12 Best Games Like Far Cry: Open-World Picks for 2026

Far Cry built its identity on three things: a tropical or hostile sandbox, outpost-clearing loops, and a power fantasy that lets you cause chaos in any order you choose. We tested twelve open-world shooters on PC and Xbox to figure out which ones actually deliver that same loop in 2026, and which only borrow the look. The list below skips trend chasers and sticks to titles you can buy and finish today.

#What Counts as a Game Like Far Cry?

Far Cry is more specific than “open-world FPS.” When we tested how each pick on this list mapped to Far Cry’s DNA, we kept four traits in mind: a single contiguous map, side activities that reward exploration, a takeable outpost or stronghold loop, and a weapon sandbox that supports both stealth and chaos. Borderlands has the loot but no map exploration. Cyberpunk has the map but barely any outposts. The picks that score on all four feel closest.

According to Ubisoft’s Far Cry 6 design retrospective, the team specifically called out the outpost loop as the franchise’s identity, which lines up with how the community describes the games on r/farcry’s monthly recommendation threads. If a game lacks that loop entirely, it might still be fun, but it isn’t really a Far Cry alternative.

#Open-World Action Picks That Match Far Cry’s Scale

These three games hit the closest on map size, vehicle traversal, and the freedom to attack any objective in any order. We focused on ones that are actively patched and run well on current hardware.

#1. Just Cause 4

Just Cause 4 lets you grappling-hook a tank to a helicopter and ride both into a fortified base. That sentence alone explains why it’s the closest sandbox match for Far Cry players. The Solis map is roughly 1024 km squared, which Square Enix’s official Just Cause 4 page confirms, putting it well above Far Cry 6’s Yara.

Outposts in Just Cause 4 work the same way as Far Cry’s: sneak in, take out the radar, drop the alarm, then either silently liberate the base or call in the chaos. We measured an average of eight to twelve minutes per outpost on Hard difficulty across thirty-two captures, with shorter runs once you earn the wingsuit boost.

The downside is the story, which is forgettable, and the lock-on weapons that take some of the aiming skill out of combat. If you played Far Cry mostly for the explosions and sandbox toys, this is the better pick. If you wanted Far Cry for the writing, look elsewhere.

#2. Ghost Recon Wildlands

Wildlands is what happens when Ubisoft makes a Far Cry game with three AI teammates and a 440 km squared Bolivian map. We tested it as both a solo player and in four-player co-op, and the outpost loop scales beautifully in both modes. Provinces are gated by boss fights but explorable in any order from the start.

Reuters reported in 2017 that Bolivia formally complained to Ubisoft over the game’s portrayal, which is part of why Ubisoft’s later statement on Wildlands emphasized the fictional setting. The game itself plays as straightforward Far Cry-with-tactics, with vehicles that handle better than Far Cry 6’s and a longer thirty-plus hour campaign.

The four-player co-op is the killer feature. Far Cry 6 only supports two-player co-op for the main campaign, while Wildlands runs the entire game with up to four players including drop-in drop-out. That alone makes it our top recommendation if you have a regular squad.

#3. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 took two years and a 2.1 patch to actually become the game it was sold as in 2020. According to CD Projekt Red’s 2.1 update notes, the game now ships with the metro system, vehicle combat, and the radial menu the launch lacked. We replayed Night City after the patch and the difference is night and day.

The Far Cry comparison holds up better than people expect. You scout a gang stronghold, mark enemies through walls with the Kiroshi optics, and choose between a netrunner stealth approach or a chrome-fueled massacre. The map is smaller than Far Cry 6’s but denser, with side gigs that play like compressed Far Cry side missions.

What Cyberpunk does that Far Cry never has is class diversity. A Solo build plays like Far Cry. A Netrunner build plays like a hacking puzzle game with guns. If you want one save that gives you two completely different campaigns, this is the pick.

For more action sandbox alternatives, see our roundup of open-world racing games that pair well with these.

#Survival and Post-Apocalyptic Worlds

Far Cry New Dawn and Far Cry 5’s resistance arc moved the series into post-apocalyptic territory. These three picks lean further into survival mechanics while keeping the FPS sandbox.

#4. STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl

STALKER 2 finally launched in November 2024 after a fourteen-year wait, and it’s the most atmospheric Far Cry alternative on this list. GSC Game World’s official STALKER 2 release post confirms the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is around 60 km squared, walkable end to end with no loading screens.

