With Switch now into its eighth year and Nintendo’s head chefs deep into software prep for the next console, remakes and remasters are the order of the day, with a platter of old favourites being served up in this twilight period for the current system.
This week, the PS5 Pro specs leak, also verified by IGN, revealed the power of the console Sony reportedly plans to release during the fourth quarter of 2024.
The PS5 Pro CPU is said to be identical to the standard PS5’s CPU but with a ‘High CPU Frequency Mode’, which amounts to a 10% increase to 3.85GHz. The GPU enables faster rendering and higher quality ray tracing powered by 33.5 teraflops. The standard PS5 offers 10.28 teraflops. However, a direct PS5 to PS5 Pro comparison would work out at around 10.28 vs 16 to 17 teraflops.
The release of the PS5 Pro is thought to be particularly enticing in the context of the 2025 release of GTA 6, which is set to boost the video game market beyond developer Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two.
But according to Digital Foundry founder Rich Leadbetter, speaking in the latest episode of DF Direct, the PS5 Pro’s CPU means GTA 6 will probably run at 30fps, assuming GTA 6 runs at 30fps on the standard PS5. Given no GTA game has launched with a 60fps option, this one seems nailed on.
According to Leadbetter, if GTA 6 runs at 30fps on PS5, it’ll run at 30fps on PS5 Pro barring some kind of programming miracle, because the CPU handles simulation, and the PS5 Pro’s CPU only increases performance by 10%. In the unlikely event GTA 6 has a 60fps mode on PS5, it’ll run at 60fps on PS5 Pro.
While the PS5 Pro’s CPU looks like a modest improvement, the PS5 Pro is much better than the PS5 at rendering, according to Digital Foundry. PS5 Pro, Digital Foundry predicts, is capable of upscaling 1080p older PS5 games to 4K via its upscaling/antialiasing solution PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling), if the developer chooses to support the tech with a patch.
Digital Foundry says PS5 Pro will retain the same 16GB of GDDR6 memory as the standard PS5, but has an extra 1.2GB of system RAM for developers.
Last month, analysts signaled that Sony is “likely” to release the PS5 Pro later in 2024. Sony has form when it comes to releasing a Pro version of its consoles. The PS4 Pro, for example, launched in November 2016, three years after the PS4 came out. A PS5 Pro launch this November would come four years after the PS5 launched in November 2020.
Sony has revised its PS5 sales forecast for the current financial year, down from its lofty target of 25 million consoles sold to 21 million. This comes despite a year-on-year increase in PS5 sales for the holiday 2023 quarter, from 7.1 million sold to 8.2 million.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
It’s GDC week, and conversations are being had about AI. Ubisoft have blundered into this, in classic Ubi style, by revealing that they’ve had an R&D team beavering away on a project called NEO NPC. It’s the usual pitch. “Have you ever dreamed of having a real conversation with an NPC in a video game?”, asks Ubi’s official post about it. And what all people who make this fail to understand that the answer most normal people give if they think about it is “Erm, probably no, actually?”
Still, the internet made good hay from the prototype image Ubisoft shared on Xitter, as many people tooktheopportunity to make fun of the dialogue from Bloom, a prototype man in a prototype beanie who wants to be your friend.
Rockstar has issued a surprise title update for Red Dead Redemption 2 — its first for nearly two years — which makes a number of improvements and fixes for the game, but it does not add the update the community desperately wants.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Title Update 1.32, out now for the game across PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, includes improvements for FSR (now updated to FSR 2.2), support for HDR10, and a fix for an infamous Red Dead Online glitch that caused the game to freeze when entering stables.
However, the title update does not add 60 frames per second to Red Dead Redemption 2 on consoles, perhaps the most-wanted update in all of video games.
In September, the explosive FTC vs Xbox leak sent shockwaves throughout the Red Dead Redemption community after a Red Dead Redemption 2 next-gen update was found listed by a Microsoft executive in a planning email.
In an email chain between Microsoft executives dated May 2022 is a list of third-party games earmarked as potential day-and-date Game Pass titles. One of the games mentioned is Red Dead Redemption 2 “D&D for gen9”, which Microsoft expected to come out during the second quarter of its 2023 financial year (October to December 2022).
“Gen9” refers to the ninth generation of consoles, aka the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. Rockstar has yet to announce a next-gen update for Red Dead Redemption 2, despite the many calls from fans.
Then, in October, Rockstar quietly patched its Red Dead Redemption port to add a 60 frames per second toggle to the game on PlayStation 5 via backwards compatibility, which made Rockstar’s 2010 open-world western was officially playable at 60fps for the first time.
