Is Far Cry 4 worth playing in 2025?

Far Cry 4 came out in 2014 and was a cross-generation release for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. The game was a massive success, praised for its impressive visuals and gameplay. Everything from Far Cry 3 was enhanced for this entry, including the visual fidelity, gameplay, and side content.

A decade has passed since Far Cry 4 was released, and many players still consider it one of the best in the franchise, as it improved on the core formula of the series. However, with time, games often start showing their age, and the nostalgia eventually fades.

This article will take a look at Far Cry 4 to see if it still holds up in 2025.

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A compelling villain for Far Cry 4

Pagan Min is incredibly ruthless (Image via Ubisoft)

While it was tough to top Vaas from Far Cry 3, Pagan Min, voiced by Troy Baker, comes very close to the number one spot. The game revolves around Ajay Ghale, a young man who arrives in Kyrat to spread his mother's ashes in her homeland. However, things take a turn for the worse when he gets pushed into the war, where he fights for The Golden Path's cause to free Kyrat from Pagan's rule.

This group is led by Amita and Sabal, two people with opposite interests who will often make Ajay decide who he agrees with. Choosing to side with either of them can change what mission they give him, changing the future of Kyrat in the process. Ajay spends the entire game fighting to free Kyrat while liberating its people and getting closer to his objective of spreading his mother's ashes.

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Engaging gameplay and freedom of choice

The gameplay feels refined in Far Cry 4 (Image via Ubisoft)

While Far Cry 3 often felt repetitive with its gameplay design, the sequel managed to fix the issue by offering more robust shooting and driving mechanics. Every mission in Far Cry 4 can be approached creatively, such as stealth or going in guns blazing. The outposts also return here with slightly harder difficulty, and when cleared, they act as a fast travel point across the map.

Far Cry 4 is also a unique entry in the series, offering players choices that influence the narrative. Here, we also see a massive skill tree that can be used to unlock various abilities, such as faster movement while crouching, takedowns from above, and chain takedowns. The game also features various races and side missions that players can participate in to earn money and XP.

The hunting mechanic also makes a return here, which is used to craft different essentials for Ajay. Killing animals can provide players with their hide, which can be used to create items such as extra slots for weapons, ammunition, and grenades. There is also the addition of a grappling hook that can be used to climb higher places, removing the need to jump on massive rocks to reach the top.

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The visuals and performance

The visuals hold up (Image via Ubisoft)

Far Cry 4 benefits from the Duniya engine, which makes the world look absolutely impressive even a decade later. Even on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the game is absolutely beautiful, sporting some of the best visuals on 7th-generation consoles. The lighting, details on NPCs, character models, and environments all look stunning no matter which platform you play on.

However, the game is locked at 30 FPS across all systems. It also fails to bump up the framerate on the latest hardware, as there is no next-gen patch for this title. Ubisoft recently released a 60 FPS patch for Far Cry 5 and New Dawn, which gives us hope that there is one on the way for Far Cry 4 as well.

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Is it worth playing in 2025?

Far Cry 4 is worth playing in 2025 (Image via Ubisoft)

Absolutely! Far Cry 4 holds up pretty well a decade later, making it a must-play in 2025. The game improves on every negative element from its predecessor, becoming a near-perfect experience in the process. The visuals here are stunning as well, and although not as good-looking as recent game releases, it still holds up pretty well with its lighting and environment details.

The only negative here is the 30 FPS, which honestly shouldn't be a big enough reason to avoid this game. Eventually, this factor won't seem like a huge issue when everything else about Far Cry 4 manages to leave a positive impression.