While we won’t get a new Far Cry game this year, we won’t have to wait too long into next year to get our hands on Far Cry 6. Ubisoft has announced that Far Cry 6 will release on February 18, 2021 on PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia (that’s a lot of platforms, we know). In typical Ubisoft fashion, numerous editions will be available to purchase, and pre-order listings are already starting to pop up. If you already know you’re down to jump into another zany open-world first-person shooter, you can snag some cool bonuses with your pre-order, too.
Far Cry 6 is set in the present day in the fictional country of Yara, a tropical paradise that has been “frozen in time,” largely due to the country’s tyrannical leader Anton Castillo (played by Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito). As the hero of the story, you’ll step into the shoes of Dani Rojas, who helps form a guerilla faction to oust Castillo from power.
While next-gen consoles will already be out by the time Far Cry 6 releases, it’s worth noting that you’ll be able to buy one copy of Far Cry 6 to play on PS4/PS5 and Xbox One/Series X. So if you aren’t planning on upgrading to a next-gen console right away, you’ll still be able to enjoy Far Cry 6 on PS5 and Xbox Series X whenever you do decide to upgrade.
Pre-orders have just started to go live on all platforms, but we’ll continue to update as more retailers make Far Cry 6 available to order.
If you pre-order any edition of Far Cry 6, you’ll get The Libertad Pack, which includes two in-game bonuses:
Discos Locos: a deadly disc launcher, of course
Libertad Chorizo skin: an angry-looking dog on wheels (with spikes!) that we absolutely must learn more about
Far Cry 6 releases February 18, 2021
The standard edition of Far Cry 6 comes with the bonuses listed above and is available to pre-order now at multiple retailers.
Far Cry 6 Gold edition
Far Cry 6’s Gold edition comes with the pre-order bonuses and the season pass containing three DLCs: Beware the Dictator, The Jewel of the Carribean, and A Nation Stranded in the Past. The digital Gold edition costs $100, while the physical steelbook edition costs $110.
Far Cry 6 Ultimate edition
Far Cry 6’s $120 Ultimate edition comes with the pre-order bonuses, season pass, and the Ultimate Pack containing three skin packs: Croc Hunter, Vice, and Jungle Expedition.
Far Cry 6 Collector’s edition
Far Cry 6 has a massive Collector’s edition that’s exclusive to the Ubisoft Store. Coming in at $200, the Collector’s edition includes everything in the Ultimate edition, the pre-order bonus, and a bunch of other goodies:
Tostador 72cm Replica flamethrower (non-operable, of course)
Far Cry 6 64-page art book
10 stickers
Exclusive steelbook case
“How to assemble” print detailing the flamethrower
CD soundtrack
Chroizo (dog on wheels) keychain
World map
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Far Cry 6’s reveal brought with it the confirmation of who would be joining the ranks of the series’ iconic villains — Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian actor Giancarlo Esposito. Esposito plays Anton Castillo, a dictator in the island nation of Yara and its capital city, Esperanza.
IGN spoke with Esposito ahead of the announcement to discuss Anton’s motives, his layered characterization, and a bit more about the fictional island nation at the heart of Far Cry 6.
“His father was a dictator before him and he wants to empower the people to take their country back. His goal is to use the resources that they have within the country to survive without allowing outsiders to come in and co-opt their scientists, their intellectual property, all of these things,” Esposito said, noting that Anton was “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.”
And Anton is, well, grappling with quite a bit as Esposito explained:
“He really means good, but he’s in a world that’s moving progressively forward faster than he is. And he has to find the assets that his people have to be able to exploit those assets and allow his people to believe in him, all this in the midst of a civil revolution that’s happening in his country by several different factions that he’s got to put down…and he’s trying to raise a son.”
That relationship with his son, who we also see in the Far Cry 6 reveal trailer, is key to the humanity Esposito sees in Anton. His son is played by Anthony Gonzalez, who starred as Miguel in Pixar’s Coco.
“His relationship [with his son] is he’s impatient. His son isn’t as grown as he wants him to be,” he said. “He wants him to grow up faster, he wants to give him the skills and empower him to know that he has the power over life and death. Very difficult thing for a young man, just going through puberty to get wrapped around. How do you turn your back on being youthful and grow up quickly to be groomed, to take over a small island nation?”
