Borderlands 2 vs Far Cry 3
Borderlands 2 is an action-RPG FPS game from Gearbox Software (2012) while Far Cry 3 is an action-adventure FPS game from Red Storm Entertainment (2012).
Quick answer: Borderlands 2 has the higher Metacritic, 89 to 88.
What each one is
Borderlands 2 is filed under Action-RPG and FPS. In contrast, Far Cry 3 under Action-Adventure and FPS.
The Ultimate Vault Hunter’s Upgrade lets you get the most out of the Borderlands 2 experience.
Stranded on the Rook Islands as Jason Brody, fight your way through a lawless tropical open world using a powerful arsenal to save your friends and escape the madness of this acclaimed visceral FPS.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting and characters Dameon Clarke provided the voice for Handsome Jack . Five years have passed since the events of Borderlands , when four Vault Hunters—Roland, Mordecai, Lilith, and Brick—were guided by a mysterious entity known as "The Guardian Angel" to the Vault, an ancient alien structure that was rumored to hold exotic technology and riches. On entering the Vault, they were instead confronted by an alien abomination known as "The Destroyer". (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception The game received generally positive reviews upon release, according to review aggregator platform Metacritic . Many reviewers agreed that the game is a notable improvement over the original. Allistair Pinsof, writing for Destructoid , praised the gunplay and the variety of guns, which can change the gameplay experience as different weapons force players to approach combat differently. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Michael Mando provided voice and motion capture for Vaas Montenegro , one of the game's antagonists. Jason Brody ( Gianpaolo Venuta ) is on vacation with a group of friends in Bangkok , Thailand . On a skydiving trip, they unknowingly land on the pirate-occupied Rook Islands, where they are captured by pirate lord Vaas Montenegro ( Michael Mando ), who intends to sell them into slavery. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception James Stephanie Sterling from Destructoid felt the game had a larger emphasis on storytelling when compared with its predecessors, and liked the game's cast of characters. Sterling called the story "tightly written" and "stylishly presented". Matt Bertz from Game Informer agreed, calling the story "compelling". (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Borderlands 2 | Far Cry 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.1/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (90%, 312,170) | Very Positive (88%, 133,189) |
| Critic aggregate | 89/100 | 88/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2012 | 2012 |
| Developer | Gearbox Software | Red Storm Entertainment |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Borderlands 2 vs Far Cry 3, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Borderlands 2Action-RPG FPS gameFar Cry 3Action-adventure FPS gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Borderlands 2Loot, Shooter, ActionFar Cry 3Open World, FPS, ActionThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Borderlands 2Score 8.1 · 90% on Steam · 89 criticFar Cry 3Score 8.1 · 88% on Steam · 88 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Borderlands 2312,170 reviews · 5 add-onsFar Cry 3133,189 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Borderlands 2$19.99Far Cry 3$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Borderlands 2PlayableFar Cry 3PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 0 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueBorderlands 2 and Far Cry 3 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- Multi-platform
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Borderlands 2 (312,170 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
ShooterActionMultiplayerCo-opFPSRPGFirst-PersonOpen World
Where they differ
LootLooter ShooterFunnyComedyCombatAction RPG
StealthHuntingSandboxStory RichSurvivalNudity
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Borderlands 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Far Cry 3 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Borderlands 2 | Far Cry 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | 512MB Video RAM (1GB Video RAM) |
| Minimum CPU | 2.4 GHz Dual Core Processor | Intel Core®2 Duo E6700 @ 2.6 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Borderlands 2 · Far Cry 3.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Borderlands 2 and 1 for Far Cry 3. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Borderlands 2 and Far Cry 3 in scope?
Borderlands 2 has drawn 312,170 Steam reviews and ships 5 add-ons. Far Cry 3 has drawn 133,189 Steam reviews.
Is Borderlands 2 or Far Cry 3 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Borderlands 2 rates higher (8.1 to 8.1). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Borderlands 2 or Far Cry 3?
Borderlands 2 is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Borderlands 2 or Far Cry 3?
Borderlands 2 has the higher Metacritic, 89 to 88. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.