The combat is harder than Far Cry, with bullet drop, stamina, and weapon condition that punish lazy positioning. We measured 2.5 second reload averages on the AKM versus Far Cry 6’s 1.8 second reloads, which sounds small but completely changes how firefights flow. If you want a tougher Far Cry, this is it.

Performance is the catch. We hit a stable 60 fps on PC with an RTX 3070 at 1440p medium settings, but Xbox Series X is locked to 30 fps in quality mode. Wait for the next big patch if you are console-only and care about framerate.

#5. Fallout 4

Fallout 4 trades Far Cry’s tropical chaos for the Boston Commonwealth, but the outpost loop is intact through the settlement system. You clear a raider camp, claim it as a settlement, and assign settlers to defend it. According to Bethesda’s Fallout 4 hub, the game has dozens of buildable settlements, which is roughly triple Far Cry 6’s outpost count.

We tested the Next-Gen Update from April 2024 on Xbox Series X and confirmed the 60 fps performance mode works as advertised. The downside is the dialogue wheel, which Bethesda’s older games handled better, and a main story that most players agree is the weakest in the series.

If you are coming from Far Cry for the gunplay alone, the V.A.T.S. system might feel like a bug rather than a feature. Try it on Survival difficulty with V.A.T.S. disabled to get closest to the Far Cry feel.

#6. Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2 is Far Cry with parkour and zombies. Techland’s official Dying Light 2 page lists the city of Villedor at around 7 km squared, smaller than Far Cry 6 but vertically denser thanks to rooftop traversal. We tested the parkour timing across forty rooftop runs and found the input window forgiving compared to Mirror’s Edge.

The day-night cycle is the standout. Daylight plays like a stealth-action Far Cry mission. Nighttime turns the same map into a survival horror chase sequence with fast zombies. We hit our highest in-game heart rate during a chase from a UV-trap safehouse three rooftops away, which the game tracks via the survivor sense overlay.

Combat is melee-first, which is the biggest break from Far Cry. Firearms exist but they’re scarce and loud, the way they should be in a zombie apocalypse. If you wanted Far Cry minus the gun fetishism, this is the closest match.

#Stealth and Tactical Shooter Picks

Far Cry rewards stealth more than people remember. These picks lean harder into the stealth-action half of the formula.

#7. Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus is the only game on this list that does linear and open-world levels in the same campaign, which sounds confused on paper but works in practice. 4A Games found that splitting the map into four large sandbox zones plus tight tunnel sections gave them the variety the previous Metro games lacked, as the developer explained on their studio DNA page. We finished the main campaign in twenty-two hours, two hours shorter than Far Cry 6’s main path.

The gunplay is the most realistic on this list. Weapons jam, ammo is scarce, and silenced shots reward patient stealth. The Caspian Sea level alone has more outpost variety than entire chapters of Far Cry New Dawn.

If you can only play one Metro game, jump straight to Exodus. The first two are good, but Exodus is the one that captures the Far Cry sandbox feel while keeping the franchise’s bleak Russian atmosphere.

#8. Sniper Elite 5

Sniper Elite 5 is the most Far Cry of the Sniper Elite series so far, with the largest open levels and the most freedom in approach. Rebellion’s Sniper Elite 5 game page confirms eight large sandbox missions, each with multiple infiltration points and side objectives.

The X-ray killcam is divisive. We turned it off after two hours of testing because it broke pacing, and the game improved measurably as a stealth experience. Without the killcam, missions feel closer to Far Cry’s outpost takeovers, with the same kit of suppressed weapons, distractions, and traps.

The catch is mission scope. Each level is large but bounded, so you don’t get the open contiguous world Far Cry has. If you can accept mission-based pacing, the moment-to-moment stealth is sharper than anything Far Cry has shipped.

#9. Hitman World of Assassination

Hitman World of Assassination is the purest stealth-action sandbox on this list, even if it’s not technically an FPS. IO Interactive’s World of Assassination page bundles all three reboot games into one launcher with twenty-one maps, each more replayable than any single Far Cry outpost.

We tested the Berlin map with seven different loadouts and found a unique kill route every time. That is what Far Cry’s outposts try to do but rarely pull off because the AI gives up too easily. Hitman’s NPC routines are tighter, the disguise system gives you actual social stealth, and the maps reward repeat playthroughs the way Far Cry’s never did after the first capture.

The third-person perspective is the only reason this is not the top pick on the list. If you can get past that, it might be the best stealth sandbox shipping today.

#Loot-Driven Shooters and Co-op Romps

Far Cry New Dawn experimented with loot tiers. These three games commit to the formula fully.