Red Dead Redemption 2 launched in 2018 on PS4 and Xbox One and in 2019 on PC, and is considered by some to be Rockstar’s greatest game. Fans have criticized Rockstar for a lack of meaningful updates in favor of support for GTA Online, but Red Dead Redemption 2 remains hugely popular, selling over 61 million copies to date.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Title Update 1.32 patch notes:
General Stability Fixes and Improvements
Red Dead Online General Fixes
Fixed an issue that resulted in Naturalist samples not being counted toward Daily Challenges
Fixed an issue in Dead of Night that resulted in Night Stalkers being able to collect the Night Stalker mask
Fixed an issue that resulted in ambient vehicles not appearing in certain content
Fixed an issue that resulted in Free Roam Missions not launching
Improved an issue that resulted in players becoming stuck when entering the stables
Improved an issue that resulted in players being unable to summon horses and wagons
Voice Chat now defaults to Off
Game Stability and Performance
Fixed various issues that could result in a crash
Game Stability and Performance (PC)
Fixed various issues that would result in the game crashing or failing to launch
Fixed an issue that resulted in Offline Mode not working due to Windows 11 updates
Fixed an issue that resulted in crashes after reporting other players
Fixed issues that resulted in Offline Mode not working correctly
Added support for HDR10+ GAMING, this will automatically set game graphics in HDR for HDR10+ GAMING displays on compatible graphics cards and monitors connected via HDMI
Updated AMD Fidelity Super Resolution (FSR) libraries to version 2.2
Fixed an issue that resulted in 3200×2400 resolution being unavailable
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Bungie have announced a change in director on their upcoming revival of their classic shooter Marathon, amid reports the studio is once again shaking up its creative leadership. Former Valorant director Joe Ziegler confirmed his appointment on Xwitter last night, replacing long-time Bungie designer Christopher Barrett in the role.
“We’re exceedingly proud of this long-lasting partnership”.
Publisher Thunderful has announced that it has extended its distribution agreement with Nintendo to publish the firm’s products in the Nordics and the Baltics between Bergsala AB and Nintendo of Europe AG.
Confirmed via an official statement (thanks, Go Nintendo), Thunderful states that the agreement, which was originally meant to expire on 31st March, 2024, has been extended by another two years.
Eight years after launching, Stardew Valley just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Update 1.6 arrived yesterday, with enough changes that the patch notes are 7308 words long. It bumps the farm-o-life sim’s co-op player limit to eight, adds hundreds of new items, opens up a new progression system for “powerful perks and items”, adds new events, lets you drink mayonnaise, and so much more that. Best of all, it lets you have more pets. New pets. Pets wearing hats.
Aspyr’s Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection hasn’t got off to the best start, with all sorts of “critical errors” taking place with the network infrastructure at launch. To add to this, there are various other reports and problems.
Now, after all the feedback, the developer has revealed its first update for the game, which will arrive on the Switch and multiple other console platforms as soon as the submission and certification process is completed.
Far Cry really has done it all: a two-decade-long span of sequels set across the world, a wide range of spin-offs, and a movie adaptation. The franchise even dove into the realm of anime last year, with Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix bringing the neon-tinged, tongue-in-cheek world of Far Cry: Blood Dragon to Netflix. As shown in the trailer video above, we can now celebrate 20 years of Far Cry, revisiting the journey from Far Cry 1 in 2004 to Far Cry 6 in 2021.
The Far Cry series has become a fixture of Ubisoft’s lineup, quickly accumulating a long lineage of games for players to dig through. Below, we’ll carve through this lengthy history, listing every game in release order and offering newcomers a recommendation of the best place to start.
How Many Far Cry Games Are There?
Excluding remasters and ports, there are 13 Far Cry games – 12 on home console/PC and one on mobile devices. Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity is also excluded given its lack of accessibility — it cannot be played at home, only at Zero Latency VR locations.
Where’s the Best Place to Start?
Thanks to plenty of ports on modern consoles, Far Cry is a series with a ton of viable jumping-off points. Far Cry 3, 4, 5 and 6 can all be purchased on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and considering each of these games are very similar in mechanics and design, they should give you a good taste of Far Cry’s approach to open-world gameplay.
That being said, Far Cry 3 and 4 are largely considered the strongest of the bunch and are great entry points for those looking to sink their teeth into the series. Either option will provide a glimpse of Far Cry at its best.
Every Far Cry Game in Release Order
These blurbs contain mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and story beats.
1. Far Cry (2004)
The birth of the series, and the only entry developed by Crytek,Far Cry hit PC in 2004 and later made its way to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Slotting players into the boots of former special forces operative Jack Carver, Far Cry takes place on a group of remote tropical islands swarming with trigger-happy mercenaries.
Trapped on the sunny locale’s shores after his boat is met with artillery strikes, Jack is forced to face his pursuers and embark on an adventure across the danger-filled archipelago, searching for a journalist he was escorting who mysteriously disappeared. Much like later games in the series, Far Cry focused largely on tense gun fights, stealth, and using open-ended environments to get the drop on enemies.