Esposito, who said he believed the game was set in present day, explained how Winston Churchill actually inspired the way he portrayed Anton, as a dictator ruling over a paradise that doesn’t really know how to make full use of what it offers.
“It makes me think of Winston Churchill when he went to Uganda years ago, he said that was the jewel of Africa. It had everything. And that was my vision,” he said. “It was feeling as if I’m in this lush place that had no means to get out the cucumbers and the potatoes. It had no means to really market the beautiful flowers to the world, that had no leadership, hadn’t followed through to be able to take advantage of their assets and yet keep them still at home. Anton is really complicated, yet he knows he has to rule with an iron fist and put down the revolutionaries to be able to start the process of healing to begin with.”
Another detail confirmed during the presentation was that Valhalla will have a fishing mechanic–and it’s tied into another new system for the game. In Valhalla, your health does not automatically regenerate over time, so you will need to find ways to replenish it. One way is to catch and consume fish.
Nice!
Given that Valhalla is set in 873 CE, the game does not feature actual fishing rods. So you will simply cast a line with your hand and try to catch a fish that way. Once you have a fish on the line, you’ll need to mash the A button to bring it in. You must control the direction of the fish and also the tension of your line to be able to successfully land the fish.
In the demo, we see Eivor catching a bullhead catfish, with the on-screen message stating that it’s a “regular” size, which presumably means there will be bigger and smaller fish (and of different varieties) to catch. We don’t see Eivor choosing the specific type of bait, so it’s unclear if you’ll get to choose what you want to fish with. Also worth noting is that Eivor casts her line from what appears to be a fishing village, but you can also fish from your long boat in the open water.
In addition to catching fish, players can forage for food, like mushrooms, in the wilderness to regain health.
Valhalla releases on November 17 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. It’s also coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X when those consoles release, and players who buy the game on current-gen can upgrade to the next-gen edition for free.
For lots more on Valhalla, check out GameSpot’s new hands-on impressions in the video above. You can also read Jordan’s interview with narrative director Darby McDevitt and assistant level design director Laurence Letalien about Eivor’s mysterious identity, the interwoven story, and more.
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In the reveal trailer for Far Cry 6, the main antagonist, Yara president Anton Castillo, explains the chaotic nature of power in governing society to his teenage son Diego. His son is poised to take over when the time comes, but for now, Anton wants his son to understand his point of view. Using a hand grenade as a metaphor, the elder Castillo states that, “Our country is like this grenade, except it has two basic parts: the people, and you–and you must clutch them nice and tight. Or we all go boom.”
Far Cry 6 is a game about politics and how radically different views inevitably lead to conflict. Set during an uprising in the country of Yara, which takes stylistic and historical inspiration from the island of Cuba, you’ll join the rebel force made up of citizens to overthrow Anton Castillo and his regime. His ultimate goal is to bring the country out of its period of stagnation and into a supposed new age of prosperity, even if it means oppressing and enslaving the country’s citizens to do it. Since Far Cry 3, the franchise has enjoyed putting its villains front and center, giving them plenty of time to explain their philosophies in elaborate detail. They’re larger than life figures whose presence is evident throughout the jungles, caves, and forests in the open-world settings–and Far Cry 6 is no different.
The new game coming from Ubisoft Toronto leans more heavily into the dynamic of revolution, and how Yara’s citizens rise up to free themselves instead of waiting for an outside savior to do it for them. Far Cry 6’s story is about combating fascism, and you are playing as a member of the anti-fascist movement. Speaking with Far Cry 6 narrative director Navid Khavari, he explained the backbone of Far Cry 6’s plot, and how the game’s central character, Dani Rojas, fits in.
“It all came from a place of really just trying to understand the idea of revolution, and what that really means,” said Khavari. “I started on this game about four and a half years ago, and when we began our research, you look at the history of revolutions, and that of the guerrilla revolution. When we landed on the inspiration of the island of Cuba, and got to spend about a month there for initial research, we got really excited about this idea of a modern guerilla revolution. When you’re looking at any revolution, you’re examining the nature of defiance, systemic oppression, and the idea of how far do you have to be pushed to be willing to pick up a gun–to be willing to risk your life for something you believe in?”
