'll also get to see your character during cutscenes. 

In addition, Dani's actions will have a direct impact on the world and they will have more agency than we've seen with other protagonists in the series to date – with Dani starring in cutscenes and having their own voice.

Although Far Cry 6 is set in the present day, due to Castillo's oppressive regime the island appears as though stuck it's stuck in the 1960s. That means you can expect vintage cars, gadgets and weapons – and even horse riding. In an interview with GameSpot, narrative director Navid Khavari called Far Cry 6 the “ambitious open-world yet”. According to Khavari, the island of Yara encompasses a mix of jungles, coastal towns, farmland, and urban environments for the player to explore.

Guerrilla combat is at the heart of Far Cry 6, with Dani and their comrades leading their operations from secret camps across Yara, where they can train, participate in games like dominoes and even partake in cockfights. Some operations will see Dani bribing officials, sabotaging equipment, intercepting and sometimes just simply playing it cool. 

We also know that Fangs for Hire will be making a return in the form of 'Amigos', allowing you to recruit animal companions to assist you in fights. So far we know of three animal recruits: Chorizo, an adorable (but feisty) Dachshund, an alligator and a spiked choker-wearing rooster.

Far Cry 6 news and rumors

Below we've rounded up all the biggest news and rumors surrounding Far Cry 6:

Gamescom 2021

Gamescom 2021 is taking place in August and Ubisoft is listed as a partner company in the show. Though this doesn’t guarantee an appearance from Far Cry 6 during the show, it does mean there’s a chance, especially as there are few opportunities left to show the game off before its October release date. Gamescom’s Opening Night Live stream, hosted by Geoff Keighley, will take place on August 25 at 11am PT/ 2pm ET/ 7pm BST. Running at two hours, that does leave a good amount of time for a small update on Far Cry 6 from Ubisoft, if there's anything more to tell.

Now rated

Far Cry 6 has now received its full ESRB rating of Mature, citing “intense violence”, “strong language” and “use of drugs and alcohol”. Based on previous releases in the Far Cry series, this rating isn’t entirely surprising though the rating does give a little extra detail on what specific aspects of Far Cry 6 have prompted this rating, describing “frequent screams of pain, explosions, gunfire, and blood-splatter effects” in combat as well as “intense violence” and “dismembered corpses or severed limbs” in cut scenes.

Exploration is key

The development team of Far Cry 6 wants players to explore, with Ubisoft’s Ben Hall telling GameReactor, “Exploration plays a huge part of our game.”

“It's got a lot to do with the fantasy wrapper of this modern guerilla revolution,” Hall explains, “One of the things that we researched was that guerillas need to take things that they've got around them and utilise them to the best of their advantage, so we really wanted to capture that with the world itself and have the player be able to explore the open world and find interesting things, find information and really scout the world out for themselves as they're exploring the open world“.

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution support

AMD released its answer to Nvidia’s DLSS technology on June 22, called FidelityFX Super Resolution. The upscaling technology will boost the performance of games and while only seven games support the technology at launch, more will do so down the line and Far Cry 6 has been confirmed to be one of them. The exact date on which the game will support the tech hasn’t been confirmed as it only says “upcoming” on the AMD site. 

Cuban influence

In a short clip posted to Twitter, Far Cry 6’s narrative director, Navid Khavari, has discussed the inspiration behind the game’s setting of Yara. According to Khavari, “the main influence for Yara began with Cuba. That was our most direct influence and I think what we really wanted to capture was an island frozen in time, that had been cut off from the rest of the world for over 50 years after a violent revolution led to a blockade.”

When players enter the game, they’re “going to find the classic cars that you get to drive along the coast of Yara and of Esperanza. You'll also find the notion of 'resolver,' to make do with what you have, which means they don't have the resources that other countries might have and so they find ingenious and creative ways to get what they need. 

We spoke to a lot of consultants to try and get a wide range of opinions that will root and ground the story to be as authentic as possible. I think players are really going to feel that authenticity and hopefully truth when they play Far Cry 6.“

Full co-op

In a recent Reddit AMA, Far Cry 6’s development team has confirmed that co-op will be returning to Far Cry 6 and that the game “will come fully playable in co-op like FC5.”

Animal Amigos

Animal companions are nothing new in the Far Cry games but Far Cry 6 will take this even further, with World Director, Benjamin Hall, revealing in a recent Reddit AMA, “We focused on Amigos being animals for FC6”. There will still be other people in the game, with Hall adding “Yara is full of like minded people that want to take the fight to Castillo and bring down the regime!” but it looks like the companion mechanic will be animals. 

