Far Cry 5

Far Cry 5 is an open-world first-person shooter set in Hope County, Montana, where a newly arrived junior deputy becomes separated from a federal arrest party and joins local residents resisting the Project at Eden’s Gate. Missions, rescues and attacks build regional resistance while the deputy travels through rural communities, wilderness and cult-held territory.

Hope County is a fictional Montana county whose forests, farms, rivers and small settlements are being brought under the control of the Project at Eden’s Gate. The story begins when a sheriff’s department joins a U.S. Marshal to arrest Joseph Seed, the cult’s leader known to followers as the Father. The attempt collapses, leaving the player-created junior deputy isolated on Dutch’s Island. Dutch helps the deputy escape and explains how to contact people resisting the cult. From there, the conflict reaches three broader regions under Joseph’s siblings: John Seed’s Holland Valley, Jacob Seed’s Whitetail Mountains and Faith Seed’s Henbane River. Each region has its own local resistance network and operations.

The campaign gives the deputy room to decide how to build that resistance. Story and side missions, freeing hostages, damaging cult property and liberating outposts all add pressure to the local resistance effort. Its regional meter tracks that pressure; reaching milestones brings new opportunities and draws the region’s Herald into the conflict. This structure means the main story does not rely on one single mission chain before the player can act elsewhere. Residents encountered on the roads, in buildings or during other activities may ask for help, point to another task or share information about a nearby location. Outposts can be approached by scouting and stealth, by direct assault or through a changing mix of both. The same countryside that connects story objectives also contains hostile patrols, civilian encounters and optional discoveries, so travel can turn into a rescue or firefight without a formal mission marker.

On foot, the deputy moves between settlements and enemy positions using ordinary roads, forest paths and climbs, while a broad vehicle selection supports longer trips or combat. Cars and trucks cross the county’s roads; boats use its waterways, and aircraft add a way to survey or attack from above. Hope County’s layout also supports parachuting and wingsuit travel when the relevant abilities are available. The world’s wildlife provides another reason to leave the road: hunting produces hides and feathers that can be sold for money, and fishing is another activity with its own equipment and challenges. Exploring can also uncover locked or concealed prepper caches. These are small environmental objectives built around finding an entrance, restoring access or solving a local obstacle; their supplies and perk rewards make them a separate progression route from the conflict with the cult.

Combat supports both quiet approaches and open exchanges. The deputy can use a bow or silenced firearm to reduce the chance that a guarded site becomes a larger fight, or bring rifles, shotguns, pistols, explosives and heavier weapons into a direct attack. Enemy positions can be surveyed before an approach, and the choice of entry route affects which guards or alarms become immediate concerns. A weapon wheel keeps selected firearms and throwable equipment close at hand; the deputy can carry a sidearm as well as primary weapons, with additional gun slots unlocked through perks. Ammunition, healing supplies and money make preparation relevant between encounters. None of these choices removes the need to watch for reinforcements or protect people caught in the fighting; some missions ask the deputy to rescue captives, hold a location or defend a target while enemy forces arrive.

Hope County’s residents are not limited to giving directions. People who join the resistance can become Guns for Hire, computer-controlled allies who accompany the deputy and can be directed toward targets or positions. Specialist recruits have distinct identities and skills: for example, bow hunter Jess Black supports a quieter approach, while rocket-launcher user Hurk Drubman Jr. brings explosive firepower. Animals recruited as Fangs for Hire add a different kind of support; Boomer can locate and mark nearby enemies, while Cheeseburger is a bear who attacks cultists at close range. The deputy can take compatible allies into the field during solo play, or play the campaign in two-player co-op. The partner’s character can be positioned to cover another angle, sent against a chosen target or allowed to act alongside the player during an assault. Allies grow more capable as they earn combat experience, so their available skills can influence which support is useful for a particular objective.

Character growth comes from several connected activities rather than a single experience track. Challenges award perk points for tasks such as using particular weapon types, travelling by air or hunting wildlife. Prepper caches can contain perk magazines as well as cash, supplies and weapons, so solving their access puzzles can advance equipment and abilities together. Perks unlock practical options: extra weapon holsters expand the loadout, while movement and survival abilities support approaches such as wingsuit travel or carrying more equipment. Money earned from selling animal materials or found during exploration pays for firearms, ammunition, upgrades and customisation. Weapon choices can be tailored with sights, suppressors and other available modifications, letting the player prepare for distance, stealth or close quarters. These paths intersect naturally: an outing to investigate a cache might provide the perk points needed for a new ability, while completing challenges during missions can make that ability affordable without leaving the main campaign for long.

The county’s resistance also changes through concrete operations that are larger than clearing a single guard post. The Whitetail Militia, led by Eli, asks for help rescuing missing members and disrupting the cult’s communications, including work against radio jammers and a vehicle carrying a signal source. Elsewhere, local resistance leaders can ask the deputy to protect a town, free people held by the cult or take back a place used to control its surroundings. These regional missions tie the fight to people living under occupation.