Given the rocky history of Cuba, which has seen its share of oppressive leaders and stagnation due to economic sanctions, Yara’s fictional setting certainly makes for a fertile place to examine the concepts of oppression and revolution in a game. The Far Cry series hasn’t been shy about treading into evocative themes and locales. For Instance, Far Cry 2’s setting in central Africa still remains one of the more harrowing and brutal depictions of conflict in a game. 2018’s Far Cry 5 focused on the antagonist Joseph Seed and his heavily-armed cult that captured the isolated area of Hope County, Montana. While it incorporated certain topics such as conservatism and feeling like “the other,” it often skirted the underlying issues in favor of keeping the priority on the traditional Far Cry open-world hijinks.
Tensions rise in the island country of Yara.
After watching the trailer for Far Cry 6, with Giancarlo Esposito’s powerful performance as Anton Castillo, the imagery of political upheaval, with citizens fighting riot cops and toppling statues was certainly effective–especially in light of what’s going on today. But after playing Far Cry 5, and seeing how it often tip-toed around heavy themes, I have a lingering feeling that the next game will fall into the same trap that its predecessor did. In that, it may not be able to do proper justice to the imagery and themes that it’s presenting in-game. With that said, Khavari seemed to embrace the parallels with the game and with the current global protests against systemic oppression.
“To be very honest, I think it’s actually been quite powerful to watch these themes gain more prominence in the last few months around the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, London. For us, what I’m proud of is when we were looking at building the revolution in Yara, we didn’t try to shy away from difficult subjects and really to draw meaning from that. So I’m hoping players will be able to see that meeting and have those themes resonate with them. I think that’s exciting for us to be able to present in the game.”
One returning feature from previous games coming to Far Cry 6 is the voiced protagonist. In Far Cry 5 and New Dawn, both games featured silent protagonists who were simultaneously the catalyst and passenger for the story. FC6’s central character Dani Rojas–who can be either male or female–has a much stronger presence than previous heroes in the series. Instead of being an outsider who manages to overthrow the antagonistic force and help the country’s citizens throughout a campaign, Rojas is a native of Yara who most definitely has personal investment in the game.
Yara’s capital city, Esperanza.
“When you’re looking at the topic of revolution, it was essential for us to ensure that the protagonist has a personal investment in that revolution,” said Khavari. “With a character like Dani Rojas having that context, to have a history [in Yara] and to have a voice, is very important for us. What’s interesting about Dani is that while they were raised in Yara, they aren’t necessarily looking to be part of a guerilla movement from the onset. One of the interesting aspects for us was seeing this character swept up in the movement, being drawn into it in that way, and embracing the almost David versus Goliath conflict across the entire island. For the series, it’ll be fresh for players to see Dani in cutscenes, to be able to see them make decisions, and interact with other characters.”
Going back to the lead antagonist, Anton Castillo, he has a confident, yet still cold presence that sets him apart from other villains in the series. Instead of the charismatic, yet unhinged Vaas from Far Cry 3, or the flamboyant warlord Pagan Min in Far Cry 4, Castillo is all serious and believes he’s doing what’s best for the greater good. During our talk, Khavari explained that the lead actor did his homework before stepping into the role.
“It was an unbelievable experience [working with Giancarlo]. Right from the beginning, when I flew down to New York to meet with him, he’d done so much research already based on the material that we sent him. He brings an amazing empathy to his characters, and he brought that same empathy to Anton that I wasn’t expecting. He really approached it from the angle of what makes Anton tick? What makes someone who’s so charismatic and intelligent, be able to justify doing such brutal things? He also looked at it from the angle of a father. That level of empathy of you’re ruling a country, but you’re also passing down these very twisted lessons to your son, but you also love your son at the same time. He brought such great nuance and ability in Anton, and he really brought the character to life in a way that I wasn’t expecting.”
Giancarlo Esposito portrays Anton Castillo, the president of Yara.
The showing at Ubisoft Forward was only a small sampling of what’s to come with Far Cry 6. I’m really looking forward to checking out the game in the months ahead to see how these themes come up, and also to explore the really cool and visually exciting setting of Yara. With that said, I hope that the game will commit to having something more to say about the themes and settings that it’s inhabiting.
For more on Far Cry 6, check out our breakdown of everything we know about the game, along with other games shown at Ubisoft Forward.