A dog called Chorizo and an alligator called Guapo have been confirmed and during the Microsoft E3 2021 presentation we got a glimpse of a spiked choker-wearing rooster called Chicharrón, too. 

Far Cry's villains from previous games are coming back
As part of the game's Season Pass, players can look forward to welcoming back Vaas Montenegro from Far Cry 3, Pagan Min from Far Cry 4 and Joseph Seed from Far Cry 5) as playable characters. 

You'll step into the shoes of each of the dangerous individuals, in what appear to be dream-like sequences. What sort of sinister things you'll get up to, though, remains to be seen.

Anton Castillo is “a hero”
While players may have cast Castillo as the game’s villain, Esposito disagrees, and calls the dictator “a hero”. He also shared some insight into what inspired him to take on the role in Ubisoft’s next

Speaking to Geoff Keighley at Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff! show, Esposito said: “No, I’m not a villain. This guy loves his country. He wants to empower you to stand up and speak your truth.

“There is good and bad about all people, but this guy, out of his love and passion for his people, even if they're faceless to him at certain points in time, allow him to be an absolute hero.”

Far Cry 6 end game will offer “something else”
It looks like there will be plenty to do after completing Far Cry 6's main campaign. Ubisoft's lead game designer David Grivel said that there will be “something else” awaiting players upon the game's completion, and that more would be shared soon.

Far Cry 6 features a third-person perspective and let you choose your gender
Far Cry 6 features a third-person perspective during certain scenes and will also let players choose which gender they want to play as.

Speaking to GameSpot, narrative director Navid Khavari said the team experiment with showing a third-person perspective, and thought it created a greater connection between players and the character.

“In cinematics, [third-person] is something the team tried early on, and it felt surprisingly seamless,” Khavari wrote. “It instantly felt like there was more of a connection to Dani's journey in the world, more of a connection to this epic story in Yara.

“Players will also be able to see their character customizations in these highly-realized story beats. In Guerrilla Camps, this is also an opportunity for players to be able to see their fully customized character, everything from their backpack to their clothes.”

Players will also be able to choose which gender they want to play as. Khavari posted a video on Far Cry’s Twitter account and said that having a choice was “important to us”. Khavari also specified that the team didn’t want to create two separate storylines and that “if you pick male or female, that choice is for you to make, and that journey of Dani will be one and the same.”

There won't be an Arcade Mode or map editor
There are currently no plans to include an arcade mode or map editor in Far Cry 6, according to the game’s developers. 

This was confirmed in a recent Reddit AMA on the Far Cry subreddit, during which a group of Far Cry 6 developers took questions from fans. 

When asked by a user if the map editor feature would make a return in Far Cry 6, Game Director Alexandre Letendre replied, “No, Arcade will not come back.” According to Letendre, dropping the mode was “a difficult decision” but he explained that doing so “allowed us to focus our efforts on the main campaign, transporting players into the heart of a modern-day guerrilla revolution.”

Far Cry 6 is “running fine” on PS4 and Xbox One
Ubisoft has promised to show Far Cry 6 running on last-gen consoles before the game’s release, which should hopefully come as good news to PS4 or Xbox owners who are wondering whether the game will run properly on the older platforms.

Ubisoft Toronto’s David Grivel told VGC that the game is “running fine” on PS4 and Xbox One, and that the game will be shown on different platforms in the near future.

“As we go in the next few weeks and months, we’ll definitely start showing more on different platforms,” Grivel said. “What I can say, and I cannot go so much in details [sic] about specs or things like that, is that both on previous generation and the new Xbox Series and PS5 generation, the game is running fine.”

When VGC explicitly asked if Far Cry 6 would suffer from any issues when running on the older consoles, Grivel’s answer was reassuring for those who haven’t upgraded to the next-gen of consoles just yet.

“No,” Grivel said. “We really aim to target maximum quality on all of these platforms. “We’re really, really cautious about that (the game not running well on last-gen systems), so we’ll show more detail and more info very soon,” he added.

Don’t fall for the beta scam
Ubisoft has warned eager Far Cry fans not to be taken in by a recent email scam promising access to a Far Cry 6 beta. YouTuber theRadBrad (via Eurogamer), called attention to the phishing scam, tweeting, “There is an email from the official Ubisoft address going around that claims beta access to Far Cry 6. It even has an embargo with a special password for access.” 

Ubisoft itself responded to confirm that the emails are a scam and said, “Please do not respond if you have received this email or similar.”

• Don't miss our Assassin's Creed Valhalla review