Is Far Cry 3 worth playing in 2025?

Far Cry 3 was responsible for creating a new blueprint for the franchise, which evolved in every entry that came after it. The game's open world remains one of the most impressive aspects after all these years. The third installment in the franchise did its best to immerse players in the tropical setting, featuring wild animals and local enemies who were trying their best to secure their land from outsiders.

While Far Cry 3 was truly groundbreaking for its time, it's easy to get blinded by nostalgia and believe that the game is still as good as it was all those years ago. This article will take a brief look at the title to see if it is still worth playing in 2025.

Note: This article might contain spoilers for the game.

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A timeless story and an iconic villain

The game shows Jason's evolution (Image via Ubisoft)

Far Cry 3 revolves around Jason Brody, a college student on vacation with his friends, who gets captured by Vaas, a psychotic leader hellbent on torturing them. However, he manages to escape in time and decides to rescue his friends before it is too late. The narrative then sees Jason transform into a killing machine who enjoys being as psychotic as Vaas and becomes his mirror image.

The game lets players unlock skills that get added to our protagonist's arm to show his evolution from a regular citizen to a deranged mass murderer. While Jason justifies his actions by saying he is doing it to save his friends, it is clear he has become a monster on the Rook Islands, enjoying his free will. The entire game shows the psychological impact of the freedom he gets by facing Vaas.

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Far Cry 3 has an engaging but repetitive gameplay system

The gameplay feels outdated (Image via Ubisoft)

Far Cry 3 features a vast open world with various activities such as liberating outposts, races, and hunting animals littered around the map. Even though there is plenty of content to engage with, it can get frustrating due to the repetitive gameplay. This is because the shooting mechanics here are very basic without a lot of deep systems tied to them.

While the variety of guns, including shotguns, pistols, and rifles, can change up the combat, it can still get repetitive quickly because of how barebones the shooting is. The shaky camera ruins the experience, which can make some players feel nauseous during gameplay. Additionally, the driving feels rough, as the vehicles can get out of control, causing them to go off-road during races and normal traversal.

However, one factor that fits the Far Cry 3's setting is the hunting mechanic. There are different animals spread across the islands, and hunting them is necessary if players want to upgrade their gear. Killing specific animals is required to craft items such as extra slots for weapons, ammunition, and health syringes. This helps the player become stronger by exploring the depths of the Rook Islands.

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Visuals and performance are outdated

The higher framerate is appreciated (Image via Ubisoft)

Far Cry 3 struggles to look visually impressive, as the environments and character models are low resolution compared to recent releases. Even the Classic Edition only slightly improves the textures, not making a very huge difference in its visuals. The lighting also looks very bland, not adding much detail to the open world. While the game looked impressive for its time, it doesn't hold up well visually.

However, the performance has been significantly improved, as the game's Classic Edition now runs at a locked 60 FPS on the latest consoles. This is a huge improvement, considering that the original Far Cry 3 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 suffered from massive framerate issues. Considering how fast-paced the title is, the higher FPS does work in the game's favor.

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Is it worth playing in 2025?

Far Cry 3 is a mixed bag (Image via Ubisoft)

Far Cry 3 is a mixed bag but still worth playing in 2025. The game feels too basic compared to the recent entries in the franchise, and it also doesn't hold up visually or gameplay-wise. This makes the title feel outdated, even with a story and villain that is some of the best-written work in the gaming industry, even today.

If players want to experience the story, they can do so on the easiest difficulty, allowing them to enjoy the narrative without indulging heavily in a repetitive and nauseating combat system. It is also recommended to play the Classic Edition of Far Cry 3, as it runs at a higher framerate with improved texture resolutions.