Is Far Cry Primal worth playing in 2025?

Far Cry Primal was released in 2016 and was a unique entry in the franchise because of its setting. The game takes place in the Stone Age era. To fit the aesthetic of the period, modern weapons, like shotguns, pistols, and rifles, have been replaced with bows, clubs, and spears.

This offers a fresh take on the formula that started in Far Cry 3, keeping things new and exciting. However, it is always possible for a piece of media to feel outdated if the gameplay, story, or visuals don't hold up. Despite a few shortcomings, Far Cry Primal is worth playing in 2025.

Note: Some aspects of this article contain the personal and subjective opinions of the writer.

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The story of Far Cry Primal is worth staying for

The story still holds up (Image via Ubisoft)

Far Cry Primal revolves around Takkar, a Wenja warrior whose hunting party gets killed in an ambush. Now, he walks alone on the dangerous land of Oros, where he has to survive by gathering resources, hunting animals, and rebuilding the tribe from the ground up. The main threats in the game are the Udam, led by Ull, and the Izila, led by Batari.

Takkar spends his time regrouping with his clan's allies and becoming the leader of the Wenja. Players get to take down the Udam and Izila to secure the people from outside threats. With both tribes conquered, Takkar dominates the lands and cements the strength of the Wenja tribe in prehistoric times.

The game's story is well-written, with interesting characters that still hold up almost a decade later.

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Gameplay: A different take on the Far Cry formula

The gameplay still holds up very well (Image via Ubisoft)

Far Cry titles rely on an explosive arsenal of weapons that can turn anything into ash in seconds. However, because of Primal's setting, the modern weapons are ditched to give Takkar things like bows, clubs, and spears. These options can be used during combat to kill enemies or tame beasts to ride them for faster traversal. This immediately makes the gameplay different from the rest of the series.

Other aspects of the franchise can be found in Primal, such as clearing outposts, stealth takedowns, skill points, and animal hunting. The game also offers a tough challenge when players can turn on Permadeath mode from the settings. Enabling this will mean that any death during the playthrough will reset the progress, forcing players to restart from the beginning.

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Primal is worth playing in 2025 for multiple reasons

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

If you are a Far Cry fan who loves the series for its exotic locations and gameplay, Primal is definitely worth trying in 2025. This title holds up well in every aspect, particularly its narrative depth and interesting characters. While the graphics don't support all the latest technology, such as Ray Tracing and DLSS, the game still looks visually impressive in 2025.

Primal's detailed terrains, like snowy mountains and green lands, look amazing. However, the game is locked at 30 FPS across all consoles and can't reach 60, even through backward compatibility, since it never received a next-gen patch.

Having said that, the framerate shouldn't be an issue that stops you from playing Primal in 2025, as it is one of the best games in the series.