5 first-person shooter open-worlds like the Far Cry series

First-person shooter games were mainly about taking down enemies in side alleys, corridors, and arenas before the Far Cry series came into the scene. These were the first legitimate FPS titles that truly gave gamers a massive open world filled with side quests and mysterious locations to discover, where they can roam freely per their wishes.

Developed by Ubisoft, the Far Cry series’ trademark lies in the insane amount of freedom users get to explore the open world. Coupled with a compelling storyline and well-made side characters, it truly revolutionized open-world first-person shooters.

Ever since Far Cry 2, the franchise has capitalized and further improved on its open-world elements with each subsequent launch. And while there’s still time for the next Far Cry edition, here are a few open-world first-person shooters that can be tried in the meantime:

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Five first-person shooters to play if you love the Far Cry series

1) Crysis (2007) series

• Developer: Crytek
• Publisher: EA
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 & 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Crysis games are the closest first-person shooters fans can think of whose open-world environment resembles Far Cry. Like Far Cry 2, the first title of this series is also set in a tropical paradise and offers players the same amount of freedom when it comes to exploring the open world at their own pace.

Like the Far Cry titles, Crysis’ games offer the freedom to initiate combat situations differently. Touted as the spiritual successor to the Far Cry series in the 2000s when the first offering came out, the Crysis games never quite hit the success people predicted.

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2) Rage 2 (2019)

• Developer: id Software, Bethesda Studio
• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Google Stadia, Xbox Cloud Gaming

Co-created by two video game industry behemoths, id Software and Bethesda Studio, the Rage series is a colorfully vibrant take on a post-apocalyptic open world. The second game is much less over-the-top and has fast-paced combat gameplay with fewer RPG elements.

The colorful visuals of the open world of Rage 2 have more resemblance to the Borderlands series than Far Cry. However, the latter’s players can feel at home in this title as it brings in a lot of vehicular carnage in addition to shooting and stealth-based actions.

The overarching narrative of the post-apocalyptic world of Rage 2 can completely capture their imaginations. And, it’s simply a pleasure to explore the Rage 2 environment.

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3) No Man’s Sky (2016)

• Developer: Hello Games
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, macOS, iPadOS

No Man’s Sky is an online multiplayer open-world survival game of epic proportions. Its open world is an entire universe populated by 18 Quintillion explorable planets.

Each such world in No Man’s Sky has unique creatures and resources to discover that have been generated procedurally by an AI algorithm.

The open world of No Man’s Sky has so many regions in space to explore that it is impossible to complete it in a lifetime. The title offers large-scale spaceship combat, has some first-person shooter elements, and there are tons of cool things users can do, like building a base in a secret location.

Although No Man’s Sky lacks dynamic weapon systems like other first-person shooters, the game’s central idea is about endless exploration. It doesn’t have a narrative, thus freeing up players to explore in a relaxed and calm manner at their own pace.

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4) Prey (2017)

• Developer: Arkane Studios
• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

The original Prey game was released in 2006 and featured a trippy FPS environment. The game went under the radar soon, but in 2017, the developers decided to release a reboot of the once ignored first-person shooter.

The latest version of Prey focuses more on suspension-based FPS elements that remind gamers of the original Quake series. Prey is a suspension-based title set in a sci-fi open world.

The game is about exploring the new space environment and fighting against the various alien races that also reside in the open world. It also features a handful of possible endings depending on the players’ choices throughout the storyline.

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5) Fallout: New Vegas (2010)

• Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Platforms: PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360

Fallout: New Vegas is widely considered the best game in the franchise. The title is one of the most compelling stories in first-person shooter gaming history.

Everything from the side characters to the side missions will make gamers feel like a part of the open-world environment.

The game has a fascinating open world, with some of the most well-made NPC characters, filled with factions and intense battles that users get into.

Fallout 3 might have laid the foundation for modern Fallout games, but it was Fallout: New Vegas that perfected the formula. It’s arguably the most comprehensive first-person open-world game.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion.