Far Cry 3

It's clear why Far Cry 3 became the blueprint for what the open world genre would become, even to the modern day. It may be missing some of the quality of life features we see in modern open world games, but even to this day, over 12 years after its release, Far Cry 3 remains a fantastic time and something I recommend all open world fans play. Far Cry 3 above all else feels authentic and its clear the developers had a great time making this game. The story is wild and crazy, the characters are full of life, the open world is vast and fun to traverse, and the game isn't afraid to get weird. REALLY weird.

Overall a fantastic time, even 12 years later.

If you dreamed of a game where you could become the king of the jungle, fight pirates and experience a story that will stick in your memory, then Far Cry 3 is your perfect choice.
Why is it a masterpiece?
1. A plot with adrenaline in the blood. You play as Jason Brody - an ordinary guy who turns into a real warrior, saving his friends from the mad pirate Vaas. This antagonist is one of the most charismatic villains in the history of games! His phrase "Do you know what madness is?" will become your meme for years.
2. A world that lives. The tropical Rook Islands are not just a backdrop, but a real adventure reserve. Here, tigers hunt buffalo, pirates argue about life, and you can set fire to a marijuana field to Skrillex tracks. Yes, it's as epic as it sounds!
3. Freedom of action. Want to quietly eliminate enemies with a knife? You're welcome! Attack an outpost in a jeep with a flamethrower? Easy! Or release a leopard from a cage to do all the work for you? This is Far Cry 3 - here your imagination becomes a weapon.
4. Thoughtful gameplay. Hunting for resources, upgrading skills, capturing towers, mini-games like poker - you won't be bored. And there is also a harpoon gun that turns any shootout into a circus of the absurd.
5. An atmosphere that never gets old. Even 13 years after the release, the graphics are pleasing with rich colors, and the soundtrack fits perfectly with the madness of what is happening.
Far Cry 3 is the standard of the genre. A game where every frame, every dialogue and even a failed mission become part of your personal legend. If you haven't yet immersed yourself in this chaos, it's time to start. Vaas is waiting!
P.S. Advice: don't miss side quests. Sometimes saving an island from pirates is prevented by... hunting a rare tiger with a bow. And it's brilliant!

Played through Far Cry 3 for the first time. Is the game really from 2012? The game looks really cool for its age! Or was there a graphics update? I was really amazed.

Amazing game with an amazing story of good,of evil and even KARMA
it will be nice to see a Remake of this one 10/10

10/10 game. Highly recommend. Great story, characters and fun gameplay. Best Farcry game.

The best Far Cry so far, the game really feels nostalgic considering the great performance in plot and the game design had back in 2012.
When ubisoft really cared to make good games.

Far Cry 3 is a game I am sure most of us have heard of, heck, played before. We all know how much FC3 shook up the whole of Ubisoft back in the day. Whatever Far Cry 2 gave us, FC3 reinvented that, expanded on that and blew onto our screens with style and very, VERY well known villain - Vaas.
The story, gameplay and villains of Far Cry 3 are arguably the best in the entire franchise - yes, you read that correctly. For a game made in 2012 it still holds it's own in 2025. Yeah it's dated now but its still one of the best games Ubisoft has ever given us.
Before I get into anything a quick disclaimer below!!
This review is MY opinion, MY own personal experience and MY thoughts. I am brutally honest when it comes to reviewing games. If you do not like my opinion, my time or respect my personal experience, please move on.
Did I ever tell you the definition of Insanity?
Pros
⚫Far Cry 3 has one of the best villains Ubisoft has ever graced our screens with - Vaas Montenegro. Not only is he "the best" villain but we all know his line. He is also expertly voice acted and he just makes the game so much more than what it should be.
⚫You get to explore a fully open-world, tropical archipelago (fictional) Rook Islands. This was one of my favourite aspects of FC3 back in the day and it still holds it's own against some of these NEW open-world games.
⚫I know I mentioned Vaas, but the other characters... you - Jason Brody who is also expertly voice acted, who is just an American man on a vacation who has to learn the ways of the jungle and escape from the clutches of Vaas and the island. The game has so many amazing characters you need to meet, I don't want to spoil anything else!!
⚫The story of Far Cry 3 is amazing from start to finish. I ask you this - how far are you willing to go to protect the people you love?. From the start of the game being, witnessing Jason run away to the very end, from coward to killer... Jason's transformation is beyond amazing. You truly see a man change.
⚫From taking over merc bases, slave trader bases, racing, supply drops, hunting e.t.c the game has so much content embedded inside of it, there is a possibility you will be here for hours just having fun!!
⚫FIRE - FIRE SPREADS - RUN - RUN LIKE THE WIND!!! I love the flamethrower, sorry, I must have had some PTSD a moment ago.
⚫The graphics are still gorgeous to this date. I am amazed at how good this game still looks, even against all these new games (that seem to be disasters haha). No mods, no "addons" e.t.c, have a look yourself and yes, it's Vaas:
⚫As of 17/01/25 - Ubisoft has finally added in achievements (and fixed the achievement issue). They also removed the MP achievements for us achievements hunters that want 100% (due to MP being shut down):
Cons
⚫The multiplayer and all online features are now no longer supported for FC3. It's a real shame because it was so fun. I understand though.
⚫Sadly, Far Cry 3 suffers from major performance issues on modern computers. I crashed about 100 times returning to it in 2025, sadly. I am not sure what causes it, cores? Graphics cards? Cpus? Windows 11 (XD)? Whatever causes this, its never been fixed. Going to quote a friend (WolfPax) - "scroll through the PCGamingWiki and finding 3 pages of unsolved performance issues". Yeah, he was not lying... it's crazy.
Insanity is doing the exact same fu**ing thing over and over again, expecting sh*t to change
My Verdict
After all is said and done, Far Cry 3 is a staple of what was once a company to be rivalled with. A masterpiece of a game with villains, characters, combat, exploation, lore... all done to perfection. To see how far Ubi has fallen really makes me sad but that is a different topic.
Far Cry 3 is worth every penny. I would pay double to experience this game again, it's that good. A Villain that will never be forgotten. A stunning tropical archipelago full of history, secrets and killer animals. Characters that you will do anything to protect, or kill and a man twisted, warped into something else to do whatever he can for his loved one. Far Cry 3 is unforgettable.
10/10 Story. 10/10 Villain. 10/10 Exploration. 2/10 performance. A masterpiece of a game (if you can look past the crashing)