2. Far Cry: Instincts (2005)
In 2005, Ubisoft Montreal took over development duties on Far Cry, releasing a remake of the original game titledFar Cry: Instincts. It was exclusive to Xbox and followed the same story as the original, albeit with a fresh coat of paint and a handful of new mechanics.
Included was a trap system, which allowed players to booby trap objects to catch enemies by surprise, as well as new Feral Abilities, which gave Jack thermal vision, a powerful melee attack, increased running speed, and several other game-changing perks.
3. Far Cry Instincts: Evolution (2006)
A year later, Ubisoft released the first Far Cry sequel,Far Cry Instincts: Evolution. A direct follow-up to the story of Far Cry: Instincts, Evolution resumes the story of Jack Carver, who finds himself once again stranded on a tropical island after an arms deal gone wrong.
Framed for a murder he didn’t commit, Jack finds himself on a mission to clear his name, going up against a mysterious native chieftain and his band of fierce rebels. Alongside its fresh campaign, Evolution added additional weapons and vehicles, as well as a new slate of multiplayer maps and level-editor items.
4. Far Cry Vengeance (2006)
In December 2006, Ubisoft released its first Far Cry game on the Wii. TitledFar Cry Vengeance, it was something of a reimagining of Far Cry Instincts: Evolution, telling a similar but slightly altered story in which protagonist Jack Carver is arrested before he can make his way to the aforementioned arms deal.
The biggest difference, however, isFar Cry Vengeance offered a full suite of motion controls. Using the Wiimote, players could aim guns and perform melee attacks. The game also featured a split-screen versus mode, although Evolution’s online multiplayer and level editor didn’t make the cut.
5. Far Cry 2
Two years later, Ubisoft Montreal shifted the Far Cry series away from its supernatural origins, opting for a grittier, more grounded Far Cry 2. The sequel took the franchise to an unspecified country in Africa, casting players as a gun-for-hire sent to find and kill an arms dealer known as the Jackal.
Arriving during an ongoing civil war, the protagonist quickly realizes catching the Jackal will require playing both sides of the conflict, prompting them to exploit the power struggle to close in on their target. Far Cry 2 was a major change of pace for the franchise, focusing on brutal combat and tough moral choices within a fully open world. Among the new mechanics was a buddy system, where players could team with AI companions who would assist them on missions.
6. Far Cry 2 Mobile (2008)
A tie-in to the console release of the sequel, developer Gameloft released a mobile adaptation of Far Cry 2 in the months following the base game’s launch. It was a loose retelling of the events reframed as a top-down, 2D shooter.
Much like the original game, players arrive in Africa to take down the Jackal, going on missions and teaming with AI partners. Due to technical restraints, the mobile port of Far Cry 2 doesn’t feature an open world, focusing on linear levels and hubs you can explore between contracts.
7. Far Cry 3 (2012)
Four years after Far Cry 2, Ubisoft returned for the franchise’s most defining entry to date: Far Cry 3. Following new protagonist Jason Brody, the game begins with a holiday from hell, as Jason and his group of friends’ skydiving trip lands them on a remote island occupied by an army of pirates.
Kidnapped by their leader, the eccentric but ruthless Vaas (played by Better Call Saul’s Michael Mando), Jason manages to escape and join up with a local rebel militia opposing Vaas and his men. With his friends still captured, Jason begins an adventure to find them and escape the island in one piece, all the while being relentlessly pursued by Vaas.
Far Cry 3 was, in a lot of ways, a turning point for the franchise, introducing several elements that went on to become staples of the series. From radio towers that reveal the map and enemy outposts the player can liberate, to the introduction of a sinister lead villain that lives to chew the scenery, Far Cry 3 was the foundation of the Far Cry formula as we know it today.
8. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (2013)
A year on from the release of Far Cry 3, Ubisoft launched a standalone spin-off titledBlood Dragon. Taking the series in a new, neon-infused direction, Blood Dragon was a tongue-in-cheek parody of cheesy ‘80s sci-fi action flicks, casting players as a one-liner spitting cyborg badass known as Sergeant Rex Colt.
Sent on a revenge mission to kill his former commander, Colonel Sloan, the game drops Colt into an open-world dystopian future, where he uses his arsenal of futuristic weaponry to carve a war path through cyborgs, robot sharks, and dragons that can shoot lasers from their eyes. Blood Dragon was the first of several Far Cry spin-offs which took the series to imaginative new settings. It even went on to inspire an anime series called Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix.
