Far Cry 5 has been released into the wild and has already been a critical and commercial success. The setting of Hope County, Montana, is one of the most interesting settings the series has ever been to.
Now that the game has been released however, it’s time to look ahead and consider where the series may go next. Often in the same way that Assassin’s Creed foregoes fans wishes for settings like Feudal Japan, the Far Cry series rarely takes us to a location we’re expecting; whether that’s Central Africa, the Himalayas, or a alternative history version of an unnamed island inhabited by robo dinosaurs. The series has never been known for going to obvious locales and that often works in its favor, so today we’re taking a look at five unique locations that the series could venture to next. As always, be sure to let us know in the comments where you want to see the next Far Cry game set.
Yucatan, Mexico
Yucatan is a peninsula at the very northern tip of eastern Mexico and it fits the bill of Far Cry rather perfectly; stunning vistas, ancient ruins, exotic creatures, and a plethora of places worth visiting. You’ll probably recognize the image above, but you may not know that it’s called the temple of Kukuclan, in the ancient city of Chichen Itza. This was one of the main cities in Central America some thousands of years ago, and today it attracts millions of tourists a year. Can’t you just picture a ritual like that of Far Cry 3 happening at the base of those steps? Maybe you wander inside and take a drug-fueled trip to ancient Mexico. Or maybe you simply climb to the top and get randomly attacked by a local jaguar or deadly snake.
The iconic temple is not the only site worth seeing in Yucatan however; there’s also Las Coloradas, a series of lakes that are bright pink; Izamal, a beautiful little town that is entirely yellow in color; cenote caves filled with fresh water and perfect for hidden treasure; multiple beaches, with snorkeling and exotic sea life; and the city of Cancun to name just a few. Yucatan is a beautiful part of Mexico and one that seems to hit just about every note that Far Cry looks for in a location.
This post was originally authored by Curtis Dillon.
British Columbia, Canada
Despite being one of the largest and fastest-growing countries in the world, Canada has never been properly featured in a video game – minus South Park: The Stick Of Truth’s hilarious 8-bit rendition. While Canada is not as geologically diverse as the United States, it’s also a lot more impressive than most people give it credit for. Central and Eastern Canada range from vast cities like Toronto, Quebec, and Montreal, to Icelandic-esque places like Newfoundland. Heading out West, however, is when things get truly stunning; British Columbia is a huge province that has a beautiful city in the form of Vancouver in the south, borders Alaska to the west, the Yukon to the north, and Washington State to the south. It’s one of the most diverse landscapes you’ll find anywhere.
British Columbia has been the setting of TV shows like Arrow, Bates Motel, and The X-Files, and of movies like Ace Ventura, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, The Incredible Hulk, and Highlander. The reason it’s a hot-bed for entertainment productions is because of the incredible forests, various mountain ranges, incredible wildlife and, to be honest, the low taxes imposed upon productions. Regardless, it doesn’t take much imagination to see how Far Cry could fit into a setting with vast forests, treacherous mountains, small towns and huge cities, as well as grizzly bears, moose, mountain goats, whales, bald eagles, and much more. And, of course, it would be fascinating to see Far Cry’s take on the Canadian stereotypes.
Northern Cape, South Africa
Things to do in the Northern Cape of South Africa include navigating desert trails, visiting one of the many small towns like Kimberly – which contains a huge mine in the center, studying ancient ruins like Prieska, paddling down wide rivers, or heading to one of the national parks for some incredible views.
The Northern Cape of South Africa is the largest province in the country and would certainly be a tonal shift for the series. Sure, Far Cry 2’s setting was Africa but South Africa is different enough, and plenty of years have passed that I doubt many would care. The country features deserts, forests, mountains, grasslands, and much more, which makes it one of the world’s most geologically interesting locales. It is also home to the world’s oldest-known human remains from over 130,000 years ago, there are around 2000 shipwrecks on the coasts, it was the setting of the 2010 World Cup, and it even has a monarchy. There’s so much material to work with, Ubisoft could have a field day with a Far Cry game set here.
Northern Australia
Australia’s outback is well-known for its desert landscape and tropical climate but it’s also one brimming with wildlife, uncharted territories, gorgeous scenery, and incredible culture. Most of the outback is uninhabited but that’s perfect for a game like Far Cry, which often situates in sparsely populated areas and moves militias in. That being said, there are Aborigines that still live in the outback in their own traditional way, and if that doesn’t say Far Cry, I don’t know what does.
There’s the waterfront town of Darwin, Kakadu National Park which features a eye-popping waterfall, the tiny town of Yulara in the middle of nowhere, or King’s Canyon where tourists go to hike, and go on safari trails. There’s lots to see and do in the Northern Territory of Australia, and we haven’t even touched upon the snakes, spiders, crocodiles, lizards, dingos, camels, and, yes, kangaroos. As much as these may be stereotypes of Australia, they’re also facts, and I for one would love to hunt a kangaroo with a bow. Maybe I’m weird.
Central Switzerland
The final choice of setting for this list is the vague, Central Switzerland. Now, to be clear, Switzerland is a pretty small country, around half the size of Ireland, which we think of as a fairly small place. So to choose a specific city or area is pretty difficult and Ubisoft has been known to create some massive in-game maps. Heck, Switzerland is 41, 285 km², while Ghost Recon Wildland’s map is a whopping 440 km², so Ubisoft could easily recreate the entire country if it wished.
The reason we’ve chosen central Switzerland however, is because it’s a lot less populated than the cities than border neighboring countries like Germany or Italy. The picture above shows the unbelievable town of Interlaken, with the surrounding Bernese Oberland range. There are over 200 mountains in the country, as well as incredible lakes, it’s one of the world’s wealthiest countries and it boasts higher life-expectancy than anywhere else. The quaint tranquillity of Interlaken would mesh perfectly with Far Cry’s brutal insanity. Something people may not know about the famously neutral Switzerland is that it still has compulsory military service for men, meaning the locals all know how to handle themselves in case of an attack. From the snowy mountains to the picturesque towns and the unique wildlife that roams between, Switzerland is without doubt a perfect location for the Far Cry series.