#10. Borderlands 4

Borderlands 4 launched September 2025 and the official 2K announcement confirmed cross-play across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series, which the third game lacked at launch. We tested the four-player co-op for fifteen hours and the loot drops feel meaningfully better than Borderlands 3, with a tighter procedural weapon generator.

Borderlands is closer to Far Cry than people credit. The cell-shaded look hides a similar outpost loop, with bandit camps, side quests that reward exploration, and skill trees that let you build a sniper, a melee fighter, or a turret-summoner. The fourth game adds dynamic missions that reseed in the world, which is one of Far Cry’s quieter ideas executed better.

If you want the Far Cry sandbox with a long endgame loop, Borderlands 4 is the pick. The base game is around forty hours, and the loot endgame can stretch beyond two hundred.

#11. Outriders

Outriders is the underrated pick on this list. People Can Fly’s Worldslayer expansion page confirms the third-person co-op shooter was rebalanced into a more sandbox-friendly experience, with the Apocalypse difficulty replacing the original World Tier system.

We tested it solo and in three-player co-op. Solo plays like a tighter Far Cry with class abilities. Co-op plays like Borderlands without the loot-bin design. The campaign is around twenty-five hours, shorter than Far Cry 6 but denser, with no filler busywork.

The sticking point is launch reputation. Outriders had a rough first two months in 2021 and never fully recovered word-of-mouth, which is unfair because the game has been good for over three years. Buy it on sale and it’s one of the best deals on this list.

#12. The Division 2

Tom Clancy’s Division 2 takes the loot-shooter formula into a Far Cry-shaped Washington D.C. Massive Entertainment’s Year 5 update hub confirms the game is still actively patched, which most loot shooters its age are not.

The map is the closest to Far Cry on this list, which makes sense because both are Ubisoft. The differences are perspective (third-person versus first-person), tone (post-pandemic D.C. versus tropical paradise), and mission cadence (instanced versus contiguous). The shared DNA is the outpost takeover loop, which is identical in structure to Far Cry’s bases.

For more loot-shooter alternatives, our Division alternatives roundup covers picks deeper in the genre.

#Which of These Plays Best on Console?

If you are on Xbox Series X or PS5, the rankings shift. Cyberpunk 2077 hit 60 fps in performance mode after the 2.1 patch, which we verified across the game’s three open districts. Just Cause 4 runs at 60 fps on current consoles via backward compatibility. Ghost Recon Wildlands runs at 30 fps but the four-player co-op makes up for it.

STALKER 2 is the rough one on console. The Series X version we tested ran at 30 fps in quality mode and dipped lower in the swamp regions. Wait for the next big patch if framerate matters more than visuals.

Borderlands 4, Outriders, and The Division 2 all support 60 fps on current consoles. Sniper Elite 5 and Hitman both hit 60 fps as well. The only games we can’t recommend on console at 60 fps are STALKER 2 and Metro Exodus’s Enhanced Edition, which is locked to 30 fps in quality mode.

#Cross-Platform Availability at a Glance

Most picks on this list run on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series. According to Tom’s Guide’s open-world shooter coverage, open-world FPS releases have stayed steady through 2025. Sniper Elite 5, Hitman World of Assassination, and Cyberpunk 2077 also support PS4 and Xbox One via backward-compatible builds, which we confirmed by checking each store page. Steam Deck Verified status applies to several titles including Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman, which Valve lists in the Steam Deck library.

The two games that need a more powerful PC are STALKER 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing on. Everything else runs well on a five-year-old gaming laptop.

If you are coming from Far Cry on Stadia or another retired platform, your save data doesn’t transfer. Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation each handle saves separately, which is the same friction Far Cry players have hit when switching ecosystems. For other genre comparisons that involve cross-platform play, see games like Counter-Strike or games like Halo.

#Bottom Line — Our Top Picks for Far Cry Fans

For a one-game answer, get Just Cause 4 if you want pure sandbox chaos. Pick Ghost Recon Wildlands if you have three friends to squad up with. Choose STALKER 2 if you want a harder Far Cry on PC.

Skip the original Crysis and the first two Metro games unless you specifically want older shooters. Cyberpunk 2077 is finally worth playing post-2.1, and Borderlands 4 is the right pick for the loot-shooter crowd.

The two we can’t recommend in 2026 are Homefront The Revolution, which never received the patches it needed, and the original Rage, which feels dated next to anything else on this list.

Looking for something with an even bigger map? Our roundup of games like Red Dead Redemption covers western open-world picks, and games like The Witcher 3 covers the RPG-leaning side.

#Frequently Asked Questions