9. Far Cry 4 (2014)
A year after Blood Dragon, Ubisoft released Far Cry 4, the next major installment in the franchise. Set in the snowy Himalayan mountains, players are cast as Ajay. Traveling to the fictional country of Kyrat to scatter his mother’s ashes, Ajay’s journey is cut short after his bus is raided by Pagan Min, a ruthless but immaculately dressed dictator who has a special interest in Ajay and his mission.
Returning to Pagan Min’s palace, Ajay manages to escape, fleeing into the countryside of Kyrat and joining the rebels in fighting back against their oppressor. As his battle against Pagan Min rages on, Ajay uncovers more about his heritage, slowly learning his mother’s past could be directly linked to the war that devastates the country.
Far Cry 4 largely built off the foundation established in Far Cry 3, adding campaign co-op, rideable elephants, a grappling hook, and a helicopter that could be used to raise hell from above.
10. Far Cry Primal (2016)
A spin-off from the mainline games, Far Cry Primal followed in the footsteps of Blood Dragon and reframed Far Cry in a wildly different setting, taking players to the prehistoric age. Centring on a hunter named Takkar, the story begins with the protagonist’s hunting party being wiped out by a sabertooth tiger, leaving him to walk the valley alone.
Determined to reunite with the other members of his clan, he sets forth on a perilous adventure, clashing with two rival tribes seeking to eradicate Takkar and his allies. Taking away the modern technology of previous Far Cry games and limiting players to clubs, bows, and other primitive weaponry, Far Cry Primal forced players to survive deadly animals, hazardous environments, and fierce rival tribes.
11. Far Cry 5 (2018)
With Primal in the rearview mirror, Ubisoft moved on to the next mainline entry in the Far Cry series, Far Cry 5. Moving the franchise to rural Montana, the franchise’s fifth entry unleashed players in the fictional wilderness of Hope County, playing as a nameless police deputy tracking an extremist cult known as Eden’s Gate.
Beginning with a player and a small squad of sheriffs attempting to arrest the cult’s leader – the sadistic zealot Joseph Seed – their mission descends into chaos after Seed’s followers free him and leave the player stranded in the wilderness. Vowing to rescue their allies and bring Seed and his lieutenants to justice, the players begin a journey across Hope County, slowly learning more about the cult’s leaders and the sinister, world-ending plot they’re concocting.
Far Cry 5 introduced several new ideas to the Far Cry formula, with players now able to fully customize their character, complete a non-linear main campaign, and, most importantly, recruit a friendly grizzly bear named Cheeseburger.
12. Far Cry New Dawn (2019)
A direct sequel to Far Cry 5, New Dawn hit consoles in 2019, envisioning an apocalyptic version of Hope County after it was struck by nuclear bombs during the previous game’s climax. Set seventeen years later, the game follows a player-created captain who, alongside other Hope County survivors, belongs to a settlement known as Prosperity.
As New Dawn begins, Prosperity finds its existence threatened by a group known as the Highway Men, who seek to take over Hope County and eradicate its various factions. Searching for a means to fight back against their new enemies, the captain ventures across Hope County, eventually making contact with a powerful hidden settlement led by the man who destroyed the world: Joseph Seed.
Much like Blood Dragon and Primal, New Dawn was a reframing of Far Cry’s formula, this time dropping the game into a post-apocalyptic setting. It included new, mutated foes; the addition of supernatural abilities; and a mode called Expeditions, which allowed players to head to other parts of the U.S. to complete contracts.
13. Far Cry 6 (2021)
Two years later, Ubisoft moved away from the post-apocalypse and returned for a more traditional mainline entry in Far Cry 6. Taking the franchise to the fictional Caribbean Island of Yara, players assume the role of Dani, a civilian attempting to escape the country due to a fierce civil war ravaging its shores.
Securing an escape route with their family via boat, Dani’s plans are thwarted after the ship is boarded by ruthless dictator Anton Castillo (played by Breaking Bad’s Giancaro Esposito), who is searching for his teenage son, Diego, among the refugees. Enraged at his son’s defiance, Anton sinks the ship, killing Dani’s family and setting the protagonist on a war path. Enlisting with the resistance and fighting against Anton’s regime, Dani joins the war, conquering Anton’s forces in a bid to confront the man himself.
Much like previous games, Far Cry 6 built on the Far Cry foundation, adding customizable vehicles, DIY super weapons, a new gear system, and back mounted rocket launchers.
What’s Next For Far Cry?
As for what’s next for Far Cry, there are currently no future projects confirmed. And, in Nov 2023, Far Cry 6 officially received its last patch after Ubisoft announced it would no longer be updating the game. However, early rumors suggest more Far Cry is likely on the way. In early 2023, two new Far Cry projects were reportedly in development, according to Insider Gaming and Kotaku: a standard sequel and a multiplayer spin-off. That being said, Ubisoft has yet to reveal anything official, so until the publisher is ready, we’ll have to wait and see where Far Cry heads next.