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The developer confirmed in a post-show livestream that Eivor, the main character of Valhalla, can recruit a cat to join you on your journey. You’ll get the cat by helping a Norse child in town, and then the cat–whose name is Nali–will join your longship and become a “cat raider,” as the developer put it.
This cat will curl up inside your boat, and it will also eat rats to keep your shipmates healthy and safe, it seems. “As you’re riding around the rivers of England, you will see a cat basically walking around your longship, keeping your Viking raiders company,” Ubisoft said.
You can see a portion of the cat mission in the video below.
Valhalla releases on November 17 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. It’s also coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X when those consoles release, and players who buy the game on current-gen can upgrade to the next-gen edition for free.
For lots more on Valhalla, check out GameSpot’s new hands-on impressions in the video above. You can also read Jordan’s interview with narrative director Darby McDevitt and assistant level design director Laurence Letalien about Eivor’s mysterious identity, the interwoven story, and more.
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Ubisoft has just finished its first Ubisoft Forward event – and announced that it will broadcast later this year.
Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot said that there will be “a lot more to come” from Ubisoft, and an Ubisoft spokesperson said the next conference will include “games news and updates”
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Become Eivor, a mighty Viking raider and lead your clan from the harsh shores of Norway to a new home amid the lush farmlands of ninth-century England. Explore a beautiful, mysterious open world where you’ll face brutal enemies, raid fortresses, build your clan’s new settlement, and forge alliances to win glory and earn a place in Valhalla.
Far Cry 6 is the next game in Ubisoft’s open-world shooter franchise. While Far Cry 5 brought the series to North America for the first time, and with its follow-up New Dawn taking a surprising turn towards the post-apocalypse, Far Cry 6 brings the series back to its roots in a tropical locale. This return to the series’ roots also brings back a kind of protagonist who has more of a personal stake in the story, and FC6’s lead character will be more present and visible throughout the campaign.
Revealed during Ubisoft Forward, the protagonist of Far Cry 6 is Dani Rojas, is a native of the island of Yara–a country “frozen in time” due to economic sanctions. With the rise of a guerrilla revolution in the country, Rojas gets swept up in the push for change against Presidente Anton Castillo’s regime. Unlike other Far Cry protagonists who are outsiders making their way through a foreign land, Rojas has deep ties to the island, making their investment in its future more personal.
Taking cues from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla, players can choose from either a male or female version of Dani, and both will be fully voiced throughout the campaign. Furthermore, Dani Rojas will also appear in cutscenes interacting with other characters throughout the game, moving away from the first-person dialogue sequences and making the protagonist more visible.
Before the official reveal at Ubisoft Forward, I spoke with narrative director Navid Khavari about Dani’s background, and how they’re different from other Far Cry protagonists.
“When you’re looking at the topic of revolution, it was really important for us to ensure that the protagonist has a personal investment in that revolution,” said Khavari. “With a character like Dani Rojas having that context, to have a history [in Yara] and to have a voice, is very important for us. What’s interesting about Dani is that while they were raised in Yara, they aren’t necessarily looking to be part of a guerilla movement from the onset. One of the interesting aspects for us was seeing this character swept up in the movement, being drawn into it in that way, and embracing the almost David versus Goliath conflict across the entire island. For the series, it’ll be fresh for players to see Dani in cutscenes, to be able to see them make decisions, and interact with other characters.”
Far Cry 6
Like in Far Cry 5, you’ll be able to interact with a variety of supporting characters, some of whom will join you out in the field to take on Castillo’s men. One of whom is a dog named Chorizo, who can be recruited after a mission.
Far Cry 6 will be handling some heavy topics relating to revolution, fascism, and the nature of power in isolated communities, all of which are topics that are front and center in today’s age. I certainly welcome the change of having the protagonist be more present in those topics, as opposed to having another voiceless hero bouncing around from one mission to the next. So far, the game also has a great cast to tell this kind of story, with Giancarlo Esposito’s headlining as Presidente Anton Castillo.
Ubisoft confirmed during the show that it will hold a second Ubisoft Forward event later this year. The publisher is promising “tons of game news and updates” during the new show. An exact date for the second Ubisoft Forward event has not been announced, but keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
Some of the company’s high-profile games missing from the show included the pirate game Skull & Bones and the long-in-development Beyond Good & Evil 2, among others.
