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Far Cry 5 is now much more playable on modern hardware, thanks to a performance patch released by Ubisoft to celebrate the game's fifth anniversary.
The update is available for Far Cry 5 right now, meaning PS5 and Xbox Series X|S owners can benefit from 60fps performance in all of the game's modes. That includes the single player campaign and multiplayer components. Even the game's map editor has received the performance upgrade, which is a nice touch.
The update will likely be welcome for many series fans. Especially those who were let down by the middling Far Cry 3 Classic Edition, and those who felt Far Cry 6 didn't evolve the franchise in any meaningful way.
Far Cry 5 remains a divisive entry in the series, with many feeling its setting of the American heartland to be a step back from the more exotic locales of the series' past.
The game's story was also a bit of a damp squib, featuring a voiceless protagonist and villains that couldn't quite match the impact left by Far Cry 3's unhinged Vaas Montenegro or the gleefully megalomaniacal Pagan Min from Far Cry 4.
A far cry from grace
While it's always nice to see games from a previous generation receive free current-gen updates to breathe new life into them, I doubt many will be jumping at the chance to replay Far Cry 5 outside of its most stalwart fans. While I personally felt Far Cry 6 was a step in the right direction thanks to its setting and absurdly fun special weapons, it too suffers from the same issues Far Cry 5 did before it, with it being an overly large open world inundated with repetitive tasks.
For the next game, I'd love a return to a more cohesive, meaningful open world. Far Cry 2's survival elements for example, while controversial, lent a harrowing layer of vulnerability to your player character. Having to use pills to stave off the threat of malaria felt scary and intense, particularly in the middle of a firefight. It was an especially punishing game, one where every win felt earned and rewards were strictly temporary.
There are certainly elements of fun to be had in latter Far Cry's overt power fantasies. And Far Cry 5 in particular will play better than ever on PS5 and Xbox Series X thanks to its new performance patch. Though I do hope that Ubisoft is planning a significantly different approach for its next Far Cry title. One that makes you the prey, not the predator.
The good news is that Ubisoft already may have taken a hint here. Assassin's Creed Valhalla did streamline elements of its open world, cutting back on repetitive tasks and making found loot more meaningful. It's an approach I feel the next Far Cry game could greatly benefit from.